#he thinks that he knows some inherent truth about the world. that it is cruel and therefore he must be too.

[transmascutena]

the fact that he spends all his time grooming kids into believing they're mature enough to consent and then turns around to condescend to them about how young and stupid they are and how they actually don't understand anything makes my fucking blood boil. i need to kill him

[elipheleh]

The truth is every queer person has the right to come out on their own terms, and on their own timeline. They also have the right to choose not to come out at all. The forced conformity of the closet can not be answered with the forced conformity in coming out of it.

-Alex, Red White & Royal Blue (2023)

i want to talk about this quote. full disclosure, it’s because i keep seeing some really frustrating takes (some of which veer into queerphobia) and i am getting a bit annoyed with people and rather than directly addressing it with them & appear to be picking a fight im going to make an analysis post in my space. (tbf. its mostly on twitter and i have a priv account so that limits me)

disclaimer; this is my interpretation, im not saying its the only interpretation just something to consider. i am queer & cognitively disabled - don’t assume malice and dont be cruel. i will ignore and block freely.

tl;dr/very simplified summary: it doesn’t mean “dont ever speculate about other people’s sexuality” but rather that ‘coming out’ in the way society understands it shouldn’t be a necessity for queer people to exist openly as queer. full context under the cut & self-exploration questions at the end.

so lets start with the context. alex is talking at a point in time when the world has read their emails and so knows both are queer (bi & gay, specifically), but neither alex/the white house or henry/the palace have commented. so more simply - alex and henry are known to be queer, but have not come out. alex uses the speech to come out as bi, and as being in love with henry. he also uses it to imply that he & henry should have the right to choose not to do this formal coming out alex is doing.

—

okay. lets get into the quote analysis.

The truth is every queer person has the right to come out on their own terms, and on their own timeline.

reasonably self explanatory. each queer person gets to decide their own timing for coming out, and the way that they want to address their sexuality.

They also have the right to choose not to come out at all.

this is where problems with interpretation have started to appear. fundamentally yes, this means people are allowed to not be openly queer/‘out’ if that is what their decision is. but it also means that they can be visibly queer - for example being in a visibly queer relationship; signalling with their aesthetic (e.g. someone being butch, someone who wears only ‘girl’ clothes despite that being at odds to their assigned gender); casually posting about queer things on social media etc - without addressing their own sexuality to others.

it does not mean that you should assume everyone is straight until they explicitly tell you otherwise. and quite frankly insisting that it does mean that is veering into homo-/bi-/queer-phobia because you are insinuating that being not-straight is a negative thing.

The forced conformity of the closet can not be answered with the forced conformity in coming out of it.

some people seem to be interpreting this as ‘you shouldnt force people out of the closet’ and i don’t think thats quite to the nuance of what it means. yes, i do think that is part of it - in much the same way as the previous sentence - but it is not really the whole of it. in my opinion this is actually addressing - at least to some degree - the concept of ‘we should assume people are straight until they explicitly say otherwise’.

the ‘forced conformity of coming out’ addresses the idea that to be “out” you have to follow these steps; that you have to make a public statement that ‘this is my sexuality and i am [queer/bi/gay/pan/ace/etc]’. you are conforming to this precedent of “how to come out” that countless queer people have followed. there’s nothing inherently wrong with doing so, but actually there are different ways to be queer - and even being “out” as queer - that don’t involve following that playbook.

here’s a hypothetical to demonstrate my point. two men, who have never dated any women, live together & spend basically all their time together over 5-10 years. they holiday with each other’s family, they’re always together at events (e.g. weddings of non-mutual friends), but they’ve never told you/the public that they’re queer and/or dating each other. at what point does one start to assume they’re together? and does the answer change if its a man & a woman rather than two men? if a man & a woman did that, people would assume pretty early on they’re probably dating. but yet when it’s two men suddenly it’s invasive to speculate. this is where this concept of the forced conformity of coming out comes in - along with the veering into homophobia i referenced earlier - why must they say the words “i am gay” for it to then be ‘okay’ to consider that they’re together? (the homophobia comes into play because if you think being gay is morally neutral (which it is) then you shouldn’t have any issue with the speculation about people being together regardless of their genders.) the idea that straight is the default is where this forced conformity starts to really kick in.

—

i guess the main things i want people to ask themselves are these (and i have been asking myself these questions, there is no judgement or censure just self examination):

1. do you think people can be openly queer publicly without explicitly sharing that they are queer? (by this i mean in an announcement or in casual conversation. can you be openly queer without ever addressing it explicitly?)

2. if you do, why do you think that talking about the possibility someone is queer is something that should be hushed up? is it because there is an internalised concept that being queer is something abnormal and/or negative? if it was a straight couple would you feel the same way?

3. what does “coming out” mean to you? why does it mean that, what have you internalised to get to that conclusion & is it something that always works or are there other ways to be openly queer (or ‘out’ if you prefer)?

4. is it possible that there are queer people living openly and happily as themselves without explicitly addressing their sexuality to the wider world, who don’t want to address it publicly? does this make them closeted or ‘less’ queer to you? if so, what makes you think that?

[prophxtslash]

Henlo it is I, the bitch who requested the killer s/o with a tragic past a while ago- if requests are still open(I think they are), I was hoping to request a third one with Pyramid Head, Eddie(I know he's not from dbd but shhh), Huntress, and David?

everyone salute them right this instant, we've got a legend here fellas 🫡

Killer! S/O with a Tragic Past III

Pyramid Head | The Executioner

Pyramid Head is strange, off putting; something more akin to that of an animal than of a man. As such, many expect him to be almost dumb, blind to the wide spectrum of human emotion. How could he, one who carries out pain, carries out torture ever understand that another may ache?

And yet, who here would understand suffering more than him? This pain is familiar to Pyramid Head; one could say that he is intimate with it both in theory, and in practice. It’s a feeling he has come to know the entirety of his existence, both back at Silent Hill, and here in the Realms; and here, with you, this suffering encapsulating your very being. 

A long, pitiful groan reverberates from the inside of his helmet, a high pitch cascading upwards as you lean against him, your cheek pressed against his shoulder. The skin is rough, torn, but it doesn’t matter - the warmth of it seeps into you. Silence surrounds the two of you, the hallways of Midwich Elementary School long empty, devoid of any real, authentic life. 

Eddie Gluskin | The Groom

Eddie is extravagant, flamboyant; whatever is inherently, deeply wrong with him, he covers up through presentation, through love. If he were to dwell on what actually happened, on what they did to him, why, he wouldn’t have any time to dote upon you!

Eddie doesn’t cope, doesn’t think about this pain; to him, it simply was a bad dream, a nightmare from some horrible, alternate reality. He dwells in fantasy, in that of a perfect home life, with the perfect ‘Leave it to Beaver’ family. The truth is far, far too ugly, too tragic to come to terms with. As such, upon learning of your upbringing, your suffering is hard for him to swallow; hard for him to understand. 

“Darling,” Eddie’s words are sugar, honeyed, his hands splayed across your back. “I can’t stand to see you in such agony. Tell me who I must deal with.” An involuntary shiver crawls up the length of your spine; it’s impossible for him to make, to fulfill this promise. And yet, a little fantasy never hurt anyone, right? You relay the names dutifully, a wide, cruel smile splitting the Groom’s lips. 

Anna | The Huntress

Anna, at her very core, is a protector, a trait she had inherited from her own mother, who, in turn, inherited from her mother, and so on. An animalistic, primal instinct to care for her own runs deep within the Huntress; if you were to suffer, surely so would she. 

This almost telepathic empathy extends to both physical as well as mental pain; broken bones, nightmares, cracked skulls, memories - Anna knows and feels it all. No matter how small, no matter how unimportant, she will know it, and will always, always leap to protect you, come what may.

A deep set shudder courses along your body, your eyes fluttering shut as you fold into yourself, the painful pop! and flashes of a memory exploding behind your eyelids, the scene unavoidable, and all too familiar. And yet, something warm, something strong surrounds you, a solid surface curling over you, pressing against your back. The memory continues, but Anna shields you from the outside world, and should you will it, from the Entity itself. 

David King

Pain is something David is more than familiar with; whether it be the sting of a cut lip, the ugly swelling of a broken nose, or even the fractured shards of memories within his mind, David goes to bed with suffering, with ache more often than not. 

