#no matter how civilized and polite they pretend to be

[lavendergoddesstarot]

*Collab Reading with @sayhoneysiren *

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 48𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨?

Choose a specific situation.

Pick a pile/pictures.

2ND PART of READING for Pile 1 & 2 HERE

Pile 1:

#38, "Think as You Like, But Behave Like Others": This can be challenging especially if you are someone who feels like they have to speak their mind or argue your opinion with others. But sometimes keeping your opinion to yourself is the best way to go. This allows you to gather information from others first. It also allows you to remain a mystery. People will not know what's going on in your mind or what to expect from you if you keep you opinions silent while moving like others to gain info. You can also avoid unnecessary arguments with others (You may want to avoid discussing politics this holiday season lol). Play along to gain insight, no matter how hard it is to bite your tongue in this situation.

Quote from book, 48 Laws of Power "If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them, They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is safer to blend in and nurture common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness" - Robert Greene

Advice: King of Wands:

Join the fun (or appear to)

Be fun loving & free spirited

Don't take things/others opinions too seriously

Take on the challenge

Remember to be your own leader & have your own mind (even if you have to pretend to fit in for awhile)

2ND PART of READING Pile 1 HERE

Pile 2:

#26, "Keep your hands clean": This law is not saying to get other to commit crimes for you lol. But rather remain an 'angel'. For example, don't jump into getting revenge because sometimes it will make you look like the bad guy. By choosing the high road, the other person remains the bad guy. Position yourself as the good girl/person. Don't associate with people who drag you down or make you look bad. Try to stay away from things that may come back to bite you later. If you do have a mishap, be mature about it & apologize. You don't want to be known as a criminal or untrustworthy person/brand.

This law is also associated with the cat's paw. Meaning if you must, get others to do your dirty work for you. (Take this however)

Quote from book, 48 Laws of Power "You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat's-paws to disguise your involvement" - Robert Greene

Advice: Queen of Swords:

Use your intelligence

Assert yourself & voice your standards

Be Honest. (especially if you're a terrible liar like me)

Plan things carefully. Do your research

Use your logic

2ND PART of READING for Pile 2 HERE

[deramin2]

Working at a Renaissance Faire for 18 years has made me totally immune to thinking it's a failure of Bell's Hells to not have unified opinions.

Literally no one at a Renaissance Faire agrees on how shit should be done or what's most important to do or what improvement would even look like or whether anyone's ideas would even work. There are people who have been threatening to quit for a quarter of a century because they're sick of putting up with everyone's stupid bullshit, but they'll be back every single year until they drop dead and we build them a memorial while carrying on in their names.

That's just what it takes to get shit done in the real world. People talk about activist groups like they had unity and every battle planned out, but I promise you they were also a bunch of disagreeable squabbling geese honking at each other while still flocking. Various factions always think others with virtually identical views are standing in the way of progress and true liberation with their stupid ideas and actions.

Even the AIDS quilt, widely regarded as one of the most moving works of political art ever created, had plenty of other queer activists who thought it was a bad idea holding back real progress. So did the Civil Rights Movement March on Washington where MLK gave his I Have A Dream speech. Climate change scientists on the bleeding edge of research into how to best protect the planet are constantly getting into passive aggressive paper publishing wars about why each other's conclusions are total horse shit. The work gets done anyway.

You bitch at each other about how things should get done, but crucially while also doing the work and making the next decision in front of you. Then writers look back later and pretend all those decisions were cohesive and everyone definitely agreed this was the correct path to take. That's what we put in all the stories. But the truth is that everything seems like incoherent bickering while it actually happens because no one knows what the results will really be. It's holding out for unity and clear solutions that actually undermines progress. All that really matters in the end is you keep working together to make things better. Because really none of us has the faintest clue what better really is.

To me that's a story worth telling.

[littlegildedswallow]

I'm 5 feet tall with a delicate build, and I work out regularly. No amount of body-building changes the fact that the average man could easily wrap his entire fucking hand around my neck and EASILY choke me to death, or break my wrists or my fucking spine. That terrifies me. It terrifies me than in a real one on one fight to the death, I'd probably be the one dying. I'm thinking of that video where a woman stabbed a guy with a big knife like 15 times, and he still kept fighting, whaling on her. What the fuck are those tiny "self defense" blades supposed to accomplish ? My best bet would probably be to slice his jugular or push my thumbs into his eye sockets, but how the fuck am I supposed to do that if he's restraining my arms. It TERRIFIES me that I can't fight, and even if I could, I'd probably not stand a chance against the average man, and definitely not if there were more than one.

Do any of you know self defense tips that ACTUALLY work? No convoluted moves. If a brute has got me in a fucking chokehold, I won't be thinking about the steps of popular self defense moves. I'll be panicking, losing strength and consciousness. The way i see it, my best bet would be carrying a fucking dagger, but even that requires intense training to learn how to use efficiently.

[synchodai]

HBO's Continued Insistence on Dumbing Down Westerosi Politics

So there have been countless thinkpieces already on how GOT simplified the feudalist politics of Westeros (by giving a lowborn sellsword lordship over The Reach, by having no consequences for destroying the Sept of Baelor, etc.), but I haven't seen a lot of people talking about that for House of the Dragon.

The worst being that the show presupposes that Rhaenyra is the lawful heir when the books showed there are plenty of lawful arguments why she wouldn't be.

Mind you that I've been enjoying the show a lot so far. This is just to vent out my frustration with the writers' failure to fully engage with the values and protocols of the Middle Age-inspired setting. The show seems uninterested in laws of the Realm in a story ostensibly about politics, save for when they're using it as an excuse to amplify depictions of sex and violence.

Blacks vs Greens wasn't a matter of misunderstanding of who each side thought Viserys wanted on the throne. It was the Targaryens' belief of their absolute authority clashing with the Realm's established traditions. Everyone always knew who Viserys chose as heir. In Fire and Blood, Grand Maester Orwyle said as much when he was parleying with Rhaenyra on behalf of the Greens.

Rhaenyra heard his terms in stony silence, then asked Orwyle if he remembered her father, King Viserys. "Of course, Your Grace," the maester answered. "Perhaps you can tell us who he named as his heir and successor," the queen said, her crown upon her head. "You, Your Grace," Orwyle replied. And Rhaenyra nodded and said, "With your own tongue you admit I am your lawful queen. Why do you serve my half-brother, the pretender?" Munkun tells us that Orwyle gave a long and erudite reply, citing the Andal law and the Great Council of 101. Mushroom claims he stammered and voided his bladder. Whichever is true, his answer did not satisfy Princess Rhaenyra.

(For non-F&B readers: Munkun is the Grand Maester who served Aegon III, the king who came after this civil war. Munkun's book, The Dance of the Dragons, A True Telling, is one of Fire and Blood's source texts. Mushroom is the King Landing court jester from Viserys I to Aegon III's reign. One is a source written with academic rigor but is secondhand at best. The other is a firsthand eyewitness account but is from a literal fool who will take every chance to make things more scandalous and sexual to please the crowd.)

In House of the Dragon, they replaced Orwyle with Otto and Orwyle's discussion of legal precedent with Otto handing Rhaenyra a book page from Alicent. It's quite evident here that the writers, much like Mushroom, thought a discussion on the actual laws of the Realm were negligible in this story about a succession war.

