#necessary evil Invasion

[sometimeskaiju]

We're about to start a Necessary Evil Campaign, and so I wanted to cover the characters in this game. The PCs, the NPCs will come up organically. Now, other read throughs I have read and groups on Facebook that talk about this campaign have all had what I would say are fairly normal, evil human who has superpowers batman or the flash style villains. But not my group of chaos goblins.

We start with the seemingly normal "The Gift".

The Gift, or Carl as he usually goes, teleports. This sounds pretty normal right? No. Carl explodes when he teleports, or rather, the concussive force of the spontaneous displacement... look, he has a Damage Field that's Permanent, but also Contingent on Teleport, so he can't not explode on tele-- I'm not getting into the rules but teleport makes explode. So when he activates his teleport the equivalent of a grenade goes off hurting everything and everyone in the area. And no, he can't choose not to hurt things or people, so he can't like, teleport to the hostage or teleport you out of danger. Oh, and his weapon of choice? He throws grenades.

Then alphabetically we have Glocktopus. A genetically engineered gun toting Octopus. Literally an octopus with telepathy, guns, aand some disguise as human skills, like Octodad but also al Capone. I don't remember whether he always walks on 2 tentacles aand has 6 guns, or usually has 8.

Then Grave Mistake, a cursed necromancer who summons zombies and has bad luck powers, causing people to make mistakes and also machines to break but also he is throwing zombies at you. He may be the least insane.

Next is Major Zen'cha. The Major is a slug like alien which came to Earth to conquer it, only to have his thunder stolen when the V'Sori conquered it first. Bad timing. So he has a super suit that looks like a human but is nigh indestructible. Zen'cha isn't the fiercest in combat, but he is quite the tank and skill monkey (skill sluggy). All of his points went into being skilled and smart, aand all of his powers went into being hard to kill.

And finally, Ufrek. Ufrek is a malleable silvery robot, think the T1000 from T2 except it's always shiny silver and never has a color. Ufrek turns it's body into blades and spikes and has no ethics or morals, and is really really good at close combat. He is a Cuisinart with legs.

So that's it. That's my crew, as it stands now.

Right now they're in a V'Sori prison being transported to a lab, where some of them will be dissected and others will simply be destroyed.

But unbeknownst to them (but beknownst to us!), Baron Blade has a mighty need for exactly the kind of distraction our Protagonists can provide!

Wait? Baron Blade? Like from Sentinels of the Multiverse? Yes. I'm setting this particular iteration of Necessary Evil: Invasion in the SotM universe, which mostly means changing a few NPC names.

[tsscat]

.

[amerasdreams]

It's funny how people don't recognize in the present events that are similar to those that happened in history. They are horrified by the atrocities in history, but somehow seeing similar ones now-- they ignore. Turn away as too "difficult". As if these people facing the same things now don't need help much more than the people from the past, because those events are long over. Or it's as if seeing through the framing of news and the lens of social media makes it less real somehow. Like it's not official if it's not in history books-- even though these are real flesh and blood people and it's happening before our eyes and it's NOT just entertainment to passively consume. People may be inspired by heroes of history, such as the resistance during World War II and the Holocaust, while they ignore the ones fighting evil that is viciously active right now. They cannot see the evil thats blatantly staring them in the face, daring them to do something, say something. Anything other than ignore it.

[malwarechips]

people should be nicer to insects i think

learnt abt a cool species of ant id never heard of before (lemon ants btw !!!!) and i was like . WOAH! Thats so interesting i wanna see people talking abt them. so i check the comments and the TOP COMMENT is someone saying smthn like "that gives me another reason to be terrified of ants"

like. youre allowed to be scared of insects. a lot of fears around bugs are irrational, and i personally have a lot of irrational fears too, but . the TOP COMMENT? the top comment. the top comment on a video talking about how interesting these bugs are.

[the-catboy-minyan]

Atheist here asking questions about the Moses story, could g*d have found a better way of punishing the pharaoh then killing their children? I feel like there could have been better options?

Mostly I’m curious as to what the interpretation of that is.

well I'm an atheist as well so keep that in mind, but I have no idea.

the story is from thousands of years ago, and many stories from that era include bloodshed (in ways we in the modern world may consider unnecessary).

you have to keep in mind that this punishment was the last one of 10, after 9 other plagues to pressure the pharaoh to release the Israelites. those were: turning the river to blood, a bunch of fucking frogs everywhere (or a giant frog, jumblr had a debate about it), lice, invasion of wild animals, a disease on their livestock, scabies, hail, locusts, and total darkness for three days.