Although, despite this intimacy, David is detached, unavailable in terms of emotions, of feelings. He doesn’t like to deal with it, doesn’t like to dwell upon it; would rather shove it down, down so deep that such weakness could never hope to show its face ‘round him ever again. But that’s for him; as for you, it’s still rough, awkward almost, but he tries.

David clenches his jaw as he sways above you, your head hung and fingers gripping tight against your scalp. Nothing is said; the silence is stubbornness on everyone’s part - you, not wanting to show weakness, and him, not knowing what to do. It persists a few moments longer before David slides down next to you, his hand hesitating above your shoulder before it finally falls, a tight squeeze to the skin there. Despite the lack of words, despite the awkwardness, it’s enough that he’s there.

[zonedelicious]

EchoVN analysis thingy

This will be a quick analysis of the furry visual novel Echo which will obviously contain spoilers. This is my own personal interpretation of the narrative and shouldn't be taken as factual. I must also state that I am not sexually interested in any of the characters, so this will be an asexual reading of sorts.

Echo to me is a story about mental illness and how it affects people. All 6 of the main characters are suffering mentally and that has affected their relationships with each other. Of course there is the paranormal entities that exist within the town of Echo. Our characters are one small part of a greater messed up world.

When seeing how people talk about the characters it is very similar how people discuss mental illness in real life. That is villainising it. With no offense to anyone in particular, there is often a hatred towards these characters that feels personal and that hatred comes from ableism. Thinking that none of these characters deserve happiness, that they're inherently bad, or that they're psychotic, it's all ableist reaction. And maybe that's intentional. Because Echo is a game that makes you feel uncomfortable. And maybe it's trying to make you question your own biases.

If there's one character that could potentially represent this best it is Sydney. The kid that drowned. Who's often portrayed as a cruel and even demonic kid. Some say he's even the one behind all the demonic entities. You could say he's a bad person. Right? But that would be wrong. Because Sydney being a bad person is a lie. A lie Chase made up.

Chase is an unreliable narrator who throughout the game is often seen lying and intentionally twisting the truth. It is his coping mechanism. He intentionally exaggerated Syd's bad moments and lies about Syd's death, to cope with the fact that he was the one who killed him. Chase as well as TJ had buried their memories of the event due to how traumatic it was for them and avoid thinking a out Syndey at all. In Flynn's route we even see Syd as a very friendly kid. It was only after his father's death that he grew distant from the others, because they judged him. Sydney was not a monster. He was simply another kid. Anyone could have taken his place. Just like Chase, the player frames Sydney as a bad person. You would expect him to be bad. Especially when being aware of common horror tropes of a vengeful ghost. But of course that never happens. Sydney probably has even forgiven Chase from what Micha says in Jenna's route. So what's the message then, that Chase is the bad guy? Well you would think that of course, but that's also false.

Chase is a mentally unwell person. He has been possessed for so long that he doesn't even know who he is. He lies and manipulates people because he is emotionally detached from everything. Does that makes him evil? No. He's simply a person. He does shit things. He has mental issues he can't control. This of course is shown by him literally being possessed by multiple ghosts, that also represent real world mental health issues. In TJ's route he is basically no longer in control of his own body according to Sam. He is a puppet. And that doesn't excuse his actions entirely. But it needs to be understood that he and everyone else in the game are suffering from serious mental health issues, and in the real world that means they are unstable and not fully in control of their own actions. So while yes technically a demon possessed Chase killed Sydney and Flynn. It was also a metaphor for how mental illness can cause you to do things you do not want to do.

Carl could get a job and go to college and be the best student and get all the girls and be happy. But that's not what's it like when your anxiety is so bad you start having panic attacks constantly.

TJ could just man up and be a badass. But how can you expect a 19 year old to change like that when they've been emotionally stunted due to trauma.

Trauma, depression, anxiety etc. It is all fucking painful, it fucks you up, and you can't function because of it. I relate with all these characters because I felt it too. I lost a friend and I've quit college and I had anger issues and people treated me like I was crazy. Probably shouldn't be personal on a furry post but I need to emphasize that this shit is really fucking hard to deal with.

So to say these characters are irredeemable and inherently bad, it is simply cruel to me. Yes I do think someone like Leo deserves love and care and to be hugged. Not because I want to fuck him. But because I understand that this is a broken man who does not deserve the pain he is going through.

Leo is the reason I started writing this essay. Before I even started playing I saw how Leo is said to be the worst person ever. To the point that liking Leo is seen as "missing the point". Which I find strange because Leo is never portrayed in the game in this way.

"I can fix him" in reference to Leo is a meme for how an absurd of an idea it is, but the game itself says that he should go to therapy, which is the game saying Leo should get fixed in a way. And he does get fixed. In his good ending he refuses to get Chase's number. In Jenna's route he apologizes to Micha and takes responsibility for his past actions. Leo makes changes despite being mind fucked by the mental illness devil. So him being portrayed as evil I think goes against the actual message.

Most of what I said for Leo also applies to Jenna. Though the hate she gets is also heavily tied to the fact she's the only girl in the main group and this is a game aimed at gay males. Any action she takes is the wrong one. Funny as that's exactly how Jenna grew up. She was always screwed over no matter what and had to eventually leave home. And her cold personality is a defense mechanism a lot of women develop to protect themselves from men. Then maybe she was also a way for cis gay men to question their misogyny.

So what's the end message? That you should excuse bad actions? Not necessarily. I think it's important to differentiate when a person chooses to hurt someone and when they don't. With Flynn, his bad actions are often choices. He chooses to be distant and an asshole. Yet at the same time this is how he communicates. I do not think Flynn knows he's hurting Carl when he insults him. Is it wrong to do so? Yes. Does Flynn care about Carl and doesn't want to hurt him? I believe so. Is Leo selfish and obsessive? Yes. Does Leo genuinely care about his friends and wants to protect them? Also yes.

Again this is simply how mental illness is. Anger issues, personality disorders, etc. The way you act does not always reflect your intentions. I'm not an expert here and don't know the right terminology. All I know is that functioning as a normal human being is really fucking hard. It affects your life and your relationships. And most of the time it isn't your fault.

So that's what Echo means to me. It is about people who are suffering. Who make mistakes. Who are assholes. And who are still people despite all that. They aren't evil, or psychos, or monsters. They're just people. And I am happy that the game treats them as such the entire time. People with mental illnesses deserve happiness.

This was my first analysis post. Well it's a rant post really but those are the same things. I hope to make more posts like this in the future as I am bored and jobless and that's what you do on the internet. Thank you for reading everyone.

[whoiwanttoday]

Happy 4th of July to my American friends. Happy 4th to the rest of you as well but I imagine it holds less luster for the Europeans among you. Canadians are excited I know. They are so excited they start celebrating the 4th of July three days early every year. Anyway, this is such a fascinating day for me every year in the fact that I am proud to be an American but always find it impossible to not reflect on the work still left to do. There are words we all know, I think about them a lot. You know…

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.--That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed".