Even Alicent made no pretense that Viserys chose Rhaenyra over her children and I have no idea why the HBO writers decided to make her mistakenly think otherwise. Maybe they thought a queen regent pushing her son to take the throne over another woman made her appear unsympathetic as a character, but if anything, this only makes show!Alicent less politically savvy and more delusional than her book counterpart, fully believing an addled king's vague muttering on his deathbed was sufficient grounds to change heirs last minute.

Book!Alicent following Andal laws instead of her husband's wishes makes sense given her Andal upbringing, her devotion to the Faith of the Seven which enforces said laws, and her desire to protect her children from Rhaenyra given that Rhaenyra has shown she's not above murdering family (see: Laenor).

In the books, there was a long discussion between the former king's council on who should succeed Viserys.

Here are the arguments for Rhaenyra:

Rhaenyra was older than her brothers and had more Targaryen blood

the late king had chosen her as his successor, that he had repeatedly refused to alter the succession despite the pleadings of Queen Alicent and her greens

hundreds of lords and landed knights had done obeisance to the princess in 105 AC, and sworn solemn oaths to defend her rights.

Here are the arguments for Aegon II:

many of the lords who had sworn to defend the succession of Princess Rhaenyra were long dead [...]

Ironrod, the master of laws, cited the Great Council of 101 and the Old King’s choice of Baelon rather than Rhaenys in 92

the hallowed Andal tradition wherein the rights of a trueborn son always came before the rights of a mere daughter

Ser Otto reminded them that Rhaenyra’s husband was none other than Prince Daemon, and “we all know that one’s nature. Make no mistake, should Rhaenyra ever sit the Iron Throne, it will be Lord Flea Bottom who rules us, a king consort as cruel and unforgiving as Maegor ever was [...]”

Should the princess reign [...] Jacaerys Velaryon would rule after her. “Seven save this realm if we seat a bastard on the Iron Throne.”

Once again, the show chose to cut out this long political discussion. Instead, the council had already made up their mind and decided to stage a coup (when in their perspectives from the books, it would definitely not be a coup).

For all their marketing how two sides are equally grey, HotD is actively delegitimizing Aegon II. The strongest argument for him is how his claim follows the laws of the Realm, but the show doesn't seem to care about the laws of the Realm or the political need to maintain a more predictable/tested transfer of power.

Instead, the show focuses on Viserys's relationship with his daughter and the mysticism of the Targaryen bloodline. In doing so, they emphasize Rhaenyra's strongest arguments for succession — that she's more of a Targaryen than her half-brother and that her father prefered her.

And what for? Because in our modern-day, we don't have male-prefered inheritance and people can only imagine misogyny as the only injustice here? What about the injustice of a monarch exercising absolute control, thinking that his "superior" heritage makes him above the established laws of the native people?

This is not to say Aegon II is unquestionably the heir. But this is to say that the show removed the political nuance of why people are questioning in the first place. Precedence isn't the end-all-be-all of succession, but neither is "because daddy said so".

[erwinsvow]

you have this awful way of teasing him. logan doesn't like to be teased—at least not the way you do it.

all polite, sweet smiles when the room is filled with your peers and his students. they're not really his, but the feeling has stuck as of late.

logan shouldn't let you keep going. you're getting the wrong idea—thinking that this, whatever this is, can be something. something more than heated stares and heavy breaths. he's no saint—the thought has run through his head at least a hundred times a day.

how easy it would be to get you alone. to find an empty hallway and push you against the wall, keep one ear listening for footsteps and the other focused on how fast your heart is beating. it picks up everytime he's in the vicinity.

shit. when had he started zeroing in on you like this? it's not just your heart, it's your breathing too. hitched. if your breath is like that and your heart is racing, then what could be going on between your legs? he doesn't have to be a mind-reader to figure it out, but you're lucky anyways, that he's not. he might not be able to hold himself back.

not like you want him to. it's too obvious—if others haven't picked up on it yet, they're going to soon. your friends probably giggle with you late at night, help you perfect your plan to get the big, bad wolverine into the palm of your hand.

or maybe not—maybe you're quiet about it. maybe it's a running joke but nothing more, nothing shared with anyone except you and him. private, just between the two of you. looks that no one else understands, an ache that no one else feels. it doesn't make it less wrong, but it almost feels that way. like pining is supposed to help.

teasing certainly isn't the answer, not that you care. you're all pretty smiles, cocking your head and laughing sweetly, replying to something he said without caring about what he said. you ignore that part, electing to keep the conversation going even though he can't make it more obvious that what he really needs is for you to go.

you get closer, even when others prying eyes are still present. a hand on his arm, brushing up against him and then apologizing without any real sincerity behind it, even the way you rest your body against his doorframe, staring at him with teasing eyes. it's all you fucking do—tease, tease, tease.

logan would like to think some things about you haven't changed on his behalf. he pretends that maybe you always wore short skirts and tight tops, or that maybe you'd put them away for the winter and that's why they keep making appearances. but it's still cold out and somehow, the shortest and the tightest things are decked out just when he's around.

it's menacing. a girl as sweet as you shouldn't be capable of such devious things. the sliver of exposed skin between your white tank-top and your denim skirt, a place where his hand would fit perfectly. one touch and your entire body would get warm, he knows it—you wouldn't feel cold no matter what you're wearing or what month it is.

the way the hem of your sundress rides up when you take a seat next to him, legs crossing over and an endless expanse of smooth skin visible. all the way up to your upper thigh, any higher and he'd get a glimpse of panties—and what color would those be? matching? he can only think about it for a second until he snaps out of it. and when his gaze moves from your legs to your face, there's that smile again. devious. devilish.

you've been put on earth to torment him. he keeps trying to do the right thing—avoid you at every turn, lock doors if it means keeping you out. conversations are short and civil, no matter how much you both would prefer to keep them going.

it's just wrong. you're so young—you don't know any better. or maybe you do, and you choose to ignore it, but he can't do this too, on top of everything else. he has to get something right, and it's just your misfortune that this is the thing he's chosen to stay steadfast about.

because otherwise he wouldn't stand a chance. with every passing stare at your glossy lips and soft, pretty skin—skin that just so happens to be waiting for him to mark up—and clothes that are waiting to be torn off, bits and pieces of his resolve start withering.

you know what you're doing to him, and you don't stop. you don't plan on stopping until you've gotten what you want. yes, it's wrong, but there's not much in the world that's right anymore. you think you at least deserve this. and logan's a good sport—behind every closed door and curt word, his eyes reveal what his mouth won't. a simple truth known to both of you—that he wants you as badly as you want him.

it's a long game, one you're willing to play. you move the pieces same as usual—a shorter, tighter skirt here, a too-big tank top that leaves your straps somewhere on your arm there. conversations get a little longer, his stares get a little more heated, a little more aggressive. you can even hear him taking out his frustration on the punching bags instead of just giving in and taking them out on the object of his frustration.

but you're close—and if there's one thing that you are, besides a tease, is patient.

at half-past ten, all the kids are asleep. there's some older students scattered around the house, some upstairs and others watching tv, but you know your destination tonight, and where the occupant of a particular room is. the baggy button-up you'd put on over your dress, just to make it a little more appropriate for the day, was abandoned on the back of a kitchen chair. you made one stop to the fridge before heading up here—to logan's room.

patient you were, but a saint, you were not. there was only so much a girl could take. you knock twice, and without even realizing it, your heart rate picks up. it always does when logan's nearby, and then you curse under your breath. he might not open the door if he realizes it's you—but then again, who else would come knocking this late?

you hear it—a deep breath, footsteps getting closer. your back straightens automatically, biting your cheek in anticipation. when he opens the door, you beam up at him, knowing exactly what he's about to say.

