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a reminder:
- not all israelis support the IDF's violence
- not all jews support the IDF's violence
- when we criticise israel, we are supposed to be criticising the government and those who individually support the ongoing genocide in gaza
- if you are condemning every single individual in israel, you are an antisemite
- equally, if you are condemning every single individual in gaza for the october attacks, you are an islamophobe
- there is no moral justification for the deaths of 13,000 palestinian children
- there is no moral justification for the 1100+ civilians killed in the october 7th attacks
- if you assume that every jew you come across supports the ongoing actions of the israeli government, you are an antisemite
- you can support palestinian resistance without asserting that hamas are good and blameless
- if you assert that the reason for broadly pro-israel media coverage worldwide is that jews control the media, you are an antisemite
- attacking random jews online with no affiliation to the israeli government will not, shockingly, aid those in gaza
- if you wish to support gaza, there are many resources available to help you donate/protest/petition etc
Edit: some people in the tags and replies have pointed out my misuse of the term 'zionism' as well as parts of this post which implied things that I didn't intend them to. I have edited those bits so that they better reflect what I am trying (but clearly poorly wording) to say.
#feel free to add#i'm not involved in this conflict but i like to think that i can listen and learn and be empathetic as we all should be#none of these are original points but i think that they should be reiterated#many people seem to be losing sight of their morals amidst the hatred#palestine#gaza#israel#antisemitism#islamophobia#judaism#jewish#free palestine#free gaza#some of you just seem to need to remember this#mine
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Sworn to Devotion: Chapter 2 - Part 4
>> “Why were you cold to my brother?��
(Art by @lovelyladylavie)
It takes a minute to work up the courage, but eventually Donnie asks, “Why were you cold to my brother?”
April blinks at the blunt question. “Your brother?”
A blush spreads across Donnie’s face as he realizes he slipped and asked the wrong question.
He coughs, “A-hem, yes, my brother. The, uh-” the softshell scrambles to salvage the situation “-the slider I ride next to. The one who wears the same armor as me but in blue. Yes, that brother. The only brother I have.”
A few seconds pass before April’s eyes narrow at Donnie, and she leans forward until her face is mere centimeters away from his. The softshell feels his palms become cold and sweaty as the princess stares him down.
“I don’t think that’s who you were referrin’ to,” April starts, her determined eyes searching his nervous ones, “But your ‘brother' is cocky and egotistical. Though he's decent with wielding his twin katanas.”
Before Donnie can sigh in relief that he’s off the hook, she pulls back and states, “However, I’d like to know who you were originally referrin’ to.”
She picks up a piece of cracker and pops it in her mouth, still staring at him while she chews.
Donnie shifts uncomfortably under her intense gaze. “But I–”
The knight barely gets a word in before she adds, “And I won’t be entertainin’ any other conversations until you tell me the truth.”
Donnie sucks in a breath, mentally cursing at himself for slipping and asking such a dumb question. His father would smack the back of his head with his tail if he were here! Normally he’s so so good about keeping a tight lip, not letting anyone know that he’s related to the crown prince and the royal family.
But… Princess April is marrying into the family. She’ll learn about one of the crown’s best-kept secrets eventually. Maybe she should know about it sooner rather than later.
“I, well… Princess, are you good at keeping secrets?” Donnie asked, his fingers tapping on his kneepads.
She shrugs. “Well, I’ve kept secrets from my father more times than I can count, and my castle staff seem to trust me.” She pops another small piece of jerky in her mouth to make a point, though it takes her a minute to chew and the atmosphere between them grows uncomfortable. “A-hem, so, if my people trust me, then I don’t see why you can’t.”
Donnie nods, looking down at his twiddling thumbs. Her nonchalant response brought him some comfort, but still left much to be desired.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, despite the fact we’ve barely known each other a week at most.” Donnie picks his words carefully. “It’s just that it’s a secret very few know about. Not even the lords and ladies you’ve spoken to know about it.”
That catches April’s attention. “Say what now?”
“None of the lords and ladies you conversed with know about it,” he reiterates, “And… if I were to tell you, I need you to promise you won’t tell the rest of the court.”
The princess sits up straight. “Sir Donatello, I promise not to tell a single soul. On my honor as the princess of Old York.”
The knight searches her eyes for any sign of dishonesty, but finds none.
He sucks in a deep breath, steeling himself. “Prince Raph is my half-brother.”
(Poll below offers a perspective switch. The first is to switch to April, the second keeps it on Donnie. :3c)
>> Donnie explains his convoluted, drama-filled family tree.
#interactive apritello story#apritello interactive story#interactive story#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles#rise of the tmnt#rottmnt#rottmnt apritello#apritello#rise apritello#poll#my poll#Which perspective would you like to see?#Who's mind would you like to dig your grubby little fingers into?#>:3c
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if janus takes clary there will be so many parallels to valentine taking jocelyn. not to mention both will have a son/son figure at home. but i do doubt that this would happen in early twp, or at least not tlkof because the tmi gang is separated from the original plot line. from what i’ve gathered, tlkof won’t be that crazy with different povs like tda
i really wonder if the black volume tec book will be about the janus situation or if it ends with them finding out about him and then some shit going down and that’s the spicy little cliffhanger before twp2
wish i had more info. i’m low key very frustrated with the whole kickstarter situation because we should have had the first chapter of tlkof by now 😐
First off, agree with the kickstarter situation. Before I get hated on, I know Cassandra is just one person. HOWEVER, the kickstarter was so expensive, even just the regular prices, and I can’t imagine how much shipping costed as well! I think the main problem is the lack of updates or even vague updates, I’m surprised we don’t have TLKOF by now especially since she’s been dropping TWP content left and right lately. And to quickly reiterate, people payed SO MUCH FOR THIS!! Really hoping these people are able to get it by the end of the month. Praying for all you kickstarter people!
Also, absolutely love the Janus and Clary parallel to Valentine and Jocelyn, I didn’t even think about that! Janus is such an interesting character and I’ll be honest I’d prefer a human main villain for TWP than a demon one. Absolutely hated the Belial plot for TLH, and it would have made more sense for Tatiana to be the overarching villain. Also not to mention, TDA and TMI (especially) have the best villains and none of them are demons! My #truth. Also yeah, I think the first TWP is going to be more mystery focused (at least the Kit and Ty plot). I can imagine that maybe Dru’s plot is more Faerie based! Also I think for TWP the first book POVs will be Dru, Ash, Kit and than probably other minor POVS (think Thais/Anush, maybe a Janus POV, possibly other characters). Although I have to say my truth, I prefer the first books mainly from one point view. Clockwork Angel, lady midnight and city of bones EATTTTT as first books.
Also I like TBVOTD being about the TMI gang finding out about Janus!! I always forget about TBVOTD.
Thank you so much for the ask!!! 100% agree with anon ❤️🔥
#the shadowhunter chronicles#tsc#shadowhunters#cassandra clare#the wicked powers#twp#seasons of shadowhunters#kickstarter#asks#ask#clary fairchild#Janus#Thule#black volume of the dead
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Screenshot Overanalysis Time!
I've actually spent so much time thinking about this image because no one else talks about it, and it's led to headcanons that range in realism from 'this is possible ig' to 'this definitely isn't true but it's still fun to think about'. So being sure to keep that in mind, I'm gonna describe said headcanons.
So, based on google searches for archangels, there are multiple ideas for how many there are, and one of those ideas is 7 (disregarding Lucifer ofc). Those 7 are Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Camael (also spelled Chamuel), Jophiel, and Zadkiel. This is the idea that I'm going to run with to say that the 6 figures in the screenshot are the other archangels. "Oh but how would they be the 7 archangels if there's only 6 of them-?" Well that's what I thought at first, but I'm also persistent. So I started thinking that maybe one of the archangels didn't exist until after Lucifer fell, possibly replacing him (I'll be using Zadkiel to fill this role throughout the post). Of course I don't know much about the system in this universe's Heaven, along with if they'd even feel the need to replace him to begin with, so it was originally just a random fun idea to me more than a genuine possibility.
However, something has since been brought to my attention that makes my idea make more sense. The 7 Heavenly Virtues. Though lesser acknowledged, there is one for each of the Deadly Sins, who we already know exist in the Hazbin Universe, including Lucifer representing Pride; Which is exactly what interested me about it. If the Virtues do exist in Hazbin Hotel's Heaven, that could mean that Lucifer used to be the Virtue of Humility, before unintentionally creating and becoming Hell's parallel to that, the Sin of Pride. With this idea in mind, I think this would make it much more likely for Heaven to actively need a replacement after he fell, they would've needed a new Virtue of Humility. So when Lucifer fell, there would have only been 6 archangels left, the same number we see in this scene, before they had the chance to create Zadkiel.
