#this is why solidarity is more important than our differences

[decolonize-the-everything]

I said this in the comments of one of my posts earlier but it deserves to be seen and have its own post cuz this logic here is completely absent.

White women have an extensive history of weaponizing misogyny to harm MoC.

This is a fact that we can agree on considering Karens and BBQ Becky, yes?

And it never occurred to anybody that the weaponization of their white privilege and role as Victims in the patriarchy should mean that they no longer have a right to talk about misogyny. Right?

By that I mean there wasn't a campaign of Black and brown women commenting, "White women can't talk about misogyny until they stop being racist. Besides what they have to say about their experience as women is no different from my experience. And if anything it's less valuable than what I have to say anyway cuz their views on gender are inherently racist. Listening to white women is a waste of time when you could listen to Black and brown women."

Literally nobody did this, right?

So how are y'all using the same exact logic to say that transmen can't talk about transandrophobia? "Their experiences are different from ours but they shouldn't talk about them cuz we're the ones doing the worthwhile work of dismantling transphobia with our more valuable experiences as the Hated Gender."

Because respectfully if that's the logic we as a queer community are gonna start using then that logic eventually says that the Only people with a right to speak on Anything in Any community Ever... are Black women.

"If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression."

Now ask yourself why this campaign against WW doesn't exist. Ask yourself why you stopped at telling transmen to shut up, but didn't follow that logic all the way to it's conclusion.

Now ask yourself if that changes your right to speak on your own experiences with people like you when you ALL could be speaking out of ignorance. What changes? Why or why not?

How do you feel right now?

Do you feel closer to your community? Do you feel spoken for or heard? Do you feel like your experiences matter to the people who it should matter the most to when I say your experiences are less relevant to our movement than someone else's?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

[hexastitchimera]

Genuine observation, no sass and no disrespect, but being someone who is chronically OFFline & an active volunteer/activist for over a decade, and seeing what people say is "crucial discourse" online is... Quite the trip, honestly.

[intersex-support]

Help an intersex family in Gaza!

Hi everyone. I'd like to share about a fundraiser that is very important to me. A good friend of mine is in contact with the organizers.

(Described in alt).

Their story:

"Hello, my name is Abeer. I'm organizing this fundraising campaign from Belgium on behalf of my family, who currently live in Gaza. 

Since October 7, all families in Gaza have been subjected to genocide. My family is one of those families that has had to flee its own home several times because of the threat of regular attacks. 

After two months, my family decided to return home and take the risk of being bombed at any moment rather than stay in the street. Our 4-floor building now contains over 100 people who have fled from different parts of Gaza. We always open our hearts for our own people, but we can't do it without your help and support. 

My parents, Kamal (53) and Moukaram (51), are suffering from the war because of their age and health. My brother Suliman, his wife Rawan Abualnaja and their two-year-old daughter Bisan are trying to stay strong, but it's complicated by their little daughter's enormous needs. My other siblings who are not married are Mohammed 25, Inas 22, Ibrahim 17, Abdallah 15.

My family medical condition during the war:

My father suffers from delusional disorders. He can't work or help my family financially. Mohammed and Ibrahim suffer from a chronic disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia. It is difficult for them to obtain medication in Gaza. One of their medicines has not been available in Gaza for two years. During the war, they couldn't get their medicines because they simply didn't exist anymore. My family members are still suffering. They don't want to be potential victims. They want to escape death and live like other families on the planet.

 On 01/01/2024, they attacked the local mosque and the missile failed to explode and ended up in front of my family's house. My family is in danger and the missile will explode any second.

Since then, my family has decided to be evacuated from Gaza because of the senseless attack on our city. Please help me evacuate my family to Egypt so that they can rebuild their lives in peace.

I've been in Belgium for over five years. I feel useless because I haven't been able to do much except try to help them with their daily living expenses. That's why we created this campaign. We're raising funds to evacuate my family to Egypt, a place that offers a glimmer of hope and stability. However, the cost of the evacuation is high, hence our call for crowdfunding.

Every contribution makes a difference The funds we raise will be used for :

- Evacuation from Gaza for both families (Rafah border crossing fees for 9 people total)  - Two months of temporary living expenses in Egypt, including food, shelter, and transportation  - Passport fees  - Food expences untill they leave Gaza 

No matter how small your contribution, it can make all the difference in breaking the cycle of violence and uncertainty. By supporting our campaign, you are offering a lifeline to our families so that they can rebuild their lives, heal from their trauma and make a fresh start in a safe and secure environment. Please leave a comment and share our campaign with your friends, so we can reach more people and make a bigger impact. Together, we can make a difference!"

They are using a French platform called Papayoux Solidarite instead of GoFundMe. Abeer also has a Paypal account for non European donors.

They are currently at 33 588,78 €/ 50,000 €.

Let's see if we can get them to 34,000 today. Any donation matters, even $1 or $2 donations can add up.

We need to help them meet their goal. Intersex liberation means intersex liberation everywhere--it is so important that we show up in solidarity. Those of us living with CAH know how dangerous salt wasting crises are without medication, and how important it is to urgently help Mohammed and Ibrahim get access to the medications they need to support their CAH. Intersex solidarity means that we need to show up and support intersex people facing genocide.

If you can't donate, please share. Consider doing an art raffle to raise money. Do whatever you can to help this family because it is urgent, and we need to act in solidarity with them now and make sure that the intersex community is here to support them!

[transvarmint]

Pretty incredible that I just saw a post that basically said "this is why TMA and TME are important terms, because this is a transfem specific experience" and then goes on to describe a series of events that I have experienced almost exactly similar, more than once. Like, what she described, as a transfem specific experience that can only happen due to transmisogyny, I have experienced myself due to transandrophobia.

I'm just deeply depressed that what could have been a moment for solidarity and forming community over shared difficulties, instead was used as an opportunity to seperate and draw boundaries. It's genuinely disturbing at this point how people simply assume that these things could never happen to folks with a different identity or life experience than them. What is happening to our community?

[the-witchhunter]

You know, if Spider Punk gets people interested in punk, good. We all have to start somewhere and Hobie is a damn good representation. If he is what makes a person go “hey, this seems cool, I should check it out.” good. That’s one more person interested in punk and wanting to get into it. 