"kid, you needa go t'bed-"

"i brought you something," you say, with another bright, sweet smile. you offer it to him with outstretched hands—two beers, still cold from the depths of the fridge you had buried them in, lest one of the kids saw them, or one of the jerks drank them.

"how'd ya even get these, huh?"

to anyone else, logan would look the same as he always did—gruff, angry, unforgiving. but you're not just anyone else. you noticed it—picked up on it immediately. the way the tension in his shoulder lessened, just barely. how his grimace softened. how the expression in his eyes betrays him—he sounds upset but he's really not. there's humor in them, sparkling back at you, because he thinks it's funny.

that you show up with beer this late. that you wear a dress you really, really shouldn't wear—the one he thinks of as his favorite, before trying to expel the damn thought entirely.

you roll your pretty eyes, pushing through the man blocking you. of course if he actually wanted to keep you out, he'd barely have to try. one push and you'd be on the other side of the wood, but like always, you know him.

"you do realize i'm not actually a kid, right? i can buy beer," you reply—and even your words, coated in humor and sarcasm, still come out sweet as sugar.

you couldn't be mean if you tried. logan can't be nice if he tried.

"yeah, yeah. c'mon kid, y'can't be in here this late-"

"late?" you repeat back at him, taking a seat on his bed. logan closes the door, wandering back over to where you're perched. you really shouldn't have sat down—not with how much he's pictured you under these very sheets. "don't be such a grandpa, logan. it's not even eleven yet."

"cuttin' a little close to your bedtime, huh?"

"ha-ha," you say dryly, holding one of the bottles towards him. "i didn't bring a bottle opener."

he takes it out of your hand, fingers brushing over each other for a second. it's nothing, twisting the cap off with his hand, tossing it somewhere to the side. you keep staring up, watching through fluttery lashes as he takes a long sip, enjoying the view a little too much. the cherry on top is the exhale logan takes after he finishes, fisting the beer bottle a little too tight.

"do you like it?" you ask quietly, heart thudding fast again. you suddenly hope he can hear it now, even clearer than before.

"yeah, kid." he takes a breath, and your eyes close for a second. "it's wrong." another breath, one from you this time. "shouldn't have beer in the house."

"yeah," you agree, eyes opening and taking him in again. you had planned everything perfectly, picked the best time to come. his flannel was flung on the bed next to you, nothing but the white wife-beater covering his chest. "nothing wrong with just once though, right?"

"kid-"

you stand up, much too close for comfort. your little pink dress looks even prettier like this, so close that he can almost feel the material. one strap has fallen—like they always do—but this time, your wish finally comes true. logan takes the strap between his thick fingers, sliding it up your arm and around to your shoulder, bringing it all the way up. even after it's secured, he doesn't let go.

his touch—barely present as it was, is enough to light your skin on fire. it's just as you thought it would be, and now all you want is more. your eyes shut again.

"i probably shouldn't tell you this," you start, and you hear logan groan—a soft noise, something that has imprinted into your brain forever. "but i really love it when you call me that."

"y'killing me, kid-" he says, all in one breath.

"what's it gonna take, hm? do you want the other beer? i brought both for you, i don't even like the stuff-"

he shuts you up by closing the space in between the two of you. logan's mouth is hot, hot just like the rest of him, blazing to the touch. huge hands wrap around your waist, bringing you in even closer, if it's even possible to be any closer. it's everything you dreamed it could be—the sheer intensity of how he kisses you, the way his tongue feels in your mouth, how hard he grips you. your hands find his shoulders, gripping on as hard as you can, nails digging in while you moan into his mouth. you should be quiet, anyone could hear, and yet, you keep going. and it's all of it at once, the taste of the beer and those cigars he loves so much. if they taste anything like this you might find yourself addicted to those too.

when he finally pulls away—and of course it's him that pulls away, you would stay attached forever if you could, and you plan to make it a reality—there's lines of spit between your mouthes, still connecting you. he wipes the corner of your lips with his thumb, and breathless you stare up at him.

your hand traces down his arm, all the way to his wrist and then his hand, resting just above his knuckles, running your soft fingers over them.

"logan," you breathe out, your heart as fast as he's ever heard it. "can i go lock the door?"

"yeah kid," he says, the gruffness in his voice something entirely new, laced with a desire and wanting you had only hoped to hear tonight. "go lock the door."

[contemplatingoutlander]

The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information. [...] The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it. --Chris Quinn, Editor of cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer

THIS is the kind of attitude that journalists and editors should have regarding reporting on Trump!

Chris Quinn, the editor of cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer wrote this excellent column explaining to his readers why opinion columns on his platforms are so critical of Donald Trump. His response is a credit to his integrity as a journalist/editor, and should be emulated by others in the mainstream media. Below are some excerpts:

A more-than-occasional arrival in the email these days is a question expressed two ways, one with dripping condescension and the other with courtesy: Why don’t our opinion platforms treat Donald Trump and other politicians exactly the same way. Some phrase it differently, asking why we demean the former president’s supporters in describing his behavior as monstrous, insurrectionist and authoritarian. I feel for those who write. They believe in Trump and want their local news source to recognize what they see in him. The angry writers denounce me for ignoring what they call the Biden family crime syndicate and criminality far beyond that of Trump. They quote news sources of no credibility as proof the mainstream media ignores evidence that Biden, not Trump, is the criminal dictator. The courteous writers don’t go down that road. They politely ask how we can discount the passions and beliefs of the many people who believe in Trump. This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people. The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information. The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse. This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it. The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it. As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost. Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it? [emphasis added]

I encourage you to read the entire column. It is worth it.

[creedslove]

omg I had this dream of Marcus Pike where he and me were very good friends and I started to develop feelings for him but all of a sudden Teresa appeared and gave me a speech that caused me to wake up in tears.

I wish he was with me in real life and brought me to his arms and kissed my forehead. I was so heartbroken after I woke up and for what? 😭

ps. I hope you have a good day, Mari. I love your works and the effort you put to make them. you're literally my favorite person on this planet <3

Marcus Pike x f!reader

A/N: Omg I love your dream even if it's sad, it's still a great dream baby because I love dreaming of Pedro boys, in fact, I dreamed of Dave last night that I was pretending I was gonna kill myself because he was with Carol and his girls and then this afternoon I took a nap and dreamed I was BEGGING Joel to fuck me and he ignored me lmaof

• the hardest part of being close to Marcus was not loving him, in fact, for you, it wasn't just the hardest part, it was impossible

• but it wasn't really your fault, not when marcus in addition to being around, he was just the whole package: he was handsome, successful, kind, intelligent and the worst part was that he seemed not to be able to see that, one failure marriage wasn't a declaration of being a bad partner but somehow Marcus couldn't understand that

• he just fell in love hard and fast and very often with the wrong woman, because even if you didn't want to come off as obsessive and jealous, you could feel they wouldn't be able to love and treat him the way you did