It's a very important moment in history. Of course, what keeps it from being the greatest moment in history of course is the inherent hypocrisy in all of it. Thomas Jefferson wanted to denounce slavery in the document because he as an enlightenment thinker was well aware that slavery was cruel and evil and had no place in the ethos of what we were creating but it turned out slave owners liked having slaves and people really wanted to ignore how wrong it was and no one cared enough for it to be anything but a thing they'd deal with in 80 years. No one at all seemed to have any thoughts about how hollow some of those words sound when you look at the treatment of the native population. It's all tied in together with being an American and I don't think you can praise one part without acknowledging the other. It was an is a grand experiment and that means you have to keep trying. That also means not sliding back into old and bad habits. I have in the past week watched a few documentaries about the Iranian uprising, which has been pretty well suppressed now. I think about the acts of heroism a lot though. Nika Shakarami was one of the many women killed. She was just a girl but a brave one who was willing to fight and lost her life because of it. It might seem strange to talk about Iran here but we're all people and I think about my life. I am proud of being an American because I believe many Americans really do care about freedom and human rights. And I look at my life and objectively it is comfortable and free. It is a privilege that most of my problems come from inside not from the outside. That is not true of everyone around the world and it's not true of everyone in my country. So when I look at a 16 year old girl who just seemed to be a 16 year old girl like anywhere in the world and she died fighting for what is right, well, it reminds me of the cliche that made me roll my eyes when I was 16, that freedom isn't free. Which was mainly said by people who really, really wanted to kill someone and feel good about it but it is true. It is a thing we need to fight for and as an American we should want everyone to have what we have, which is the freedom to be ourselves without fear of reprisal or oppression. That we are allowed to live, that we are allowed to be free to be ourselves, and that we are free to do what makes us happy in life, not be obliged to do what others think and wish we should. And so it's a reminder that actually we all need to keep fighting for that and as Americans we have an easier fight than anyone else. Try empathy, trying caring about others. Recognize how good we have it and ask ourselves what little acts can we do to help others. It's a long road, it's been 246 years and we have so much further to go still but that's always the secret. There is never an end. You don't solve the world and then relax, you keep trying to be better. I am posting Alex Morgan today because she is also an American and one who has represented my country many times and does so in a way I am proud of. Currently, she is at the forefront of promoting the women's world cup, a thing I am very excited about. The women's sport has come a long way and I think it's an example of how pushes for equality help us all. By us all I mean Americans because soccer is a sport that takes a lot of players so when Title IX went into effect schools had to scramble to get sports for women that would create a lot of female athletes to make sure there was equity in student athletes. Thus I grew up in an era where a lot of female athletes played soccer. And the result? American women fucking dominated at soccer for a lot of my lifetime. So you know what, if you're that person who is unsure about the advantages of making things equal, I am here to tell you in a generation it pays off when you are kicking everyone else's ass. Because everyone might be created equal but it takes funding and practice and support for people to get results. Sorta ruined it at the end there didn't I? Oh well. USA! USA! USA! Today I want to fuck Alex Morgan.

[bluegekk0]

Ok im back and sorry for the oc question but I’ve been thinking about this for awhile…Another of my vessel group is Albus, His whole Character Arc is trying to find the pale king and the white lady (he misses his family and didn’t understand the whole ditching in the Abyss thing) I wrote my Ocs in the context of the Embrace the void ending, So in the end the other siblings in the group help Albus find the white lady, And then he kinda just….sits there…Because Albus doesn’t understand parental love, He thinks parental love is siting in their general vicinity, So he just kinda sits next to white lady,Unless his siblings come back to check on him, Then he gets up for a minute to spend time with them, Os how would fpk react to this random vessel just…Showing up and start siting in his general vicinity? Like honestly I want to know

I think it would be very awkward to him. He's still haunted by the guilt of what he did, so in his mind all the vessels have every right in the world to hate him. Holly was, in his mind, just an exception, one he was able to rationalize - he hurt them by sacrificing them for nothing, but unlike the other vessels, they did experience some of his affection and care. Of course it wasn't enough for a child, but it was enough for them to get attached to him and crave more, so even though he felt like he didn't deserve their kind welcome after all those years, it at least made some sense to him.

But with a vessel that hasn't experienced anything but the cruel difficulty of climbing out of the Abyss? He would have no idea how to go about it. They had every reason to hate him, so why don't they?

That's not to say he would act distant towards them, he would without a doubt show them kindness, they are his child after all and they deserve affection. He wasn't able to show it to them back then so he has an obligation to do it now. Though he wouldn't do it just because it's right and what he's supposed to do, he does see them as his child, and he is very affectionate towards his offspring. I fully believe that if the vessels were never meant to be mindless void beings, and instead were born in normal circumstances, that he would love them as dearly as he loved hornet. His error was incorrectly assuming that they didn't think or feel, which unfortunately ended in the death of many sentient beings. He may have not killed them directly and intentionally, but their suffering was his fault, and he'll never forgive himself for that.

But to get back on point. It would be awkward for him, sure, but he would reach his hand towards them to show them affection. He wouldn't just ignore them and treat them like a background prop, the way this AU's White Lady would - she never felt the same inherent affection for the children as he did, unfortunately. And while she does feel guilt about her part in the act, she doesn't see them the same way FPK does. Though I doubt she would be very affectionate towards a legitimate child either. She's very cold and distant, affection isn't something she prioritizes, and that often makes her seem quite self-absorbed. She always says she loved FPK, and in her own way she did, but she rarely showed him actual affection, even in intimate situations she was more occupied by her own needs than his feelings. I jokingly say that he was her trophy husband but that's not even far from the truth. To their subjects, he was the king and she was his queen, but in reality their dynamic was far closer to the opposite, where she called the shots and he danced to her requests. Perhaps to a being similar to her that relationship would be perfectly healthy, but FPK is a very emotional being so he ended up hurting throughout the entire marriage. But to bring this closer to the point, I don't see her being a loving mother, that kind of close emotional bond a child would need isn't in her nature. Which is why she never planned to have any actual children in the first place, and why she wouldn't treat this vessel any different. She would try to be nice to them and invite them to her garden mansion, but that's about as far as it would go. They would be treated as a guest, not like her offspring.

But enough of the WL tangent, what would FPK do exactly the moment the vessel showed up? Well, he would invite them inside first, give them something to eat, and then perhaps show them what he's working on in the workshop. He wouldn't immediately grab them and give them a hug, since he still feels like he doesn't deserve that after hurting them. The difference between this situation and his reunion with Holly was that Holly made the first step, they were actively seeking his love so it was easier for him to give it to them. But here? If they're just sitting there, he wouldn't know what extent of affection would be appropriate. What if he tries to hug them and they think he wants to hurt them? If they never experienced any love, that would be understandable, and the last thing he'd want to do is to scare them. But if he saw that they were comfortable with it, then he would show them affection more directly.

So in short. He would try to show them love, but it would be a slower process than normal since he'd have to stop and examine their reaction to every step he takes, to make sure they're comfortable. But he would try his best to make them feel loved and cared for, that's for sure.

[dolphin1812]

And the sadness continues.

(Almost) everyone immediately abandoning Valjean because of his past? Fantine being buried in an unmarked grave in spite of Valjean’s attempts to care for her? Absolutely devastating.

There were many highlights as well, though. I think it’s very funny that some people continue to think Valjean’s punishment is just not because he’s an ex-convict, but because they think he’s a Bonapartist. I also love that he casually talks about breaking out of prison and specifically takes the bread with him. Even better, it’s referred to as the “prison-bread” and is used as evidence of his flight.

Sister Simplice lying for Valjean – in spite of her beliefs – is also really moving, although I wish it hadn’t come after Hugo said the recent shock had made her return to being “a woman” rather than “a nun.” Given that he specifies she should be in Heaven, though, I think it can still overall be understood as a statement on the dangers of being absolutist in one’s morals. Sister Simplice’s refusal to lie is admirable in most cases, but we’ve already seen how she has to stretch what counts as a lie to be merciful; she let Fantine believe Valjean had gone to find Cosette so that she would have hope, even though she didn’t know if that was true or not. And here, the truth would have been cruel. She would have condemned Valjean when he was trying to make sure Fantine (who she regards as an innocent) was cared for after her death and that his money went to a good cause. Her lie is described as a sacrifice, but it ultimately remains a moral one.

In contrast, Javert’s sense of morality and order is so rigid that he thinks it’s impossible for Sister Simplice to sin just because of her identity (a nun). Knowing the situation she was in, we can tell that for her, either option available would have been sinful: lying to conceal Valjean (the sin of dishonesty) or revealing his presence (a sin against Fantine, and against Madeleine as she has always known him). Regardless of one’s goodness, it’s always possible to face a dilemma with no good choices. (We’ve also seen this with Valjean, who had to choose between condemning Champmathieu or himself; while his ultimate decision seems to be the right one, he wasn’t wrong to weigh the loss of Mayor Madeleine in that, given how quickly the town’s focus on his ideals disappeared). Javert is unable to understand that because he sees the world in absolute terms: the law is good and disobedience to it is bad. Everyone’s identity is fixed, with the poor risking becoming criminals at any moment (and thus meriting worse treatment) and the authorities (religious, political, economic, etc) are permanently respectable.

I also like the distinction made between what Valjean requests of the curé and what he does (even if it’s sad). Although he does at least give the money to the poor, we also see how he automatically devalues Fantine and Valjean for their social status, rather than acting on their inherent worth as people. He’s not the most corrupt religious official we’ve seen mentioned; he’s not even corrupt, exactly. But he’s subject to the prejudices of the society around him, and that affects his ability to be equally compassionate to everyone.

