#hoc answers asks

[liongoatsnake]

Hi there! I’ve recently told my human girlfriend about my therianthropy and I was hoping you would be open to suggesting the best resources to give them to give a beginning explanation of what it is to be nonhuman and also how the community was originally formed. Thank you in advance if you’d like to help and for your time. 🖤

Our sincerest apologies for the delayed response.

We’ll list a couple of different resources we think as good primers for outsiders across a few different formats and lengths on the chance one or another might be better fitting.

For a quick (under 15 minutes) video on the subject, we think “Introduction to Modern Therianthropy” by Therian Nation.

For longer (roughly an hour) videos on the subject, we think “Anthro New England 2023 Otherkin & Therian Information Panel” or for a panel backed by someone who has done research into the community, “Nonhuman Identity, Gender, Autism, and Mental Health: Results from my Dissertation” might also be useful.

For written content, “A Skeptic’s Guide to Therianthropy” and/or “An Introduction to Animality” might be useful.

[houseofchimeras]

I'm really sorry if this question is a bit of an overstep, but I'm genuinely curious!

You've been around in the Alterhuman community for so long, and you're such a prevalent name as well! How did you (and other Alterhuman folk, like Page and Orion) end up being such big names in the community? And since you guys have been around for so long, do you have any advice you'd like to pass along?

Again, really sorry if this seems pushy, but curiosity killed the cat, y'know?

I hope you have a great day!

Your question isn’t overstepping at all! (So sorry for the delayed answer, offline life has been busy and seasonal depression has left our "writing energy" a bit low for now.)

To the question on how we became “big names in the community,” our system honestly has a hard time understanding it ourselves. To be fair, our system suffers from some serious chronic Imposture Syndrome and self-esteem issues from trauma from childhood echoing mean stuff said about ourselves long ago, plus we’re just overall kind of social anxious creatures, (all while simultaneously desperately wanting validation and the idea that we’re ‘liked’ by people.) Because of all that, internalizing that people like us, let alone look up to us in the community has never been something we have been able to do. We seem to be psychologically incapable of feeling about ourselves and our work half as highly as others view us and our work. We always see ourselves as just “some guys,” in our own eyes.

We just… like writing. We have a lot of special interests and one of them revolves around the history of the communities we are a part of, and we have a lot of tendencies towards hoarding links and copies of materials relevant to these communities. So out of these two things we’ve ended up becoming a community historian and archivist of sorts. Our academic background in history (and to a lesser extent anthropology and library science) certainly has helped us develop skills towards these projects of ours.

And sometimes people like what we write, I guess. We’re always just flattered and happy people like things we have made or done.

As for advice,

A lot of our advice on community engagement is echoed in  Page and Orion’s “YOU ARE NOT A MUSEUM PIECE: Putting Yourself Out There in the Alterhuman Community” 2023 Othercon panel. Our partners, @who-is-page and @frameacloud explain dozens of things there 100 times better than we ever could on that matter.

Other than that -

- Be kind; not just to others but to yourself as well. - Create stuff you want to see made in the community and things you enjoy making, first and foremost. - Every project ever, no matter how large or small, has all started out as nothing but a blank page. Try to not see it as intimidating and instead see it as a blank canvas of endless possibilities.

We hope that answered your questions, and may you have a great day as well. - Earth Listener (she/her/hers)

[whetstonefires]

Dick Grayson for the character ask thing

comics characters are surprisingly hard to do this with, because the dividing line between canon, fanon, and headcanon is pretty damn blurry.

Headcanon 1:  Realistic

Dick has a history of dressing like a super extreme fashion plate because he likes to feel like he knows exactly why people are looking at him. His actual sense of taste runs to a wide variety of things and it's basically impossible to make him feel embarrassed by an outfit, given his personal outfit baseline was set in an environment where people were clowns as a fulltime job. And then he grew up in the superhero community, which isn't better.

But when he's pushing the fashion envelope it's only partly for fun, and just as much a matter of controlling the narrative the audience is making up in their heads.

Headcanon 2: May or not be realistic, is definitely funny (at least to me)

Dick had that whole arc back in the 80s about struggling with how his girlfriend wanted to not break up even though she was entering a fairly serious political marriage, right? He did get past it, but only after Kori explicitly chose him over the husband, who was left behind on Tamaran. He is explicitly really hung up on monogamy.

Headcanon therefore that Dick Grayson, who has mastered being chill and accepting about all sorts of queer identities as they've become relevant to his life, turns into a mincing suburban mom about polyamory specifically. All his coolness just abandons him and he's like, wellllll it's alright for other people, I'm not gonna judge...

Is that funny? I think it's funny, and that's what counts.

Headcanon 3: Evil and heart-breaking why would you do this

Dick has this suspicion, buried somewhere very deep and never looked at and therefore very powerful, that his parents would be horrified by the person he's grown up into. He's a violent man, deeply angry, who's led a lot of people--mostly teenagers--to their deaths, and broken the hearts of most of the women he's loved, and can't ever seem to let go of anything or hold onto it properly, either. He's used to having money, and power, and he leans on both sometimes.

He's not the kind of person his parents would have wanted him to know, let alone be.

They wouldn't like him.

Headcanon 4: Doesn't align with canon (or maybe even reality) but I do what I want

On some level Dick Grayson will always be originally from 1940. He went to college during the Vietnam War. He became Nightwing when the internet was cutting edge.

I like to think this relationship with history catches up to him at odd corners. Sometimes he's baffled for just a second that a nickel won't buy you a damn thing. Sometimes when he wants to make a call, he looks for a phone booth.

He doesn't know he's like ninety years old. But sometimes he definitely is.

[give-me-a-moose]

Does the "Arc Two: Midgardian Mischief" have any parts? Or its discontinued

Hey darling!

It does have more to come, I just got overloaded with school work that I took a break from fic writing. Hope to be back soon once I get life under control again ❤️

[heroes-of-courage]

Question for any of the links: What's your favorite color combo?

[ansitru]

Dyou think you'll ever add the "bless your heart" floral piece as a pattern in your shop? It's gorgeous and I would love to stitch it!

(Also I'm in the middle of the screaming cowboy possum and I'm having so much fun with it 🤠)

Heyhey, thank you so much!

Once I'm finished with test stitching & photographing it, it's going straight into the shop, yep!