• so it wasn't that surprising when he came to you looking so excited and happy to know he'd met another agent called Teresa and they seemed to really hit off; they'd been out for pancakes and on a couple of dates too and you felt your heart sink

• Marcus went out and found someone else, someone who wasn't you, and yet he was still the sweetest and most loving friend you'd ever had

• your opinion, companionship and presence were so important to him, so of course he would introduce you to Teresa and even if you were hurt and upset, you went there with an open heart, wanting to at least get along with the woman who was with the man who mattered the most to you

• but of course the antipathy between the two of you was immediate and there was nothing that could change that; you and Teresa managed to be civil and polite around Marcus, but she stared at you with the same despise as you watched her, she felt uncomfortable with your presence as much as you felt it with hers and so on

• what bothered you the most was how indifferent she seemed to be, it was always as if she wasn't really there or wasn't really paying attention to what Marcus said; overall, it was always as if Marcus was way more into her than she was into him and it bothered you, because you knew he was bound to get hurt

• when you found out about his promotion, you felt you could explode into a million pieces out of excitement and pride in him, he'd worked so hard for it, he deserved every single acknowledgement he got, but at the same time you were happy for him, it pained you to know he'd asked her to go with him and not only that, he proposed to her as well

• it hurt you to see how she hesitated every time he mentioned moving to DC or getting married at all, because you would've said yes to him in a heartbeat, you would've dropped everything in order to go with him, because unlike her, you loved and cared for Marcus

• everytime you saw him, it was a reminder of how Marcus would move on without you, he didn't love you the same way you did but you still decided to stay and help him with all the details; you helped him pack his bags, you helped him pick an apartment, always daydreaming about a life that wouldn't be yours after all

• and even if Teresa wasn't so sure about her future with Marcus, it bothered her you were around all the time, it bothered her how you looked at him with heart eyes and perhaps it bothered her that you could see right through her hesitation and lack of passion, so she had enough, thinking it was about time she put a stop on it

• when she got to Marcus' place to have dinner with him but found you instead, she frowned annoyed

"what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I came to help Marcus finish his bags just like he asked me to... He asked me to keep his base until he settled in DC and I could send it over"

"you don't get, do you?! I am Marcus' girlfriend, in fact, I'm his fiancee, not you! Why can't you see that? Why do you pretend you don't see he doesn't love you? He doesn't care about you the way you want! Marcus loves me! I'm gonna marry him, be his wife and maybe we will even have a family. Quit living this childish dream of thinking he is your prince charming, if he wanted you, you would be together by now!"

"Teresa?!"

• Marcus' voice interrupted her speech, and you watched at the two of them in horror to realize he had just stepped in in time to hear everything Teresa had said, you didn't have words to argue back, it killed you to know that there was a large chance she was right

• you swallowed hard and tried not letting them see the tears flooding in your eyes, but it was too late. Even if Marcus called your name and tried going after you, you couldn't stay and face him, you felt so embarrassed at that moment

• Teresa prevented Marcus from going after you, she was glad that at least now you would leave them alone and Marcus just hoped he had made the right choice by not going after you

____

[dragoneyes618]

"Many people woke up on October 7 sympathetic to parts of woke ideology and went to bed that evening questioning how they had signed on to a worldview that had nothing to say about the mass rape and murder of innocent people by terrorists.

The reaction to the attacks—from outwardly pro-Hamas protests to the mealy-mouthed statements of college presidents, celebrities, and CEOs—has exploded the comforting stories many on the center-left have told themselves about progressive identity politics. For many years, they opted for the coping mechanism of pretending that the institutional capture of universities, corporations, and media organizations by the woke mind virus was no big deal. “Sure, students shutting down events they disagree with is annoying,” they would say, “but it’s just students doing what students do.”

October 8 was a wake-up call for those who didn’t appreciate that the ideology of the campus has spread to our cities, supercharged by social media.

We woke up on October 8 to the clamor of street protests in cities across the West condemning Israel even before any major Israeli response to the attacks. We watched celebratory crowds brandish swastikas and chant “gas the Jews” at events purporting to be about the loss of Palestinian lives. We saw Black Lives Matter chapters lionize terrorists. 

In London, where I live, we watched the mayor deliver glib assurances that “London’s diversity is our greatest strength” in the midst of a wave of antisemitic attacks, and as Jewish schools were forced to close because of safety concerns. 

Across the West, we noticed that our representatives refused to condemn Hamas’s kidnappings, and that the legacy media was all too eager to swallow and regurgitate Hamas propaganda.

Prior to the October 7 massacre, many students, alumni, and donors with the “unconstrained vision” trusted that the university—for all its many problems—remained the West’s best environment for civil discourse. 

But then they watched university presidents who were quick to issue statements condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the killing of George Floyd fall silent, or offer the most slippery, equivocal statements carefully crafted to avoid offending anti-Israel groups. They watched an Israeli at Columbia get beaten with a stick, and heard reports about the physical intimidation of students on campuses across the country. They read about dozens of student organizations at Harvard signing a letter holding Israel “entirely responsible” for the massacre of Israelis. 

The events of the last two weeks have shattered the illusion that wokeness is about protecting victims and standing up for persecuted minorities. This ideology is and has always been about the one thing many of us have told you it is about for years: power. And after the last two weeks, there can be no doubt about how these people will use any power they seize: they will seek to destroy, in any way they can, those who disagree."

-Konstantin Kisin

[bonefall]

What are Tallstar's thoughts on how things play out? Now that his surprise pick kicks of a civil war and ends up not mattering in the slightest, probably gonna be a awkward conversation between him and Onestar when he dies

He regrets it massively. A change that I think is major but everyone else will probably consider minor is that Tallstar will never "reassure" Onestar that he was correct.

Tallstar quickly vanishes after his death, he goes to StarClan briefly but then leaves. In truth, he's gone to be with Jake, but it's a mystery to everyone else. All Onestar knows is that when he receives his nine lives, Tallstar's life is short and feels almost like a platitude, and then he is bizarrely absent from dreams and omens.

(If he even stays THAT long. It's still a bit up in the air but I think I'm going to have him catch the sabotauged muirburn, Mudclaw's trial and damnation, and Onestar's nine lives)

It's finally sinking in now, that everyone he's given power and personally brought into the fold of the Clan has been ruined by it.

He returned to WindClan and left his mate, Jake. His son Flytail became his political rival and snapped a ShadowClan warrior's neck in cold blood. He lost so, so much family in the WindClan Massacre. And now his hasty choice has caused THIS.

Tallstar wants peace but was never willing to do anything TRULY hard to get it. He was still going to keep the Mothermouth Moorland that WindClan had fairly won. He never campaigned to bring back tunneling. He saw Mudclaw's xenophobia earlier but didn't change his popular deputy in a "hard time." He has always been reactionary, not proactive...

And there's a thread there, between him and Onewhisker. Friendliness and the desire to be the leader that your Clan wants you to be.

So how would he DARE to ever be angry with Onestar? After what he did to him?

Tallstar checks in as a spirit frequently, especially when Jake's descendants (NOT Firestar in BB they are unrelated) wander around the area. Onestar doesn't know it, but the old leader IS watching him, protecting him even. When Onestar dies, Tallstar finds him before the fetcher does, and invites him to come along on a wander.