[transmutationisms]

New to your blog and enjoying it heavy. The bodily superiority convo reminded me of the opening scene of the series. Logan pissing on his penthouse carpet in the dark. Any illusion of Logan's inborn superiority doesn't get the chance to bloom, I've always relished in the writers introducing us to him and their world like that. It sets the stage so well for their politics: the decline of an empire and fragility of capital. I actually doubt from hearing Jesse Armstrong talk about the show that him and I would agree, but there's meat there to read into a politic I favor over the show's: before anything we live in flesh piss and bones that all morph beyond our control, before even a social contract we all share a common dependence on mutual assistance (the carpet's the wrong place to piss, and still Marcia reorients Logan back to bed with affection and concern), and the alienation and complication that capital introduces only ever comes after (it's only after that scene that we know anything about the business).

interesting. have you read kropotkin? i ask because he proposed mutual aid as a rational and beneficial social behaviour promoted via natural selection, directly critiquing huxley's social darwinism and its emphasis on the 'struggle for existence'. i also see some hint of rousseauvian historical thinking in your third point. both of these are, i would agree, foundational elements pointing toward a view of nature, the body, and evolution / degeneration that is radically different than the eugenic capitalist thinking by which logan runs his kingdom. if his argument is essentially that nature 'just is' competitive, cruel, and inclined toward the elimination of the weak, then your response (and kropotkin's, lol) would be that evolutionary theory and natural selection do not inherently need to be joined to these specific ideological dimensions, which upon closer inspection are in fact specifically capitalist in nature. thus logan's beliefs about power, strength, and domination are not simple observations of natural truths, but deeply political assertions he is economically staking out, and specifically the fact that he is tormented by his own aging and loss of health is a function of his eugenic capitalist ideology and the profit-driven abandonment of natural cooperative tendencies to care for one another.

obviously i can't speak for jesse armstrong, but i don't think the show is hostile to such an argument. it's maybe a bit more strongly anarchist than is in vogue in anglo leftist politics these days, but probably not disqualifyingly so. i think though that what you might be picking up is that the show is simply not as interested in offering an alternative to logan's thinking as it is interested in exploring the internal ramifications of logan's thinking, and the accompanying bourgeois alienation. at times this may come with some risk of reifying a realist defence of logan's worldview, though i don't believe that's ever the intention of the writers. but i'll acknowledge that structuring the entire show around logan's bodily decline and his eugenic social darwinist understanding of it, without offering a coherent alternative reading of nature or evolutionary theory, may simply be somewhat bleak lol.

i would add that the work being done with matsson's character in 4x05 and mencken's character in 3x06 reinforces, to me, this fundamental interest in exploring the ramifications of capitalist discourses on the body rather than offering an alternative. matsson and mencken basically offer two slightly different ways of embracing open fascism where logan has been more tacitly fascistic in the past. there's no discontinuity between waystar and mencken's political spectacle or matsson's master race meritocracy, and that's certainly a critique of logan and his capitalist-fascist hierarchical and competitive thinking. but it's true that just outlining this type of critique is not the same as actually endorsing any other view of nature and human society, whether kropotkin's or someone else's.

i would be curious, though, to know what specific politic you DO see the show defending!

[wri0thesley]

for the prompts, how ab 39 (yan prompt list) w Itto? <3

ooh this one is super interesting to me bc i don't see him really as a yan type . . . but . . . this is also a very good opportunity for kind of whiny pathetic yandere. which i love >:3

(cw: yandere content, light mention of blood, visionless reader)

“Tell me how much you love me.”

The worst part of all is thus; you don’t think that Itto even realises what he’s done to you. What corner you have been backed into by dint of him loving you - and how afraid he makes you to tell the truth. 

He’s so . . . friendly. Pulling you into bone-crushing hugs, showing you off to anyone who’ll put up with him for a few moments, waxing lyrical about what a perfect couple the two of you make; pushing you forward with a proud, wide smile on his face as he says something like; 

‘Ain’t we just the cutest couple you’ve ever seen? C’mon, you can look for a bit longer - hey, get out your Kamera if you want, you’re gonna want to remember this!’ 

You think it would be churlish if you were to argue with these people. Itto looks so happy; and though you don’t think he’d hurt you, it’s hard to forget the breadth and the height on him, the inhuman blood that runs through his veins, and all of the whispers and mutters and folklore that follow his species around. 

(Itto would hate you thinking of the folklore, you know. Whenever you hear the chant of fortune in and oni out, you let yourself smile secretive and small and hidden. It is your one indulgence.)

Shinobu looks at you with obvious approval; she thinks you are a calming influence on Itto. It’s her who shepherds the rest of the boys in the gang away; her who tells you that you can come to her if you ever really need help. 

But it sounds silly, said out loud. ‘I don’t think I ever agreed that Itto was my boyfriend’. You’re sure she would just laugh at you. 

So you are left alone with Itto, instead, in moments like this - Shinobu insisting on some errand or important task to do, as she leaves the two of you alone and Itto sends her a not-quite-hidden enough thumbs up.

Left with him sidling closer to you in his favourite secluded spot, as he sits beside you on some wooden bench - left with him as he pulls some cheesy romantic-comedy stretch-and-yawn move.

His arm around your shoulders is heavy. You can feel the cords of muscle even through your clothes; are reminded of just how much strength lays behind that affable, excited demeanour.

“You’re real quiet today, y’know that?” Itto says - and you look up at him from under your lashes, swallowing thickly. “Heh, if I didn’t know better, I’d say it seemed like you were scareda me!”

(You are scared of him. What would he do, if you told him the truth, and if you asked him to leave you alone?)

“. . . I’m not,” you say, but there’s been too long of a pause. Itto’s eyebrows knit.

“Babe?” Itto says. He catches your chin in his hand and forces you to look at him, tugging your face up towards him. “Y’know I’d do anything for you, right? Just say the word. Someone needs beatin’ up, someone needs to be taught a lesson, I’m your oni!”  His voice drops a semitone; something cold and cruel and dark lingering in the back of it. “I’ll break ‘em.”

“Y-you don’t need to do that,” you say, but Itto has found his ground. 

“You’re mine, yeah? We’re each others. We look out for each other! And I know you aren’t as strong as me, but that just means I’ve gotta make extra sure that nothing ever happens to you and we get to be together forever.”

Forever sounds like an awfully long time. 

If you were braver, you’d tell him the truth now - you’d stand up and walk away and never look back. But the Archons give visions to those who cherish ambitions; those who stand apart from the rest of the world. Itto falls into that number, and you do not - and, more inherent than being an oni and being the head of the gang and being so, so capable of overpowering you, is that knowledge that his determination almost certainly outstrips your own.

You’re too quiet. Itto shakes you gently, but his eyes are like swords. He whispers your name with such force it frightens you, and then, he takes a deep breath and wets his lips and says;

“Tell me how much you love me.”

His hands are fastened about your biceps; sharp black-painted talons digging into the soft skin there, hard enough to draw blood. His eyes - sharp gold and red - are trained on you beseechingly. 

It’s as if, if you tell him the truth, he will simply shrivel up and die and there will be nothing left of him. 

“Tell me,” he repeats, and his voice is sharper this time. There’s still a whine to it - but behind the whine is something steely and rock-solid that reminds you of the vision that hangs about his neck. He’s easy with the Arataki gang, yes - he’s a good leader, he cares about them--

But there is no denying that he is the leader, and others bow to his will. 

You are bleeding. Just a trickle of viscous dark red rolls down your elbow; but Itto does not so much as notice. 

If something did happen to you . . . There are people in Inazuma City who find him a nuisance, yes, but you don’t think anyone would expect out-and-out malice of him. If you displease him and bring out that fortress-strength that hides behind trading card games and beetle battles, would anybody truly believe he was capable of it? 

“Babe?” Itto says, shaking you just a touch - and you force a trembling smile to your lips. 

“I love you, Itto,” you tell him - and he smiles brightly at you, dazzling like the sun, and hugs you so tightly all the breath is squeezed out of you.

(His hands go for your ass; that, too, is squeezed with equal enthusiasm). 

If he makes you say it enough, you try and comfort yourself, perhaps you’ll even start to believe it. 

[tinypurplewizardfan]

Tyrant

Mordekaiser

The tyrant. The shaper of legacies. This is a man of intense will to impose on others. Respect is not asked for, respect is forced; there is only violence in his world, and those who do not comply will be shattered against the cobble.