Also, just to cover my bases and mention the possible argument of Lucifer being a seraphim, I don't think that's technically been confirmed (or if it has, hey it's not like I thought this idea would turn out fully canon anyway lol). Yes, he has 3 sets of wings, which traditionally indicates a Seraphim (from what I've heard in this fandom at least, I have not studied the Bible myself). But we also know that Vivienne doesn't necessarily adhere to biblical accuracy, so this may just be how she's chosen to depict archangels. The main reason I would believe that were the case is the fact that all 6 figures behind him also have 3 sets of wings. These technically could also be Seraphim, but I feel like story-wise it would make more sense to me for them to have been archangels than more seraphim. this is partially because none of the halos look like the one we see on Sera, and I think it would be safe to assume if they were Seraphim in that moment, Sera would have been there with them.
Before I post this, I'm just gonna reiterate in case people wanna take this too seriously; This is mostly a fun and interesting idea that I know won't be true. Just let me do a bit of theorizing without the pressure of realism in this show that isn't exactly the perfect model of realism itself.
In conclusion, I wanna see archangels in the show so bad you don't understand- I've made picrew designs for them at this point, maybe I should post them, for the fun of it 👀
#i think previous fandoms conditioned me into literally warning people before posting any headcanon/theory that might be a little out-there#anyway call me matpat the way im overanalyzing a single screenshot to reach a completely unrealistic outcome#hazbin hotel#lucifer morningstar#lucifer hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel headcanons#hazbin theory#archangels
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So...
Is Night at the Museum 4: Kahmunrah Rises Again being classed as cannon by people, or...?
Besides the insulting lack of Jedtavius, (and lack of the ongoing gag of “small men do something that’s horrifying to them, yet nothing to us (i.e. the car tire, the squirrel, and the vent), this isn’t what the post is about... it’s about the inconsistencies.
Like, yeah sure there were a few in the original three, but they weren’t show stopping, or ruining the magic, or even confusing things, such as; Cecil Fredrick’s implying that he only found out about the magic of the tablet when he took the job as a Night Guard, and then enjoyed the magic. But, in the third movie it’s as if he knew ALL ALONG. No mention of Rebecca in the second movie, none of the “Amelia Earhart Look-Alike” in the third. Or, Kahmunrah being wax rather than being a mummy. But, I can overlook that...
HOWEVER!
I will not overlook the magnitude in NATM 4.
Let’s talk inconsistencies.
There was no Joan of Arc in the original 3. Yes, I understand WHY they did this, but still, it was never even mentioned there was an exhibit dedicated to her. (Did they get a section for her between films?)
There was a severe lack of Teddy/Sacagawea, as if it was forgotten. (As there was of Jedtavius, but I can see why they cut that out.)
Larry has meant to have moved on, went to college, got a degree, and gone into teaching, yet he’s back at the museum??? Working as a night guard??? NATM 3 is about moving on, and letting go, but... now he’s back...
Where was Don??? Y’know? Erica’s boyfriend??? Don is never really brought up again in the next two films after the first, but they were dating, enough that Nicky sorta looked up to him and Erica trusted him to pick up Nicky. Did they break up, and it was never mentioned???? Ever...
And that’s another thing, Nicky’s meant to be in college at this point. To reiterate, that was the point of the third film, moving on and becoming better. Remember, one of the conflicts was Nicky had no idea what he wanted to do, he wanted to go DJ and Larry wanted him to go to college. He should not in High School. Not to mention, Nicky was flirting with that girl in the third movie at the very beginning, and didn’t appear to have a girlfriend, and the way NATM 4 implies that he’s TOTALLY gone for Mia, it would seem that they would be a “power couple”.
ANOTHER THING! Dr. McPhee is let on in the secret at the end of NATM 3. He is made aware that everything in the museum comes to life at night, and he sees it, and he’s amazed, he even finds it rather funny. Yet in NATM 4, he has no idea they come to life, and Nicky is trying to usher him out the door. And, McPhee seems to hate Nicky and Larry, despite in the end rather liking Larry and being thankful to him for taking the fall for the entire situation with the exhibits attacking.
ALSO, where is Ahkmenrah??? Did he just... vanish? Does he no longer exist??? Did he go back to England???
Which is also ANOTHER point. The reason at the end of NATM 3 everything came to life, was because it is a moving exhibit and was visiting New York. It doesn’t stay in one place for a long time, so it seems to have moved on from The Museum of Natural History, so... why does The Museum of Natural History STILL have the tablet? It should have gone with Ahkmenrah and the English Exhibit, and if it didn’t, Dr. McPhee would have probably been arrested. And, that’s what the exhibits wanted in NATM 3, for Ahkmenrah to have the tablet, and to be with his family.
Maybe the moving exhibit is still there? If so, what about Tilly??? She should still be there too, and I don’t think she would leave Laa, nor would Laa leave Tilly again. And if they did stay, Tilly would have been a good Night Guard rather than Nicky. And if they’re still there, where is Lancelot??? Where is Merenkahre and Shepseheret??? Where is Trixie??? (Therefore, it’s my belief that the moving exhibit is no longer there.)
Not finished yet! Another thing to note is... Kahmunrah is meant to be dead. Remember, he was pushed into the Afterlife through the Gate to the Underworld, right? Well, why and how is he back? “But OP, it’s another wax figure” I can hear some of you yelling; then why does he know what happened? If it’s a different wax figure, he shouldn’t know. Remember in NATM 2, when Larry found a bust of Teddy and Teddy had no idea who Larry was??? I do! So... it’s CLEARLY meant to be the same Kahmunrah.
Maybe it takes place between NATM 2 and 3??? But, it can’t! Because, Laa is there, and Laa was only introduced at the beginning of NATM 3. If Laa wasn’t there, I would have rather easily been able to say “it takes place between NATM 2 and 3″, but because he is, it means it’s MEANT to be after 4.
Maybe it takes place DAYS after the end of NATM 3??? Again, Larry and Nicky shouldn’t be there, the English Exhibits and Tilly should still be there, McPhee should know what’s going on, and Kahmunrah still shouldn’t remember/should not be alive and Akhmenrah should have been there.
There’s probably more, such as posters and pictures shouldn’t be moving in the Museum of Natural History, which is why Larry found the Smithsonian so cool, because the pictures moved unlike theirs, and they shouldn’t be used as portals as it was NEVER referenced before.
Also, the fact Joan had powers and Seth was a real God which should be impossible, given the fact everything else in the museum’s don’t work like that. Like sure, things like volcanoes blowing up is a thing, but like... besides things directly tied to the Tablet, things so as magic, permanent damage and stuff isn’t real.
Joan had hallucinations and more than likely a mental illness, so to see it used like THAT was just so not good. (A way with words I know) Yes, she had visions and later they came true, but the way it was used was wrong. As if what Joan saw was fact, rather than Joan having a mental illness, and trying to fulfill it. (There is nothing wrong with having mental health issues, or anything like that. I just believe the way they used her mental health and her hallucinations was wrong.)
And Seth... while I can see something like this being done, it was the fact it was done with laser eyes, like... THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN! The tablet doesn’t seem to let that sort of thing happen. (But, then again actually; given that Seth is more tied to the tablet I think it could. I think my main issue with that is; the laser eyes. I think it angered me more than I thought it did.)
So, yeah take this rant... I clearly didn’t like NATM 4... oops
#night at the museum#night at the museum 4#natm#rant#nerd rants#nerd stuff#nerd time#natm 4#natm 4 spoilers#night at the museum: kahmunrah rises again#night at the museum 2#night at the museum: battle of the smithsonian#night at the musuem 3#night at the museum: secret of the tomb#natm 2#natm 3#dr mcphee#larry daley#nicky daley#kahmunrah rises again#natm kahmunrah#ahkmenrah#teddy roosevelt#teddy natm#natm sacagawea#attila the hun#natm laa#joan of arc#seth natm#natm seth
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A Shadow’s Scattered Thoughts on “Journey to the West”
Alright, people. Blame @semisolidmind for getting me into Lego Monkie Kid. Finally decided to check out the original “Journey to the West. Strap yourselves in because there will be NO organization or cohesion to this whatsoever!
I’m at Chapter 20 right now and so far…
-Wukong’s a little pretentious and entitled but, considering none of the monkeys of Huaguoshan questioned the existence of a fully-furnished palace in Water Curtain Cave, I’m not surprised.
-Shifu Subhodi definitely WAS harsh striking Wukong on the head, as I had heard about before. However, IT WAS ALL A SECRET CODE FOR SECRET IMMORTALITY LESSONS! Hallelujah, he’s not as big a jerk as I feared. Still, there are better ways to get your point across, sir.
-At first, it seemed like the book went on long tangents of unrelated stories. I began to think this was less a book with one overarching storyline and more a collection of stories. Then, I finally got to when Tang is chosen to go on the journey. I realized it was all BACKSTORY.
-The Celestial Realm is simultaneously more and less merciful than I thought. On one hand, they kept giving Wukong chance after chance when he’d get upset and beat someone up or something. On the other hand, they beat and banished Wujing over BREAKING A CUP.