But most importantly, in that moment, he apologizes. He thrust a weight onto Onestar's shoulders that never should have been there, and he's had to pretend to be strong for too long.

[anamericangirl]

1. You're delusional. No one is forcing kids to be LGBTQ

2. The party switch was a real thing that did happen. In the 1960s, the parties switched on the issue of civil rights. This is evident from that fact that republicans gained political control of the south, the kkk becoming majority republican, the kkk support every republican presidential candidate in every election since 1960, and the lost cause ideology being purported and repeated by southern republicans.

Wow so basically you just believe whatever you’re told to believe regardless of what reality is. Unfortunately for you it takes more than “that’s not true” to convince me of something but I know that’s the strongest argument you’ve got because you know you’re wrong.

The big switch didn’t happen and if you actually looked at history and didn’t just believe whatever the tv tells you then you would know that.

Voter base changed, platforms and values did not.

The democrats have always been the racist party. They were at their founding and they remain so today. Every racist policy and law you’ve ever heard of was a democrat policy and you can’t erase that by pretending the parties just swapped sides and now everything the democrats did is the republicans fault. I know a lot of people like to say that happened but looking at history proves it wrong.

So stop trying to excuse racism and blame it on the party that isn’t responsible for it.

But I do love how you tried to prove the big switch by only having the KKK as an example as if they are a prominent group in the US and how they vote and their history is all that matters when talking about the history of the two party system lol.

[ynscrazylife]

Hey for your 4k celebration could you do purge the poison from marina with anyone from the mcu please?

Poisoned Mind, Poisoned Heart | Chapter 1

Series Summary: Dr. Strange turns to you, Wanda’s ex, to help him stop her before it’s too late. Can you do it or will Wanda corrupt you, too?

A/N: This is what came to my head when I listened to the song! Hope it fits. I'm excited for this series to start. Let me know if you want to be on this taglist.

Request to be on a taglist (or multiple) here! (Taglists are at the end of the fic)

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist

Doctor Stephen Strange was the last person you expected to see when you opened up your door. For a fleeting second, you considered slamming the door in his face, but that type of rudeness was never in your nature, no matter how much the flight in your fight or flight response was yelling at you to do so. “I should really start looking through the peephole before answering my door,” was what you ended up saying with a sigh. 

Stephen fixed you with a small, knowing smile. “I’m going to pretend that’s just because I might’ve been a stranger and not because you don’t want to see me,” he joked. You knew what he was doing - trying to ease you into whatever reason he had for coming over here when he hadn’t seen or spoken to you in years with humor. 

“Well, this isn’t just you being in the neighborhood and wanting to have a nice chat, is it?” You said, glancing down at the intricate costume he adorned. 

Catching onto the fact that you didn’t want him to beat around the bush, Stephen gave you a slight nod. “May I come in?” He asked politely. 

Despite being still weary and a bit nervous, you stepped aside. You knew that if he was coming here, he must have a good reason. Years ago, after the civil war between Steve and Tony, when you left the Avengers and said goodbye to being a superhero, you had strictly instructed everyone to leave you alone unless there was some threat to the universe. You had gone back briefly to help them fight Thanos, but quickly returned to your civilian life afterward. 

Stephen walked in and you closed the door behind him, but didn’t lock it. You weren’t intending for him to stay long. The sorcerer took a moment to look around your hallway, at all the paintings and photos on your walls. “Nice house,” he murmured, picking up a photo of you on a nearby table and looking at it. 

“Stephen,” you warned gently. 

Stephen cleared his throat and set down the photo, turning back to you. “What do you know about what Wanda has gotten up to recently?” He asked. 

It was akin to him dumping a bucket of ice water over your head - you visibly flinched, taken aback. Wanda. You had worked very hard to get over the woman you once loved, the love that ended due to you being on opposite sides of the Accords. Like Natasha, you had sided with Tony not because you really believed in the Accords, but because you wanted to keep the team together. Wanda hadn’t seen it that way and you didn’t exactly blame her for it, until you two started to get into awful screaming matches. 

“I heard on the news about Westview . . . They say that no one’s been able to reach or find her since,” you answered carefully, remembering the conflicting emotions you had when finding out about it all. Even after all this time, you haven't been able to fall out of love. She stuck with you. A part of you hated it, the other part was enchanted by it. You still wanted the best for her and discovering what happened in Westview was painful. 

“That was true, up until now,” Stephen said, taking a small step towards you. 

You tried to hold back the gasp building up in your throat, but you failed. All you could do was bore your eyes into him as you waited for him to continue. 

“There’s this . . . girl. Her name is America Chavez and she has these powers of accessing alternate realities that Wanda wants. I think she’s been corrupted by the Darkhold . . . If she gets access to these alternate realities, there’s no telling what she’ll do,” Stephen said. 

You furrowed your eyebrows, now confused and feeling a little overwhelmed as his words swarmed your head. “Alternate realities?” You questioned. 

“I can explain everything in detail, but I think you can get through to her, Y/N,” Stephen said. 

No matter if you still loved her, if there was some deep part inside you that wanted to help, you still felt reluctant to return to that life. You started to shake your head. “She doesn’t love me, she fell in love with Vision,” you muttered, trying - wanting - to deny it. 

“She never stopped talking about you,” Stephen revealed softly. 

This caused you to squeeze your eyes shut, feelings and memories of another time washing over you all at once. “Stephen, I can’t-” you started to say. 

“Let me explain everything back at the Sanctum Sanctorum and then we can go from there,” Stephen said, his voice still as sweet as honey. So charming and alluring, “This . . . isn’t just a threat to our universe. It’s a threat to all the universes.” 

That was the nail in the coffin - you would never be able to fully rid yourself of your natural, heroic instinct to help people. “Okay,” you agreed, letting out a breath. Despite just telling yourself that you were only agreeing to hear him, you knew deep down, in your heart, what you got yourself into - you were going to try and help. Help Wanda, help Stephen, help the goddamn multiverse.

[razorblade180]

Gods judgment

Furina:*bites cake* Ugh, why must being an Archon be so polarizing at times!? I’m near my wits end.

Ei:While I agree to the sentiment, you’d have much less to complain about if you were diligent in your duties.

Pleasant vibes stop

Venti:Oh boy…

Nahida:What’s happening.

Venti:Shhh, pretend you’re invisible,

Furina:Baal, I am positive you of all people didn’t just talk to me about diligence regarding my responsibilities.

Zhongli:She was merely giving you advice since-

Furina:Oh are we really doing this? Do I need to remind you that if anyone has to the authority to judge the ways of other gods it is I, Focalor. *stands up*

Zhongli:Failure to take criticism will only slow progress.

Furina:Don’t misunderstand my situation. You forget yourself, Morax. Criticism indeed has value, and I’d made certain not even I can go unchecked in my own nation. The problem here is that two of you dare to speak in a tone that implies superiority when all you hold is errors so catastrophic that it’s felt in every wave.

Ei:Are you truly one to talk about errors when your problems arise from negligence?

Furina:Ha! That’s rich coming from the Archon who literally made her problem. You dare speak of negligence when you all but abandoned your people to the whims of an unfeeling stand-in? My people and I face a catastrophe forced upon us while yours endured the weight of your grief. Do not speak to me about negligence.

Ei:…..