Perhaps he believed in inherent worth once, but that man was betrayed by his own faith upon death. To have his entire world broken at the gates of suffering. He was told he was worth nothing after all, to nothing he mattered and to nothing he would return. He was told to let go.

But Sahn-Uzal refused to fade.

Swain

The tyrant. The receiver of legacies. This is a man of intense will to impose on others for the good of the order. Respect is asked for but never expected- he knows there are few that truly listen to the undertones beneath his words. Violence is not a game he relishes but the heritage presses onto him like stones and he is forced to lash out.

Perhaps he believed in a better world through better actions once, but that man was betrayed by his own faith upon near death on the battlefield. Staring up into the cloudless sky as his lifeforce slowly seeped from his wound. He knew he'd been nothing. There in the field where all truths laid bare he was told that everything was beyond his grasp and always shall be.

But Jericho Swain refused to close his eyes.

Veigar

The attempted tyrant. The wayward legacy. This is a yordle of intense will to impose on anyone who will listen. Respect is desperately demanded. Violence is the only tool that will accomplish it. This is the only truth he knows.

Perhaps he believed in other truths once, but that yordle was betrayed by his own faith upon being shattered. Hundreds of years alone in the dark and robbed of all autonomy. He was told, forcibly, that he was nothing, nothing more than the dirt that lined the cobble, grinded down by the eternal heel. And oh, how he told himself to listen.

But Veigar refused to give up.

Return

Mordekaiser

There is nothing but cruel dispassion when he returns. One would expect efficiency in his conquest now but there is none to be found. Terror is the salve he spreads across the land. Nothing tangible matters to him anymore, to say he cares about the outcome is a gross overstatement. Something else fuels him now. Something stronger.

Swain

There is nothing but quiet cunning when he returns. The others think he has given up. They see him skulking in the garden alongside the ravens and think nothing of it. Perhaps he has been reduced to nothing greater than instinct, they say, but they fail to see the newfound glint in his eyes that tinges red with blood. He is rising. He will leave them all behind.

Veigar

There is nothing but hot, boiling rage when he returns. His perseverance has been rewarded but he feels no joy. He hurts and he hurts and he so desperately yearns for all that he's been robbed of, so he goes for the taking. No one will ever make him feel that way again, and he will bathe the entire world in blood to make sure of it.

Followers

Mordekaiser

Does Mordekaiser have any attendants? Of course he does- voiceless, willowy spirits who will not even move to save themselves unless he gives the word. Does he have a council? He did. They were useful tools, but tools with minds of their own are so costly to maintain and prone to. . . unfortunate acts.

He will not be so careless this time.

Swain

Does Swain have any attendants? He has some- few people in the machinations of the game are safe, so few people in the empire are trustworthy enough to rely on. Does he have a council? More than that- the two he confides in he has also chosen to bear the burden of leadership alongside him. Loyalty reciprocated. He depends on their input as much as he depends on his need to breath.

The Trifarix must hold. The future of Noxus depends on it.

Veigar

Does Veigar have attendants? Of course he does! Anyone and anything willing to pledge service he gobbles up hungrily. If they don't follow his orders, then they aren't loyal, and he has nothing to do with them. Does he have a council? Of course! Unique individuals with useful skills are a valuable asset. It'd be foolish to squander them. Threats of violence keep them in line, of course. . . but an asset that doesn't want to work is not an asset. This is where his predecessor faltered.

He just cannot think too hard about why everyone in his castle brightens whenever he enters the room instead of quaking in fear.

Morality

Mordekaiser

Morality is a shackle. "Good" is an inconvenience, a barrier to be shattered. There is no room for "good" in his vision of the world. After all, where was "good" for him when he needed it most? The only constant in his world is iron. "Good" is as foreign to him now as the most distant of stars- and equally as useless to his conquest.

Swain

Morality is an aspiration, but "Good" is not a reality he can afford. The road to hell is paved in good intentions, and he is very good at paving forward. He will do whatever is necessary to keep Noxus alive. He understands that this might take him down roads none should ever follow.

Veigar

Morality is an obstacle. "Good" is terrible, horrible, foolish, unrealistic, and painful. "Good" is a thing he's lost- it was torn from him, and he must rationalize it was for the better. "Good" is weakness, like hives under his fur, a lingering itch he must ignore. "Good" is absolutely not the thankful look given by villagers when he obliterates their former tyrant and brings them under his rule. Absolutely not.

Power

Mordekaiser

Physical strength. Violence. This is intrinsic to him, like how breathing once was. He has dozens of lifetimes of experience that tell him this and it is a lesson he passes along dutifully to all that will listen. Those who don't, crumble.

Swain

Secrets are power. Physical might is a useful tool but no populous can ever be forced to submit. They must be persuaded; at best convinced, at worst, coerced. He learned this in Ionia. It is a lesson he will never forget.

Veigar

Magical strength. Violence. It's the only way to ever mean anything. He was a very good student in the heart of the Immortal Bastion. It is a lesson he will never forget. But in his years since, he's come to supplement this lesson with something else: reputation. Names have power. He is learning how to wield his.

Regret

Mordekaiser

Don't be foolish. Regret would imply that he has faltered. Regret would imply that he was, at some point, misguided. Regret would seem to say that he erred in his actions, or that he had even misplaced his faith.

He had not misplaced his faith. He had not misplaced his faith. The afterlife promised to him by his faith did exist after all- he simply had to build it, seize it, soul by soul. And everything he had done in his prior life to do so had been, in the end, worth it. It had to be.

Swain

Don't be foolish. Noxian court politics would eat him alive if they caught a whiff of regret. Regret, like all other emotions that would betray a sense of humanity, would be easily taken advantage of. Regret would seem to say that he'd let his failures in the military consume him.

Which, to be fair, isn't far from the truth. He is more regret than man at this point. He keeps this fact bundled with the rest of his miserable little secrets beneath his trench coat, only a few inches away from where perhaps his biggest regret lives, pulsing where his arm used to be.

Veigar

Don't be foolish. Regret would imply that he was not in control. Regret would imply that he didn't relish every body he obliterated and every life he ruined. Regret would seem to say that for all his impressive presentation and immense power, he is hurting

He is not hurting. He is not hurting. Hurting means weakness, weakness means powerlessness. He cannot afford to hurt, so any twinge of regret he may feel, he banishes before it can take root. Where does he banish it to? He doesn't know. It doesn't matter, as long as it's out of his way.

[mejomonster]

Still chapter 172. I'm absolutely !!!! So. Luo Wenzhou finally finds out who put Fei Dus dad into a coma. This is huge. It's!!!

So like. When the novel starts, here's the situation: for several years Fei Du had been growing up, Tao Ran acting like a surrogate big bro/mom/guardian type, doing what Luo Wenzhou asked as Luo Wenzhou actually helicopter parented as much as he could from a distance. (Which... there's a whole mess there of if that was inappropriate legally but like literally Did save Fei Dus life, but also didn't help Fei Du as much as Luo wenzhou wished cause Fei Chengyu continued to abuse his son those years, but at least Luo Wenzhou insisted on trying to help and steer Fei Du toward being kind, heroic, just, brave, stubborn, strong, and giving him a sense of normalcy by scolding him but not like an abuser like his dad, instead like a loving concerned adult. By inviting him to mundane normal people things, getting him games, checking his grades and insisting he study and pick a career plan and care about things, just generally being a stabilizing normal safe element in Fei Dus life).

Then... Fei Dus an adult, and his dad gets in a car accident and goes into a coma. And the novel starts a bit after that. With Fei Du pushing, insisting he's evil, he's cruel, he did it, he'd love to do it, maybe he did try to kill his dad. And Luo Wenzhou knowing Fei Dus had a cruel very inhumane streak and view of the world for years, and lashed out at Luo Wenzhou for years.

And unfortunately, as much as he loves Fei Du... an adult committing attempted murder isn't an accident or poor judgement the way a child trying to kill maybe could be viewed as. It's an adult who knows right from wrong, knows the severity of what he's implying He may have did, saying it anyway. And they have a fall out.