(I also can't wait to see your cowboy possum if you end up sharing it :D)

[fingersfallingupwards]

I just read “I was a younger man then (now)” and I’m crying so much???!?? I just wanted to say bravo — it’s sooooo well written. Ty for sharing with the world.

Hey thanks so much! That's really sweet of you. It's a story I'm pretty proud of actually, even though it's not often on my mind. Thanks for the kind words and bringing it back up so I could smile about it. 💕✨

[kerizaret]

🍯 🍭 and ❄️ for the sweet and pure ask game, please :3

Coming right up!

🍯- describe your favorite smell

You get a mug and turn on the kettle. You wait for the water to boil as you prepare the honey and milk. You cut the fresh bread your mom made and put butter on it. You hear your sister's laugh behind the door. The water boils and you pour it into the mug with a bag of jasmine tea. You add a spoon of honey and a touch of milk. You feel the smell of the bread, of the honey, but mostly you focus on the sweet and delicate jasmine smell, the same one you feel as you pass near your uni

It smells like peace and calm. It smells like smiles, and hard work rewarded by a sweet drink to end the day. It smells like love

🍭- how tall are you?

Last time I measured myself it was like 171cm iirc? So like mediocre height I guess?

❄️- what is your favorite season?

Spring! Especially late spring when it's already starting to become warmer and getting greener and more colourful ^^ it might be a bit cliché but I genuinely do feel myself coming back to life more together with nature. I don't dislike winter but I just feel so much more at peace when it's colourful outside and I can feel the warn sun rays on me. But still it's still a bit cold-ish, enough for me to still be able to sit with my blanket on, to enjoy a hot cup of tea, to not sweat and struggle with the heat, to keep my hair loose sometimes

And also its finally bright when I wake up 😭 and its so relieving bc that throws me off a lot in winter

[dottowos]

hoc non est experimentum!

synopsis: Dottore’s segments are tired of waiting to take you for themselves and have decided to finally take matters into their own hands (with some reluctant sharing).

includes: four dottore segments w/ fem! reader

notes: You get railed by four of Dottore’s segments at once, that’s it, that’s the fic. Established relationship, they fight over you a bit, reader uses they/them pronouns, gangbang (Sigma, Beta, Alpha, Delta - see segments guide), oral (reader giving), handjob, titfuck, vaginal sex, one (1) gentle pussy slap, rough and soft sex, praise, creampie, consensual drugging (aphrodisiac), brief mention of consensual somnophilia, bit of dirty talk(?), aftercare, cuddle pile with the segments at the end <3. Minors DNI.

For as research-driven as Dottore’s segments appeared to be, they had their own desires and downtime they wished for - mainly due to a certain someone they all thought of dearly. That person was none other than you, their beloved, whom they all shared.

To them, you boasted the utmost loveliness - soft lips that spilled the sweetest of words and praises, gentle touches and caresses that soothed them - and of course, your alluring body that they couldn’t keep their hands off. For a long time, the segments had settled with regular touches like simple cuddling, hand holding, and even some thigh squeezing here and there, but needless to say, they desired something a lot more… heated than mere soft touches. But much to their dismay, you were… painfully oblivious to their advances.

It was indeed a bit frustrating despite their advances being rather straightforward, but you always assumed they were being extra touchy and clingy. Well, all of them save for Omega had this problem - the segments cursed that lucky bastard when he wasn’t around, they wanted their face between your legs too.

… Which was why they were at their wits’ end and had collectively come up with a sure-fire plan to fuck you.

—

When four segments appeared in your room together unannounced, without any arguments following them, you already knew something was up. They weren’t often seen together, except whenever they happened to collaborate on projects, but you had heard of no such thing lately.

“Beloved, we have something we would like you to try for us,” Sigma began with an even wider smile than normal, something you always took note of.

“Well… if all four of you feel the need to come to ask me, it must be quite important,” you replied, very much interested in what could warrant such urgency, not to mention the varying expressions across the segments - Sigma’s eager smile, Beta holding off his impatience, Alpha hiding his nervousness by acting aloof, and Delta’s continued seriousness, although his eyes were boring into you.

“See,” Sigma hummed, producing a vial from his pocket, “We’ve recently created this new… liquid. Of course, we’re interested in observing the effects it has on someone.” Although you understood the intent, you were confused as to why he couldn’t just test it on someone else, but Beta answered your question before you could say anything.

“You’re the only test subject we can test such a drug on,” his fingers drummed against the nightstand quickly, as if he was aching to pour whatever that strange liquid was down your throat already. Still, this only left you with more questions.

“What kind of liquid is this exactly?”

“An aphrodisiac,” Delta said bluntly.

An aphrodisiac, you thought. Aphrodisiacs… ah yes, you read about those in books sometimes. Aphrodisiacs… used to stimulate sexual desire. Aphrodisiacs… used to have sex.

… Wait. To have sex?! Immediately, you started sputtering and backing up.

“A-Are you trying to say what I t-think you are?! And wait, are aphrodisiacs even real? I thought they were fake!”

“Finally, you got it through that thick skull of yours,” Alpha rolled his eyes. “I was beginning to wonder if you were simply that dense or doing it on purpose. Seems as though it was the former.” Classic Alpha - his words always had some bark to them, although there was practically no bite as you always got your way.

“I mean…!! I just didn’t know all of you would be interested in me that kind of way-”

“Oh darling,” Sigma purred. “You’re too sweet for your own good. That won’t end well for you if you’re with us,” the segment slyly slid his hand down your thigh, making you gasp. You were already starting to have a tingly feeling between your legs, your mind racing with the possible scenarios they would put you in. Could you even survive taking four of them at once? Logically your mind said no, but your body was saying yes. Even if you couldn’t walk for a few days, it was a hell yes.

“Prime surely knows you’ve been fooling around with Omega, doesn’t he? Don’t I deserve some attention too?” Beta was the next to make his advance, hand tracing the collar of your neck, itching to sink his teeth into your skin. Your body immediately warmed at being called out for… ahem… certain acts with the older segment.

“He’s right. You were the one who said you’d give us all equal treatment. Or are you going back on your word now?” Delta added on gruffly, already knowing what your answer would be from when you very obviously squeezed your legs together.

“No, I would never…” You quickly rushed your words, heart racing from all of the segments so close to you, with not-so-pure intentions.

“At least try to relax,” it was Alpha who took some pity at your deer-in-headlights look. “The aphrodisiac should greatly increase your pleasure as well.” The other segments quickly peppered your exposed skin with kisses in an effort to make you comfortable as well.