Moses went to Pharaoh after every plague, but he didn't budge until the last one, the death of the firstborns in eygypt. and even after he agreed, he changed his mind and sent his army after the escaping Israelites (which lead to the miracle of the parted sea).

that was not Moses's decision to kill the firstborns, the Israelites didn't cheer for their deaths, and we don't celebrate it. I'd like to remind the audience at home of the start of the story, where the Israelites where slaves to the Egyptians, and the (previous) Pharaoh passed a law to throw every male baby to the nile river, that was a human decision enforced by humans.

many other cultures have their fair share stories of bloodshed being presented as good or even heroic, Judaism shouldn't be expected to be an outlier when it's one of the more ancient religions. not to mention the 10 plagues were never really presented as positive in my opinion, they were a necessary evil to free them from slavery.

thanks for the ask! i hope my answer makes sense. again I'm not religious so I may have gotten some things wrong.

[hellsitegenetics]

TAC

sauropoda is a clade of saurischia that includes some of the largest dinosaurs we currently know of. if i'm going to submit something to you it's going to include these guys. they include some familiar faces like the brontosaurus. but the largest specimen within this group is a giant barosaurus fossil.

credit to Paleonerd01 on DeviantArt

they've inhbabited every continent (including Antarctica!) and give us those comically large prints we're so fond of zooming out on.

another good giant friend of mine is the colossal squid. why do they keep making bigger squids? because i love them. i love their huge eyes and big fights with sperm whales. i love their elusiveness. i love that we went "kraken?" haha very funny. cthulhu? sure guys. and they EXIST <333

credit to Te Ara in New Zealand

and charismatic megafauna are cool and all but have you considered something a little smaller? maybe a Black Capped Chickadee? they tend to travel in groups or two or more when they're flying outside the nest and their call "chicka dee" functions as a warning call of increasing intensity depending on how many "dee"s they add.

and bugs? here's the thing: i have fought with Polistes metricus for years growing up. have they stung all of my loved ones? absolutely. do they also eat an invasive species of worm in my area? yes. and while these guys will sting you without a second thought and fly away laughing, they are a necessary evil. just like the birds, they stop for a sip of water. they are, i must admit through gritted teeth, an important part of my ecosystem.

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Closest match: Acipenser ruthenus genome assembly, chromosome: 41 Common name: Sterlet sturgeon

[politicalprof]

The Declaration of Independence

As I do every year, I am posting the entire text of the Declaration of Independence. It is flawed, inconsistently applied, and fascinating. It may be even more relevant this year than most. If you haven't ever read the whole thing, you should. It's worth the time:

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

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

[jooshthepunished]

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. - The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free system of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Column 3

Massachusetts:

John Hancock

Column 1

Georgia:

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

Geo. Walton

Column 2

North Carolina:

Wm. Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

South Carolina:

Edward Rutledge

Thos. Heyward, Junr.

Thomas Lynch, Junr.

Arthur Middleton

Maryland:

Samuel Chase

Wm. Paca

Thos. Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Th. Jefferson

Benja. Harrison

Thos. Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Column 4

Pennsylvania:

Robt. Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benja. Franklin

John Morton

Geo. Clymer

Jas. Smith

Geo. Taylor

James Wilson

Geo. Ross

Delaware:

Caesar Rodney

Geo. Read

Tho. Mckean

Column 5

New York:

Wm. Floyd

Phil. Livingston

Frans. Lewis

Lewis Morris

New Jersey:

Richd. Stockton

Jno. Witherspoon

Fras. Hopkinson

John Hart

Abra. Clark

Column 6

New Hampshire:

Josiah Bartlett

Wm. Whipple

Massachusetts:

Saml. Adams

John Adams

Robt. Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:

Step. Hopkins

William Ellery

Connecticut:

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

Wm. Williams

Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire:

Matthew Thornton

[distinctlywhumpthing]

The Doctor Will See You Now...

In collaboration with @hold-him-down!

Send an emoji and a character name for a drabble! 