Fei Du feels so much: in part he hates himself and wants to make Luo Wenzhou abandon him or hurt him like all other guardians did to him, in part he wants to show he's a monster and be rejected, in part he's planning revenge and wants to protect Luo Wenzhou by disappointing him early and pushing him away, in part he childishly lashes out like a child screaming to see if mom will still love them and it's exceedingly comforting every time Luo Wenzhou KEEPS loving him and maintains contact and doesn't Abuse him the way Fei Chengyu did for being uncooperative. Fei Du is self destructive, he's still looking for reassurance Luo Wenzhous love is unconditional, he's trying to make the love break to protect Wenzhou, he's trying to be seen as a monster, he's trying to see if Wenzhou can still see him as an inherently good person or if that's conditional and he'll be abandoned.

Fei Du at the start of the novel is a mess when it comes to Luo Wenzhou and what he wants. What he wants, and thinks he wants, are all contradictions. He uses Tao Ran to keep Luo Wenzhous love and connection and STABILITY after the fall out. Because he realizes yeah... Luo Wenzhou will realize some day that Fei Du is going to do these bad things, and he will lose Luo Wenzhou. At the same time, he's already started his secret company and... he cares about Luo Wenzhou enough to hope Wenzhou DOES push him away, cut him out. Because then Wenzhou can't be lied to, hurt, by Fei Du. And Fei Du knows his actions will ultimately hurt Wenzhou. It's a tightrope. Fei Du wants Wenzhou for as much time as there is left to cherish him, but he wants to push him away to protect him from the destruction Fei Dus going to cause. The car crash and Fei Chengyus coma kick start it, because part of Luo Wenzhou doesn't know if Fei Du really tried to kill his dad. And Fei Du isn't sure if he wants Luo Wenzhou to believe it. (And later as they become lovers and the truth crashes out, a part of Fei Du probably wanted it to for a long time and didn't expect Luo Wenzhou to weather knowing about the betrayal and keep loving him).

So like. For this scene here. For Luo Wenzhou to Finally know. Fei Du did not try to kill his dad. Fei Du was truly innocent when they had that fall out. He was innocent, and then his dad was out of the picture and he immediately started the lying manipulating and building of his secret company and goals - starting toward truly potentially cruel acts. He did in a way become what he threatened, but he did As he told Luo Wenzhou he'd do cruel things. Not before. This is just a big moment to realize.

Wenzhou said, “So their first step was to use the suspicious points about Gu Zhao’s case to lure Lao Yang into investigating a few dens where wanted criminals were hidden—whose dens were these?”

 

“Most of them had been built with Wei Zhanhong’s money. Wei Zhanhong was young, wildly ambitious, really a little demented. His activities were too eye-catching. Fei Chengyu and Fan Siyuan planned to make the first cut with him.” Zhang Chunjiu shook his head. “Although those two really did take everyone for idiots.”

 

“You used Lao Yang to expose them instead,” Luo Wenzhou said grimly. “And Fei Chengyu’s car crash was your doing.”

 

Zhang Chunjiu hooked the corners of his mouth, silently acknowledging the charge.

[volot]

headcanon: cruelty.

so, i went deep-diving into my drafts to get everything together, and i stumbled upon a villain attribute meme from a little bit ago. glossing over it again, while still agreeing with what i’d picked there, left me thinking about his acts of cruelty for a bit. 

to put it plainly: he does not view himself as a cruel person. he does not view his actions as particularly heartless, inconsiderate, or seeking some sort of twisted satisfaction. is he a cruel person? without a doubt, although it’s slightly circumstantial, but he is one.

this is wholly due to his ever-constant delusions and misaligned perceptions of himself and his actions. he may acknowledge a moral argument as to why his actions may be deemed bad, but will he listen? no. will he consider it? also no. will he agree with this lean on the scales? absolutely not. 

let me get into it.

the reason for this, expectantly enough, is because he always finds a way to justify what he does. 

for example... 

is it cruel and heartless to manipulate people who have fallen from the sky and using their confusion to your advantage? you can argue yes, of course; but volo doesn’t consider it that way. he considers that if arceus didn’t want them here, they could have sent them back rather than submerging them to confusion and amnesia and sorrows; that they are divine tools for him to use, pieces on a chessboard of cosmic, fateful proportions, and a means to an end. keys that hold the answers he’s looking for, and if he is an ambitious man, then he must know to use them to their fullest. in the face of recreating the world, there must be sacrifice: it isn’t cruelty to him to use the avenues he has been given. 

furthermore, in the case of the protagonist, is wanting to murk some teenager absolutely monstrous? completely! does he think of it like that, much less express any semblance of regret? no; because again, he justifies it to himself. that the protagonist is a threat, an outsider who has scorned him; his tool has lived well past its use, and now its begun to cut into him, so the viable option is to get rid of it. their dream opposes his own, he can’t understand it. why would arceus choose them over him? someone from the sky over someone from ancient sinnohan’s ancestry? why have they earned arceus’s blessing? it must be a test of his will, or perhaps misjudgment; but if they stand in his way, then he must tear them down. a world cannot exist where they exist to oppose him. on mt. coronet, the center-stage for god’s viewing, he must show arceus that this isn’t a world that can exist. that he refuses their choice, that he is right, and if arceus refuses to listen, then he will bend them to his whims regardless and force them to swallow his truth.

is wanting to destroy this world selfish, and completely wrong? sure! does he tune out any naysaying of it? 100%! does he view it that way, knowing full well and stating that every live in the world would be reduced to nothing? no. because he is convinced this world has been long-since poisoned at the root, and is beyond positive change or saving; the only option is to start from scratch, under a better god. there are far too many rotten apples in this bunch for it to even give it a second thought, too many casualties and cruelties; he is clear in his decision. for all the suffering souls, he knows that the new world will be a paradise where they won’t be damned further; isn’t it better to destroy the old and sweep them of their sorrows, rather than continuing to let them exist in agony? it’ll be done quickly, so what is there to fear? this world is one he’s long grown tired of, is well-worth past preserving: the only ones who fight against it are just blinded by fright and refusal. they just need to see the truth.

there are a thousand examples to give, and two thousand backwards justifications for doing so along with them.

this is where his thinking becomes even more tunnel-visioned. he is not inherently a sadistic person who delights in other’s suffering for no reason at all, but he is a spiteful, selfish and vindictive person who enjoys getting his just dues. settling his scores. his cruelty manifests in vengeance; volleyed suffering for the pain he has endured. 

his cruelty manifests primarily towards those who have wronged him in some way: whether it’s furious rage that devours him whole, or something that has left the emptiness within him further gaping. it is cathartic to him, to see someone who caused him any shred of heartache or otherwise to suffer just as he had, if not worse. he wants, so very badly, for them to know precisely what he has gone through. it’s karmic in every sense of the word. he is justified in this, because you have done something to him, and he believes that for scorning him so, you deserve it twicefold. tenfold, even. an eye for an eye, as the saying goes.

will he recognize that that, too, is wrong? very likely no, not at all. because it feels good to him, because why should he deal with things of that nature, and simply take it lying down? he refuses to; if he is hurt, if he is angry, why can’t he put the person who dealt him that hand through the very same? has he not suffered enough? being the bigger person is out of the question. he wishes for a world without cruelty or senseless violence, and yet falls to these same things himself: but to him, it’s because his own is justified. there is reason for it, that these are extremes he must, and is allowed, to go to. 

in the case of committing heinous acts for his endgoals, this is backed up by the age-old ideology of ends justifying the means. his ambition is boundless, and he has proven he will do anything to recreate the world. nothing is done without going to terrible lengths if it’s called for; something so prominent cannot be done by playing nice and sticking to rounded corners and abiding by moral codes. if he wishes to make his dream a reality, then he is fully prepared to go to whatever lengths; it is all worth it in the end for the vision he has in mind. it could not have been accomplished, again, without sacrifice and stepping stones: unwilling or not, they serve their purpose, and he will use them to the fullest. ambition and willpower is not built on hesitance and cold feet. you either will, or you won’t.

if one were to ask him if he is cruel, he would say no; but he would answer, much like the gods above and the very one he chases, that he is just.