“I’m okay, I was just… caught off-guard by this. But I want you all too… if you’ll have me,” you replied shyly, to which all of the men perked up. “Besides, I’m kind of interested to see if you actually managed to concoct a legitimate aphrodisiac.”

“Good… good. Willing test subjects are always the best to work with,” Sigma placed a kiss on your forehead before suddenly you were being maneuvered onto the middle of the bed. “Now before we test the aphrodisiac, let’s see that pretty body of yours.”

Before you could even utter a response, your clothes were being tugged off very quickly - but that was probably because there were four other people undressing you. In no time, you were nude save for your underwear, the cold air sweeping against you for a moment, but the segments’ warm bodies prevented you from shivering. All of them had their eyes trained on you - they had seen you nude before, having to attend to you sometimes, but it was obviously not in a situation like this, where you were laid bare and needy for them. Speaking of neediness…

Delta, whose chest was pressed into your back, pried your legs open despite your gasps and protests because you already knew your pussy was becoming an embarrassing, leaking sight. You whined as your damp underwear was on display for them all to stare at shamelessly, Alpha and Beta holding down one of your legs while Delta grabbed your arms, and Sigma let out a content sigh that was shared between all of them.

"So wet, and we've barely even touched you." Something clicked in the segment's mind as he held himself back from touching you just yet. "I think I know why. You're excited by the idea of being fucked by all of us at once, aren't you?"

“Of course they are,” Alpha scoffed. “They can never hold themselves back once they want something.”

“Give it to them already,” Beta demanded, who had already been palming and restraining himself, “before I fuck them right now.”

“Have some patience,” Alpha rolled his eyes. “We’ve barely just begun.” Normally Beta would have shot the segment an indignant look considering Alpha’s own lack of patience, but he was too needy for you to bother.

“If you’re out of breath just from this, I worry about how you’ll be able to take all of us,” Sigma teased. “But I know you will. You must be aching for our cocks, aren’t you, sweet thing? Burning for us to fill you up like the obedient toy you are?” Your throat had gone dry from how effortlessly filthy Sigma had become. Usually, his tone and words were always so sweet to you, but now he spewed such dirty things with that same gentle voice.

“Answer him,” Delta reached to give your breast a firm squeeze, which quickly elicited a response from you. Alpha and Beta quickly followed the older segment’s action, kneading the soft flesh with fascination.

“Y-Yes! I’ll be good!” You swiftly nodded your head to which Sigma chuckled.

“Good.” He then popped open the vial and gave it a little shake, watching the liquid swirl around. “Now open,” he grasped your chin and held the vial above your mouth, humming in satisfaction as you swallowed the aphrodisiac without a second thought (which, surprisingly tasted quite nice.) When a little bit dribbled down your chin, he quickly thumbed the excess and popped his finger in your mouth.

“Ah ah, now don’t you waste it. A lot of work went into this.” You could only blink at him, mouth ajar as you suddenly became very aware of the aching between your legs and your rising body temperature.

“It seems the aphrodisiac is already taking effect,” Alpha observed, tugging at your sensitive nipple. “Perhaps because you were already aroused?” Ever the scholar, he still questioned your reactions (or maybe it was a way to distract himself from the tightening in his pants.) But when he looked at Beta, the other segment was already slobbering on your breast, sharp teeth occasionally grazing your nipple to which you whimpered.

“You aren’t even trying to hide your true intentions…” Alpha sighed. After all, it wasn’t really an experiment (this time at least) but more so to satisfy the aching between their legs in the way they desired rather than resorting to their hands all the time. (There was a reason why they didn’t have a trusty clipboard…)

“Don’t act like you’re any better than us,” Beta scoffed, briefly taking a break from sucking on your tit. “You were more jealous of Prime than any of us.” Alpha only clicked his tongue in response before giving your other boob similar treatment as what Beta was doing. Delta, on the other hand, was busy kissing you and hardly giving you any time to breathe, making the other sensations all too powerful. You barely noticed his hiss when you unconsciously grinded your ass against his bulge.

Sigma watched your once cheery expression become half-lidded and lewd, before reaching for the band of your underwear. Even though your mind had gone elsewhere at his point, your breath still hitched at the feeling. Along with all the touching and the aphrodisiac, your underwear was so wet it was clinging to your cunt almost uncomfortably. Thankfully, the segment pulled it off and discarded it along with the rest of your clothing, haphazardly scattered on the floor. Instantly, the other segments paused whatever they were doing to gaze at your hole, entranced by your pretty pussy. 

You let out a moan when Sigma’s finger gently rubbed your opening, before slipping a finger in which you squealed at. Throwing your head back, you nearly kicked him were it not for the other's firm grip on your thighs.

“An exquisite reaction,” Sigma praised. “So sensitive… I wonder, is it because of the aphrodisiac, or has Prime been neglecting you lately?” The segment cooed before curling his finger inside of you, making your back arch. At your adorable reactions, the other segments simply couldn’t wait either. It wasn’t long before you felt another two fingers push inside you - but it wasn’t Sigma this time. Delta had quietly watched your pussy gradually become wetter, having the perfect view from behind you, and now he wanted to hear all the squelching your hole would make around his fingers. However, it seemed that Sigma had something to say about sharing your cunt with the others.

“Only I get to fuck their pussy today.” This bold statement automatically had the other three turning on him.

“Excuse me? And how did you decide that? I am going to taste them too,” Beta immediately rebuked Sigma’s statement.

“I’m older than all of you. Why would I not get to fuck them first?”

“Older? On what basis?” Alpha grumbled. “Sure, you may be closer to Prime’s age, but technically speaking, I’ve been around longer than any of you.”

“Well, it was me who came up with the idea of an aphrodisiac in the first place. I should get to go first then,” Beta piped in.

“And you would not have known that if I did not happen to mention their reading collection to you,” Delta cut in as well.

… They were really fighting right now despite being three fingers deep inside your cunt. That was simply wonderful (but expected to be honest). Normally you’d find it amusing but you just really wanted to come already.

“Stop fighting. You can have your turn next time,” you whined, wriggling around in their embrace, trying to get some pleasure from their fingers. 

“Oh? Already thinking about next time, are you?” Sigma chuckled before Beta squeezed your thigh.

“I told you that they wanted this. I bet [Name] has been thinking about this more than we thought,” Beta taunted you. “Dirty thing.”

