#literal exploitation

[snottertooder]

Imagine being Willis or Cathrine Todd, working for the 1% your whole life in order to create stability for your child while struggling yourself, only for said kid to be adopted by the 1% who influences YOUR child into wearing scaled shorts and fight crime at night while risking his life. And his said life later gets BRUTALLY taken by the actions of his new father, and in retaliation his new 1% father takes the clothes he died in, puts them up on display like it belongs in a museum, and uses his life as a cautionary tale.

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

massages forehead So Ambessa hid Mel away because she was a weapon in the literal sense, a mage. But Ambessa came to Piltover for Hextech? And Ambessa had nothing to say to Mel about her powers having visibly awakened? Even when Mel offered to go with Ambessa, giving her the ultimate opportunity to make Mel a weapon for real? And Ambessa made no attempt to find or retrieve Mel - not just her daughter and the remnants of the family Ambessa professes to love, but also her ultimate weapon - when she disappeared? And Ambessa trusted Singed and Viktor on their home turf - neither of them hiding how insane and self-serving they are with every reason to take over Ambessa's soldiers or just blatantly turn on her as soon as it benefits them - more than she trusted Mel? While Caitlyn (and by extension Piltover) was visibly and clearly falling away from Ambessa's teachings before Ambessa's eyes? (as if getting rid of certain people allows piltover to get rid of fascism but we won't get into All That)

Not only do I struggle to be hyped for Mel's powers beyond how amazing and beautiful she looks, but I can't help but feel like Mel is somehow less powerful in season 2 than she was in season 1, and not in an interesting way. As if Mel's ability to bend all of Piltover politics and economics to her will in season 1 now means nothing in season 2? You can argue that Jinx's attack led directly to Mel losing ground in Piltover - because I expected Mel to have to claw back that power without being able to rely on people who are too easily seduced by Ambessa and authoritarianism, and she would have to get creative to go toe to toe with her mother. I expected pushback to her mage identity that she would have to navigate. But instead this went either unwritten, or was ignored or discarded. Instead Mel is removed from the main plot, cutting her off from what made her the most interesting - only for all of Mel's very real talents, her very real powers and abilities, to be not only translated but REPLACED with magical powers she doesn't know how to control, and by the finale, those magic powers are the only powers that are considered real. Mel takes a backseat to Piltover's governing and decisions, a backseat to Jayce of all people who was not only new to politics mere months ago but made poor governing, strategic, and diplomatic decisions when he had that power. In season 1 Mel stayed off the "throne" but she did pull its strings one way or the other, and she makes no attempt at this in season 2

In my least generous suspicions, Mel was gentled and quieted to capitulate to an agenda for other characters who had to be correct and heroic - or wrong and villainous - no matter what the leadup narrative said, given her powers to help sell the game and set up future shows, and was effectively ejected from the Arcane story with faceless soldiers and a role she doesn't want because she was inconvenient there

[turtleblogatlast]

AU where Leo is trapped in the Prison Dimension for months instead of minutes and the only way he gets by with his sanity intact is through recording himself talking to his wrist comm.

When they finally manage to get Leo back and make him rest up to heal, Donnie can’t help but listen to the recordings left behind.

He’s not sure what exactly he’s expecting, only that his subconscious is screaming at him that it has to be heartbreaking, that it has to be torturous.

Instead, what Donnie is subject to is a full thousand hours’ worth of Jupiter Jim and Lou Jitsu crossover fanfiction. More than one part in the series. Spanning well over a million words.

(The worst part is that it’s actually good.)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Little bright colored outfit with a fun vest ~

(shoes from ebay like 10 years ago. everything else is thrifted)

[tulipe-rose]

chapter two Atsushi, you will forever be my favorite.

Bonus chapter one Atsushi for the soul:

[bruhstation]

man who enjoys every single second he's dedicated to hating to the point it pisses everyone except him off

[primus-why]

I love the idea of Ratchet being captured while badly injured. It wasn't necessarily on purpose-- he knows the Cons would love to take him prisoner in order to utilize his medical skills, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once they realized he was a medic they pulled him from the rubble and got him on a slab pretty quickly all things considered. The trouble is there's a reason the Cons value medical expertise-- he's bleeding out, they don't have enough supplies, and at this rate Ratchet knows he's gonna die. So with whatever strength he can muster he gets the attention of one of the grunts working on him.

Ratchet: H... hey... I need you... to pass on a message...

Con 1: To who, your Prime? Not gonna happen.

Con 2: Yeah we don't really do the 'any last words' thing.

Ratchet: No... *wheeze* to Deadlock.

Con 1 & 2: *go still*

Ratchet: Tell 'im... I'll... be waiting... for him...

Con 2: Wait a klik...

Con 1: ... You don't think--?

Con 2: -- Frag! Oh frag!! His vitals!!! Dealock is gonna kill us!!