[nahalism]

“There are people in the world who do vile things” well statistically, it’s males meaning men who do most of those “vile things”, you have every right to not believe me but I doubt the Federal Bureau of Investigation is making it all up with their statistics. It’s not what “some men” do to women, every man is an active participant in a patriarchal society men aren’t the victims under this patriarchal society, even the good men benefit from the systematic violence and oppression that women are constantly subjected to. I’m sure you have other female friends, so if it’s just “some men” why does EVERY single woman and girl over the age of 14 (sometimes even younger) has a story of rape or sexual assault or sexual harassment? I’m sorry, I’m not trying to “spew” rhetoric or make you change your mind on anything but I don’t think you’re as aware as you say you are and I don’t mean to be rude or snarky or bitchy saying this (I hope I’m not coming off that way sincerely, I know I can but this subject touches me) and as for the “having a son” I don’t ever want kids, I would never want to have a child when there’s more ugly than beauty in this world, this ain’t no world for a child so really don’t worry about yet another child being unwanted and mistreated, I’m usually more wary of people that want kids because when a child is being abused its always someone close to them more likely a parent. I don’t think of children as having cruel motives, I don’t look at a male child and think “he’s gonna be a rapist” I think that the people kids grow up to be is just a reflection of how WE as a collective whole, as a society have failed them. I’m not saying men are inherently evil, I don’t believe that either cause that would take away accountability, they make the choice to view women as less and to treat us as less, men are every bit capable of empathy and love but a lot of them don’t choose that, enough of them don’t choose that, that it’s dangerous to live as a woman in any country of the world, now come on now.( and when I say “‘men” I mean the class of men, not every individual man, just like when we say “white people” it’s obviously not every white person in existence)

i saw this and didnt want to reply, but i said i thought more of these conversations needed to take place and so here we go. — i dont think your rude or snarky and i take no offence to you having your opinion. however i do think your ignorant. and i dont say that to belittle you. there are things im ignorant about aswell. but i say it because you clearly dislike tate right? one of the main criticisms many level at him is that he holds derogatory opinions of women simply because he was hurt by one. if the same was said to a women it would be largely accepted that its because its easy to diminish and erase the lived experiences and feelings of women. but its been easy to diminish his pain in the same way, because given the history you reference, its almost as if when men suffer, particularly white men, they deserve the pain they are only now reaping, because its merely fraction of what they've sowed, and because its a consequence of experiencing reality without having the benefit of the privileges they previously profited from as their aid. the ugly truth is nobody is listening or seeing truth, only what feeds their feelings snd perspectives, thus their interests. humans are diminishing the suffering of other beings all day long, whether it be the rich and the poor, different ethnic groups, academics versus blue collar workers, people with different political interests, the pain of the animals, and the imbalances in our habitat, and on and on and on. that practice is futile and serves the interest of very few who profit off of that discord between us. but it does not profit us or offer a solution to ending this cycle. the bigger issue with tate is that he is not only a chauvinist, but he, through the weaponising of information that holds fragments of truth (how to get money, how to build muscles, how to 'rise and grind') tries to employ others into seeing what he says as the sole truth and as such coerce them, through what seems to be reason, into believing what he has to say. you have just done the exact same thing. whilst you have backtracked from 'not all men are bad' to it now being 'some men', you have attempted to make me feel like my opinion is not valid because i am mis or under informed. that, in itself, is a form of patriarchal debating (erasure) and serves to push and promote your agenda whilst quieting my voice and opinion, which you not only asked for, but then used as a springboard to spread your truth as a truth. what you are doing now is symptomatic of the very patriarchal regime which you have so much distain for. why is it a crime to believe what you believe, and advocate for it (not impose it), whilst letting others believe what they believe and do the same on their end. no one needs to be crushed or cropped out of the discussion. the argument you are a proponent of is merely a different side of the same coin. im not saying your reasons for feeling as you do are not valid, or that you shouldnt believe what you believe. i am saying that i choose a different coin entirely, and that is my prerogative.

i am not the most versed on every single act of terrorism or hatred that has been waged against women. but am educated on the matter and have first hand experience (not that i have to prove myself to anybody) of it. i come from a tribe of women who had fgm forcefully practiced on them, who had marriage and laws used to keep them in servitude to their husbands (upon which they endured many other abuses that im sure you can imagine), and i myself was a victim of sexual assault and grooming from before i hit double digits till the age of 13. (its important to note that the abuse i received was enforced by both men and women). i know about patriarchy and have seen what it reaps up close, but i refuse to hate what hates me for the sake of my anger. i personally (you are free to respond as you choose) want solutions that bring unity and allow me to see each individual for the individual they are and not for who their predecessors left them the legacy of being. i believe its awareness and presence, with love, that brings healing, and we can only unite, if we make space for that healing to begin. so leave me to believe and do my thing as i will. you or any others who feel called to agree or join are free to, or are free to leave. all i will say, is be mindful of your assumptions, of your bias, and of the conclusions you draw as a consequence of them. it can lead to dangerous beliefs, and as such actions. the only wars i will wage are those that bring more love. peace to you and yours

[quibbs126]

Aight, so a while ago I had an ask about a theory that Dark Enchantress Cookie was the one who made the Strawberry Jam Sword, intentionally trying to bring Dark Choco Cookie to the darkness. And while I think it’s a cool idea, as stated in the tags, I have a few personal narrative problems with it, and now I think I’ve got my thoughts better articulated, so I just want to discuss them in greater detail.

Disclaimer to @cessmaga who sent this to me, I’m not trying to rag on you or your headcanon I swear, I just feel like explaining my thoughts a bit more. Also it’s relevant to my next post but I thought it was too off topic to include there, so I’m making it its own separate post. That’s kind of the main reason I’m doing this. Also I’m not sure how popular of a headcanon/theory that is, but I’m approaching it as if it is one, or at least a known theory amongst the community

So first off, like I said, I feel like it’s too easy. By having Dark Enchantress Cookie be the one who made the Strawberry Jam Sword and thus directly responsible for Dark Choco’s misery, it means that all that suffering can just be pointed to the main villain being responsible. It wasn’t some tragic accident, just the main villain trying to get another follower. It gives us an easy target to blame, and we don’t have to think about nuance in the situation, you know?

Second, I dunno, it feels like it’s just too cruel for Dark Enchantress Cookie? Like yes I know she’s the villain, but she’s not like Palpatine or the Overlord where she’s basically evil incarnate; Kingdom has shown her to be a more complex character than that. Her motivation is in some ways right, trying to make a better world for Cookies, she’s just going about it in the wrong way. And you can understand where her motives come from. And from what I’m able to gather she’s a relatively chill person/boss, she just loses it when people don’t see the truth of the situation and seemingly choose to stay ignorant. Why then would she go out of her way to create a sword that would cause endless torture to the son of one of her oldest friends? Yeah she hates them now but nothing says she’d go that far. And from what I can gather, it’s not like Dark Cacao Cookie did anything to warrant that rage, and Dark Choco on his own is completely innocent here, he’s not responsible for anything that happened with the Ancients. So why do all that? Just to gain another follower? No one seemed that bothered by him leaving the CoD, other than the fact that one of their members betrayed them. Also she doesn’t seem directly responsible for any other members turning to darkness (aside from maybe Pomegranate), so this would be an odd exception. She seems to mostly just find people to join her group

Edit: upon looking at more stuff, maybe she would be that mean. So maybe disregard reason 2. But I think the other ones still hold up

Edit edit: okay so I was basing that off of events from Ovenbreak, but upon further thought that might not apply to the Kingdom version of DE. She seems to be portrayed in a more grey light (a dark grey, but still grey nonetheless), whereas Ovenbreak DE seems more inherently villainous, if that makes sense

Thirdly, if Kingdom ever decides to go with a redemption for Dark Enchantress Cookie/White Lily Cookie, then there’s gonna be a problem here, specifically with Dark Cacao Cookie. Because (assuming he learns the truth of what happened with Dark Choco, which I imagine he will) the Strawberry Jam Sword is the thing responsible for what happened to his son and all of the misery they’ve been through; to find out that there is someone directly responsible for creating that sword and putting his son through all that torture, you know his rage would know no bounds. And for the one responsible to be Dark Enchantress Cookie/White Lily Cookie, there would be no forgiving her, no matter what, because this is personal. Because she had the audacity to go after his son, who had no involvement in any of this. Yeah basically what I’m saying is that Dark Cacao Cookie would never be able to forgive her for what she’s done. And as I feel like one likely way for her to have some form of redemption is to have her old friendship with the other Ancients come into play, and that wouldn’t work as well if one of them hates her. Not to mention, it’s a point of no return for her, it’s crossing the line to a point where redemption becomes difficult to believe. It’s like how in Layton, Bronev is responsible for the death of Sycamore’s family, a character we’ve grown attached to and like, and thus we have a hard time accepting Bronev’s redemption, as that’s something you can’t really ignore. Though at least there, the narrative gives Sycamore no reason to forgive Bronev for what happened, whereas in Cookie Run, Dark Cacao would likely have to, or at least be willing to accept her willing to change and give her a fair chance

So yeah, while the idea is interesting, I personally don’t subscribe to it because of its narrative consequences

Though that’s not to say I don’t want to know what’s up with the Strawberry Jam Sword, because I do

[a-wild-things-rambles]

its my blog i get to talk about my dnd characters!