🩺 Take a deep breath 🩻 Foreign object where it shouldn’t be 🧠 Seizures 🥼 Administering first aid on themselves 👩‍⚕️ Sadistic doctor seeks to hurt ⛺ Field medicine  🧑‍⚕️ The good doctor in the bad place  👨‍⚕️ Untrained person providing medical intervention 💉 Put in a central line 🩹 Bleeding out 💊 Forced to swallow pills  🧤 Invasive/Uncomfortable exam 🤮 Medically-induced vomiting 🧃 Laced drink 🥄 Force-feeding 🤧 It’s just a cold (it’s not) 😵 Unexplained fainting 🤒 Fever-induced hallucination 😷 A necessary quarantine  🤢 Crying so hard they throw up 🤕 Trephination (release those evil spirits)  🛌 Assault while medically restrained  🏥 Abandoned hospital  🧊 Medically induced hypothermia 🩼 Chronic pain 🦽 Too weak to walk 🚑 Rushed to the hospital 🔪 Awake surgery 🩸 Losing a lot of blood 🤝 Someone holding their hand through the worst of it 🪢 Medical restraints 🫀 Heart palpitations 🫙 We’ll need to take a sample  ⏰ Nothing left to do but wait and see  ❤️‍🩹 Code blue 🪡 That’s gonna need stitches 🧽 Receiving a sponge bath 💐 Awkward/Painful visit 👕 Hospital gown 🧬 Genetically modified  🦠 Unidentified virus 🦴 I think it’s broken… 🧪 Experimental drug with side effects 🪣 Bucket next to the bed 🔫 Digging out a bullet 🫁 Intubation/Extubation 🦷 Bite down on this

[yanderepalace]

Yandere!Invader Zim general headcanons

a/n: no one asked for this but here it is! :-)

Zim had always scoffed at the very idea of love, a foolish human weakness unworthy of his superior Irken intellect, never even considering himself to susceptible to such frivolous distractions.

To him, emotions were nothing but a weakness, a vulnerability for him to exploit for the greater good of the Irken invasion.

Your arrival stirred a dangerous storm within Zim, he masked his discomfort as distain and hatred, attempting to suppress that gnawing feeling in his stomach whenever you were around. A craving to dominate and control surged within him, a dark need he refused to acknowledge.

Zim found himself fixating on every detail of your life, justifying his intrusive surveillance as necessary intel for the invasion. He would follow you home, study your habits, and infiltrate your privacy at every turn. There was something about you, something so intoxicating, that he couldn’t pinpoint but knew he had to possess.

He believed the most effective approach was to engineer a closer connection with you.

Ever since he first landed on Earth, Zim operated in the shadows, people always dismissed his schemes and missions as something rational, feeding his narcissism in isolation. Something he never thought about twice until he saw you do it, shrugging off his achievements as if they were nothing, it seemed you were completely oblivious. Igniting a burning, consuming rage in Zim.

Zim desperately craved your adoration, and the fact that you didn’t seem interested in him irked him. He wanted your recognition, he needed it. It infuriated him that someone like you didn’t submit to his authority and bow down to his undeniable greatness.

Zim’s frustration boiled over one day when he noticed you talking and laughing with a group of classmates, completely oblivious to the elaborate gadget he’d created to capture your attention.

He had spent hours designing a device that emitted a mesmerizing light, convinced no human could ignore it. But there you were, barely even glancing in his direction.

“How dare they ignore the brilliance of ZIM!” he muttered, clenching his fists.

Overtime his attempts became more extravagant, trying to get your attention and recognition. He couldn’t stand the idea of you paying more attention to those horrible stink creatures more than him.

He misinterpreted the smallest gestures as to a sign of your respect and appreciation, all you might do is thank him for helping with the project and he responds with, “See! Even you recognize the greatness of ZIM! Soon, the entire Earth shall follow your example!” He then tries to downplay his excitement, nervously adding, “I mean, it was no big deal...”

Then he decided the best way to understand you better was through close surveillance, observing your daily life, perhaps even employing microscopic cameras to monitor your every move. “Yes, yes, must keep track of the human… for strategic purposes, of course.” he muttered obviously while glued to his monitor.