Furina:But hey, grief is a toxic and dangerous thing that mortals and the divine understand. I do not judge you for feeling pain. It is far more reasonable flaw than that of the eldest of us. *looks at Morax* You want to discuss slow progress and criticism? It took you ages to get to a mindset Barbatos applied from the start!

Venti:Oh, wow. Zhongli she might actually have a point.

Furina:*points* Don’t get too proud of yourself, Barbatos! You’re next.

Venti:Hehe, I figured….

Zhongli:The circumstances between Liyue’s development and Mondstat’s are vastly different in what problems stood in their wake. Liyue would not have lasted to this day without a firm hand guiding the way. Much like how your nation has greatly benefited from your Chief Justice.

Furina:I do not deny my Iudex has been indispensable in Fontaine’s development. However, once again, you are mistaken about the problem. I have no issue in the role you choose for yourself to craft your land. I think it’s quite magnificent. But a show and by extension, a role is only as good as its ending. The protractor of the land chooses to exit the stage with political and civil unrest due to scheme crafted by his truly. As the God of Contracts, could you not have made one with your people stating a resignation in the coming years. In that time you would sufficiently train them to live without you instead of awakening an old adversary.

Zhongli:Preparations only go so far. A test would have to come eventually to truly put my mind at ease.

Furina:A test that shouldn’t come from your hand and not as severe. Life is the test. Make no mistake, I fully believe you would’ve handled it if your people failed, but do you truly think you would’ve saved them all unscathed. You, who knows the chaos war and battle well? I recognize my bias when I say this but it truly disgusts me to see an Archon through the night of a perilous sea at it’s people just to see if they could retire to sipping tea. To make matters worse, you’re not even consistent.

Zhongli:What are you-

Furina:Did you tell your people about Azdaha? From what I gathered, not only did you handle that actual catastrophe discretely, but in a manor where it could still happen again. You want the best for your people, yet you deny them the opportunity to prepare for the future you yourself could prevent.

Zhongli:….

Furina:Barbatos!

Venti:Ley me guess, I’m too lazy?

Furina:Your nation speaks for itself. Calm, self sufficient, and joyous for extended periods of time. I would never say any of you aren’t attentive to your people.

Ei:This sounds like nothing but praise!

Venti:Maybe I’m just a champion of work life balance?

Furina:You sleep too late.

Venti:….*rubs head* I could see why you might say that.

Furina:So could anyone who knows your nation’s history. It’s never a question of if you show up, but when. Although I love a hero arriving in the nick of time, I’m sure your people would’ve loved to see you before the slavery was institutionalized. Not only that, but it’s your failure to arrive punctually that created a harbinger in the first place.

Venti:No god can be everywhere at once or go indefinitely without rest.

Furina:Correct, but no other god here besides Buer and myself have the means to have a steady pulse the people like you do. You are The God of Anemo. There is no whisper in your land that you can not hear. Frankly I wouldn’t have a reason to judge your methods if you didn’t sleep through the tragedies. I’ll admit, I am a tad envious of your prosperity.

Venti:Hmm, I can’t lie and say I don’t see a little merit in that criticism. Although if you ask me, I don’t it would solve as many problems as you believe. Even so, I can accept that perspective for what it is.

Nahida:(He’s rather accommodating to her outburst. Perhaps he’s trying to diffuse the situation?) Hmm!?

Furina:*staring*….

Nahida:H-Hello.

Furina:You understand I’m not above judging even you, a fellow young Archon? My dear Buer, I suspect you’re aware of your faults; or does your wisdom not extend to introspection?

Nahida:No, it does. *slouches* In a lot of ways, I let my nation unravel because of my own self pity.

Furina:I guess your wisdom is boundless if you can admit to that. Feeling unwanted and trapped, you thought it best to have them walk over you for their own benefit until you finally decided a line was crossed. Your wrongful imprisonment should’ve been that line. Though the irony of your situation is how you were never truly trapped, were you? Arriving in dreams and controlling minds without their knowledge was more than enough power to start a coup. No matter how you look at it Buer, you could have fought back. Instead you acted as powerless as they called you.

Nahida:Sigh… You’re right. That sort of force of authority though really isn’t in my nature.

Furina:You remind me of Neuvillette. So soft by nature. Far too conservative about exercising what is yours by right. That being said, people like you aren’t bad. Anyone could chalk it up to inexperience or a way of belief. In fact, that could be said about all of you.

Ei:If that’s apparent to you then what was the point of this so called “judgement?”

Furina:As I said earlier, I’m not above criticism. I’m not even claiming my way is the most splendid. That being said, do not speak to me as if your methods are correct. Look down on me all you want. I refuse to let anyone judge my methods against the likes of my fellow Archons as if anyone of you or doing this job “correctly.” Especially when one of the seven thrives in dangerous tension and another has the audacity to send her people to overthrow our nations. For as long as I reign, I, Focalor, will hold one thing as an absolute truth. I am not lesser than any other ruler. I rest my case.

Nahida:I thinks you’re doing your best.

Furina:….*wipes face* Thank you.

Zhongli and Ei: (So high strung) *pats her head*

Furina:Excuse me!? I -I don’t need to be coddled!

Venti:*plays calming music*

Furina:Sigh… *accepts comfort.

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

What would he have made his priorities after being the king? I mean politically? If he had worked at all that is.

GREAT QUESTION it frankly drives me kind of insane that we never get any hint whatsoever about how he’s running the country while he does briefly take over from S&S through R&R. Like what are his POLICIES!! What is he DOING??

But also, realistically, he is not going to cancel wars with the Shadow Fold threat lol. Like that is only the beginning of a really long and drawn out foreign relations catastrophe. I talked about this a little bit in a different context awhile ago but he doesn’t strike me as a character with a firm end goal… ever. There’s always going to be more to do.

But like a civil war is going to fuck up the country no matter what. So I’d assume, regardless, there’s going to be a fair bit of immediate picking up the pieces economically. He doesn’t at all seem like he cares about public opinion, beyond being scary enough so people know not to fuck with him. So he’d probably have no qualms with making drastic and highly unpopular reforms lol.

We really don’t know enough about his stances but he seems to be primarily: a nationalist, an autocrat, prioritizing military strength, distinctly favoring Grisha interests, and also shdhfgfd against industrialization and technological advancement. He also favors the perceived good of the many over the interests and well being of any individual, and is very happy to make sacrifices of many, many lives to achieve fairly petty goals. He's a fantasy fascist basically.

The books somewhat superficially equate him with Russian revolutionary figures. But I don't think there's enough... actual ideology to back that up very much. And rapid industrialization and transitioning the Soviet Union from a primarily agrarian based economy was itself a key part of it? So... he's not much of a Stalin. If we're trying to sus out his policies I could see him being something of an anti Peter the Great, where instead of forced Westernization, you have an incredibly set in his ways immortal autocrat trying to drag everyone back to the values and traditions of his youth. (Which would also make narrative sense, considering Nikolai, as the Darkling-lite foil, seems to have def been based on some aspects of Peter the Great's youth and interest in innovation, if not his personality)

So for example, he seems like he'd favor isolationism. His idea of "peace" is "don't fuck with me or I'll make my monster filled interdimensional rift eat you." And we know Ravka is in intense debt! I could easily see him seizing the nobility's wealth and using it to pay off any debts owed to foreign countries. And then if anything's left over to stockpile resources towards making Ravka more self sufficient. Maybe even melt the gold and silver out of churches to that purpose.