So in my current campain im playing adion- a paladin of the order of Lathander, the god of dawn, renewal, traveling, and light.

A noble warrior who is sworn to protect all innocents, merchants, and those who travel the roads. a healer quick to offer a helping hand, despite their height and largeness, they are almost universally met with warmth, children being able to see the kind heart underneath. unlike most paladins, adion lives a simple life, living solely to protect and care for others, wandering from place to place, letting their feet take them towards those who need them.

To the party members they are a boon, a gold tinted savior, withought whom they would have been dead several times over, either due to adions healing prowess and stubbornness of not letting anyone under there care die- or due to the giant great-sword and glaive they carry, their skill so great they can attack four times in the time it would take another to strike once, their attacks wreathed in holy fire that is reflected in their eyes.

The captain of the city watch has seen many so called heroes pass through his city, but the gentle giant in the cell is another beast, taken in for starting a fight in a tavern. well to be more accurate, outside the tavern, a drunk nobles son dragging out a barmaid, wanting to take her to bed. she had got a good hit in before the soldier had intervened, and with a care that contradicted their drunkenness, laying a blow atop the barmaids. still the son had caused a fuss, and with the barmaid slipping into the shadows, they had arrested the soldier. it hadn't felt right, the story he was told, he knew several people that had sworn by the golden soldier-healer, practically a saint to those who came across them, and the creature in front of him may have steel in their eyes, but they had hands shaking like a man who had only indulged in the drink to drown atrocity's. he'd talked to some of the ladies of the night, who were protecting the girl, found the truth, and set their release to the next day. still, he sent a letter to one of his contacts, trying to find where may have spawned such a creature- haunted, but kind. it takes a lot for a man to be driven to cruelty [but in some cases nothing at all], but even more for a man to driven to kindness from cruelty.

The investigator can tell somethings off, holes in their backstory, avoidance of certain areas, stories left unspoken. a warrior should have more scars. sometimes out the corner of his eye adion shifts, but its chalked up to holy magic, after all, its plain to see the goodness in adions heart, the conviction and belief in the inherent goodness in people, bordering on naivety sometimes, but as the investigator puts his pen down, he thinks the world needs more people with that kind of conviction. he will keep an eye on the healer, but hes not worried, no evil thing would have saved his life with such conviction, nor fought with such passion.

Now the captain stands in his office, planning out the groups next moves, the soldier unbowed, but soft-spoken, blood hastily cleaned off leather and chain. it had been close. to close. if it wasn't for the soldier he would have more dead heroes, and more undead running around, doing god knows what damage. maybe that's why their hands had the steadiness of someone forcing them to be steady. their god gave them a peek at what it would have been, if so what a cruel god. the faint stench of vomit to, barely perseptable, but still clinging. had they lost their nerve? at some point they had run, presumably towards someone injured, but no. he remembered now, a retching sound, then a yell, a warning, the undead were flanking the group. later, holy fire and golden blades, desperation, a last stand, helpless to watch their friend bleed out, to far away to reach quickly, them being surrounded as it was. they had both made it in the end, the last creature managing to withstand the holy blades, but not the last desperate attack, a fist to the face. the undeads skull burst like an overripe watermelon ran over by a careless cart. pulverized, he'd picked shards of bone out of the hand after, after they sprinted to the injured mans side, and brought him back from the brink through sheer force of will, refusing to let him succumb to his wounds, before fainting. his mind wandered further, to the letter in his breast-pocket. his mind made itself up, he would burn it to ash. he would be a hypocrite to judge people based on their pasts.

[itsmyartfam]

Dadzawa fic rec list #2

You guys really seemed to like my last dadzawa rec list, so here’s p2. Once again, they’re in no particular order of greatness, and many of the summaries were very long so I put the shortened down versions of them. 

1) Splintering Ice- emmals16

Aizawa should really consider not letting his kids off campus at all. It never goes well. He has enough nightmares about their past excursions gone-wrong. And dragging a half-frozen kid out of a frozen lake is definitely something that will haunt him forever.

Incomplete, 9/10. Hella fucking good angst, I LOVE the protective!Dadzawa in this, it absolutely does not shy away from anything, it is raw and angsty and beautiful. This one is so painfully underrated too, it deserves so much more attention so please go read it, it’s so well-written. 

2) Smoke before fire- achievingelysium

Aizawa meets Midoriya's middle school teacher, who seems to have an alarming view of his former student.

One-Shot. Dadzawa angry at how his broccoli son was treated. Love it, but I literally love everything that achievingelysium writes so yeah, go read all their stuff, they write amazing BNHA pics.

3) Refraction- achievingelysium

After an incident that leaves several students hospitalized, Shouta thinks about one student—Midoriya—and finds he's reminded of a friend from another time.

One-Shot. Manga spoilers for this one, so I won’t say much in my review, but like all of achievingelysium’s stuff, it’s very good.

4) Of Bias and Bravery- Mintoki

"It’s not that his peers are inherently cruel to the Quirkless. Izuku firmly believes that, if the truth ever got out to his classmates, they would still welcome him with open arms. At the same time though, acceptance does not necessarily mean they are well-informed on the subject. His classmates might be well-intentioned, but sometimes the words that come out of their mouths cut deeper than even he could have ever expected."

One-Shot. I LOVE this one. It’s so painfully delicious (I’m a sadist) to see how even Izuku’s friends are affected by society’s ignorance and how it hurts my precious broccoli boi. This isn’t a dadzawa centric fic, but it has a very nice dadzawa moment at the end, so I included it.

5) Dam failure- orkestrations

Aizawa addresses the fact that Bakugou physically assaulted Midoriya, for no good reason, during their final exam.

One-Shot. Dadzawa doing what he really should’ve fucking done in the show?? Thank you!!

6) The World on His Shoulders- baggytshirtsandtiredeyes

During their second year, Aizawa decides to take some of the students on patrol to give them a taste of the underground hero life. But of course, nothing goes as planned when UA's resident Problem Child is involved.

One-Shot. OOO I LOVE THIS ONE! Usually a lot of Aizawa and Midoriya fics are whump but for once this involves Aizawa actually being shook and amazed at Midoriya’s strength cuz he’s a freakishly strong boi and everyone should remember that!

7) Problem toddler- anonymous

Izuku gets deaged, and Yagi learns what suffering is.

One-Shot. Dadzawa AND Dadmight for you! Featuring jealous!Dadmight cuz baby Midoriya loves Dadzawa more.

8) Fatherly Affection- otawritesthings

Shota Aizawa 's full time job is teaching. It is NOT fathering twenty-something screaming highschoolers. It isn't. Nope.

22 Chapters. Gotta love Dadzawa pretending like he’s not a dad when he’s in the act of being a dad. I like how each chapter focuses on his interactions with a specific member of class 1-A, even the ones that get less screen time. 

9) Recovery- liions

Class 1-A has been noticing something different about their teacher since the USJ Incident. Not bad different, just, Different. It fueled their gossip hours, just why did he keep dropping things? Midoriya gets a chance to find out.

One-Shot. I love fics that actually address the consequences of big, traumatic events, like Kamino, the camp attack, or heck even Bakugou attacking Midoriya during their test. Or, in this case, USJ and the Nomu beating Aizawa to a pulp. Fun times- not. 

10) darken your door- beeclaws

Aizawa tries to go get popcorn and instead gets an uncomfortable encounter with a student's estranged father.

Three chapters. BRUH how have I not mentioned beeclaws before? They write THE BEST dadzawa fics! This one is one of my favs, but they have plenty of other great ones too! 

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I’m sure I still have a lot more (I love reading Dadzawa fics) so if you guys want another rec list after this, let me know! But for now, toodles!