As another desperate attempt, his gifts became increasingly bizarre and threatening, such as a sharp, glowing crystal that hummed faintly. “Human crystals for… decoration! Humans love shiny objects, right?” he asked anxiously awaiting your approval. However, rejection sent him into unpredictable fits of rage. “Why didn’t you appreciate my gift?!” he yelled, then softened, “I… I only wanted to make you happy, my precious human pet. Don’t you see?” His eyes gleamed with a sinister light, his tone both menacing and pleading.

Despite Zim’s manipulative antics, there were times he couldn’t quite hide his true feelings. Whenever you were around, he struggled to maintain his composure, his eyes darting nervously as he analyzed your every reaction.

Deep down, beneath his evil invader exterior, he wrestled with the unfamiliar feeling you unleashed inside him. The scary tightness in his chest whenever he watched you without your knowledge, the empty pit in his stomach when you paid attention to someone else. It was a battle between his need for absolute control and his growing infatuation with you. His mind became a prison, each thought of you a chain binding him tighter to his desires.

As Zim’s obsession with you consumed him, he found himself dwelling on thoughts of you at odd hours. Every interaction, every fleeting glance exchanged, became subject to his obsessive analysis. His focus on the invasion began to waver as thoughts of you occupied more and more of his mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that understanding you held the key to something greater than conquest, something he couldn’t quite define but felt compelled to pursue relentlessly.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Danny, while out exploring the Infinite Realms, gets caught up in a wierd evil scheme to clone...a robin? Okay, strange but hes dealt with weirder stuff. Nothing really prepared him for finding a little newborn baby amongst all the empty pods and computers he was destroying.

He picked it up carefully and soon discovered it was a girl. Phantom, knowing this was very much not a bird, started looking for answers while the baby rested in his arm. Robin turned out to be a kid who looked around eight or nine...or he was just small. Either way he was waaaay too young to take in a baby and anyone who dressed up like a bat and let thier kid run around with them at two in the morning to fight serial killers and terrorists in the city that is the embodiment of late stage capitalism probably isn't a good fit for a child.

So he turned to the child and muttered, "Guess I'm a dad now." before taking her back to the Infinite Realms. He named her Asteria after the greek titan goddess of the stars.

She was so inquisitive and wanted to grab and investigate everything she saw. She was smart and ridiculously bold, almost reckless, which made it easy to pass her off as his and telling his sister that he had a fling with a tourist and she told him the baby was his. He even presented a fake paternity test to her and then silently waited for her judgment.

She just sighed.

Danny didn't hate being a father but man it was tiring. They had moved away from Amity Park after thier parents and Vlaad "passed away" which was code for Jazz murdering them in cold blood after...the incident

He and Sam stopped being friends after they had a bad break up, but Tucker was his best friend, even all these years later. Valerie still seemed to come and go too. Danny was happy just being a single father.

Until it happened.

Asteria started coughing. He didn't think anything of it at first. Kids got sick all the time but...it never stopped. Danny had taken her to doctor after doctor but no one seemed to know what they were looking at. They all said something similar, that it was some sort of genetic disease involving her lungs but they had never seen anything like it.. they even asked to record this for future medical studies. He agreed so long as it was within reason and wasn't invasive.

The cough just kept getting worse until one day she had a fit so bad it sent her to her knees. She had to stay on the ground coughing as Danny frantically patted her back and tried to comfort her. By the time it was over she was sobbing uncontrollably and hugging her teddybear to her chest as Danny held her.

Danny decided he needed to go back to Gotham. If this was a genetic disease then it must have come from that Robin guys family, right? He didn't want to have to go to him directly, it had been four years since he took her and its possible the guy might sue him for custody. Or the Batman will. Or they might kidnap her and he would never see her agia-

Danny took a deep breath. He was not going to talk to the furry patrol. But he was sure that someone in Gotham had to know what this was.

---

Leslie got a knock on her window as an ungodly hour of the night. She opened it intending to yell at someone, but when she saw that unique look of desperation on a young man's face while holding a little girl in a light blue princess nightgown the words died on her tongue.

The man said he couldn't go to a normal hospital or doctor as they would have questions he couldn't answer and her sickness isn't something he had ever seen before. She was adopted and her disease was appearently genetic. He even offered to give Leslie samples of his blood for study since he heard she liked to study metas.

She made sure he knew this wasn't necessary and that she didn't want him to feel forced before taking the offered sample.