-I was super confused on Lego Monkie Kid’s characterization of Ao Lie when the book first implied he set his father’s palace on fire on purpose. Continuing, it seems more like he lit the place on ACCIDENT. WHICH MAKES HIS WHOLE “AVOIDING CARELESS ACTIONS” and “MY POWES HAVE ONLY EVER GOTTEN ME IN TROUBLE” SPIEL MAKE TOTAL SENSE!!!!!!
-There is so much poetry in here, guys. So So So Much.
-Speaking of poetry, it reminded me of both the Odyssey and several Shakespeare plays where they pause to sing a song or something.
-Why does the author keep making the characters reiterate what just happened? They Do The Thing. Then they gotta explain to someone else The Thing. There’s rarely an instance of “and they recounted the events just described” and leave it at that.
-Why does the Jade Emperor need to take a carriage to go literally anywhere? Even just to the other side of the courtyard? Is it a really big yard?
-Tripitaka DID seem like an overreacting crybaby but then I thought “this is PTSD at work” and IT ALL MAKES SENSE. He gets kidnapped by ogres who kill and eat his personally chosen companions (who came from his monastery and whom he most likely grew up with as friends) before his very eyes. Of course he’s going to freeze up and/or freak out every time a monster appears and Wukong needs to leave his side for whatever reason.
-Related, crying now that you have to walk to the West seems ridiculous until you think it might be more crying about how he was nearly eaten by the dragon that ate his horse!
-Seriously, I could go on about Tang’s unusually frequent crying and how it relates to potential PTSD and delayed reaction to said trauma.
-People keep calling the disciples ugly right to their faces and I Do Not Appreciate It. On another note, Wukong is surprisingly chill about this.
-Bodhisattva Guanyin used a fillet on a bear yaogaui in one chapter. I was not expecting that. Maybe ancient ideas of mercy are different compared to today?
-I’ve read and seen SO many stories of how Zhu Bajie kidnapped the human woman he married but that’s…not what happened. Sort of. They married with both her and her family’s consent. It was only after his true appearance, huge appetite, and poor manners were revealed that her family tries to get rid of him. He keeps his wife away from them as a result. Normally, I’d say good for him for trying to cut off toxic people but his wife was described as pale and unkept when Tang and Wukong arrive. So…she’s not doing good and should really be returned to her family.
-Wukong laughs at people and calls himself “Old Monkey” a lot.
More scattered thoughts to come!
#Journey to the West#jttw#sun wukong#wukong#tang#tripitaka#zhu bajie#sha wujing#lmk#lego monkie kid#ao lie#guanyin#scattered thoughts#Tw murder#tw death#tw kidnapping#Tw ptsd
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Triggering content and topics of racism, harassment, cancel culture, and media literacy are below. This is extremely long and has nothing to do with any of my works or BTS, but addresses the recent cancellation of creators on this platform and some personal statements I want to make.
For anyone who isn’t aware, once again there are people using @/chaibts to attack people. I don’t want to act as a mouthpiece for M, but as a friend and a fellow content creator, it’s really frustrating to see someone chased off of this website by anonymous users on a forum where none of the conversations being had, or accusations being made appear to be in good faith or from well-intentioned submitters.
I think a lot of what is being posted on this blog is being posted in bad faith under the guise of holding creators accountable. This blog is primarily being used by individuals who allow no room for other opinions, nuance, context or for the people accused of certain content to defend themselves or apologize and grow if needed. I do want to say that there are some submissions on the blog that have done a great drop of calling attention to issues with users in the community, but a majority of the submissions are not.
Disclaimer: I am completely aware that not all of our experiences are the same and that each individual person experiences discrimination and racism differently and I’m not negating that. I am aware that my experience as an American-born Latina makes all of my experiences with racism, discrimination, and microaggressions different than people from other non-white communities, and my entire experience and interpretation of this scenario are based on my experience. I am not, at any point, under the impression that my experiences are the groundwork for making accusations.
I say all of this to provide context for the next part, which is that the scene that someone(s) found to be written from a place of racism, I beta-read for and helped M with. When I use the word racism in this context, the original poster believes that this scene was written with the specific intent to attack Asians, and that the scene displaying discrimination against Yoongi was from a place of bad faith, as well that there is no scenario in which a white creator should depict any sort of discriminatory transgressions, as they cannot perceive racism or discrimination.
Because I beta-read it and because I helped with this area of the fic, I feel like I should speak up and take some responsibility, and I want to say that M did ask others about the scene because it was incredibly important to show the discriminatory action in an impactful and respectful way. M, from this scene’s inception, asked thoughtful questions and asked me directly if the experience made sense, referencing my time working in a hotel where I first-hand witnessed similar dealings and experienced it myself. We talked about what the scene meant, how it reflected the real-life struggles of BTS in the Western music industry, and how it felt for someone to experience this in their career. As someone who has faced micro-aggressions my entire life and career - particularly in regard to my accent - I resonated with this scene, but I realize that may not be the case for everyone.
I in no way think I am the sole vocal piece for all marginalized communities nor do I think that my experiences dictate this discourse alone, so what I did not find triggering does not mean that it wasn’t. There is a difficulty when trying to showcase the struggles of marginalized groups in media, and it doesn’t always resonate the way it’s intended.
To reiterate: I am not Asian. I am Cuban-American, and very much a white Latina, and benefit from the fact that people treat me as a normal white person until I speak with an accent, which makes my experience very different than anyone else visibly not-white. It is entirely possible that the reason I was not triggered or did not find this scene troublesome was because I am not the specific ethnicity mentioned and I 100% acknowledge that. I also did not see an issue with a white creator showing this moment, however, I also understand that not everyone feels that way and that is completely acceptable.
I’m not going to delve in and give a dissertation on how discrimination should and should not be represented in media and who should be able to write about it, but I wanted to talk about my relationship to the scene mentioned, because it leads me to what I really want to talk about on this platform.
What I want to talk about as the main issue is the cancel culture and bullying on this platform. What I have seen lately on Tumblr, including this ‘tea’ blog, is a complete refusal by people to consume media with any sort of media literacy and without any willingness to have nuance. M is not the only creator who has been bullied off of Tumblr recently for something that, to me, warrants a conversation and not a hate campaign. This is happening more and more, and I am constantly seeing anonymous users in the ask boxes of content creators calling them racist, queerphobic, sasaensgs, fetishizers, and everything in between for the most ridiculous takes.
When I say that people are ‘chased’ off of Tumblr, I do not mean with pitchforks and torches of the masses who are rightfully escorting a wrong-doer off the internet. I mean by the constant harassment from one person or a small group of people who refuse to let anyone explain, refuse to give anyone apt time to respond, and refuse to accept any sort of response whether it’s editing the work in question, someone going on hiatus to think about whether or not they feel as though they’ve done wrong, or leaving entirely so that they’re no longer contributing to the discourse. This is the way our new ‘accountability’ system works, especially behind the protection of anonymity. It’s easy to feel as though you’re doing something right when there is nothing to tie you to the responsibility of your words and accusations.
It’s incredibly difficult as a friend and a content creator to see multiple people be bullied from this platform by users who absolutely refuse to believe anything but their own interpretation, and I think we are trivializing a lot of actually problematic topics by the approach being used. Accountability IS incredibly important, but the current trend is that no version of accountability is enough. Editing or deleting the story isn’t enough, an apology isn’t enough - nothing is enough.
If we are going to be a community that holds people accountable, we have to also allow the people we are accusing to respond, and apologize if/when necessary. We also have to consider if the content we personally find triggering is ACTUALLY at its core troublesome and problematic, and consider that our opinion is not the collective. We have to consider that if the collective community being referenced is telling you that they do not see the same problem that you do, they’re not also in the wrong, but might have a different perspective.
Anything else sort of just feels like a hate campaign with no true desire to protect the community they are speaking “on behalf” of. Especially in this instance, where there are now bipoc creators being attacked for having the audacity to defend a white creator. Why can members of the community being represented not provide their opinion on it without being insulted and called names? Is it, perhaps, because you cared more about getting rid of the person than you did about the issue? That’s what this translates to, especially when the previous stance of protecting a group becomes attacking that group because they don’t agree. When you begin attacking the members of the group you were originally trying to protect because it no longer fits your narrative, you negate any type of goodwill you entered the conversation with.
Again, this is my very limited and personal experience and I am open to the possibility that my take isn’t the right take or I am in a small minority that feels this way. I want this to be a safe community for everyone but in order to do that, we also have to consume content with an ounce of willingness to have nuance and give people a modicum of time to respond appropriately.
For the record, I know that this take and conversation is not for everyone, and I completely respect it if you no longer feel comfortable interacting with me. This is an uncomfortable topic. I may not be the best to represent a discussion on cancel culture on this website. I may not be the best to represent conversations on discrimination inclusion in fics. However this was something I was involved in, and it’s hurtful to see a friend suffer from what I think a lot of people agree to be something that was not worth this in the first place.
Reblogs are turned off because I have no interest in anyone dogpiling any creators or risking spreading bad takes. I wrote this purely because I felt like it needed to be said, and I am sure there will be negative repercussions, but that is the risk of existing in this space online.