That being said, if you are new to punk(hi baby punks!) some things to keep in mind

1. Punk philosophy is largely anti-authoritarian. Individual and even punk communities differ on specifics, and some are more political than others, but the core themes tend to be resisting those who would control and oppress us, and supporting and including people in your community

2. Punk fashion SHOULD NOT BE EXPENSIVE. A lot of fashion companies will try and sell you jackets for a couple hundred bucks, but that’s just corporations trying to cash in on a subculture. A big part of Punk and its history is DIY because Punk should be open to everyone and putting that behind a fashion paywall is just not punk. You don’t even need to be dressing punk to BE punk, but thrift your clothes. Make stencils and use spray paint or bleach to give it a pattern. Use old jeans to make patches. Buy your spikes and studs in bulk and go wild. Turn your old t shirt that doesn't fit anymore into a back patch. Go crazy with some safety pins. You can make more with $30 than you can buy from a designer for $300. And skill is not needed, frankly if it looks a little wonky it makes it look more punk

3. Dental floss makes for good thread for sewing on patches. It’s good for thick, stylistic stitches and is both cheap and durable. Don’t know why I made this its own point but it’s one of the most common tricks for punk DIY besides taking paint to scraps of fabric to make a patch. Honestly, if you want to know how to do more, just ask other punks how they made their vests and jackets, they’ll probably be happy enough to tell you

4. Punk philosophy and music is closely related. The communities evolved around the music scene so it is closely linked. Give some punk bands a try if you haven't already. There’s a bunch of subgenres so you’ll probably find something you like. From OG “proto punk” where the sound was still developing into what we call punk, to pop punk, anarco punk, and folk punk. There are people who say you can’t be punk if you don’t listen to the music, and there’s a whole conversation to be had about all that, but it’s just a good idea to try listening to some punk music

5, Nazis fuck off

6. Seriously, nazis fuck off. There’s a whole history behind it and why we associate skinhead punks with neo nazis. Largely we’ve made it clear we don’t want nazis in our community and the street punk music scene that nazi punks became associated with has made strides to separate themselves from that.

7. Be cool and respectful of people regardless of religion, ethnicity, race, sexuality, gender, background, etc. Solidarity with our community is important and all sorts are welcome. Gatekeeping isn’t cool and frankly women and minorities have done a lot for punk as a whole. Respect for everyone

[ilovedthestars]

A thought I’ve been having: While it's important to recognize the long history of many current queer identities (and the even longer history of people who lived outside of the straight, cis, allo “norm”) I think it's also important to remember that a label or identity doesn't have to be old to be, for lack of a better word, real.

This post that i reblogged a little while ago about asexuality and its history in the LGBTQ+ rights movement and before is really good and really important. As i've thought about it more, though, it makes me wonder why we need to prove that our labels have "always existed." In the case of asexuality, that post is pushing back against exclusionists who say that asexuality was “made up on the internet” and is therefore invalid. The post proves that untrue, which is important, because it takes away a tool for exclusionists.

But aromanticism, a label & community with a lot of overlap & solidarity with asexuality, was not a label that existed during Stonewall and the subsequent movement. It was coined a couple decades ago, on internet forums. While the phrasing is dismissive, it would be technically accurate to say that it was “made up on the internet.” To be very clear, I’m not agreeing with the exclusionists here—I’m aromantic myself. What I’m asking is, why does being a relatively recently coined label make it any less real or valid for people to identify with?

I think this emphasis on historical precedent is what leads to some of the attempts to label historical figures with modern terminology. If we can say someone who lived 100 or 1000 years ago was gay, or nonbinary, or asexual, or whatever, then that grants the identity legitimacy. but that's not the terminology they would have used then, and we have no way of knowing how, or if, any historical person's experiences would fit into modern terminology.

There's an element of "the map is not the territory" here, you know? Like this really good post says, labels are social technologies. There's a tendency in the modern Western queer community to act like in the last few decades the "truth" about how genders and orientations work has become more widespread and accepted. But that leaves out all the cultures, both historical and modern, that use a model of gender and sexuality that doesn't map neatly to LGBTQ+ identities but is nonetheless far more nuanced than "there are two genders, man and woman, and everyone is allo and straight." Those systems aren’t any more or less “true” than the system of gay/bi/pan/etc and straight, cis and trans, aro/ace and allo.

I guess what I’m saying is, and please bear with me here, “gay” people have not always existed. “Nonbinary” people have not always existed. “Asexual” people have not always existed. But people who fell in love with and had sex with others of the same gender have always existed. People who would not have identified themselves as either men or women have always existed. People who didn’t prioritize sex (and/or romance) as important parts of their lives have always existed. In the grand scheme of human existence, all our labels are new, and that’s okay. In another hundred or thousand years we’ll have completely different ways of thinking about gender and sexuality, and that’ll be okay too. Our labels can still be meaningful to us and our experiences right now, and that makes them real and important no matter how new they are.

We have a history, and we should not let it be erased. But we don’t need a history for our experiences and ways of describing ourselves to be real, right now.

[logansargeantsbabymom]

We Did It

Lewis Hamilton x Fem!Reader

Hurt/Comfort

Follow my instagram account (THATS STRICTLY FOR THIS BLOG) for updates on when i post and fun stuff like that!

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F1 Masterlist

The paddock buzzed with the usual pre-race energy, fans and media crowding around their favorite drivers. Walking hand-in-hand with Lewis Hamilton, my boyfriend and a Formula 1 legend, I tried to focus on the excitement of the day. Though I was used to the limelight as a (your/age) pop star, the world of F1 was a different beast, and the media frenzy always made me a little anxious.

It had been a whirlwind few months. My Eras Tour had taken me around the globe, performing in sold-out arenas and stadiums. For four months, I had barely seen Lewis, our time together limited to hurried phone calls and stolen moments. The exhaustion from relentless travel and performances weighed heavily on me, but I had managed to carve out two weeks off, just in time for the Silverstone Grand Prix. It was a precious window of time, a chance to reconnect with Lewis and support him at one of the most important races of the season.

We navigated through the crowd, stopping occasionally for photos and autographs. Eventually, we reached the media pen. Lewis was always calm and composed in these moments, but I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as we approached a familiar interviewer known for her biting questions.

"Y/N, can I ask you a few questions?" she began, her tone laced with a sugary sweetness that felt anything but genuine.

"Of course," I replied, forcing a smile.

"First, I want to congratulate you on your tour, The Eras Tour! It’s been impossible to get tickets to!" she exclaimed, her smile not reaching her eyes.

"Thank you," I said, feeling a bit of pride seep through my anxiety. "It's been an incredible journey."

She nodded, then shifted her weight slightly, her eyes gleaming with a different kind of interest. "So, why are you guys dating? You’ve had quite the dating reputation, and you’re only (your/age). Having gone through six boyfriends, it’s probably why we all think Lewis was better off with Nicole, but oh well."

Her words hung in the air, a cruel barb meant to wound. My heart plummeted, and I felt my face flush with a mix of embarrassment and hurt. The cameras were rolling, capturing my every reaction, and I struggled to maintain my composure. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, trying to stay strong.

Before I could respond, Lewis’s voice cut through the tension. "That's an incredibly disrespectful question," he said, his tone icy. "Y/N is an amazing person and a phenomenal talent. She doesn't deserve to be compared to anyone, especially not in such a hurtful way."