Asteria began a slow recovery after that. One where neither of them could leave Gotham until she was completely cured. Whats more is that Asteria would need medication for years to come. Money wasn't an issue. Danny would just need to find a reliable form of transport between dimensions.

Unfortunately for him, Leslie discovered the "Altered Lazarus water" in his blood samples and notified Batman.

[simply-ivanka]

Declaration of Independence

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Signed By:

Georgia

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts

John Hancock

Maryland

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Delaware

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

New York

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

New Jersey

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

Massachusetts

Samuel Adams

John Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

Connecticut

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire

Matthew Thornton

[derrickwildsun]

The obsession with wanting "consequences" to TOTK's ending are infuriating and shallow. (Massive TOTK Spoilers ahead)

"Why did they have to change Zelda back?"

Because her kingdom NEEDS her. Everyone, not just Link, is fighting together to get her back. NPCs tell you about things she did in between BOTW and TOTK to help them, stressing her importance as a leader. One of the schoolchildren waits outside her house every day in anticipation of her return. Speaking of which, Zelda was able to take her nerdy interests and love of learning and channel that love into bringing improvements to Hyrule via establishing a school and a research team. The kingdom is worse off without her. The title "Tears of the Kingdom" is important because the tears are Zelda's, and she IS the kingdom since she's all that's left of the royal family. It's kind of like the story of the Fisher King: the King is the land, and if the King is sick/ailing, so too is the land.

The main theme of the game is community. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi had this to say about the game's core theme:

Everyone working together to push back the forces of evil and save their homeland. It's emphasized that Link (and many of the characters, especially the sages) can't do the job alone; he needs help. This even extends to the ending. Link's Recall wouldn't have been sufficient to change Zelda back; Rauru and Sonia amplify his power the same way Sonia and Zelda amplified Rauru's light beam in the Gerudo Invasion memory. Likewise, Rauru and Sonia couldn't bring Zelda back because Link had the necessary ingredient: a motive in the form of his love for Zelda. Just like how Zelda found the necessary motive to unlock her powers and save Link in BOTW, so too does Link accomplish the same in TOTK.

Leaving Zelda as a dragon would have contradicted her character development in BOTW, which amounted to her learning to move past her failure and loss from the Calamity. She also, um, can't figure out "what kind of person she's going to be and what she is going to say" if she's a dragon. The end of her arc amounts to her taking up the role of leadership and restoring her kingdom with the help of Link, the sages, et al. Again, the theme of community, connections, and working together to overcome obstacles.

"Why couldn't she come back with dragon features?"

To quote Mr. Garrison: "That's fucking stupid."

Sonia explains that Recall recalls an object's memory, meaning the only result of the Literal Triforce of Link, Sonia, and Rauru using an amplified Recall on Zeldragon was to return her to the state she was before she ate the stone. This is why her stone is tied around her neck at the end. She couldn't have leftover dragon parts because she was never a dragon to begin with. Also, the greatest loss one could suffer from becoming a dragon is, as emphasized by Mineru, the loss of self, not the body.

"Why does Link get his old arm back?"

The amplified Recall restored it. Also, thematically, it works better for Link to grab hold of Zelda's hand with the hand with which he initially failed to grab her at the start of the game.

"Changing Zelda back nullifies her sacrifice."

No, it doesn't. She fully accepted she would never change back. She wasn't thinking about the possibility of Link saving her because as far as she knew that was impossible; she made her decision out of love for her kingdom and Link. In the end, she succeeded in her mission (as did Link). If she made the sacrifice with the assumption Link would save her, then I could see this argument holding water. But Link was never going to give up on her because he LOVES her. Even she's in disbelief at having changed back (and very thankful because now she's home). In the secret ending, she says, "I never thought I would stand in this place again." We feel the weight of her sacrifice in the final memory, and the ending provides an emotional release because we the player repay her for all she did to help us and because she more than proved her heroism. I liken it to the ending of Pinocchio (1940) wherein the Blue Fairy changes Pinocchio into a real boy as a reward for giving his life to save Geppetto's.

"Her not remembering being a dragon is a copout."

Mineru explains very clearly that becoming a dragon means losing one's self. You lose all your memories and indentity; you cease to be the person you were. So, yes, she wouldn't remember being a dragon flying around for centuries. But you know what she would remember because it happened before she lost all sense of self?