“Regardless… I suppose I can let this one time pass,” Alpha huffed, (though he was actually pretty accustomed to being overshadowed by his older selves), and Delta grunted in agreement - although he was still going to finger fuck you. 

Now that that little spat was over, the two segments began moving their fingers inside you again, not exactly in unison though. Sigma was going slowly while Delta was plunging his in and out of you. The sensation was making your head reel and you could hardly notice the other two segments were already unbuttoning their pants. Tears sprung to your eyes as you dug your nails hard into someone’s arm - you couldn’t focus on who - that was sure to leave marks. 

Together, the differentiating paces successfully drove you crazy and you quickly came, juices running down their fingers. The sudden burst of pleasure, heightened by the aphrodisiac had you gasping and shaking, although there wasn’t much of that considering all four of them had a firm grip on you. You tried to catch your breath when a finger wiped the corner of your eye.

“Crying already? But hardly anything has happened yet,” Alpha observed.

“Leave them. It shows that the aphrodisiac is working. Not just one of your fantasies now, is it?” Delta teased you as he began to lay you on your back instead of his chest. You blinked as he rested your head on a pillow, wondering what was happening before you were suddenly very aware his cock was close to you, his underwear being the only barrier. Blinking again, you saw that the others were in a similar position, eager to come too.

“As much as I would like to play with you for a while longer, it seems like no one is willing to wait that long. Truly a shame,” Sigma sighed while discarding his pants as well. “But there’s always next time, right dear? Regardless, I trust you know what comes next.” 

You tried to formulate a response but you found your throat had gone dry at the fact that this was really about to happen.

“Don’t get nervous on me now. I know full well you can take it,” Beta was the first to tug his cock out, delighting in how you inhaled at the sight.

“I- I… um- mmph!” Before you could say anything, Beta’s hand rested on top of your head, the tip of his cock briefly nuzzling your cheek, before he properly parted your lips and thrusted into your mouth roughly.

“I thought I said not to be so rough to them at first?” Sigma sighed at his fellow segment’s action, before lining himself up with your entrance and pushing in. The sensation made you moan around Beta, in turn causing him to thrust again. Though he seemed impatient, the truth was he was still restraining himself - his pace would have been harsher if he didn’t feel a bit worried for you.

Refusing to wait around, Alpha and Delta grabbed your hands and wrapped them around their hardened cocks as well, a sign for you to start stroking them unless you wanted them to do it for you. You were quickly swept into their pace, both of your hands being occupied in no time. You clumsily stroked them, seeing as it was hard to focus while being fucked, but the two segments seemed as though they were more than enjoying it. Perhaps they’ve been pent up for too long.

Alpha had already begun biting his tongue to hide his needy pants, his previous calm and collected words quickly dissipating. If only you weren’t being fucked by three other people, you’d have teased him for his whininess. However, the segment also used that to his advantage, suddenly squeezing your breast and rubbing the head of his cock against your nipple. The sensation against your sensitive bump had your back arching and legs flailing, although they were securely hooked around Sigma’s shoulders.

You could already feel Alpha’s pre-cum leaking onto your chest - it was already impressive he hadn’t come yet, considering what Dottore was like back when he was a student, coming hard after some light arousal (and then getting tired, you had to ride his face to get yourself off.)

The segment eyed your breasts with fluttering eyes and a heaving chest, seemingly trying to consider what to do next in his hazy mind, before grabbing your other breast and squishing them together with haste. In no time, he bucked his hips closer, slipping his aching cock between the soft flesh. You were warm - even more so due to the aphrodisiac - and your tits enveloped his cock better than he could have ever dreamed of. Not bothering to retain his composure, Alpha continued to clumsily yet quickly fuck your boobs, squeezing and pulling at them at the same time. None of the others had bothered to comment on it, considering they were all more interested in fucking the other parts of your body.

Meanwhile, Delta’s large hand was wrapped around yours on his cock, moving it up and down for you, unsatisfied with your pace. It was fast enough that you were sure your arm was going to be aching for a day, but you were also sure that applied to your whole body in general.

Still, this was all so much to take in, having both your pussy and mouth fucked at the same time at a bruising pace had your eyes half-lidded and struggling to keep up with the segments, seemingly built with endless energy, but a particularly harsh thrust from Sigma had you nearly gagging on Beta’s cock, to which the segment tightened his grip on your head.

“I thought you said I was being too rough?” Beta clicked his tongue at Sigma’s hypocrisy, and the older one merely smiled.

“I simply want to make sure they’re awake to feel my cock properly. Don’t you feel the same?”

“It doesn’t matter. They’d be happy as long as they’re being fucked. You wouldn’t protest at all, would you? Letting yourself be used even when you’re not conscious?” Delta hissed, and Sigma let out a sigh as you helplessly tightened around his own cock, clearly enjoying the filthy words.

“Ah, now there’s a grand idea. Darling, I’d be happy to discuss the possibility of nighttime visits, if you like it so much. It would be lovely to see you wake up to being filled,” Sigma chuckled, and you couldn’t even respond to him since your mouth was full of Beta’s cock. 

While the two older segments were busy teasing you, you could also feel that Alpha was close to coming. His pace had gone sloppy and he had lost his grip on your tits, instead just humping them pathetically. Beta was in a similar state, speeding up his thrusts in a way you knew he was about to come as well, and Delta was wordlessly getting as much pleasure as he could out of your abused hand. You could feel your own orgasm building up too, especially when Sigma moved to rub your clit. With a squeeze of your thighs, he relentlessly pumped himself inside you without stopping.

“Now,” he stated, “I’m going to fill you up, and you’re going to come on my cock. Understand?” You blinked at him through pleading teary eyes, and he laughed. “Good. Perfect, my love.”

Only a few seconds after, Alpha was the first one to let go, coming all over your tits with a low hiss, quietened by biting his bleeding lip. It spurted all over your chest, running down the hill of your boobs onto your stomach, and the segment was left panting, lazily rubbing his softening cock against your soft skin. The liquid only served to make you more aroused, squeezing your legs around Sigma’s neck as a plea to let you come already. In response, as a way of saying ‘have patience,’ Sigma flicked his hand against your cunt, finger catching your clit, and the light pain with pleasure nearly had you choking again.

As if that was the trigger for Beta, he too suddenly pulled out of your mouth, and before you could question what he was doing, came on your face, globs of cum streaking down your cheek along with your tears, some dripping down your chin and landing on your chest. You hazily blinked at the white liquid coating your body, before some more was added.