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trigger warning: sexual assault (child sexual assault, animal child rape, grooming), mass harassment, zoophilia mention, beastiality mention, sexual nudity mention, self destructive behaviours
thank you everyone who sincerely wished for me to get help! fortunately i am already engaged with several therapists. i am thankful to the select few people who reached out & let me talk through everything with them, and helped me realize what was going on. this all led to me being able to speak about it with my support system and start working through my years of online exposure, break out of the cycle of harmful sexual behavior towards myself, learn to unpack why i felt the need to continue that unhealthy cycle and work on understanding the long term effects of animal on child rape, CSA, grooming, etc had on my hypersexuality, online presence and relationships.
turns out being dehumanized through years of sexual abuse and portraying those feelings by drawing yourself as a dog being sexually tortured is not normal behavior! crazy
trying to explore these very complex feelings through art ended with me, once again, exposing myself, my past trauma and my body to others. this is a vicious cycle and i now know just how dangerous, common, yet unspoken about the victimization cycle is for survivors of csa. this is why i won’t be apologizing for fleeing. it was the safest thing for me to do, not just because of some angry people on twitter, but from actual predators i was engaged with. i was in no state to speak up about everything considering all this entails.
in regards to the one zoophile i followed, they had ΘΔζ in their display name. from my understanding the first two are therian symbols (?) and i assumed the third was too. i assure you i shared the shock everyone else had when i realized what it actually meant. taking the time to actually look through shit & when i saw that person fantasizing about committing beastiality in their tweets, the realization hit that i was interacting with people who might’ve been harming real animals, it made me sick to my fucking stomach and thankfully changed my entire view on the situation. you are of course free to believe what you want, but i personally think it’s fucking insane that because of this mistake i am being made out to be someone who “actively endorses animal cruelty and rape”. i can promise you i’d have offed myself long ago if that was the case. i am horrified enough at myself for engaging in feral art at any point in my life but please know i do not align at all with people who wish harm or sexual acts on animals.
as much as i believe i was influenced during all this, i certainly did make decisions to make situations worse, including an attempt to make money, and i take full responsibility for that. i am sincerely sorry for any harm caused. none of this should have happened in the first place and it shouldn't have spiraled so far.
to reiterate and make clear: my art was not real and was not intended to represent reality. it was not meant to represent any harm or sexual acts being done to actual animals. it was not made to encourage zoophilia or acts of beastiality, nor did it represent my personal feelings towards animals. everything depicted was a character meant to represent parts of myself and used as a way to express feelings of dehumanization and to reclaim traumatic experiences. i am now of the understanding it was entirely wrong, and was unintentionally used by zoophiles. i am extremely sorry.
i promise you i have heard quite literally every variation of threat or disparage you could possibly make towards me. i wish to say that you are valid in your anger, however, all i ask is no other people get harassed. i have never and will never encourage hate speech of any kind, no matter what side you’re on.
the original callout itself inherently caused further harm to myself and others. i beg you to stop sending minors explicit porn and directing them to nsfw accounts. no drama is worth endangering more people.
i am putting hard limits on my future online presence and i simply won’t be further engaging with the furry community. however, art is something i am still passionate about and is my main source of income, so i am working on making that a safe activity for myself. my social media will be monitored with help from my disability support workers to help me with my muted fear response and lack of perception concerning safety & danger. i will not be personally interacting or messaging anyone, simply just using my platform to post illustrations. i am focusing on recovery, and you can choose to respect that or not. i know the harassment is something i will just have to live with, but know i will try not to be engaging with it for my own safety.
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if you’ve experienced any form of sexual assault as a child, please know you have a higher risk of revictimization. protect yourself. learn from my mistakes. access resources, speak to trusted adults. follow your gut. being led to seeing yourself as an inhuman animal and object can be incredibly dangerous. you don’t deserve to feel that way. don’t let people treat you as such.
for those of you who are genuinely trying to do the right thing and need an outlet for your anger — rather than doxxing, threatening and sending mass harrassment to already at risk individuals, i encourage you to utilize your time, skill sets and donations to support your local animal welfare officers. consider joining animal protection forces. report evidence of occurring animal abuse to authorities.
thanks for reading.
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There was just one thing I enjoyed in this week’s Fear The Walking Dead midseason finale (spoilers ahead): Morgan Jones is gone. Nothing against Lennie James, who is a fine actor and I suppose is doing the best with the absurd scripts he’s given, but I have rarely been so relieved to see a character written off a show. Outside of Ian Goldberg, Andrew Chambliss and Scott Gimple, nobody has done more to ruin this series than Morgan.
At the end of the episode, Morgan takes his adopted daughter, Mo, to Eastman’s graveyard and he sends out a walkie-talkie message to Rick Grimes of all people, a man he hasn’t seen in a decade who is almost certainly not anywhere near, who Morgan would probably not even remember much or care about at this point (we do as viewers, but realistically the other people he’s been friends with for all these years would be much closer friends by now) but who rightly assumes that if there is a way to find him, it’s with the magic walkie-talkies.
The rest of the episode was a jumbled mess. Morgan goes crazy and literally sees red. The screen goes red a bunch of times, as the showrunners drag this gimmick as far as they can. Mo stabs him at one point. At another, his companions leave him sinking in quicksand. At multiple points characters show up to exposit at one another, and other characters who probably should just shoot them fail to do so (more’s the pity).
Finch dies offscreen (seriously?) and then Dwight and Sherry, after all these years, break up. I guess that was alright, given how abhorrent their relationship was. They should never have gotten back together in the first place. What a silly way to end their arc, even if they were terrible for one another. Why were they even in this show to begin with?
Hey, why was PADRE in this show? They talked about it for half of last season, then introduced Shrike as this big bad villain and then killed her off in Episode 6! What?
One thing I also enjoyed: The look of pure happiness on Madison / Kim Dickens’s face when Morgan says he’s leaving. She looks genuinely thrilled to get her show back at long last.
And I suppose that’s where we’re headed in 8B. The new cast is mostly gone, either departing like Morgan or just not showing up this season, mysteriously, like Sarah or the rabbi. We’re left with Madison and Daniel and June, who will reunite with Strand and Luciana. I suppose Dwight and Sherry might still be around, just not together (maybe they’ll get back together in the series finale!) and the big bad will now be none other than Troy Otto.
Troy’s return has been leaked for a while now, but the final scene of this episode shows a mysterious figure with several items: Strand’s sunglasses, Alycia’s arm and the hammer that Madison used to “kill” Troy before the dam blew up quite literally on top of him. Naturally, he has survived all of this and is out for revenge . . . ten years later, give or take. What cartoonish nonsense.
I know some people are excited to see a return to a united original cast (or what’s left of it) and one of the show’s best villains (anti-heroes?) but I have zero faith whatsoever in the people who are producing and writing this show to deliver. I suspect it will be another six episodes of exposition, convenience, walkie-talkies, absurd scenarios and wooden dialogue, culminating in something very similar to what we got in this episode. Can’t wait for them to ruin another character!
Scattered thoughts:
Where did the zombie horde actually go?
Why were they so nice to Shrike in the end? She was a horrible person.
I think my favorite characters this season so far have been Strand and Luciana.
This was another very sloppy episode. I think Shrike was bitten on the other side of the neck from where the wound was shown.
I will reiterate here that I was never a fan of Madison, and her returning to be the main protagonist does not excite me. I liked the idea of her becoming a villain by the end of Fear but now she is just another cardboard person with no real identity outside of her interactions with Morgan.
Mo ended up being pretty ridiculous in the end, disregarding adults, leading children twice her age. She certainly never came across as an eight year old.
Finch’s line “Nobody should have to feel like this” was maybe the one good line, with any real emotional weight, in the entire episode.