The interviewer looked taken aback, and I noticed other drivers stepping in, voicing their support for me and their disapproval of the interviewer's conduct. Despite the solidarity, I couldn't shake the humiliation.

Later that evening, back at the hotel, I sat on the edge of the bed, replaying the moment over and over in my mind. My confidence, usually unshakeable, felt shattered. The tour had been a grueling endeavor, and this time off was supposed to be a break, a chance to feel normal and loved.

Lewis sat beside me, taking my hand in his. "Y/N, you mean the world to me. That interviewer was out of line, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. I only have eyes for you, and you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "But what if people agree with her? What if they think I'm not good enough for you?"

Lewis cupped my face gently, his gaze unwavering. "You are more than enough. You're incredible, and anyone who can't see that doesn't matter. I love you, and I want you there with me on Sunday, but only if you feel ready."

Looking into his eyes, I saw the sincerity and love reflected back at me. Slowly, I nodded. "I'll be there."

Race day dawned bright and clear. The stands at Silverstone were filled with roaring fans, the air electric with anticipation. I arrived at the paddock, still feeling a bit nervous but buoyed by Lewis's unwavering support.

As the race began, I watched from the Mercedes garage, my heart racing with every lap. Lewis drove with his usual skill and determination, and as the laps dwindled, he surged ahead, crossing the finish line in first place.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Lewis took the checkered flag. I felt a swell of pride and love, tears streaming down my face. When Lewis climbed out of his car, he immediately sought me out, pulling me into a tight embrace.

"You did it," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

"We did it," he corrected, kissing my forehead. "Thank you for being here. It means everything to me."

———————

taglist:

@luckyladycreator2 @itsmiamalfoy @jeffs77 @ilivbullyingjeongin @forevercaffeinated-lee @daemyratwst @gulphulp @callsignwidow @f1wintermoon13 @teenwolf01 @victoriassecret101 @hiireadstuff @formulaal l l @kazza72584 @zabwlky1999 @dark-night-sky-99 @rougekiki @xoscar03 @jess-wither @bountychanti @dhanihamidi @tellybearryyyy @a-panseuxalmess @love-simon @tallrock35 @iiaik0ii @Milkyymelanine @ilovsyou3000morgan @styl1shl1v @eddieharrington @hellowgoodbye

[yusuke-of-valla]

So, Video Game Voice Actors Are On Strike: A Quick and Dirty Guide for Tumblr Users

Starting on July 26th, SAG-AFTRA members that are part of the Interactive Media Agreement (so mostly voice actors for video games) will be on strike. If you're a member of SAG-AFTRA with questions, I would speak to them.

Most of this information is coming from the SAG-AFTRA website, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about anything or ask if you need anything.

If you are a random tumblr user who wants to know what's going on, here we go.

Why are video game voice actors striking?

AI, as one could expect. From the union's statement:

Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language.

Which Games Are Being Struck?

Games from: Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. are all being struck.

There is also a website to confirm which union projects are being struck but you'd need to be a member actively working on it to use it.

Ok so I'm not a voice actor, union or otherwise, I just like games. What should I do.

I can NOT stress this enough. Do NOT stop playing games. The union has not asked for this, and is instead asking for people to amplify our messages online using #LevelUpTheContract, #VideoGameStrike and #SagAftraStrong."

You can also sign this petition in support of voice actors getting a fair deal.

I'm not a union representative but if a game you're looking forward to is being covered by the struck companies, I'd blow up your social media and their mentions with how much you love the voice acting and the actors deserve a fair contract, but other than that you are not being asked to boycott any games or not cosplay or attend events.

A Streamer is playing a struck game! Is that crossing the picket line?

No, SAG-AFTRA explicitly says that is fine, and in fact encourages it.

An actor is promoting/promoted a struck work at SDCC, is that crossing the picket line?

No, the statement explicitly says those attending SDCC can still do work there because of the short notice, they are also fine.

Wait didn't SAG-AFTRA already do some weird bullshit regarding video game voice actors and AI?

Yes, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, SAG-AFTRA signed a deal with Replica AI to allow their members to create digital replicas, it was a whole thing and many voice actors were pissed.

So they're hypocrites?

Ok it's more complicated than that. Their logic for the Replica AI thing is rather than allow companies to do whatever they want, it was better to have a system in place to be able to clearly say when a company was breaking the rules and ensure that talent got some compensation.

We can debate the efficacy of that strategy all day and voice actors at the time were not happy, BUT the companies being struck here refuse to even rise to THAT standard and will not agree to the most basic protections for actors, which is worse.

People and organizations contain multitudes and it is not a betrayal or hypocritical to disagree with SAG-AFTRA leadership on the Replica AI situation and side with them, and more importantly their members in this case.

Why aren't game devs striking/ It's not devs on strike so I don't care

The Screen Actors Guild covers actors, so it would not be in everyone's best interest if they were to try and negotiate on behalf of people in different fields with different needs.

However, one way to build support for the various movements to unionize at places like Activision-Blizzard and Bethesda is to support labor movements everywhere and show solidarity whenever it comes up.

Why are the actors striking when the developers should be paid more.

They should be paid more! And they should not be laid off as much. One way to help with that is to be able to point to voice actors and say, hey they got a raise, I want one too.

[trans-axolotl]

and this is also why i think that any meaningful community building/advocacy/support around madness/neurodivergence/mental illness needs to be founded on principles of liberation and abolition, and that we need to be able to distinguish between people who are allies based on our shared values + goals, and between people who use some of the same language as us, but are fundamentally advocating for separate things.

One example I see a lot of is the idea of "lived experience" professionals, people who have a career in the mental health system and who also have some personal experience with mental illness. These professionals oftentimes will talk about their own negative experiences in the mental health system, and come into their careers with a genuine desire to improve the experience of patients. But their impact is incredibly limited by the system they have chosen to work in: the coercive elements of psychiatry incentivize professionals to buy into the existing power structures instead of disrupting them. And as a whole, many lived experience professionals end up getting exploited and tokenized by their employers and used as an attempt to make carceral psychiatry seem more palatable. Professionals in this dynamic are not working to effectively challenge the structural violence of their profession: they become complicit, even if they do also have good intentions and provide individual support.

(I do know some radical providers who have found innovative ways to fuck up the system and destabilize and shift power in their workplaces, but this is a very small number of providers and is not most of the lived experience providers I've talked with.)