Without wasting a second, Delta let go of your hand and popped his cock in your briefly empty mouth before your poor throat could even have a chance to recover. It only took one or two thrusts for him to empty himself inside your mouth, doing so with a groan of pleasure, keeping your head locked in place, and only pulling out once he was sure you had swallowed every bit of his cum. The last few minutes left you gasping and moaning, your noises now clear for all in the room to hear - including the cries that left your lips and the mashing of your hole.

“P-Please, I’m- ah, so, so, close-” Your words had lost coherent structure at this point, trying your best to convey what you really needed.

“I know. I can feel you,” Sigma dragged himself in and out of you, making sure you felt everything. “You’ve been so good to us. Of course you can come.” Along with his ramming, he quickly circled your clit, until finally, finally, you came hard, rolling your head back and an unrecognizable squeal tore from your throat. The feeling of you spasming around his cock had Sigma digging his hands into your soft thighs as he filled you to the brim, only pulling out after a few moments. Gently, he pushed his fingers near your sore pussy, humming as you made a soft noise of protest, just to make sure none of his cum escaped your oozing pussy. 

As you lay there used and twitching, your cunt stuffed full of cum, and your face and chest painted with it, the segments took a moment to admire how pretty you looked like that. Beta stroked your head, as if apologizing for his fierce grip, although he made sure to gather up his cum and press it to your lips, smiling widely as you obediently parted his lips for him to suck on his fingers. 

“Looks like the aphrodisiac isn’t as strong as we anticipated. What a pity.” Alpha had tried to recollect himself after that embarrassing display of neediness as if he wasn’t also tired from coming.

“Is it really? I’d say it was quite powerful. After all, they took all four of us with hardly any complaints. It served us both well.” Sigma chuckled as he gently lowered your legs from his shoulders onto the bed, pressing soft kisses to your thigh as he did so.

“It still could use some tweaking, however,” Delta stated. “I believe it hasn’t nearly reached its potential.” The segment had moved away to begin drawing a bath to clean you up.

“Regardless, you did exceptionally well,” Beta praised you with his sharp-toothed grin, and you only let out a soft noise of affirmation as you were lifted up to be cleaned.

—

The segments cleaned you up a few minutes after - you weren’t sure if your bathtub would fit all five of you but it did somehow. Surprisingly they were pretty cooperative, for the most part at least. Afterward, they changed your sheets and dressed you in some comfortable clothes.

“Here,” before you could react, some kind of syrup was being poured into your mouth. “For your throat,” Alpha said because a certain someone couldn’t hold back, although he didn’t say that part out loud. Sigma pulled your blankets up and tucked you in as well.

“What, are you all leaving?” You looked at them with sad eyes.

“We have been away from work for quite a while, love.” You pouted at his response as you tugged at his arm.

“You can’t do that. You have to stay at least until I fall asleep, all of you,” you stressed the ‘all’, reaching to grab Delta’s hand as well.

“[Name]-”

“Nope! I’m not listening!” You then pulled Alpha, who was the easiest to push around, into the bed with you.

And so, you now had the four segments cuddling with you, each of them touching your body in some way. Sigma and Delta were snuggled closely on each of your sides, but Alpha and Beta were left in the more uncomfortable positions, awkwardly laying on top of you and face cuddled into your chest. There were some grumbles from them but you quickly shushed them up. More importantly, you felt very warm and content with all of them holding you.

You had a feeling the four segments weren’t leaving you anytime soon, either.

[stickthisbig]

"But Sabine," I have been asked, and I genuinely have been asked this, this isn't just a rhetorical device, "you've studied so much about cults, you'd never join a cult, right?"

You are correct that I know an unreasonable amount about cults and cult psychology. That's why I need you to know this:

You are not immune to a cult.

First off, "cult" is a post hoc description, not a productive category. You don't register as a cult somewhere. Some people do start off to start a cult, I'm not gonna lie and say that's never happened, but if it says Join Our Cult on the flyer, it's probably an improv show or a LARP. You think you know what a cult looks like, but all the things you'd name would be negatives that you associate with things you don't like. There are loads of very devout Christian churches who believe things that you hate, and they're not cults. Other people disagree with me about this, but not all MLMs are cults; a pyramid scheme and a cult aren't the same thing (until they are). You find these people distasteful and you think they're harmful, so you associate malfeasance with them. If they're tacky and gross, must be a cult.

It also means that some of y'all literally wouldn't recognize a cult if you walked into one. When people are talking about getting great results through group living and you like what you see, they're just an organization with good ideas. Did you know I was taking a government management training in the year of our Dark Lord 2025 and it held up a Synanon youth center as one of its examples??? I felt like I was going fucking crazy, and the instructor clearly just didn't know he had anything to worry about.

A cult is never just some people you don't agree with. A cult is always about coercion and control, and it is insidious by its very nature. What's gonna happen when it's that cool barista who wants you to come to this meeting? What's gonna happen when it's just some nice ladies from your mom's church who want you to come and have tea? What's gonna happen when it's just a rabbit hole you fall down on the internet, but man, it sure makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Don't fucking convince yourself knowing what happened at Waco is gonna save your life. Learn some actual signs, which you should just be following so you're not a fucking chump in general:

Does everyone you meet understand you? It's fine to think you can see yourself among a group of people, but do they think the same thing immediately?

Do they want to introduce you to their leadership right now?

Do they want you to commit to a lot really quickly? Does it seem like they don't want you to leave the premises?

Do they have secrets about the world that you only really glimpse? Do they answer your questions about their faith/exciting business opportunity/social club in generalities when you're asking for specifics?

Are they asking for money? Are they giving you a lot of free materials? Does it seem like the materials aren't really free, but a ploy to ask for money?

Are these all the same steps not to get screwed at a car dealership? (Yes)

Are they offering psychiatric or addiction services but it sure doesn't seem like there's a doctor around here anywhere? Do they say they have a natural cure? (Still very bad at a car dealership)

In a real social organization that's just folks having a good time, at least one person isn't gonna like you, or they're gonna be cold, or they're gonna acknowledge you and move on. The vast majority of legit religions will just give you the tenets of their faith flat out and/or explain their worldview to you, and if they have hierarchies or advanced mysteries, most people who follow that religion can at least say something like "yeah idk you have to go to classes for that I think, those guys are a little weird but good for them".