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diary44
10/21-22/2023
saturday - sunday
today/tomorrow i am gonna see fire walk with me in a theater, which is crazy!
anyways, uhhhhh, i didn't do like anything useful today. i mean i cooked, cleaned, i worked out like i do every day, but i did not write riffs, i did not even listen to the songs. i kept putting that off, nervously i guess. it really scares me kinda i guess because i don't want to be super disappointed in all the songs, i get so easily worked up i guess. anything that makes me feel like i have to deal with something i sort of run from, which sucks totally.
anyways, a pic of me on the phone in the airport my gf took when we got to denver. usually i don't like other pictures taken of me by others, but this one i don't look ugly, you can also hardly see me so,
i was asking for directions in the airport, because it's so huge and weird.
right now i'm just thinking about super stupid stuff, like five nights at freddy's, which i have to reiterate, i think i'm reiterating, i've learned about almost totally from morbid fascination.
i'm thinking about its relative influence and also scott cawthon being an insane evangelical conservative. like, i keep thinking about pizzagate, which is wrong i suppose because many of the games that develop whatever lore, that comes in later. but it is definitely possessed by the same kind of satanic panic child abuse conspiracy stuff, so it's roughly already there. something is totally psycho about those games to me and like, the whole creepy kid's stuff horror rn. it's always been a thing for horror, like childhoods made horrifying, it's also like, one of the scariest times for anyone. it makes some sense, but i dunno, it's like so of this moment it feels hard to ignore the constant touching on 'trauma' and abuse and whatever in these games, the weirdness of the villains being so like, of a particular class, (like, walt disney types, creating a vague critique of something so vague it feels like video essay fodder more than anything else), the weirdness of the trauma (retreads all the satanic panic tropes of lost memories and things (re: lost memory/false memory, i've like actually experienced that and experienced being told that something i remembered didn't happen and that it really was covering something up that i could not recall at all, and none of this stuff really gets that feeling right. it's scary obviously but it only becomes horror in retrospect, in the moment, it's just endless illness.)) anyways this is all so stupid it doesn't seem like anyone should have to/want to think about it, but like, i dunno. it feels like the obsessions with like, content about true crime/its related forms (yt groomer exposes count imo) is in some level informed by this stuff, or this stuff is informed by that. there's a video some kid made actually about a pedophile teacher (or maybe headmaster) in his school, and he did it by using a frame narrative of analog horror files sent to him.
i don't think this stuff is explicitly / purposefully aiming itself in these directions always/mostly. i think there's a case of being artistically inspired and not examining what the originating point says/does, beyond just being something you love or whatever. and why would you be critical of it, it's so stupid and for kids and whatever. but i feel like that work's assumptions are basically carried by a bunch of other things and no one really examines what those assumptions are/who carried them/spat them out into life.
such pointless thought, though.
i wrote two tiny things today, a bit for a collaborative poem, and i wrote this image i saw in the shower. it came from patterns in the tile, super vivid, like flashes of real life in front of me, a dead fox in a hunter's arms, and the fox being shot. i can't explain why this, and i won't put the image down in full, but i felt it vividly, all the fleshiness and realness of that, in one half of a half second, and committed to memory.
anyways look at this new brand i found today on fashionsnap, called a practiced hand, their collection from a/w 2023. i totes love it.
anyways it is 4:30ish am so likeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Been seeing people say White Lily fans don’t address the academy incident when we say she’s a victim of trauma.
... today I’m gonna address the academy incident, plus my overall feelings on the ancients in general cause honestly I don’t like a lot of interpretations of them.
The first thing I wanna clear up is a bit of misinfo I’ve seen a few times now: no, White Lily NEVER suggested killing anyone. Anyone who says she suggested killing their headmaster to get a part of their soul is either misreading or acting in bad faith. Not much more to add there-- she suggested taking a part of the first headmaster’s soul from the other side which. While you can argue is morally flawed, is not killing someone.
Secondly, I really feel like we need to address how a. the plot doesn’t treat it as the big deal many of the fans do and b. how people are losing their minds over a mistake she made as a child.
Gonna do the second point real quickly cause for some reason there’s a lot of confusion here: it seems very very likely both Lily and Vanilla were intended to be children/teens during their academy days. The CG art we have of them shows them visibly shorter in proportions compared to their final designs. And to hammer the point in more (and something I’m mad they cut), White Lily’s blossom was originally a mere bud in this scene.
Now, kids should be held to account for their mistakes. But endlessly demonized and acting as if they are the spawn of satan for it? No... just... no.
The first part is more complicated cause the plot does treat it as a mistake. As they should. But... that’s all it was. A mistake.
The professors and the headmaster when Lily was a student don’t... harbor this grudge people seem to think they do against her. All they do is state the facts: White Lily was the cause of the school’s destruction. There. End of story.
... and in the same breath still praising her. She is, to this day, considered one of the finest students the academy has ever seen. Her single mistake and lasp in judgement doesn’t change this. So people holding it against her when those most directly affected by it don’t is... a bit much.
Also, even if she was the cause... if you are the cause of an accident, you often experience trauma of your own. Trying to assign blame to an accident, esp one done by a child, makes said trauma even worse. White Lily never intended to destroy the school. Period.
None of this is denying what she did was a mistake. And a display of some of her primary character flaws (she cares so much that she can often be blinded by that big heart and desire for knowledge). But it is pointing out that the idea that she can’t be a victim or traumatized or whatever else is wrong and a bold faced lie.
The ancients are not awful people; they are people with flaws, and this includes White Lily. A character is only as good as their flaws and virtues allow them to be after all. I think everyone hating one ancient to make their own look better (most commonly seen with PureLily shippers hating Cacao and PureCacao shippers hating Lily and viewing her as an obstacle) is just a wrong way of thinking. They’re all friends/could work romantically with one another and disregarding their close dynamic is a disservice to all of their characters. Making Lily and PV’s dynamic unhealthy is. Disregarding how Cacao literally almost killed a man for slandering her is. Trying to make PV out to have manipulated her/others is. Just. Let them be a close group. That’s how they work best.
Also, reiterating here that Lily’s description in the artbook all but confirms her and DE are somehow separate alright bye.
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So. Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1. The book is basically so beautiful that it will hurt your mind, which is to be expected, and I'm actually little torn about it in the sense that the sheer undeniable quality on display in this book, and how close this book gets to an utter ideal depiction of the DC Amazons and associated mythology, makes me that much more nitpicky and resistant to the periodic parts of the telling that I'm not quite 100% sold on. It's that old conundrum. The more you love a thing, the more you wanna take it apart. Uh. Maybe. Just me, then?
This story can, will, and should completely redefine the Wonder Woman mythos for years to come...and, as a fan, that frightens me as much as it excites. I want this to be doing exactly what it's doing because I can see what it's doing, but I'm also wary of some things that I see it doing.
This is a story built on rage and sadness and trainloads of strong emotional baggage. The first issue is painted at every turn with emotions so raw they tear at the pages themselves. And so the gods and the Amazons themselves depicted in the story are raw. Sharp. Grim. Implacable. Furious. And they deserve it, and are a perfect response to the sort of world that made them necessary.
I'll cut to the chase and just say that I hope that this book doesn't neglect the part of the DC Universe's Amazons that are about love and compassion and reform as well. I recently talked about how much I appreciated that the DC Amazons always seemed to be intended as an subversion of old messy stereotypes of man-hating feminists. I really hope this aspect of them -- this deliberate send-up to the idea that women who don't want to be literally violated by men must also want to do violence to men in return -- does not get neglected by this series and that these Amazons forge a path towards something new and meaningful as they seemed to have been created to do, instead of just repeating the violence of the past. That's what Wonder Woman is about, after all.
And I think that there may in fact be signs that this might indeed be where the story is heading. Again, I hope that I'm reading these signs right, and also fear that I'm not. I actually ended up liking the more down-to-Earth parts of the book about Hippolyta's origins a bit more than the larger-than-life dioramas of the goddesses' plans in motion. This part felt like a true origin story of a meaningfully powerful character, who will truly shape the course of the Amazons. And I love this Hippolyta -- the quintessential Wonder-Mom -- and am desperate to know exactly how she'll do that.
On a more mythological note with more mythological nitpicks (and these are truly nitpicks, but I'd be remiss not to address them), this issue basically divides the Olympian gods' opinions on women based on their gender; all the goddesses are sympathetic to the plights of women, bar none, and all the male gods to a tee couldn't care less. This had always been a bit of a questionable way to depict the Greek gods, even in Perez's day...a vastly binary and oversimplified rendition of the roles and narratives in a mythology where none of the gods are simply one good thing or one bad thing, where Ares actually punished rapists and Apollo freed slaves while Hera and Athena victim-blamed.
I know, I know; this is a retelling, a reinterpretion, not a 1:1 reiteration of a mythos that already had no real canon anyway, and the whole point of Wonder Woman's mythology since 1942 is that the stories we know are wrong while these are how how they really happened...in these cases. Believe me, I'm not pressed about a Wonder Woman book choosing to interpret gods in different ways. But the thing is that with mythology, the closer that you try to hew to the spirit of the ancient gods and stories -- and this Historia definitely does hew very, very, very closely in a lot of great ways -- the more noticeable your deviations become. It may work for this telling, it may be this way for incredibly valid narrative reasons, but at the end of the day you run the danger of missing as many points about these gods as you'd caught, fucking up as many elements as you'd gotten right, picking and choosing at the mythos as you did. It's that other old conundrum...if your retelling of the myths was bananas right from the outset, well, who cares how off-base it gets? See: Thor, Loki, Marvel. But the more marks you actually hit, the weirder your misses become.
In any case, this is a genre-defining book for all the right reasons and I cannot wait another second before issue two (Spring 2022? Spring 2022?? We'll all be dead by then!) which means every little thing about issue one will probably bug me forever!