Though not outright stated, it's clear from the character animation that Zelda was in immense pain as the transformation began to take effect. Also, you can tell she was absolutely terrified in that moment. She knew what she was doing was necessary to save her kingdom, but she's thinking, "Shit, these are my last few seconds before I lose myself forever. I'll never see my loved ones again: Link, Purah, Robbie, Riju, Sidon, the schoolchildren in Hateno, etc. And I'm doing this all on a MASSIVE gamble and act of faith that Link will find me, reclaim the Master Sword, and destroy the Demon King." That's not the kind of traumatic event you'd easily forget. She'll probably be contemplating "Wow, if Link hadn't been so determined, I wouldn't be here now and that would have been my last moment alive," for some time. And no, you don't need to see her suffering psychological effects in-game; that's best left up to the viewer's imagination; there's only so much story they can cram into the game before it's overstuffed.

"Why did Rauru and Sonia come back to restore Zelda?"

Because they loved her, and Zelda loved them. From the moment Zelda met them, they promised to find a way to return her home to reunite with Link. They have an emotional (and familial) connection to her. By helping Link restore her, they're extending a final act of love to the princess they adore so much. It's a beautiful sendoff to them, because unlike Zelda's biological parents (Zelda's mother died when she was six, and Rhoam was too busy being a king to actually be a father to her), they were able to provide for and help her on her journey. It would have been a mistake to not bring them back to wrap up that plot point.

I think a lot of nerds suffer from Cinema Sins/TV Tropes brain: only able to deal in the most literal without any room for meaning. "Punishing" Zelda for her sacrifice wouldn't have added anything to her arc, as the whole point of her character isn't to be a stoic symbol for her people to mindlessly obey. The game deals in second chances, not just for Zelda obviously but also for Link. Link gets a second chance at the end to catch Zelda to make up for not catching her at the beginning; that's parallel storytelling with actual deliberate meaning behind it. Otherwise, the story amounts to, "He fucked up and there's nothing he can do about it." Remember that much like Zelda, Link had enormous pressure placed on him from a young age. He was expected to carry his duties out lest the entire kingdom be DOOMED FOREVER. But with TOTK's ending, he can realize that he doesn't have to worry about that pressure since no one's forcing it on him anymore. He can shape his own destiny and bounce back from a mistake; he doesn't have to lose Zelda forever.

I've already explained that the power Link, Sonia, and Rauru use is just an amplified Recall, but technical explanations aside, it's mainly the sort of scene that's driven more by emotions than by "logic." A good example of a scene that relies on the emotions of the story to carry it is the climax of Disney's Dumbo (1941). Animation critic/historian Michael Barrier writes:

If you're the sort of person who questions why Dumbo is able to fly without the "magic feather" or how Dorothy Gale goes home just by clicking her heels and repeating the mantra "There's no place like home," you probably shouldn't be watching movies.

Special thanks to @avalypuff, @blueskittlesart, @thecagedsong, @aquaticpal, and @nolongerapileofashprobably for their posts on the subject; all of you made some excellent insights on the ending and how it ties in with the game's themes. I'll go ahead and link to said posts for further reference:

[mesetacadre]

So just to preface this is a genuine good faith attempt to rectify my probable gap in understanding, not as any kind of "gotcha" or anything -

I understand that measures like suppression of other parties & anti-Party activity are necessary in the early days of a DotP, when the bourgeoisie haven't been fully ousted and the threat of counterrevolution is high, but hearing about how movements like Hungary '56 and others where legitimate grievances were co-opted by counterrevolutionary elements makes me think that once that phase is over such things become counterproductive?

Like I see other MLs online say that they generally support authoritarianism and that kind of suppression, maybe they're just exaggerating or being ironic and I couldn't tell, and I know that capitalist powers elsewhere are always going to try and forment counterrevolution, but wouldn't the best way to prevent that be to ensure they have no such populist cause to latch on to? Wouldn't a successful communist party have nothing to worry about from other parties if the people were already satisfied with them, why not allow them and show both the people and the rest of the world that nobody has any need or reason to found another?

Hello anon, thanks for taking the time and trying to understand!