Another example I see a lot in our spaces has to do with the evolution of the neurodiversity paradigm. I feel a very deep connection to the original conceptualization of neurodiversity and neurodivergent as coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, but in recent years I've seen a lot of people using neurodivergent language in a way that feels pretty dramatically different than the foundational principles. This isn't saying that people should stop using ND terminology or that all neurodivergent spaces are like this--rather, I just want to point out some trends I see in certain communities, both online and in my in personal life. Although people will often use neurodivergent language and on the surface, seem allied with concepts of deinstitutionalization, acceptance, etc, the values and structure in these community spaces often rely heavily on ideas of classification based in DSM, and build very prescriptive and rigid models for categorizing different types of neurodivergence in a way that ends up excluding some M/MI/ND people. Certain types of knowledge are valued over other types of knowledge, and certain diagnoses are prioritized as worthy of support over others. There's a lot of value placed on identifying and classifying many types of behaviors, beliefs, thoughts, actions, into specific categories, and a lack of solidarity between different diagnoses or the wider disability community.

Again, this isn't to say that ND terminology is bad or useless--I think it is an incredibly helpful explanatory model/shorthand for finding community and will call myself neurodivergent, and find a lot of value in community identification and sharing of wisdom. I just feel like it's important to realize that not every ND person, organization, or initiative, is actually invested in the project of fighting for our liberation.

when thinking about our activism, as abolitionists, it's important to be very specific about what our goals, values, and tactics are. For example, understanding the concept of non-reformist reforms helps us distinguish what immediate goals are useful, versus what reforms work to increase the carceral power of the psychiatric system. And when building our own value systems and trying to build alternative ways of caring for ourselves and our communities, we need to be able to evaluate what brings us closer to autonomy, freedom, and interdependence. I need people to understand that just because someone is also against psych hospitalization does not mean that they are also allies in the project of letting mad people live free, authentic, meaningful, and supported lives, and that oftentimes people's allyship is conditional on our willingness to conform to their ideas of a "good" mentally ill person.

[redara]

Sub-Mission

Pairings: Áila Hávarôr / Bi-Han / Tenshikiri Jun Ratings: Explicit Words: 6.418 Tags: F/M/F, Sub-Bi-Han, Toys Summary: Bi-Han admits, he appreciates strong, influential women. AU - canon divergence. Sets in the current timeline, post-MK1, in the AU where everyone agrees for a truce in order to prepare for potential timeline Invaders.

A/N: also posted on AO3. Áila Hávarôr belongs to @tazahan . Tenshikiri Jun belongs to me. Special thanks, Taza, for the discussion about our girls! :3

The threat of invaders from other timelines is still looming over. It is not a simple matter; all sides are wary of each other, cautious for another ‘Damashi’ to trick them. The growing tension is becoming too palpable that Liu Kang, as the Protector of Earthrealm and the former Keeper of Time, has decided to call for a truce. And such a decision is immediately welcomed, at least for now.

Upon entering the Wu Shi Academy, Bi-Han tries, and fails, to hide his disgust. Why, of all places, must the meeting be held here? He strides to the main hall, not bothering to look at his surroundings; Sektor and Cyrax are following dutifully, dressed in their red and yellow mech-armor, sans the helmets.

As expected, the main hall is already packed with familiar faces. Bi-Han glances daggers at Kuai Liang and Tomas, the former who is still donning yellow, and accompanied by his Shirai wife, Harumi. Surprisingly, it is Tomas who gives a small nod to Bi-Han, either out of habit or respect, Bi-Han doesn’t bother to care. He only wants to find a spot in the background where no one can sneak up and stab him – given the glares he receives, there are plenty with such a wish.

He finds a place by a bookshelf, where there are two unfamiliar women standing. One is a voluptuous woman with short orange hair, dressed in black techwear-style outfit; crop-hoodie with intricate silver pattern, cargo pants, and red and white sneakers; she is crossing her arms under her ample chest. The other woman has jet black hair tied up in a bun, dressed in a dark teal kimono, and she is shorter than the first woman. Neither of them look familiar, or important , so Bi-Hand decides to not give them any mind, and stands in the space in front of them.

“Great, now we have a wall in front of us.”

“Jun –” the Orange-Haired woman immediately adds when Bi-Han turns around, “-- sorry, sorry , she doesn’t mean you –”

“Of course not.” The Teal-Dressed woman feigns a smile. “Please, resume standing there, Áila and I are only wallflowers after all.”

Bi-Han frowns at the sarcasm, “If you are short , you should be aware not to stand in the back.”

“Yes, apologies. Clearly, we should have brought stepladders to this meeting.”

The Orange-Haired woman, Áila, looks apologetic for the Teal-Dressed woman, Jun, who looks annoyingly smug. Bi-Han could reply, in fact, he wants to, but he’d rather not add two more people to the list of ‘people who want to kill him’, so he opts to ignore them – which has proven difficult, now that they’re muttering behind his back.

Liu Kang finally begins the meeting, fashionably late, as usual. The Fire God still looks the same since the last time Bi-Han saw him, though now he looks rather tired, if a God can be tired… “Thank you for sparing your time for this important meeting. I hope this won’t be the only time we are standing together, as there is strength in number, and solidarity. I understand some of you have different goals, clashing goals, and I appreciate it that you are setting aside your differences to fight a common enemy – The Invaders.”

Does he ever stop talking? Bi-Han sighs quietly as Liu Kang goes on a lecture about the current situation; how another Titan has been spotted invading other timelines, and it’s only a matter of time before they come to this one; how the Shirai Ryu (Bi-Han grunts at the name) have agreed to set aside their rivalry with the Lin Kuei; and how Quan Chi and Shang Tsung have agreed to ‘play nice’ for once as to not have Empress Mileena and her court hunt them down. All the boring details that could have been summarized in a written note, instead of calling for a meeting.

But then Liu Kang concludes, “Before I forget, we have two additional guests here. They may not have been involved in our latest kombat, but they are of powerful clans seeking to maintain the peace and alliance. Uh –” he looks around the room, so uncharacteristically confused as he scans the faces of everyone. Somehow Bi-Han has the feelings that the two thorns behind him are the ones Liu Kang is searching for –

Aaand he is right, when Jun speaks up aloud, “We’re here, Lord Liu Kang.”

Now all eyes turn towards Bi-Han, seemingly judging him for blocking the two guests, and he steps aside before anyone could ask him to. Liu Kang smiles, “Ah, there you are. Everyone, let me introduce you to Áila Hávarôr, future chieftain of the Sól Eldur clan. Her clan has been a dear friend, and their inventions have helped keep Earthrealm safe for centuries.”

Áila gives a respectful salute to Liu Kang and the room, “Pleased to meet you.”

Liu Kang continues, “And Tenshikiri Jun, the current Head of the Tenshikiri family. Once a clan serving the Empire as Spymaster, they are now oath-bound as secret keepers of Earthrealm.”

Jun bows deeply, before standing straight and replies, “It’s an honor to be here.”

“The honor is mine, Lady Áila, Lady Jun. As per our agreement, the two of you shall join forces with the Lin Kuei, in hope the three of you can come up with a battle plan if the Invader does invade our timeline.” Liu Kang gestures at Bi-Han, “Please, look no further than to your right, and you’ll find Bi-Han, the esteemed Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei.”