#Wonder Woman#DC Comics#Amazons#Phil Jimenez#Kelly Sue DeConnick#Hippolyta#Queen Hippolyta#DC#superheroes#Wonder Woman: Historia#Artemis#Athena#Hecate#Hestia#mythology#Greek mythology#Greek gods#Olympians#Apollo#Ares#Overthinking
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Been following from afar for awhile, long enough to (generally) know what you mean, even if I personally don't always agree with your wording sometimes either, so I consider myself a pretty neutral audience to all the commotion earlier... that being said, I thought it was pretty big of you to apologize and even backpedal a little on the 'bad faith' accusations because to me it did seem like two people having two wildly different debates (which screams misunderstanding to me). I get and agree with what they had to say, and I think you deciphered the issue and course corrected very maturely. However, I can't help but feel it was all very performative when your followers start flooding in after the fact validating you and villifying the opposition and you turn around, agree and encourage the messages. Apologies are empty if you continue talking behind someone's back after you've accepted equal responsibility. All that other person really said to you was (not "hey you're wrong" but) newcomers will see this post and potentially read "American heathenry" and naturally assume "as a whole." That's it. And it was clear you didn't immediately pick up on that because you glossed over their points, said they made none, and then reiterated your original statement while crying bad faith. Now in your defense and to their discredit, their argument (while not incorrect) wasn't needed, and did upon first read through sound like an argument/correction, rather than an info dump to support WHY using "American" as a generalization is reductive and harmful (and outdated now that a great many more Americans are doing proper research and avoiding early imported "heathenry"). But that's it. A misunderstanding. No one was wrong or right and they never claimed otherwise and they even accepted your compromise in the end based on what I read between you. Not troll behavior at all! Idk... a little disappointed this is still ongoing after it looked like an understanding had finally been reached. But I don't think any less of you and will continue to look forward to seeing you on my dash! Just wanted to give my two cents since your asks are starting to look like an echo chamber.
Yeah…the way I see it, it was ultimately just a lousy misunderstanding.
Honestly? I don’t always know what to do in these kinds of instances. When I react one way but a lot of people say I should’ve reacted another way, it makes me second-guess myself.
I take time to entertain all kinds of perspectives. Often I’ll do this before really truly determining what I think. But when I’m still considering things, I’ll waffle around for a while and play “yes, and—” with the perspectives that come my way.
But in light of this ask, I realized I should be mindful of doing this in settings where I have an audience, since it does look like I’m back-peddling on an apology as a result, which is bad form. For what it’s worth, my apology does stand and I’m still reassessing the terms I use because they’re causing confusion. My goal is to creat less confusion, not more.
And as for the people in my ask box? Genuinely I think we’re just seeing a “your mileage may vary” phenomenon. Not everyone runs a big blog like this precisely because discourse is emotionally difficult to handle and logically difficult to discern. People get heated. I cleared the defense-asks out of my ask box because I was getting a surprising amount and figured I should address them.
Hopefully this all makes sense. Thanks for the input.
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Drunken Dares
Prompt + paring: Tattoo Parlour au, ‘night’ + Solangelo
A/N: Hellooo- i had the choice between a tattoo parlour au or a flowershop au but I'm already writing a pjo flowershop au so I thought I'd spice it up with a tattoo parlour au! I kinda wanted there to be a part two becuase I wanted a bit of bonding between the two so maybe if i remember, that may happen? Anyway- enjoy <3 from phi phi!
Read on A03 Writersmonth 2021 Masterlist
“Do I really have to do this?” Will groaned slightly. It was late at night and here Meg was, pushing him in a tattoo parlour.
“Yep!” She hummed as she pushed him forward.He tripped over his own foot as he flung through the double doors. He was about to continue reluctantly before realising the short minion who had forced him here was no longer by his side.
He turned around and frowned. “ Meg? Why aren’t you coming in?”
“I’m underage,” She hummed.
“You know you can just stand to the side?” Will asked, a slightly desperate undettone to his statement which Meg noticed. He was begging her not to leave him in the scary dark tattoo parlour which was full of buff, scary people.
“Sorry- but I must not break the law!”
“Last week you happily started trying to drive my car!” Will yelled at the glass doors. Alas, his yells were ignored as Meg blissfully ignored him as she continued her walk home, leaving William Andrew Solace in a tattoo parlour.
What was he meant to do?Walk up to the guy at the counter and tell him that he wanted a tattoo? He should have never gotten drunk and played truth or dare- he should have known that the first thing Leo would dare him would be to taint his beautiful freckled skin. The worst part ultimately was the fact that he had to get it on his chest.
Perhaps the gods above saw Will’s freak out or perhaps Leo was simply being extra nice when he saw Will in the middle of the parlour looking so out of place it was painful but either way, the next thing Will knew, he was being taken by the wrist towards the counter by none other than Leonidas Valdez; the very bastard who had gotten him into this mess.
“I’m surprised you actually came,” Leo commented.
“Meg forced me,” Will grunted.
“So,” Leo sighed as he tapped at the cigarette in between his fingers, “ Do you know what you’re getting?”
“Uhh… no, not really., How does this work? You tell them what you want and then they stab at your body with a needle?”
Leo let out a small scoff which had smoke billowing out of his lips and nose as if he was a chimney. “ No, darling- they shave, sanitise and then they stab at your body with a needle.”
“That made me feel so much better.”
Ignoring the evident sarcasm, Leo simply smiled. “ You’re welcome, blondie.”
Wil, ruffling at his hair, mumbled, “Shut up.”
Leo, who was significantly enjoying teasing Will, was cut off by Piper- one of the last people Will expected to see at the tattoo parlor. But on a second look, the tattoos on her abdomen spiraling up to her breasts and arms made Will wonder why he never noticed them.
“Oh Will- you’re actually here?” Piper's surprised voice rang out.
“Unfortunately.”
“Well the artist is ready for you,” Piper ushered him towards the dark room, only illuminated by the UV lights.
Will visibly gulped. Leo and Piper couldn’t help but interlock eyes and snort a little- after all, it was simply adorable at how nervous this newbire was.
Will took small steps and the second he passed the door, it slammed shut.
What the fuck- do the doors here have a mind of their own?
“Come in- take a seat,” A voice commanded. Will, who didn’t really have any choice but to listen to what he was being told, fumbled around, trying to figure out where he was meant to be going. It seemed that Will, in his internal chaos, did not notice the tattoo artist's leg propped up to the side and therefore, when Will finally did notice the leg- it had been the hard way.
He tripped and the next thing he knew, his wrist had made a new best friend. Bruised and swollen, Will’s wrist heavily ached- forcing him to let out a small groan of pain.
“Fuck, are you okay?” the voice rang out. Will heard a relative amount of fumbling and heavy footsteps and suddenly the room was flooded with light.
The face that he was met with was not one he was expecting. The boy had mid length hair- while it wasn’t really long, it was flowing over the nape of his neck slightly and it looked like it really got in the way of his eyes. He watched as the boy seperated the pieces of hair covering his eyes, creating an effortless look.
His face radiated an emotion that Will couldn’t describe- sadness? Or was it simply the face of someone who was content with little?
“Are you okay?” The man asked. Will watched- he had never seen such dynamic expressions and the way this man's face morphed into an expression of concern had him wrapt with all.
Will could only nod stupidly, his hand still clutching at his bruised wrist.
“Dya mind if I have a look at that anyway?” The artist insisted as he grabbed a med kit and sat on his spinning chair before wheeling himself towards Will who now sat on the chair that he was originally appointed.
He gently cradled Will’s wrist between his fingers, turning it round and round. His face contorted between emotion of worry and concern.
“It’s okay,” Will re-assured . “ It’s not sprained or broken, just a bit of bruising and swelling. Should be gone by tomorrow morning.”
“You sure?”
“I’m a doctor.”
“Ah,” He smiled slightly. “ I shouldn’t question you, Dr..?”
“Solace- but Will is fine. How about you?”
“Nico- Now let's have a look at what you want huh?” He closed the notebook he had been creating designs in before Will walked in and pulled out a collection of the most popular designs so far.
“These are the trending ones currently but I can always pull out something else if you want. Or if you have your own design that you wanted, I can try with it,” Nico offered. He pulled out a cigarette and flicked his lighter.- once, twice and a third time before grunting and pulling out a different one. Will watched, hypnotized, as Nico lit the cigarette.
Nico looked up and caught Will staring and shyly asked. “ You don’t mind do you?”
“No… but you should try and refrain from smoking. It’s really, really bad for you and I say this as a doctor.”
“You’re the 4th person today who has said that.”
“I’m alarmed that you managed to smoke that many times today,” Will said with concern.
Ignoring what Will had said, Nico continued. “Anyway, have you chosen anything yet?”
Will let out a heavy breath. “ Ah, no. My friends kinda forced me here but nothing here really matches… me.”
“What about this flower? Or the skull? “
Will shrugged. “ I don't think I’d want those on my skin permanently”
Nico nodded and continued smoking, while Will flipped through the latest designs. Nothing seemed to catch his eye as much as something he could have sworn he saw earlier. It was a stylised sun tatoo- nothing necessarily special but it reminded him of his mum- and his home.