Stop thinking that book learning and judgmental looks will save you when the question requires street smarts. You are not immune to cults for the exact same reason that you are not immune to propaganda. Your sense of security in your moral superiority is like delicious catnip to manipulative people in general and to cults in specific. You don't want to join a cult? You're better off just learning to doubt people's motives than reading yet another book about fucking Scientology. You already know what Scientology does. You probably won't have a huge problem avoiding that one.

Shit, if I avoid a cult, it'll almost certainly because I was so damn deep into the Southern Baptist church that it ruined my ability to experience faith in any meaningful way, not because I watch a lot of documentaries.

And we're not even gonna discuss the time I was forced to go to AA

(My favorite book about this is the graphic novel anthology American Cult, it will change your mind about everything you thought you knew about cults and their victims)

[rei-ismyname]

Nightcrawler on Krakoa - The Spark is not a religion.

During Dawn of X Nightcrawler felt uncomfortable with certain aspects of Krakoa, especially the cavalier attitude towards death. On the day of the first Crucible, Cyclops sought him out to talk through his own feelings on the matter and they discussed it at length. Kurt had no answers, only questions, though he did end the conversation with something definitive. 'I think I need to start a mutant religion.' Contrary to what I've seen many people say, he didn't actually start a religion. This is an exploration of The Spark, Kurt's very secular answer to the personal and societal questions he had.

Melody Guthrie chose to die and be reborn

Since I'm looking to prove a negative - 'The Spark is not a religion' - it would be helpful to have a definition of the term. Scholars, philosophers and theologians have been trying to agree on one for centuries with the mainstream having given up. I'll come back to this, but Kurt's own religious framework is Catholicism. Plenty to work with there.

Florilegium translates as 'book of flowers,' but its usage is the equivalent of 'zine' or 'scrapbook'

Kurt accepted that his feelings of discomfort were in part rooted in his faith, so that's where he began his examination. As shown above, he 'set aside metaphysics' quite quickly - he gave up on 'starting a mutant religion' for many reasons, not least because 'it's not for me to contest matters of faith.' His feelings, that something was missing from Krakoa, remained. An obvious religious marker is the 'The Book of Spark' and the biblic stylisation. As we'll see, it's just Kurt's diary and not a holy text. I speculate that some of Catholic trappings Kurt used during his quest tripped some people up, in the same way the call and response ritual after The Five resurrects someone felt 'culty' to some. I think Hickman was being deliberately provocative, but at the end of the day it's an affirmation of identity before the community and celebration of rebirth - an ad hoc element of Krakoa's nascent culture.

After some soul searching and 'self-distraction,' Kurt was about to give up on the project altogether. There were bigger problems on Krakoa, such as 'The Patchwork Man' (who ended up being Onslaught) and the aforementioned cavalier attitude towards dying. Chuck asked Kurt to investigate because he's better with people, starting with David Haller - Legion - son of Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller. After rescuing him from ORCHIS the two formed a friendship based on, among other things, a mutual concern about the sustainability of Krakoan culture.

Importantly, Legion was not a disciple of his father and his didn't take his promises at face value. His loyalty was to Kurt and to mutants in general. An outsider and an agitator, but with only good intentions. He advised Kurt to begin by interrogating the 3 laws, and along the way they met Krakoans who were similarly concerned that they were a nation but not yet a people. Having rejected the whole 'starting a religion' thing, the mission shifted to finding or establishing 'something that makes folks feel like they're all in the same story' - as Stacy X put it. Obviously the presence of Onslaught was a factor in the unrest, but he was feeding off what was already there.

'Murder no man' and 'make more mutants' certainly gave Kurt food for thought, but interrogating them didn't help much with his primary mission. 'Respect this sacred land' did, specifically reinterpreting it to include the people on it. He acknowledged that all the laws were flawed, but this one in particular set him on the path to the Spark. It seems simple in retrospect, obviously Krakoa needs to protect its citizens, but the Quiet Council kinda missed that. It's especially egregious when you consider the scope of the project - all mutants living side by side, including those that have hurt a lot of people and would continue to. Problems like that just don't go away, and with some of those mutants on the Quiet Council (cough* Sinister) people are going to feel unsafe and isolated.

That first line is important - 'this is not a mutant religion'

Needless to say, Onslaught was defeated. Defeated by the lesser known mutants as a large group, creating a mutant circuit inside Legion's head. Legion had the space and Kurt had the idea but the people chose to fight and love and live. They didn't listen to Kurt because of religious or political authority, they listened because they liked the idea.

The Spark is a philosophy, a way of living. It encourages choice, risk, individuality, and seeking happiness as a community and as a people. There's no worship, no reverence of a higher power, 'no prayer or veneration.' Zero exploration of eschatology. It's compatible with existing faith because there's no overlap, except for the community aspect. It's definitely not a bloody religion.

There is one alternate future where The Spark is turned into a religion/faith - the Sins of Sinister timeline. Mother Righteous hijacked it as a tool to control uneducated enslaved clones and drew on their faith and sacrifice to perform deeply harmful magic. Considering SoS was an exercise in perversion and abomination, in corrupting good things into their twisted dark opposites, The Spark as religion/tool of evil should tell us that the real thing is nothing of the sort.

Kurt does love the aesthetic of religion, as you'd expect, which explains why the communal holodeck in Legion's head is called The Altar. Altar is not a strictly religious term, though, and the altar is nothing like a church. Lost and Cortez (of all people) are telling people about it because it helped them with their own pain, given without reservation. You could ungenerously view it as evangelism, but if you do that then you've broadened the term to the point of meaninglessness.

Kurt didn't start a mutant religion, The Spark isn't a religion. Pass it on :)

[liongoatsnake]

calling it species dysphoria delegitimizes trans peoples actual medical gender dysphoria

As someone who experiences both gender dysphoria and species dysphoria and has had both accepted by every therapist and psychiatrist I've seen in the past 10+ years: The only people who legitimately take gender dysphoria less seriously because species dysphoria also happens to exists are transphobic people looking for excuses to remain transphobic. And transphobes can take a long walk off a short pier for all I care about their opinions. I refuse to deny my own lived experiences just to pander to bigots.

Do you?

[houseofchimeras]

Hello! I cannot for the life of me remember if it was you who argued that Dionysius was a dog alterhuman, so my question is if that was the case?

Either way thank you for taking the time to read this. =]

*Asker sent this ask fixing a typo:

DIOGENES! I MEANT DIOGENES!