First I'll nip this in the bud, "authoritarianism" is not a useful concept at all, every single political action done uses in some way authority, there is no way to get around this. When talking about states, specifically, they all use the same kinds of authority to preserve themselves, so painting just some of them as uniquely reliant on authority is obfuscating the constant violence that sustains any state. what matter is the character of this authority and who it is applied to. In the case of DotBs it is applied on the working class, and viceversa in DotPs. When you see commies saying how much they love authoritarianism or totalitarianism it's just being flippant about the abuse of these terms. Of course we do support the oppression of the bourgeoisie, but it's not a specially evil aspect of communism, it's just turning the tables.

I understand the broader point that you're expressing is that, if communist parties were successful in meeting the needs of the proletariat and educating them politically, then there wouldn't be any strife for external counterrevolutionaries to latch on to. And while this would be correct, I think you're being too idealist when approaching this topic.

First, by the time of the Hungarian uprising, barely a decade had passed since the fascist dictatorship had been beaten and replaced with a socialist government. This is simply not enough time for that situation you're describing to happen, in fact some protestors used the flag of the aforementioned fascist dictatorship. Obviously there is some fault to be placed on the Hungarian and Soviet governments for not preventing this. But given the very demanding reconstruction efforts (eastern Europe did not get billions of dollars in aid from a country untouched by the war!), I wouldn't blame the Hungarian socialist government a lot.

What you're describing has happened before too, at least partially. In one of Louise Anna Strong's books, I think The Soviets Expected It, she describes how, during the invasion of the USSR (and the nazis admitted this is internal documents as well!), the SS had a lot of trouble or simply could not get Belarussians to turn on their Jewish compatriots. In a place where during the beginning of the century pogroms had happened under the Tsar, in just 30 something years the USSR did manage to extirpate antisemitism from the general population.

However, exploiting already existing strife is not the only tool the external bourgeoisie can use to destabilize a DotP. Sabotage, assassination (kudos to my buddy Fidel), infiltration, or simply overt military threats. All of those also require self-defense measures to be taken.

With all of this being said, I also want to add that, in the timescale socialism has been allowed to develop in so far, you can't really talk about the totatily of a population supporting a DotP. Perhaps when socialism is developed enough and when the international capitalists are weakened enough that can begin to be possible. But it's unrealistic to demand in the current context for a DotP to content every single individual in the country.

[flowery-laser-blasts]

*inhale* 🗣 Okay, listen, I'm going to rant over this moment again, but this time in a post so the world can read about it 🗣

It doesn't matter how many times I've watched Graduation part 2... But THIS HERE.

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE MOMENT. THIS IS WHAT THE ENTIRETY OF THIS SERIES HAS BEEN BUILDING UP TO FOR DRAKKEN AND SHEGO AND I JUST--

HE'S SO VULNERABLE IN THIS MOMENT. Look at that FACE. YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS?! YOU CAN SEE SO MANY THOUGHTS GOING ON BEHIND THOSE EYES. THE EYES ARE THE WINDOW TO THE SOUL AND OH MY GODS IS IT FRAGILE NOW.

THE MAN FEELS INSECURITIES, DOUBTS, WORRIES, A HINT OF BASHFULNESS BUT HE'S ALSO SCARED, ASHAMED, TERRIFIED EVEN; HE WANTS TO RUN AWAY, BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE! his face SCREAMS: "What am I doing here?" and/or "Do I even deserve this?"

BUT MOST OF ALL: "What will others think of me now?"

And then ALL of his questions get answered in the form of his partner in crime's expression: A genuine heartfelt and sincere smile that says "You deserve this."

Shego, the femme fatale who is wanted in 11 countries. The villain who insisted by all means necessary that she's evil through and through and will NEVER be a hero or want to be associated with heroes STILL stands by his side. Do you know what the most important aspect of this very moment is? Shego doesn't stand on 'equal' grounds as him and she doesn't mind it, she lets it happen.

Shego and Drakken's dynamic throughout the story has been Boss-and-Sidekick for the longest of times. Both of them fought: Drakken for wanting to feel superior over EVERYONE and Shego wanting as much power (and/or more) as Drakken would have when they had taken over the world.

However, the happenings in graduation changed everything and now the world recognizes Drakken as a hero, a world savior, and a protector of peace. But if it weren't for Shego flying all the way with Ron to the Lorwardian ship, Drakken couldn't have possibly stopped the invasion.