Áila casts a bright, carefree smile, “Ah, yes, we’ve been, uhm, acquainted.”

“With his back.” Jun mutters under her breath.

“If you’d like to step closer to the table, I’m sure we still have more space by the Champions.” Liu Kang gestures to the four Earthrealm Champions who are standing side by side.

Bi-Han watches as Áila and Jun accept the offer; they walk with their heads held high, and a formal smile on their faces. But he doesn’t miss the small glance they throw at him as they walk past him, one of curiosity and interest, both pairs of eyes locking with his dark brown ones. And in that single moment, Bi-Han can’t figure out why he is annoyed in the first place.

***

In the next few days and weeks, however, Bi-Han finds himself growing more annoyed than usual. At least now he’s back in the Lin Kuei compound, a familiar place devoid of judgmental people, and back on his routine as the Grandmaster. He’s sitting behind his desk in his office, reading the reports gathered by his Lin Kuei regarding the two unfamiliar clans he didn’t know existed prior to the meeting in Wu Shi Academy. Both the Sól Eldur and the Tenshikiri clans show promises and great rapports, in fact, they have been so secretive in assisting Earthrealm that the Lin Kuei have not needed to cross paths with them before.

Perhaps it should have stayed that way , for now he keeps seeing the names of Áila and Jun in every document, and his heart sinks a bit deeper each time. There is something about those two. Perhaps it’s the fact that Áila and her clan are blessed by the power of the sun and can torch the Earth if given the opportunity, yet they choose to remain pacifists for all these years. Perhaps it’s the fact that Jun and her family know every little secret in the world, but still keep them despite being capable of using them for their own gain.

Two beautiful women of powerful clans, commanding forces under their leadership – so why does it bother Bi-Han so much?

Perhaps it’s the fact that Áila’s voluminous chest would jiggle enticingly with every little move she makes – even the action of going downstairs becomes such a lewd display, that Bi-Han has tried so hard to focus on her face entirely. Perhaps it’s how Jun’s curvy hips would sway when she walks – Bi-Han doesn’t know if he enjoys the sight of her approaching or leaving. Perhaps it’s the way both of them would look at him, a mixture of coy and playful, like waves on the sand, enticing him to come closer into the sea to drown him.

And he hates to admit it, but by the Gods, some days he wants to step into the figurative sea and drown.

The door to his office is knocked. Bi-Han shakes his head to clear out the thoughts of Áila and Jun completely; he clears his throat, and gruffly responds, “Come in.”

Just his luck, the two burdens of his mind enter his office; they carry themselves in their own personal grace, like the sun and the moon, and Bi-Han suddenly feels like the dark space they accompany.

“Good evening.” He greets Áila and Jun, watching as they begin to occupy the space of his office. “To what do I owe this visit?”

Bi-Han is not sure who he has to watch; Jun is observing the line of decorative weapons on the wall, hips swaying with each step that she takes; Áila stands in front of his desk with her hands in the pockets of her cargo pants, shifting from one foot to another, and with each movement, her chest heaves. His attention finally settles on Áila as she speaks, “We’d like to say thank you for allowing us to stay with the Lin Kuei for this unforeseeable future. We understand it must be difficult to let strangers into your home, and we thank you for your trust, and – uhm…” she looks away, still shifting on her feet.

“And we trust you in return.” Jun adds without looking away from the decorative weapons.

“Right. I had that on the top of my head.” Áila looks at Bi-Han again, though now he notices a slight pink hue on her cheeks. “Uh… We just want to say that we trust you, and we feel that you do too, I mean, we are allies and – Jun, I can’t do this. You’re the one who’s good with words.”

Jun turns to her, “Why, you were doing great before that.”

“Oh, come on…”

The exchange raises both alarm and confusion in Bi-Han that he’s not certain on how to respond except, “What are you two blabbering about?”

Áila cocks her head towards Jun, “We have a point, I promise, but she will explain it.”

Bi-Han raises an eyebrow at the said woman, “Well? You’re talking about hospitality and trust, I don’t think I’d extend either if you two are acting weird in front of me.”

With a sigh, Jun begins to make her way to his desk; even paced, calculated movement, almost like a dance. “We intended to make this as refined as possible, but crass will have to do, given your attitude. We’re saying that we’re not blind, Bi-Han.”

“Who said you are?”

“We noticed your stare. I am a Tenshikiri, I’m trained to read the subtlest body language, and yours is loud.” Jun stops next to Áila. With both women looking at him intently, Bi-Han finds his heart beats a bit faster. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice your heated gaze on my hips? Or your ogling of Áila’s massive tits?” Áila nudges Jun’s side, but she continues. “We’re all adults here, so let us talk like adults, shall we? If my observation is incorrect, tell me so, and we will offer you our apology, take our leave from your office, and we shall continue our days like this has never happened. So, would you like to admit it, or deny it, Grandmaster?”

The shame growing in the pit of Bi-Han’s chest makes him feel like a hormonal teenager again, and he tries to suppress it, even though his face feels a bit warmer than usual. Gripping the armrests of his chair, his fingertips layered by ice in hope to quell his emotions. He glances between the two women, heat begins to consume him inside out, just like the urge to be honest or to lie to save face.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Bi-Han heaves a heavy sigh, body slumping against his chair. “How astute. Forgive me for having a keen sense of observation. You should feel safe within these walls. But,” he adds sharply, “I merely admired what your hard work has bestowed upon your physique. I’d be foolish if I did not notice them entirely.”

Jun glances at Áila. There is a smirk shared between them, and Bi-Han swears he sees a mischievous glint in their eyes, one that he doesn’t expect to see from them. Jun starts, “I told you. My skill is impeccable.”

Áila’s pink cheeks grow redder, “So you said. Now what?”

“Now it’s our turn to be honest. You do it.”

“Fine…” Áila groans, before schooling her expression into a decent one, albeit still holds mischief behind her smile. “We – ahem – we’ve also been ‘observing’ your hard work. We think it’s impressive, worthy of many praises – you are possibly the most beautiful man we’ve ever seen. Don’t laugh!” She chides as Jun snickers into her palm.

The cogs in Bi-Han’s mind fall into places, and oh… they’ve been ogling me as well? Them? Both of them? There is a cracking sound coming from his armrests, where his ice has taken form and completely ruined the fine wood, but he doesn’t care for that for now. These two women who have occupied his thoughts just confessed that they have been looking at him as well, and – and now what?

“Ah… Thank you.” is what Bi-Han can manage, for deep inside, his desire grows and he doesn’t wish it to be known, not when Áila is blushing so adorably, and he wonders if she’ll blush the same shade of her hair – does the hair below matches the hair above? – and certainly not when Jun is undressing him with her eyes, and he wonders what kind of expression she will give when she breaks underneath him – 

Bi-Han huffs an icy breath. The display earns the attention of the two women. He is the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. He is the infamous Sub-Zero who is widely known and respected. He can handle the toughest enemies and the hardest of battle, certainly he can handle two lustful creatures.