We did include Diogenes in our document, A Timeline of People with Alterhuman Experiences & Related Subjects, though I wouldn't go so far as to argue that he was alterhuman. The document's purpose is to showcase persons or beliefs that have existed outside the alterhuman communities that yet feel reminiscent to what we call alterhumanity day. The document this information is in is currently under a rework as we've been doing research into the methodology and ethics around looking back into history to find examples of people who seem to fit modern day labels that relate to identity. As far as Diogenes, we're also looking into more/better references that go into his life. As the document exists as of yet most of our sources come from the book, Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World by Luis F. Narvia. The current text we have regarding Diogenes is this:

323 BCE to 404 BCE: Diogenes was born in Sinope. Diogenes was a philosopher from Greece. He was one of the founders of Ancient Greek Cynicism and Cynic philosophy. One of Diogenes’s most famous traits that is referenced throughout the many accounts of him, is that he personally referred to himself as or described himself as a dog and there are just as many accounts of him exhibiting dog-like behaviors or thinking from the perspective of a dog. He is also on record many times likening himself to a dog or even stating for others to call him so. When introducing himself he would call himself, translated into English as, “Diogenes The Dog” but he has also become known to be called “Diogenes The Cynic” as the word “cynic” itself means “dog” or “dog-like” in Ancient Greek. Thus, his name, completely translated into English literally meant “‘a man from God who acted like a dog’” Throughout much of Diogenes’s life he was referred to as simply “The Cynic” or “The Dog.”  [1]

Many points of Diogenes’s life were written down by other phosphors and many of the most well-known accounts include Diogenes pointing out his dog-like nature or his preference toward dogs over humans. For example, it is recorded that upon Alexander the Great meeting and introducing himself to Diogenes by stating “I am Alexander the great king,” Diogenes simply stated, “I am Diogenes the Dog.” In another account, once, Polyxenus became angry upon hearing people openly refer to Diogenes as a dog; however, Diogenes simply said to him: “‘You, too, Polyxenus, can call me a dog. To me, ‘Diogenes’ is only a name that was given to me. In truth, I am really a dog, a dog of high breed, one of those that keep watch over their friends.’” There are also many accounts of him behaving in dog-like ways: he rejected and questioned customs and societal norms, he would bark (sarcastically or otherwise) at people, and so on.[2] He is also famous for living out of a tub on the streets as well as regularly eating raw meat. As a final example, Diogenes also apparently supported the idea primitivism and the idea of humans transforming into animals, especially into dogs. [3]

The philosophy of cynicism bares its name thanks to Diogenes. As the word “cynic” in Ancient Greek means “dog” Thus, Diogenes The Dog and Diogenes The Cynic are the same name. Also, in many accounts of Diogenes he was simply referred to as “The Dog” and thus he was also called “The Cynic.” Thus, the ways of thinking Diogenes helped to found, which viewed animals as being better models of life and behavior while viewing the ways of men poorly, became tied with being “a Cynic” and thus cynicism. [4]

Diogenes was not alone in his classical cynicism. There was apparently a group called the Pasupatas, who were, as described in the book, Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World, a “strange group of people who since times immemorial found themselves attracted to dogs and to a doglike life. They had become apparently so divorced from their human context that, instead of speaking like human beings, they would bark among themselves and at other people, seeking to imitate the behavior of dogs in whatever they did. […] The Pasupatas displayed in their doglike behavior the exhibitionism and primitivism associated with Diogenes.” [5]

[1] Navia, Luis E.. Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2005, page 7-9.

[2] Navia, Luis E.. Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2005, page 62-65.

[3] Navia, Luis E.. Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2005, page 166.

[4] Navia, Luis E.. Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2005, page 9-11.

[5] Navia, Luis E.. Diogenes The Cynic the War Against the World. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2005, page 103-104.

~ Ocean Watcher (he/they)

[whetstonefires]

Headcanon meme: A Yuan (real name not working right now)

Well A-Yuan isn't not a real name, assuming you've attached it to the right (fictional) character. His birth name was Wen Yuan, and then his adopted name was Lan Yuan. Which looks like he kept the personal name but iirc Lan Wangji had never seen it written down, and everyone who might have known the spelling was dead, so he wound up picking a different (written chinese) character. So it's a whole new name.

And then his formal grown up name is Lan Sizhui. Which is probably the name you wanted.

Headcanon 1:  Realistic

Very realistic, I do not think Sizhui is formally adopted as Lan Wangji's son. It would be neater if he was, but I don't think in that case he would say that Hanguang-jun had been 'like a father and a brother' to him. He'd just say he was his father.

The Lan did not allow Lan Wangji, disgraced and maimed, to put this child of dubious provenance down on the paperwork as his immediate family. Sizhui does have the name and is probably in the clan somehow, but he has not had parents since the ones that created him were killed, and he doesn't even know who those were. Neither Wei Wuxian nor Lan Wangji is legally his father, or has ever claimed the title.

This point is vaguely enough addressed that there's space for other interpretations, so this counts as a headcanon.

Headcanon 2: May or not be realistic, is definitely funny (at least to me)

Going forward, Sizhui is the only person who can consistently make Jiang Cheng feel bad about himself without triggering any kind of violence.

Not that Jiang Cheng is incapable of losing his temper with Sizhui or anything if he wants to, but Sizhui has a knack for slipping right past the places where he'd normally get reflexively outraged enough that he didn't have to allow the thing he didn't like much space in his mind. So he feels bad, and would have to acknowledge that he's getting mad to distract himself from that, on purpose, so it wouldn't work very well.

Headcanon 3: Evil and heart-breaking why would you do this

Oh I have one of these already on tap for this kid! :} Okay so, time is very loosey-goosey and vague in mdzs. And we know nothing whatsoever about A-Yuan's birth parents other than that his father's surname was Wen, of the Wen clan of Qishan; possibly a fairly close relation of Wen Qing and Wen Ning's, though not necessarily.

(They were the children of Wen Ruohan's favorite paternal cousin, and thus second cousins to his sons, but Wen Qing was a favorite so it was in practice more like being first cousins. Not that Mandarin distinguishes those degrees of kinship like that, any more than English automatically tells you which parent someone's related through.)

But if you cut the war down to the low end of its potential runtime and assume Wen Chao went home to check in with his dad (Wen Ruohan) at some point between throwing Wei Wuxian into the Burial Mounds to avoid the risk of his ghost coming after him for revenge, and Wei Wuxian catching up with him anyway a few months later...it's totally possible that Wen Yuan was in fact Wen Chao's legitimate (posthumous) son.