Look at Shego's expression. She genuinely feels happy for Dr. D. She could've stepped in at ANY point before or during this (press)conference, demanding her own medal and telling everyone that it was in fact her who helped Drakken save them all. But she doesn't. Shego knows how important this moment is for Dr. Drakken. After years of hearing his stories and knowing how much recognition means to him; she lets him have his moment in the limelight, the sun, and she's going to let him bask in all of it for as long as he needs to. Because the most important thing is that she knows what she did and that's enough: She went into space to bring back the man she wanted to rule the world together with. Never ever again would she let Dr. Drakken think, for even a second, that she'd abandon him.

Again, look at the distance between them in this shot.

Yes, the distance is closer but then

As close as they can possibly get in public

They're on even grounds now. Drakken wants to let the world and most importantly Shego KNOW that they are a team and that they saved the world together.

I once saw someone pointing out that they looked very uncomfortable in the last image, but let me put it like this: - Prior in the episode Shego and Drakken almost flew into each other's arms but became VERY reluctant, why??? Because Kim and Ron were there! What must those brats think of them!? Certainly, they cannot show any weaknesses in front of their arch nemeses!

And now let me show this again:

They're embracing each other... in FRONT OF THE WORLD LEADERS. OF COURSE IT'S A BIT AWKWARD, YOU'D BE AWKWARD TOO, but the KEY here is that They're NOT looking away from each other like they did before.

In the previous scenario, they avoided each other's eyes: no connection, desperately trying to show no weaknesses, trying to change the subject matter at all costs.

Now they lock eyes, and they read each other. How I read it (both facial expression as body language): Drakken: Hopeful, nervous, apologetic "Did I hurt you? I hope I did not", kind of embarrassed because his foliage acted out so assertively by his thoughts of wanting Shego to be at least on the same level as him for the world to know. Shego: Surprised but not at all distressed, disgusted or upset about this sudden change. Most of all, I think she's deeply moved: Drakken always called her a 'sidekick', but now? She's recognized by him and the world as his partner. If you look at her face, those eyes seem to be on the verge of tearing up and that smile, how shy and embarrassed it may look holds warmth and happiness.

Both of them acknowledge each other's worth and in a certain way, they took over each other's world.

[arriansarchive]

Miles Morales/Male!Reader

Going back on my Miles spree after making an absolute trash story about him

REQUESTS PLEASE

A little bit of a bitchy Y/N

I don't care that this might not be how the school actually is. Im not here for canon I'm here to have fun

Summary: You and Miles are roommates, and he has some questions about himself that have something to do with you.

It was a short day at school, time seemingly went by faster for you then normal. You were tired, so no complaining was necessary.

Miles usually waited for you outside your last class for you both to walk to your shared dorm together, but you realized he wasn't in his normal spot.

You ended up deciding that he was in a rush about homework and ended up forgetting. No problems there, just an honest mistake.

You started the trek back to your dorm quietly and subdued. Despite your outgoing personality whenever around people you knew, you didn't really like it much.

The walk was nice, and some people stopped along the way to speak to you, but nothing too invasive really.

Finally you entered the tall building and began to climb the seemingly endless staircases. You contemplated stopping at one of the vending machines to stock up on random junk food to bring but decided against it.

Your door opened with a creak as you turned to key in it's lock. You heard some mumbling coming from the far end on Miles' bunk.

"Miles, I'm here." You announced loudly just in case he had his headphones on.

Scurrying was heard as he peeked his head out. "Hello, Y/N." He quipped.

"You didn't wait on me today. Are you okay?"

He got an avoidant look on his face and turned back to his phone playing music. "I have some questions to ask you."

Miles jumped down from the top bunk and looked you hard in the eye. "I think I'm gay."

You lifted an unimpressed eyebrow; you thought it would be a little more interesting than that. "Alright, dude, it's twenty eighteen. Good job on finding yourself, I guess." You shrugged.

"No, for you!" He shouted.

Your eyes went wide, and you started to rethink that thought that what he said was boring. An evil grin came onto your face.

You turn back to him with your arms crossed. "You're not joking right?"

"No." Miles mumbled.

On a whim you decide to walk quickly towards him. He got a suspicious look on his face as if he was worried that you were going to slap him.

You put on a hand on his cheek and swiftly pushed your lips onto his. You felt it was too soon whenever you pulled away to ask a question.

"Are you sure now?" You inquired.

"Yeah, I think I am." He said and dove in once more.