“Since the cats are out of the bag,” He begins, heart pounding harder and steadily, watching Áila and Jun’s response, “and since we are adults who are capable of being responsible for our own… desire, let me ask what do you have in mind?”

“Perhaps we should foster our alliances deeper .” Áila glances between Jun and him.

“Nothing better than showing the naked truth to foster trust.” Jun purrs. “And you? What does the Grandmaster want?”

Bi-Han can’t help the pull on the corner of his lips, or the growing need in the restraint of his pants, or how he thinks how adorable that these two women are acting like they are in control of the outcome. But he welcomes their heated gaze nonetheless, as he gives his reply, “Do whatever you wish to me.”

***

The cold bedroom gradually grows hotter with each layer of clothing that’s being shed. Bi-Han admires how both Áila and Jun are not holding back from their desire, and neither is he; he interrupts Áila from undoing her bra by pulling her for a kiss – she moans, partially in protest of his colder lips, but she complies and melts into his touch, arching into his palm that’s kneading at one of her breasts. They feel heavy and full and soft, and Gods , Bi-Han wants to bury his face in between them.

A small chuckle is heard behind him, and he parts from Áila to find Jun, already in her naked glory, approaching the bed with a small box in hand. Bi-Han grows curious, “What is that?”

“This?” Jun shakes the box lightly. Whatever’s inside sounds heavy. “It’s something pleasurable, I promise.”

He is not convinced. He approaches her, silently demanding to see the content.

She clicks her tongue, “Mm… Such impatience.” She opens the box, and just as she has said, the variety of toys stored within make Bi-Han’s dick twitch in reaction. Jun takes out a large vibrator, “Would this be too much to handle? We can start with the – UNF.”

Her challenging tone dies down when Bi-Han silences her with a kiss. Her shaky breath is a reaction to his cold tongue, and she mewls when he palms her breasts – they are significantly smaller than Áila’s, but he enjoys her hardening nipples, how she jumps as he pinches them to attention.

A warm hand holds his lower back. Áila hums, “I believe you said we are to do whatever we want with you?”

Bi-Han swallows thickly, did I? Oh, right, I did. “Fine.” He grumbles internally, climbing into the bed to settle in the center. His erection is straining against his boxer brief, too tight, twitching in excitement as Áila and Jun are standing at the foot of the bed, observing him. The warm light of the room accentuating the beauty of their naked bodies, the curves and dips, the colors and marks, the perfect imperfections.

When he finally removes his boxer brief, his erection springs free and heavily, and he swears he hears both women gasp. Their reaction pumps his pride – he is not stupid, years of training have sculpted his body into a perfect weapon, but also given him an impressive physique – so he lies there with a smirk, hand holding the base of his thick length, and he watches Áila and Jun’s eyes widening.

“Truly an asset –”

“-- befitting a Grandmaster.”

They finish each other's sentences.

Without wasting any time, the bed dips when Áila and Jun begin to climb up to lie beside him. Áila is to his right, and Jun is to his left, and both are on their sides with their breasts pressing against him. Bi-Han curls his arms around them, cupping their breasts, earning their shared moanings.

Jun holds his chin, pulling him for a kiss; tongues and teeth clashing; he holds her breast a bit firmer, milking a moan. He feels Áila kissing his chest, and her hand is roaming up and down his sculpted abs, nails lightly scratching his sensitive skin, making him buck slightly. He wishes her touch would glide lower to his aching cock that’s waiting for attention, but she is taking her sweet time kissing and nibbling and marking him.

The kiss ends when Jun decides it does; she turns his chin towards Áila, where Bi-Han finds her looking at him with such a bright smile, and so sweetly she holds his cheek. Her kiss is slow and steady; their tongues moving in tandem against each other. It’s intoxicating, that Bi-Han fails to notice what Jun is doing until he feels her finger on the tip of his cock.

“Mmh…” He hums into Áila’s mouth as Jun teases his cockhead. The light touch is experimental, but by the Gods, does it feel damning. He grunts when his slit is teased, rubbed rather vigorously, gathering the little precum that’s leaking.

Jun’s hand leaves him, but Áila’s replaced it, holding the base of his cock with just enough pressure for him to feel her warmth. She begins to pump him, up and down, slowly, gently, earning an involuntary buck of his hips.

Bi-Han parts from the kiss to breathe. Eyes closing, he’s savoring the feeling, throat humming in reaction. “Mm… That’s it…”

“Does it feel good?” Áila hushedly asks, head pressing against his chest.

Bi-Han can only hum, but he shows his appreciation by squeezing the breasts of both women; the soft squishy of Áila’s and the perkiness of Jun’s. He is enjoying the movement, the warmth, every little thing that makes his cock twitch happily and he’s growing harder and harder and –

A soft hum joins the shared breathing in the room, and the next thing he feels is a steady vibration pressed against the underside of his cockhead. He opens his eyes and looks down, seeing Áila holding the base of his cock steadily, while Jun is pressing a vibrator to his cockhead; the tip is buzzing, blurring. Bi-Han rasps, “What are – ngh –”

“We are making ice cream.” Áila replies in a sing-song tune, still smiling brightly.

Jun moves the vibrator up and down his cockhead; Bi-Han bites back a yelp when she presses it over his slit, “This is the slowest setting. Let’s see how long it takes for you to come.”

Bi-Han grits his teeth, “Insolent maidens… Is that – mmh – a challenge?”

“You can back down whenever you want, you know.”

The vibrator is pulled away, and though Bi-Han sighs in relief, his cock twitches involuntarily, missing the sensation. Áila giggles, “Seems your dick wants more.” She moves her hand up to the tip – he bucks and grunts – and she gathers the precum, smearing it down his length. She repeats the action two more times before settling back to holding the base. “You have to use your words, Bi-Han.”

Jun moves the vibrator closer, and Bi-Han watches, partially in want and partially in dread, as the silicone tip is inching closer to his twitching cockhead. She hums appreciatively, “Ooh are you shy? You’re blushing so adorably.”

“Quiet.” Bi-Han growls. “You want to do whatever to me, do it, quit wasting time – NNGH –” a whine escapes his throat when the vibrator is pressed to its previous position again. The sudden sensation makes his core muscle clench, making him more aware of the feeling, how it tickles in a good way.

To make it worse, Áila is now moving her hand, shallow pump, steady and firm, and Bi-Han could only throw his head back. His legs are shaking, and the two devious women have taken the liberty to wrap their warm legs around each of his thigh; he can feel their heat and wetness, clearly they are also aroused by the activity. He tries to buck, but they keep their hold steady.

Then, the vibrator is pulled away again.