(I forget which historical figure literally melted down church crosses dfghj but that was a thing! iirc incidentally he also stripped the silver from the currency, absolutely destroying its value...)

By RoW he seems to have embraced the entire like religious propaganda side of things. But in the trilogy proper he seems to hate the church. So resources going to it in any way will probs be diverted. And I could even see him gradually trying to repurpose the buildings for other things. They're on the tail end of a civil war, there's probs a lot of displaced people that could be put there for a start.

S&B meanwhile establishes that he has some pretty distinct opinions about how all the Grisha need to pretend to live like peasants so as not to forget their roots or whatever. I think he *would* enact really harsh regulations and reforms on court life just because he hates it so bad lol. Taxes on parties, insane sumptuary laws for everyone but his favored Grisha soldiers. He's had centuries and centuries to hate changing social norms. I think he'd go nuts if given the opportunity to dictate everything. Generally I think there would be a mix of skyrocketing taxes and reforms to an actual purpose (bolstering the economy and stripping material power from the nobility) but also just to be a petty, temperamental autocrat.

Def also criminalizing dissent and making examples of any opposition immediately. Can't have another revolution threatening his revolution. Again, here I'm annoyed by how little the world is fleshed out, because we get nothing about the nobility. Noble families with any sort of longstanding ties or known friendship with the Lantsovs would probs get executed day one. Stripped of titles and lands etc and then taking those and giving them to his own supporters. (Who are they? Good fucking question! He has one Ivan and then even he fucking dies. But realistically... he would have... supporters?)

He'd probs want to get a firmer grip on West Ravka stat, and maybe invest in some military expansion to control more ports. An issue I forever have with the Grishaverse worldbuilding is that it's just so small? There are only like five countries? Trade and foreign policy just aren't going to Look Like That or mimic a nineteenth/twentieth century vibe if there are only five fucking countries dfghjkl but whatever. Whatever.

I could also see him favoring exports over imports. Stopping all trade seems destabilizing af so I doubt he’d go there but seems likely he'd try to decrease any dependency Ravka has on other countries in favor of self sufficiency and isolationism. Maybe taxing imports so bad that it's just not worth it. Regulating the exact details of what can be imported, when, why, etc.

Speaking of the earlier impending foreign relations catastrophe. I think if he’s scary enough he might manage to avoid an all out war on all fronts? Might. Because there’s also a really good case to be made for attacking Ravka while its still weak and reeling from the civil war. But if he’s lucky, the surrounding countries will take a “wait and see” stance. But like there will be consequences eventually. Consider the Shadow Fold an in-universe fantasy nuke in the hands of a power hungry ruler who has zero qualms with any scale of loss of life or just murdering civilians for the lols. He’s proven himself to be unstable and unreasonable so even if there isn’t an immediate declaration of war there is going to be a response to that. No one’s going to be chill!! And like SoC and KoS context tells us that there is parem on the horizon, along with the Grisha super soldiers in Shu Han, the druskelle getting wayyyy more sophisticated and a general trajectory of rapid military industrialization and advancement through out the world. Those are playing pieces that would be on the board regardless, but it’s just going to get so much uglier under those circumstances. And especially with the knowledge and context that the Darkling is completely fucking unreasonable and ready to war crime anyone who looks at him funny.

I guess siding with Fjerda in S&S could hypothetically be advantageous to him here actually? Like we do not know the terms of that alliance at all, and I doubt it would hold for long. But it breaks up the framing of everyone vs Ravka. And opens things up for anyone else to respond by trying to get on his good side against their own enemies. And once again. There are only five countries lmao. So a tense balance of powers situation might be feasible, but I think it would hinge on him not looking like he’s completely insane. Possibly ironic, but the fact that he seems to have only war crimed his own damn country is likely also useful here. Other governments typically don’t care/won’t get involved to a degree of outright declaring war over that. And it leaves some room for arguing that he’s capable of some restraint. So how quickly things go to hell probably depends on whether he goes back on any alliances or makes good on/is cornered into making good on his Shadow Fold threat.

So I don't know, basically I think there's a ton you could extrapolate from his personality, actual world history, and like fascist takeover 101 sdfghj but it's also somewhat unsatisfying to speculate about because it's impossible not to constantly run into thin points in the worldbuilding. But basically I think he would probably rule with an eye for sweeping, harsh reforms, consolidating power, and chipping away at any opposition or potential adversary, with a general decided disinterest in the popularity or lack thereof of any of his policies. And I also think unless someone got him to take a deep breath and chill out for five minutes and relearn the value of diplomacy things would get. how you say. really fucking bad.

This was incredibly unorganized I hope it answered your question at all sdfghj

[sophieinwonderland]

I think the r/system cringe discord server has the right intentions, but are doing things in the wrong way. In the end it seems both sides (You/People with ideas like you and the r/system cringe server) want to end the spread of misinformation, but both have different ideas of what said misinformation is and how to go about it. I have not been in the server longer and have been observing, I think attacks against each other should cease and you should talk things out. You both give interesting POVs on the topic of endogenic/mixed origin systems and it would be interesting to see a (civil) debate happen. Thoughts on this?

I and many others have tried to speak in r/systemscringe, and the result of speaking politely with sources to back up what you're saying has traditionally been getting mass-downvoted and banned.

Some people in the server have said they want civil debate, and I'm sure they do. It's a controlled environment where any pro-endos will be outnumbered. If they say the wrong thing, they can be banned from the server. And meanwhile, server members can namecall and toss slurs at them with no repercussions.

And unlike Reddit which anyone can see if they happen to be there, it's a private server and the only people whose eyes will ever be on the conversation are members.

I don't feel a debate would be worthwhile or productive.

As for having the right intentions... I think you could say that about a lot of groups.

Anti-vaxxers legitimately believe vaccines cause autism, and their intentions are trying to protect children from developing a potentially debilitating mental disorder. Their intentions are very noble. Protect children from big pharma. It doesn't matter that their research is debunked, has failed to be replicated by any studies, and that their actions will actually lead to deaths of children from diseases. Their intentions are good.

Many Pro-Lifers honestly see pro-choicers as baby killers. Many TERFs see trans women as a threat to women's rights. Many xenophobes are totally convinced people immigrating across the border are violent invaders. You can defend a lot of hate and bigotry with "good intentions."

Some members of these cringe communities probably do have good intentions too. (Although some are just bullies and want to mock people for being different.)

For example, some of these cringizens have experienced ableism first hand from the medical community who has denied their experiences. And who do they blame for this? "Fakers." They believe there is a mass number of evil fakers in the world who are pretending to be plural, and that it's those people who are responsible for all of their ills and the ableism they've suffered.

It's easy to point blame at other marginalized people for what you suffer. In fact, it's more rewarding to be able to mock the little guy than to truly take on institutions that are so much more powerful than you are.

And that's a huge reason that these people are going to be resistant to the correct information too. If you spend all day looking for "fakers" to the point where you start deriving joy from mocking anyone who presents slightly different, you become disincentivized to change.

In the end, I can make a post with quality academic sources disproving popular talking points from r/systemscringe...

And the sad truth is that it's unlikely to change a single mind.

Because their beliefs are so entrenched that no amount of evidence or sources will be able to convince them that they're wrong.