“Excuse me,” Wil started, causing Nico to put his cigarette down in the ashtray, “ I was just wondering if the designs in that were available?”
Will pointed to the notebook That Nico had closed earlier. He watched as Nico hesitated. His face seemed to be stuck between wanting to let Will sneak a peek but it also seemed to want to tell him to stop.
However, his hand simply made up his mind and shoved the book across the table in Will’s direction.
Daintily, with the utmost care, Will opened the first page and his eyes almost watered at the immense detail and beauty poured into these designs. It looked like the heart and soul of the artist had been etched into every little petal, every small ray and eventually after gaping at each page he found the design he had spotted earlier.
The sun wasn’t special but it held Will’s eyes so much that Nico told him, “ Close your mouth. You’re practically drooling.”
“This one,” Will pointed to the stylised sun, “ I want this one.”
Nico scanned his eyes over it before humming and nodding. He put out his cigarette and got up.
“Where d'ya want it?”
“Chest- left side,” Will blurted out. He didn’t know why he wanted it there- perhaps because he wanted the thing that reminded him of his mother to be as close to his heart as possible.
Nico nodded as he prepared everything. Then he turned to Will. “ You realise you’ll need to take off your shirt?”
Will blushed and looked away as he started unbuttoning the top of his shirt. Meg had dragged him out of the hospital as soon as his shift had ended and thrown him into the tattoo parlour and therefore he was still wearing a crisp white shirt.
“Do I need to take off the whole thing?”
Nico took a quick look at Will. The sight that met his eyes was surprising- he used to seeing the chest of his clients but for some reason the sight of a very attractive and intelligent young man before him was very different. He seemed to be looking away as a blush graced his cheeks and ears. His shirt was unbuttoned just enough for Nico to see Will’s muscled chest.
How did a doctor have enough time to work out like that?
“Uh... just a bit more, I don’t want the needle to catch on the side of your shirt.” Nico reiterated, even though he was lying.
“Okay, so now, I'm just going to clean the area and then I’ll trace the sketch before tattooing it on. Do you want red or black?”
“Uh- you can choose,” Will sighed, desperate to get it done and over with.
Nico nodded. He slipped on some gloves and wiped at Will’s chest with an antiseptic. Will flinched at the cold wipe and the soft touch of the artist before him .
“Sorry,” Will murmured, “ It’s cold.”
Nico simply nodded as he began sketching the outline of the tattoo. Will tipped his head back, unable to meet the eyes of Nico ro even look at what was happening. He could feel the tickly touch of the pen on his skin and the soft brush of Nico’s glove on his skin every once in a while.
“All done. Now for the painful part. You may feel like you’re getting stung by a bee a lot,” Nico warned. “Try not move a lot, it will make it harder for me.”
Will, who couldn’t formulate words at this point, simply nodded. “I’d let you squeeze my hand, but unfortunately- I need both,” Nico smiled as reassurance.
He heard the buzzing of the gun and braced himself. The needle poked and prodded as he expected and at times he did wish he had stolen some morphine from the hospital beforehand but all in all, he managed to get the tattoo without bursting into tears and without ruining hids tattoo.
“All done,'' Nico said as he covered the tattoo.
“When do I get to see it?” Will asked, curiously, happier that it was over.
“In a few days- it just needs to sink in.”
Wil sat there, unsure of what to do next. He had paid and was now just sitting in an empty room with his tattoo artist. Was he meant to just say goodbye? Wasn't that kind of harsh?
But Will realised, had this been anybody else or any other appointment- he wouldn't want to be staying for any extra time. Did he want to be friends with this guy? Maybe it was that- yes, it would be that. As someone who was socially awkward, Will knew that he liked hanging out with people; he simply wasn't very good at it
Just as he was going to ask for his number, Nico passed him a slip of paper. “ Here’s my number. Call me when you’re free.”
With that and a wink, Will was left in the empty tattoo room.
#writersmonth#solangelo#will solace#nico di angelo#leo valdez#piper mclean#meg mcaffery#will solace fic#nico di angelo fanfic#nico x will#will x nico#solangelo fanfic#leo valdez fanfic#piper mclean fanfic#meg mcaffery fanfic#nico x will fanfic#will x nico fanfic#solangelo fluff#will solace fanfic#hoo#pjo#pjo fanfic#hoo fanfic
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Mission Debrief: Chapter 43
...IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S HAPPENING-!
Alright, before we get into it- full disclosure; the hivemind is in full swing at the Operation Strix discord server, so pretty much anything I write here is going to be an amalgamation of all the conspiracy theories and reactions we vomited out as soon as the chapter dropped. On that same note, I think writing these the day after will start to be the norm. Just so I have the chance to calm myself before going on a twenty-page tangent about everything Endo may or may not be planning.
Okay [deep breath] let’s get into it.
First, let’s start off with Franky, before we get into the juicy stuff.
When the chapter first started, I thought we were going to get backstory on Franky. Endo seemed to be alluding to this on his twitter page, and I was actually interested in possibly seeing more about his and Twilight’s relationship. Of course that didn’t end up happening; instead we got another side story about Franky trying to get some action by finding a lady’s lost cat, but seeing as how it’s Franky we’re talking about it seemed appropriate. Also, how can I be upset when-
The princess herself arrives! I gotta say, I loved the lightheartedness of most of this chapter. Yor’s always a delight, and pairing her together with Franky was a smart move on Endo’s part. They built off each other’s wackiness and I love this moment with the two of them. Just like with Twilight, we see that Franky genuinely wants to make the world a better place (and also get rich along the way) and Yor’s so impressed with him. I also liked that moment where Franky is surprised to find Yor still playing Loid’s wife even when he isn’t there- much like how he was with Anya while he was babysitting her. Just another little nod to the fact that he sees the Forger girls as being more than players in a game of elaborate house.
Then- just a quick thing before we get into what I know we all want to talk about- it’s interesting to me that Franky isn’t a one-man operation. He has a whole network of informants that he works with, and it makes sense that someone in his line of work has a many ears on the wall as possible. It’s a surefire way to stay plugged into the goings-on of the Ostanian underworld, unless of course...
...They get taken out by Garden.
AGHGHGHGHGH ALRIGHT, OK LET’S GO-
Garden. We finally have a name for Yor’s group now; we thought it was The Shop for the longest time, but apparently that’s only part of it. Yor alluded to this briefly back in ch. 29 when she described The Shop was being in charge of information gathering, and once their job was done it was Yor’s turn to come in and do the actual assassination. In this sense we see The Shop was being more of a support role in the same way that Franky is, though it’s still safe to assume the Shopkeeper is still in charge of both The Shop and Garden. At least for now- until we get more information to say otherwise, anyway.
Of course, the interesting thing is our silhouetted figures standing in this panel- not to mention the fact that Franky states that all the members are capable of taking on a whole troop of soldiers (for reference, a troop ranges between 9 and 100 men, though it usually hovers around 50). We know Yor is capable of doing this, but now that we also know the other assassins of Garden are as well, it begs the question; is Yor’s strength truly a unique thing in this world? And if it isn’t, what could be the source of it?
OSO-R, the drug used during the Tennis arc, was described as being in its trial stages. I originally chalked up it’s fast development time as just being part of manga logic, although I’m now starting to question that theory. It’s possible the roadmap for OSO-R has been around for much longer than first thought, and may find its traces back to when the war had just ended. Loid describes Garden as having been around for some time. We also know that Yor was just a child when she started up her assassination gig, so it’s possible that she and others like her may be have been exposed to a serum similar to OSO-R a decade or so before. Given Ostania’s track record of human experimentation, the scenario is possible.
Also going back to what Franky describes as “the shadow government”; it’s interesting that we’re hearing rumblings of a government operating outside the public’s view literally one chapter after we were just introduced to the concept of a royal class at some point in Ostania’s past. There’s a lot of things that cab be construed from this (such as Garden serving an authority that doesn’t necessarily align with Donovan and the government) but listing everything would just turn this review into one long-winded mess. So instead, we’re gonna entertain a fun theory- one that may or may not be true, but if it *does* end up being confirmed later on down that road, you heard it here first.
*ahem*
Mr. Green is a part of Garden.
Allow me to state my case.
When ch. 39 came out, I found it very unusual that a brand new character we haven’t seen before got a majority of the panel-time alongside Damian and the boys. It wasn’t very suspicious at the time, given that we’d just been introduced to Becky’s maid Martha, so we all just assumed Endo was building up his side characters a bit. For all intents and purposes, that may very well be the case.
However.
I know one person in particular who latched onto this panel right here, and for good reason; why would a security guard stationed at a school nowhere close to the border know about code words being used by people trying to cross over illegally? Yes, he was supposedly in the navy, but the way he phrases it here heavily implies that these code words are a recent affair, or at the very least are still being used currently. Why would he know that? Even if he was in the military, it’s information that has absolutely nothing to do with being in the navy.