Bi-Han grunts in annoyance, but the women are laughing, and he is in no position to demand when his cock is oozing precum and twitching on its own, when his balls feel so tight and full, ready to burst whenever. “Get on with it.”

“You want to come?” Jun asks, and he can hear her smirk.

“Of course.” He opens his eyes, finding her observing his face. But his eyelids are fluttering to a close when Áila kisses his strained neck, and soon he is lost in the sensation of being teased, hot and cold, fast and slow.

The vibrator returns with a raised power. Bi-Han can’t help the bucking of his hips, the twitching of his cock – he is close, so close, it feels so good, so good, so good – mmhhh!

The sound that he makes is something he doesn’t know he’s capable of; a pathetic mewling, a moaning. Bi-Han pants aloud when the vibrator leaves him again, so close to the bliss, but so far away. He grips the breasts tightly, warningly, but it only earns Áila and Jun’s shared giggle. Though the sound annoys him, it also melts him, knowing they are having fun at the expense of his demise.

“Once more for good measure?” Áila asks tentatively.

“No. No.” Bi-Han shakes his head, eyes closed tightly. “You’ve been denying me release. It’s unfair.”

“Unfair is going back on your words – you said ‘whatever we want’.” Jun turns the vibrator off. The lack of humming sound in the room alarms Bi-Han. “What do you say, Áila? Do you think we should continue or not?”

Áila chuckles, “You’re cruel.”

“ Fine .” Bi-Han repeats with a loud huff. “Fine… Do it.”

Just as the words leave his lips, the vibrator is returns to its position, yet it’s not on. He waits, anticipating, but he’s not expecting two pairs of lips pressing a kiss to his cheeks. His eyes flutter open, just in time to see both Áila and Jun hovering over him with smiles gracing their beautiful faces.

“Such a handsome man…” Áila praises.

“A good Grandmaster…” Jun adds. “Here is your reward.”

The vibrator turns on at the highest setting; Bi-Han growls deeply and throws his head back, eyes clenched shut, as he feels all of his nerves are alight. Áila and Jun hum as they’re settling their heads on his chest. The muttered praises are muffled by his own grunting, his complaints and singing of arousal. Áila moves her hand again, at the same time Jun rubs the vibrator all over his cockhead, and the combined action defeats him completely.

“C-close –” Bi-Han rasps for no reason.

His orgasm hits him like a tidal wave, pulling him under the bliss, that all he can feel is the twitching of his cock as Áila and Jun are milking him; thick sperms shooting out of him, painting his abdomen with the hot, sticky substance. Bi-Han gasps when they still continue their actions, still holding his cock firmly, still pressing the vibrator against his very sensitive head. His twitching cockhead leaking out the remains of his seeds.

Bi-Han pries his eyes open, looking at the blushing Áila and Jun, how wide their smiles are, and how it makes his heart soar knowing he’s the cause of their joy. While at the same time, he wants to protest their grip at his sensitive cock, the still vibrating vibrator trying to coax another ticklish orgasm out of him. “... nough – enough … I’ve come…”

But he’s not prepared to receive the answer, as the two beautiful maidens look at him, eyes glinting with mirth, and collectively reply, “We know.”

***

The heat of the room becomes a bit unbearable, as sweat begins to layer Bi-Han’s skin. He’s drunk on bliss, after having been milked twice by the vibrator; the offending tool has been set aside, thankfully. But now he lies, panting, thirsty for more, while at the same time he’s had enough. However, it’s difficult to know which desire he wants at the moment, especially when his head is lying on Áila’s plush thighs, and her breasts are just a kiss away from him.

Áila is caressing his hair; his bun has become loose in the midst of everything. The action is soothing, calming, also encouraging. Bi-Han looks up at her, past her impressive chest. His tongue darts out to taste her nipple, and like a baby, he latches there, suckling, earning her soft moaning.

Once again for the night, he fails to notice what Jun is doing. Only at the last second that he feels her straddling his hips; his hands automatically hold onto her thighs, fingers splaying trying to grab ahold of her. She chuckles, breathy and lustful, and he feels her taking his hardening length in her hand.

“Áila, I think your tits are magic. Look,” Jun gives him one long stroke, “he’s hard again.”

Áila laughs, “Indeed, breastfeeding has so many benefits.”

Bi-Han bucks his hips when he feels Jun rubbing her wetness all over his length. He can feel her warm cunt, and his cock is eager for a taste. His hands find her hips and pull her close, earning her chuckle, “How insatiable, Grandmaster. Relax. You don’t need to beg for this. I need you…” She presses his tip to her cunt, and though it’s not yet entering, the spreading heat is enough for Bi-Han to want to drive into her.

Then Jun sinks down his length.

Their shared moaning is loud; hers a broken one, his is startled one. Her walls are warm and tight, and he can feel his tip pressing against her cervical opening. Jun rocks her hips gently, and her moan erupts again. “A – ah … fuck … you’re so thick…”

Initially, Bi-Han believes she won’t be able to handle him. He believes she would give up, and he would have to plow into her at his own pace, and finally break her under his command. But the more she moves her hips, the steadier her pace has become, and within seconds, it is Bi-Han who finds himself at the edge of breaking again. He should have known the sway of her hips is lethal. Paired with the clenching of her walls, he can feel all of her with such shallow, hard thrusts.

Jun looks powerful like this; rocking and bouncing on his cock, humble-sized breasts jiggling in response, and the strands of her hair dancing back and forth with it. The flushed face and the parted lips, sharp eyes looking at him from hooded lids – somehow he wants nothing but to please her, wants her to be pleased by him.

With Áila’s breasts pressing against his face, earning a few lazy kisses and licks as he breathes and moans, Bi-Han could die peacefully. He doesn’t know what to feel when bliss is rushing all over his nerves. His cock is twitching, getting harder and more sensitive, especially when Jun suddenly clenches down tightly; her walls are spasming, and she throws her head back; her lips forming a perfect O, with her eyes closing tightly – she comes hard. It doesn’t take long for her to greedily continue moving, either to prolong her orgasm or to earn herself another one. For a moment, Bi-Han feels wild, feeling like a toy being used for her pleasure, and he loves it .

Áila looks at him from between her breasts, “Hmm? You’re loving this aren’t you?”

“What?” Jun breathes out between moaning.

“Yes, I think he’s loving this, Jun.”

“I do not – ah –” Bi-Han protests hastily.

Jun laughs, “I can tell you’re lying even when your face is buried in tits.”

Bi-Han tenses when he feels Áila’s hand on his chest. Her fingers are circling around his nipple, teasing, coaxing it to become erect. He huffs, “Wanton creatures… How – nngh – how can I not react… when you keep teasing me…?”