Con 1: Scrap! Get Soundwave on the line, have him patch to the DJD!

Con 2: He's not gonna make it! I don't want them to know my face!

Con 1: It. won't. matter. If we wait, it'll look worse!

Con 2: Oh Primus, I hope they don't pick up...

Con 1: Just go!!!

Ratchet: ... I'm waitin' to... kick his aft... *passes out*

[rakkuntoast]

I feel like the gods is smps all saw how powerful Phil was in ae and went "well clearly we can't let this happen again" and now he's permanently shackled by the expectations of his power, despite being far less aggressive

to be fair phil is also notorious for abusing exploits and intentionally breaking the game cuz its funny too so yk. i dont think they nerf him only cuz of AE i think he's just a bit of a chaotic little shit sometimes, and an elytra would just make it worse lmao

[nataliescatorccio]

music exec responding to chappell roan's speech with 'you think we should PAY our artists a living wage and CARE for the health of the product we're exploiting? when will the craziness end?' is so hilarious because it only proves her point a thousand times over

[balamist]

sargon thelostcrown, my beloved

[uncanny-tranny]

The bourgeois or "exploiting class" doesn't inherently include the person who gets their nails done biweekly, or the disabled person who has a carer, or the guy who got a $70 video game for full-price, or the person who relies on medication (yes even the ones you don't think they "need"), or anything else like this. None of these people will, on average, have the ability to exploit workers by means of ownership or whatever.

While you are busy fighting with fellow workers, you are still being exploited by your boss, by capitalism, by (potentially) not having healthcare, by being overworked and underpaid, and so are they.

[dead-lights]

the deserter // virginya feng

The desert might seem like an unusual choice of hideout for a vampire, but who's going to come around looking for her there? Certainly not other vampires.

Huge thank you to @charsimsalot for letting me play around with their excellent Virginya! She is an 1800s vampire from the PSP Sims 2 game living in Deadtree. They've been developing her to bring her into the Sims 4 timeline and she's turning out to be a very interesting character! There are plenty of vampires in the canon who fought alongside Vlad - it's very fun to have a deserter who just noped out of all that nonsense.

Tried my best to recreate the look of the Mojave desert at sunset. This desolate, majestic wasteland is the inspiration for many Sims worlds, including Strangerville and Deadtree, and for the last few years it has been my home. It is a horrible place to live - the desert is harsh and unforgiving and vehemently opposed to life, but it is beautiful.

elliot bonnet by @gilded-ghosts

out west dress (SFS)

neville wedding hair by @simkatu

[videogamelover99]

Shut up, shut up! The Devil May Cry Netflix series is good, it's good!! People are mad cause the characters aren't exactly the same as in the games, cause they think it's "woke", cause Adi Shankar decided to take a set of games and reinterpret it's story to center injustice that happened in the early 2000s and is very much happening NOW, in America, put it against a full alternative soundtrack born from that era's frustration at the government and institutions, and you're mad that your hack and slash game now has politics in it. It always had politics in it!! Also Dante was perfect in that series and I cannot wait for season 2.

[mako-designated-driver]

Codex Entry #57: Zevran Arainai

We are in danger, friend. Two of the seven Guildmasters are already in Zevran Arainai's pocket, and the Guildmaster of Rialto is dead. While no proof exists, we both know he was involved whether he claims the deed or not. They should have released him when they discovered he lived, "honor of the Antivan Crows" be damned. What option do we have now?

If the Warden didn't romance Zevran...

After centuries of unity that have led us to rule a nation from the shadows and have placed kings and queens in our pockets, we are being torn apart from within by a single elf who didn't even succeed in his mission to kill the so-called Hero of Ferelden.

If the Warden romanced Zevran...

After centuries of unity that have led us to rule a nation from the shadows and have placed kings and queens in our pockets, we are being torn apart from within by a single elf who didn't even succeed in his mission. How could anyone have guessed that the Grey Warden would become his lover and support his crusade? That Zevran would help defeat the Blight and become a hero within the Crows, even as we branded him anathema?

The Guildmasters dismissed Zevran's threat without considering just how many assassins were similarly disaffected. Too many of our numbers have been cheated out of their rightful tithes, driven into hiding, or intimidated into silence... and somehow, Zevran is finding them all. You report that he is not in Antiva, but that isn't always the case. He appears in a city until our operatives find him and chase him out into Rivain or the Free Marches—and then we never hear from them again. We have both spoken to the remaining Guildmasters, and they have denied us. They are blind, and it makes me think maybe Zevran is right. Perhaps it is time for a change.

—From a half-burned letter found in a Treviso warehouse, 9:35 Dragon.

[whenmemorydies]

Fuck, I can’t wait to see Sinners.

[saedyne]

the big blues

closer-up(s), a.k.a. from the sea; of the sky