[morlock-holmes]

in the early days after Oct 7th i was trying to get across the idea to people that what Hamas did was a bad thing no matter how much worse Israel is, and a consistent refrain from people was that there is no such thing as Israeli Civilians, that everyone who lives on that land who isn't Palestinian is de facto an enemy combatant and any violence against them is justified. It strikes me as such a bizarre and anti-human statement i hate it

A person I follow (who probably doesn't want to be part of this conversation) said that here in America there was a hard core of scumbags who were actively cheering the October 7th attacks, and that these people were pretty rare, and then a larger group of people whose opinion was that, essentially, October 7th doesn't matter, that it's been rendered completely meaningless by the Israeli response, and is now such a political nullity that ethical people simply shouldn't see it as a meaningful thing.

I find that latter attitude deeply frustrating.

Israel has now inflicted, what are we up to, 12 October 7ths on Gaza in retaliation, and phrasing it that way massively *understates* the horror of the Israeli response to October 7th. In a just world Netanyahu and all his cronies would be locked in a dark cell for the rest of their lives.

That doesn't just erase October 7th from history.

In general, on my dash there is this pose or pretense of *ignorance* that drives me insane.

"Gosh I have no idea what could have happened that would make 'From the river to the sea' sound worrisome to people!"

"Isn't it obvious that Israel is the only obstacle towards peace in the region and once they go away they'll inevitably be replaced with a multicultural peace? I can't for the life of me think of a single reason people would be skeptical."

Or, "I can't believe that we're arguing about an ethnostate in the 21st century, how is that still happening?"

Oh, I can answer that, it's the Holocaust. You know, almost certainly the most historically important thing to ever happen in living memory?

Minority seperatism (Not just Israel, but things like Black Nationalism in the US) gathered steam as it became clear how thoroughly dedicated the majority in a nation could become to destroying its minorities.

It began to look to a lot of people that just hoping that the majority would be civilized enough to treat certain minorities as equal citizens was a mug's game, and that if you are an insular minority within a nation that said nation can simply revoke your protections as citizens and, exactly because you are a diffuse minority (perhaps even one that believed itself to be so integrated into society that there was little need to organise in self-defense) you will be in a very bad place to defend yourself.

Watching exactly that shit happen multiple times over the 19th and 20th century made this position appealing to a lot of people.

Look, I am not a fan of this kind of seperatism. I don't endorse it or believe in it. But the roots of it are incredibly fucking easy to understand and given the history of the 20th century can't be dismissed as just a crazy unfounded paranoia.

This kind of profession of ignorance and this pretense that, sure October 7th was bad or whatever but going forward it should be ignored because it didn't really, like, mean anything is starting to make me genuinely angry.

One can disagree with all that stuff but stop pretending to be confused about why people are saying it.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 26

It is no wonder that Henry and Eleanor are excellent at reading true intentions amid a sea of obfuscating speech, General Tilney has been their training. And again, no wonder Henry loves the plain spoken and honest Catherine! A whole paragraph of pretending that he will show up at random leaves us with the exact knowledge that General Tilney will visit Woodston Wednesday at about 12:45 p.m. He also expects a perfect dinner, of which Henry is well aware but Catherine thinks isn't important. Leading to this excellent speech from Henry:

“Why! How can you ask the question? Because no time is to be lost in frightening my old housekeeper out of her wits, because I must go and prepare a dinner for you, to be sure.”

Poor housekeeper! I wonder how often the General scares her out of her wits.

But the inexplicability of the General’s conduct dwelt much on her thoughts. That he was very particular in his eating, she had, by her own unassisted observation, already discovered; but why he should say one thing so positively, and mean another all the while, was most unaccountable! How were people, at that rate, to be understood? Who but Henry could have been aware of what his father was at?

Catherine, I'm with you. The General sucks, please just say what you mean when you talk, people.

Catherine has done the unimaginable, she's gotten used to the Abbey, "the abbey in itself was no more to her now than any other house" something she couldn't believe about the Tilney siblings a while back!

Catherine viewing Woodston and Elizabeth viewing Pemberley, both girls trying not to praise the house too much so they won't be judged:

Catherine’s mind was too full, as she entered the house, for her either to observe or to say a great deal; and, till called on by the general for her opinion of it, she had very little idea of the room in which she was sitting. Upon looking round it then, she perceived in a moment that it was the most comfortable room in the world; but she was too guarded to say so, and the coldness of her praise disappointed him.

With a glance she saw that he had lost none of his recent civility; and, to imitate his politeness, she began as they met to admire the beauty of the place; but she had not got beyond the words “delightful,” and “charming,” when some unlucky recollections obtruded, and she fancied that praise of Pemberley from her might be mischievously construed. Her colour changed, and she said no more. -Pride & Prejudice

I think those are the only two novels where the heroine views the heroes house, we have the Sotherton scene in Mansfield Park but that's a totally different vibe. Anyway, Catherine is fully aware that she hopes this house will someday be shared with herself and she's trying to hold her excitement back.

And then Catherine gets to play with a little of puppies! Best outing ever!

Anyway, back to the beginning of the chapter, Catherine again wants to get her nose into something that isn't her business, the possible engagement between Frederick and Isabella. Henry tells her not to worry about it, and I think he's pretty sure that his brother and Isabella aren't engaged so it won't matter. Besides, Henry is well aware that his father would never approve Isabella, jilter or no.

The paragraph about the Lady Frasers not being in the country makes me suspect that General Tilney only visits the upper crust in his neighbourhood, which would explain some of Eleanor's loneliness and isolation. All the "friends" he mentions are either nobility or he takes the time to mention that they are rich. He's the worst.

Henry, with the friends of his solitude, a large Newfoundland puppy and two or three terriers, was ready to receive and make much of them.

Have I mentioned that he is the perfect man? He even has dogs!

first into a smaller apartment, belonging peculiarly to the master of the house, and made unusually tidy on the occasion unlike Henry's room at the Abbey which is... littered with GUNS!!! (I will never get over that)

So, improvements.

having reached the ornamental part of the premises, consisting of a walk round two sides of a meadow, on which Henry’s genius had begun to act about half a year ago, she was sufficiently recovered to think it prettier than any pleasure-ground she had ever been in before, though there was not a shrub in it higher than the green bench in the corner.

Mansfield Park really gets into improvements, mostly in a negative light, and another Henry (Crawford) talks about doing extensive renovations to another parsonage (Edmund's). General Tilney's suggestion that a cottage be torn down to improve a view when someone is probably living there seems a bit chilling, but I don't think Henry is being shown in a unfavourable light. After all, even though he only lives at Woodston half of his time, we know he's involved in the parish and attending meetings. Also, the General is using the improvements to give heavy hints to Catherine.

The problem with improvements in Mansfield Park seems to be their superficial nature. Edmund wants himself and his house to be loved despite their flaws and perceived deficiencies, Rushworth wants his house improved but seems to be a largely absentee landlord, Henry Crawford improved his gardens but neglects his tenants.

Sense & Sensibility has John Dashwood improving his house as well, something that Elinor is clearly disgusted by, I think because he's erasing significant history for fashion. Emma admires Knightley's house which is in the old English style and not very improved in Emma. (That's another heroine touring a house, but she's seen it before, so again not the same vibe).

Anyway, Catherine is left holding out hope that she will return to Woodston some day soon, hopefully as Mrs. Tilney!