Wen Chao canonically had a wife. He canonically fucks. He evidently didn't much like his wife, but getting a kid on her was expected of him; dropping in to try when he happened to be in town wouldn't be unlikely.

That's not the awful part of the headcanon though; that's mostly sort of funny, sort of dramatic and even a little bit of a fix, in that no one should feel bad for ignoring the existence of a parent like Wen Chao so no need to worry about that, just act like he had only two father figures ever.

No matter whose kid A-Yuan is, there'd be decent odds Wei Wuxian killed that person horrifically, even if he didn't torture them to death in a horrible extended campaign of vengeance. He killed a lot of men surnamed Wen during the war. He knows he might have killed A-Yuan's father, but what's the point in dwelling on that?

The evil part is that in this Wen Chao scenario, I am presuming that the reason Wei Wuxian knows nothing whatsoever of A-Yuan's dead parents is not just that he did not ask. It's that Wen Ning and Wen Qing et al deliberately avoided the subject.

He couldn't be trusted with that information. What if he changed his mind? Wei Wuxian wouldn't care that A-Yuan was the last direct descendant of the otherwise extirpated Wen main bloodline the way the Jin would have, but he might care about Wen Chao specifically, and you are just not gonna take the chance of flipping the guy keeping you alive back into murder mode.

And especially you're not going to risk the baby.

Headcanon 4: Doesn't align with canon (or maybe even reality) but I do what I want

Mmmmmm let's see, how about Sizhui does get adopted after all later on, after Wei Wuxian has had time to wear the Lan down, and then Xichen never has kids and the chips fall so Sizhui winds up Sect Leader Lan.

Which is the point at which someone leaks that he's the only survivor of the Burial Mounds Wen enclave! He's invalid! The Lan must have a succession crisis immediately!!!!!

(Not unlikely the leading challenger in this scenario would be Jingyi, which feels like trying to hype a Serious Duel To The Death when the combatants are holding pool noodles, in that there is simply no way I can imagine either of them growing up into someone who could be persuaded to hurt the other over a matter of inheritance.)

But then the public get the idea that A-Yuan was in fact Wei Wuxian's biological kid (with ?????Wen Qing presumably????) and decide that adopting a stepson isn't even scandalous really, and lose interest. Because the Yiling Patriarch has by this point rendered himself passé as a subject of drama by just kind of being around for 20 years and mostly only getting into funny trouble, and the Wen Sect are even less scary because that was all ages ago, and anyway (say random uncles knowingly) what else is a gay man supposed to do for heirs?

Can you imagine Lan Wangji with a concubine.

[give-me-a-moose]

I like "The President and His First Lady."

Thank you so much love! ❤️❤️

[samueldays]

Human shield politics, part 1: the poverty of accessible theory

Why is it wrong to use human shields?

I asked Claude the chatbot (3.7) for a spread of both mainstream and academic-legal reasoning on this question, figuring this is a good use case for a chatbot to summarize what people have said rather than finding a 'right answer'. There's lots of written material on this topic that a chatbot has surely read. Claude's first answer was the Geneva Conventions, which matches my experience with real people saying that.

Several of Claude's answers are similar: using human shields violates the Geneva Conventions, the ICC has established that it's illegal, it's forbidden by international humanitarian law, it's forbidden by the laws of war, et cetera. Legalism in various forms strikes me as a bad and mostly wrong answer, because it would imply that human shields are acceptable if your country withdraws from the Geneva Conventions first. I do not believe that.

Then there's a couple of ivory-tower reasons suggested, like: Kantian respect for persons.

Using human shields treats people merely as means rather than ends in themselves. This violates the fundamental moral principle that human beings possess inherent dignity and should never be reduced to mere instruments for others' purposes.

Commanding an army in war is usually reducing lots of soldiers to means, so this argument is least convincing for one of the situations (war) where human shields come up the most. Also, it doesn't deal with the case of volunteer civilians willing to be human shields.

Or this:

Principle of non-maleficence in humanitarian ethics - The "do no harm" principle, central to medical ethics and humanitarian intervention discourse, is directly contravened when parties deliberately place civilians in danger.

If you try to tell a general to conduct his operation by the principle of "do no harm", he's going to have you escorted out for wasting his time. War is in large part about doing and threatening harm. "Do no harm" is good in the abstract, but when one is in a war then that principle has already broken down, one needs something else to guide conduct in war.

Claude also suggests Michael Walzer's theories of just war. I reviewed Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars a while ago, it's pretty good, but the whole book has only one single mention of human shields in passing. Slight chatbot hallucination?

Claude made several overlapping suggestions about how one isn't supposed to endanger or harm non-combatants, innocents, or civilians in war, with nice words like "fundamental principle". But these suggestions are easily bent into arguments for the use of human shields, because of the fundamental principle that the other guy isn't allowed to harm them!

Now, I wouldn't rely entirely on a chatbot. I went to see what was in published papers about human shields, and the first ten published papers I found in a search on the topic were studies, accusations and denials of the use of human shields in the Israel-Palestine conflict. I thought one paper was going to be about something else because it didn't have "Israel", "Palestine" or "Hamas" in the title like the other nine did, but then I read it and it's studying the use of human shields in Sri Lanka and Israel-Palestine. Filtering out everything involving Israel, Palestine, or Hamas, I found papers like this one on targeting human shields, not on using. (sci-hub)

I expect there's good writing about the wrongness of using human shields out there somewhere, but it's hard to find among all the legalism and the obsession with desert grudges. There seems to be widespread agreement on the moral fact of "using human shields is wrong", but the common reasons given strike me as ill-considered ad hoc excuses. Even in high places and official journals, I see Geneva Convention legalism.

In addition to being poor moral-philosophical grounding for the matter itself, this void also results in ignorance about the appropriate reaction to a human-shield-user who decides to disregard the Geneva Convention, or the appropriate second-order reaction to someone who decides to shoot through a human shield to get at a human-shield-user. These are moral questions, strongly dependent on the nature and moral wrongness of using human shields, and cannot be settled by pointing to the Geneva Convention's laws. Crudely: "It's wrong, but we have no idea how wrong it is, or how to punish it, or whether retribution is acceptable."

I suspect this contributes to a failure to maintain the norm against human shields, literally and metaphorically, which I will expand on in part 2.