Mr. Green is also very strong; strong enough to make the boys think they were going down rapids when in actuality it was just him rowing so fast. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever paddled a boat before, but it’s hard work- and it’s certainly difficult to the get that boat going at cruising speed, let alone fast enough to cause rapids. Yor’s the only one we’ve seen with strength like that and- yes, Green was supposedly in the navy, but at this point in time we don’t know anything else about him. We don’t know what he did after the war, nor do we know how he wound up in Eden Academy in the first place.
This is where we start going deep down the rabbit hole. Hang on.
This gentleman who we’ve never seen before is clearly aware that Garden exists, or at the very least is privy to Yor’s actual job. Much like how WISE has plants within Loid’s hospital, this man likely works to support Yor in some way. If such is the case, we can likely assume that- because the shadow government is supporting Garden- they would have their assassins posted in key areas for various reasons, likely to keep an eye out for traitors or to keep them spread out to cover a wide area should the need ever arise to deploy them.
We’ve only ever see Yor target traitorous politicians and outright terrorists (I realize this one is just a daydream, but you get my point). It would make sense, seeing as how she works at city hall and it would likely put her in an advantageous position when hunting them down. Of course, politicians aren’t the only people who might catch Garden’s attention. Given the amount of political and economic unrest that is currently going on in the country, there likely would be some people who would be fed up with the state of things. Such people may not be like Franklin Perkin- someone who would take direct action against the government- but instead would rather try to steer others towards a mindset that stands in opposition to Ostania. Such a person may try to target more impressionable people- people who are likely to listen and learn from an authority figure in their lives. People like...small children.
Eden students.
Garden. Eden. I see what you’re doing there, Endo.
Traitorous professors? Renegade academics? It would make sense to have a Garden assassin stationed at the most prestigious school in the country; the amount of information and contacts that are positioned around there are second to none, and what better way to suppress insurrection than at the source, at the very foundations of knowledge itself? Also, for kicks and giggles, let’s not forget that the name Mr. Green certainly fits with the plant motif Endo is going for with his assassin group (Garden. Thorn Princess. Briar. You catch my drift?)
Am I grasping at straws? Probably lol. I’d also like to reiterate that this is in no way all my thinking- a lot of crazy people put their brains together for this one, good or bad. But hey, it’s about all we can do until the next chapter! And at the very least, it’s a lot of fun to wonder what-if!
Also, BONUS
...She’s coming.
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Seriously though, everyone please go watch Quackity’s pre-Doomsday scenes, they’re so amazing. (analysis under cut, /rp).
His stream genuinely began with c!Quackity in the lowest point we had ever seen him in. He had completely abandoned hope, completely given up on the idea that his enemies and the tyrants that he had always wanted to defeat could ever be defeated. He was solemn, tragically calm, to the point of acting genuinely depressed. The fighting spirit we had seen from him just the day prior was completely gone. And it made sense. Quackity had probably been the most adamant, the most determined to take down L’manberg’s enemies during Season 2. And that’s always been a big part of his character. Quackity hates tyrants, and anyone who tries to be tyrannical or hoard too much power. Throughout his entire arc, this fiery passion he had to take down anyone he saw as a tyrant, whether it be Dream, Schlatt, or even Techno, was a constant.
So Quackity tried various plans. The Butcher Army, Techno’s execution, Dream’s execution...but none of them worked. Each and every single one of them failed. His enemies, and the tyrants he wanted to slay, always got away, leaving him with only tragedy and defeat. And every time he failed, his anger, his aggression, his desire to achieve his goals, only furiously grew. His ideals became more and more corrupted, and his methods more and more shady. He began using tactics that he had previously been against (executions, lying to your people), because he so desperately wanted to accomplish his goals. It came to the point where Quackity’s next plan came into play: the potential execution of Ranboo. But when Quackity suggested this idea, it too was shut down (probably for a good reason), and Quackity was reprimanded. Another one of his ideas to take down the enemies he so vigorously hated had failed in front of him, and now the country that he had tried so hard to build up seemed like it was heading for destruction.
And on January 6th, when his stream begins, Quackity finally just breaks. He gives up. He gives up on L’manberg, on all of his friends, on his goals and plans to take down tyrants like Dream. Sadly and solemnly, he leaves L’manberg and runs away, planning to never come back. He even utters the infamous words, “It was never meant to be.” All of his plans had failed, his plans throughout the entire server had ALWAYS failed, and now it was going to lead to the destruction of L’manberg. L’manberg would be gone. By this point in time, Quackity’s goals and desires had become less about taking down tyrants and enemies in order to end their reign and because of justice, like they once were. No, he was taking down these people in order to consolidate power for L’manberg. He cared about building L’manberg’s global power, and making sure there were no threats to it. He wanted organization, and power, as he said himself. He even told Techno he didn’t care about the withers, or the anarchy. He wasn’t taking Techno and Dream down because of justice anymore, but rather to consolidate L’manberg’s power and control.
Now, without L’manberg, Quackity had lost hope and faith in all of his goals, because he had directly linked them to consolidating power for the government at this point. The fighting spirit he had was gone, and he saw no point in trying to fight the tyrants he hated anymore. He just wanted to run away, run away and never do anything again. So he takes his skeleton horse and runs, sets up a shack a few hundred blocks away from everything. He even contemplates killing the horse, but decides not to. Then, Quackity decides to read Ranboo’s memory book, out of curiosity, mostly. He had gotten possession of the book earlier, and kept it in his inventory. Ranboo, who Quackity had left L’manberg entirely hating. He had wanted to execute him, and despised him strongly for being a traitor. Quackity began to read Ranboo’s thoughts, Ranboo’s opinions.
He read through various pages, suddenly finding himself more and more immersed in the book. As you all probably remember from his streams, Ranboo wrote about how everyone seemed too occupied with fighting between factions and nations, when everyone should be allied against Dream. Dream is the real enemy, he has too much power, and he’s a tyrant.
But soon,Quackity pauses on one line in particular, a line about c!Dream, and goes silent. He highlights the line in the book, staring at it.
“Why does one man need so much power?”
Quackity reads the line to himself again and again, staring blankly at the page. Viewers can see it seems like he’s starting to have some thoughts, as he lets it sink it. And suddenly, he smiles, and laughs, repeating the line one more time as he looks at his horse and puts away the book. Why does one man need so much power?
And that’s when Quackity decides to come back to L’manberg and fight. And it’s such an integral moment to his overall character arc. Quackity here, was in his lowest position ever, and he opens up the book, the thoughts, of somebody who he had been so against, despised so much, and they changed his entire perspective. Quackity comes back to L’manberg and mentions to Tubbo how he had read a line by Ranboo, and it convinced him to come back and fight. However, Quackity also mentions that he knows L’manberg is doomed, but that it doesn’t matter to him anymore, and he would still fight. This is so important.
Up until this point, I mentioned how we had seen Quackity’s character motives and ideals shift from “I want to fight tyrants because I’m morally opposed to them, and I want justice. Nobody should have that much power to use for evil.” to “I want to fight tyrants in order to consolidate power for L’manberg, and I don’t want them to get in my way.” This plays into why, when he realized L’manberg was doomed, Quackity gave up on his fight. Quackity had slowly been forgetting what his original motives and ideals were. Fight tyrants, fight those with too much power, and ensure a better world for everyone. He had moved away from the entire reason he wanted to fight people like Dream in the first place. He cared mostly about growing L’manberg’s strength and power, and nothing else. Even if he became tyrant-like in the process, he didn’t care. He was even willing to execute Ranboo, execute the one who decorated the festival in their own decorations, like somebody else Quackity had been so against.
But this line, the line in Ranboo’s memory book. “Why does one man need so much power?” This line gave Quackity the reminder he needed. He needed to remember what his original ideals were, in order for him to continue the fight. Because that’s what Quackity’s entire character had been so passionate about: fighting those with too much power. And he had lost the true meaning behind this motive somewhere along the way, even if he himself didn’t think so. He cared more about L’manberg’s power. But here, Quackity remembers what he was on the server for from the very beginning. And it’s enough to bring him back.
Back to L’manberg? No, and that’s what’s important. Quackity understands that L’manberg is doomed, but he no longer cares. Because he remembers now what’s important to him: taking down tyrants for justice, taking down Dream because Dream has too much power. That’s why Quackity had such an intense hatred of Dream, Dream was a tyrant with too much power that used his power to constantly meddle in the affairs of everyone else and ruin the server for them. So even though L’manberg was doomed to go, Quackity had gone back to what his original was. Tyrants, more specifically, Dream. He cared about taking down Dream now, with the fighting spirit against tyrants that he had once had. That’s what gave him the spirit and desire to join the fight to protect L’manberg: to stop Dream. And even when L’manberg had been destroyed, he reiterated that taking down Dream was what was truly important. It always had been. In other words, one man does not need so much power.
Quackity’s storytelling and acting is genuinely incredible, and it really shone through in these scenes.
#dream smp#dsmp#quackity#quackityhq#ranboo#dream#tubbo#jschlatt#l'manberg#l'manburg#doomsday#doomsday war#technoblade#/rp
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