“You could freeze us, but so far you haven’t –  OH!” Jun’s words are cut off when Bi-Han layers his hands in ice, and he grips on her hips tighter. He wants to hear her protest, wants to hear her beg him to release her, but instead, she is mewling, long and wanting. “Ohhh… You play dirty, Grandmaster… Didn’t you know pain and pleasure go hand in hand?”

Bi-Han knows he is lost when Jun rocks her hips faster. He knows he is lost when Áila mutters hushed words of encouragement, and he beams up for each stroke of her hand against his hair. He knows he is lost when he feels Jun’s walls enveloping his length tightly, and she twitches and moans aloud when she comes again, this time accompanied by his. Hot white liquid spurting out in liberation, painting her insides completely. He knows he is lost when Jun removes herself from him, and he whines – the Grandmaster whines – at the loss of warmth around his sensitive cock.

Oh, but for once, losing feels so good.

***

“Does this hurt?” Jun pulls the chain slightly.

Bi-Han huffs, looking down at the chain, following it to the nipple clamps that are now attached to his erect nipples. They look so red. When he doesn’t reply, Jun tugs the chain again.

“I said, does this hurt?” She repeats.

“No.” Bi-Han grunts.

“They look like they hurt.” Áila comments from where she is lying down on the bed, propped up by comfortable pillows. Her legs are parted, baring her pink cunt to the air; Bi-Han’s gaze falls to it, can’t deny that he is eager for her even after so many times coming.

“It’s not.” Bi-Han assures her. To be honest, he has never thought his nipples would be in this situation, but here they are, and he’s feeling way too good about it. He takes his position between Áila’s legs; his hard length resting on top of her mound. He can feel her hot cunt against his balls.

Áila looks divine in this position. Sprawled out on his bed, hands clutching tightly on the sheets, and her bright-colored hair a stark contrast to the fabric. She looks adorable, with the blushing cheeks, and still bright smile that’s just begging to be turned into orgasmic bliss. He wants to ruin her, wants to be ruined by her.

Bi-Han rubs his length along her opening, tip teasing her leaking cunt. She feels warmer, hotter than Jun’s, and when he finally enters her – Gods! – Bi-Han believes he would have melted instantly. Yet he persists, pressing forward until his hips are flushed against hers. He hoists her left leg to his shoulder, wanting to drive in deeper, she moves her right thigh further, wanting him to drive in deeper.

Then he begins to move.

With each thrust, his nipple clamps move, and it sends jolts of bliss to his sensitive tips. It makes his cock twitch involuntarily. It tickles, but feels arousing. It aches, but feels blissful. He is lost in the sensation shortly, when he can hear Áila’s loud moaning, when he can hear the slapping of flesh and the wet squelching noise of her cunt, when he feels her walls threatening to melt his cock off from how tight they are squeezing him.

Suddenly, the chain is tugged, and Bi-Han’s eyes shoot open in shock; he groans in protest when his pace falters. He feels Jun leaning behind him, pressing her naked front to his back. Her right hand is tugging at the chain, while her left is on his head, giving a gentle pat. “Hush… You are doing so well…”

I was, until you interrupted me , is what Bi-Han wants to say. But he grits his teeth and remains quiet, and focuses on fucking Áila as best as he can without faltering again. He can feel her getting close; cunt twitching, her moaning escalating into a crescendo, and – 

And she comes, at the same time as the chain is tugged three times, and Bi-Han finds himself moaning aloud to accompany Áila’s wanton cries. He grips her thighs firmly, trying to ground himself, not wanting to come just yet. But it’s difficult when Jun is teasing the living hell out of him, giggling and peppering kisses to his sweating temple.

“One more, for the sake of being fair. I came twice, she must come twice as well.” Jun whispers, still holding onto the chain.

Bi-Han can’t think straight. His mind is too fucked up to even make a coherent sentence, that he simply nods in reply, and sounding off a breathy, “Yes.” His hips begin to move again, picking up the pace again, that by now it feels like an automatic action, a carnal desire. He wants to come, again and again, wants to paint their insides with his seeds, wants to have them howling his name and crying aloud from how good he’s making them feel.

But his reply must have been not good enough. The chain is tugged again, but this time is by Áila; he bows down, following the pull of the chain. His eyes lock with hers, seeing the lust she shares. Her question is laced with the same lust as well, “Are you – ahn – are you going to please me – mmh?”

Bi-Han nods frantically.

Jun coos at his back, kisses littering on the hard plane of his torso, on his shoulders, on his nape. Dainty fingers coiling with his hair, rubbing at his scalp, gently kneading. Bi-Han drives in faster and harder into Áila’s sopping cunt, again and again and again –

He feels her walls clenching around him again, and he can’t stop the blissful moaning that erupts from his throat; his cock twitching in delight, and his seeds are leaving him without having to be asked. It is too much, too damn much, that he gets lightheaded.

He feels himself being pulled backwards until he’s out of Áila’s divine walls, and he’s lying on his back, sweating. He registers the bed shifting as the two goddesses are moving about. Jun removes the nipple clamps one by one; with each one, she rubs a cooling ointment on his sore nipples carefully. He swears he hears her muttering what a good job he has done, and how good he looks. Then, shortly, he feels a wet, warm towel being dragged along his lower abdomen, as if giving him a bath. It cleans up his length from his sticky sperm. Áila’s face comes into view, and she plants a kiss to the tip of his nose, a smile so bright he could claim her as his sun.

When his breathing has become calmer, he feels the bed dips again. Automatically, he opens his arms, welcoming both Áila and Jun to lie on his chest, cuddled up in a shared body warmth. With a slow movement, he plants a kiss on their damp foreheads, each one earning their pleased humming. And only then do they close their eyes, and drift asleep, high on cloud nine of bliss.

***

“You… wish to be placed with the Lin Kuei for an indefinite amount of time?” Liu Kang asks, confusion etched on his face. “I mean no offense, I’m merely confused as to why. When I suggested it at first, you two didn’t seem to want it, said Arctika is too cold and harsh.”

“Well, it was then, but after a while it grows on us.” Áila replies with a shrug. “I’ve informed my clan. As long as I’m doing my part to keep Earthrealm safe, they are fine with my decision.”

“Likewise,” Jun comments. “The Tenshikiri can operate individually; I have my General at the ready should anything urgent comes up. You have nothing to worry about, Lord Liu Kang.”

The Fire God, despite still in confusion, finally relents. “Very well. Should you require anything, do not hesitate to inform me.”

Jun smiles, “Rest assured. The Grandmaster is treating us well.”

“Indeed, he is.” Áila adds. “Please excuse us. We must return to Arctika at once; there are plenty to plan for the sake of Earthrealm.”

Bi-Han hums, leaning by the door to Liu Kang’s meeting room, listening to the conversation that’s taking place within. He counts the footsteps of Áila and Jun, and anticipates their arrival to his location. They notice him, as he does them, and though it is subtle, the little look they exchange speaks louder than words.

“Now that is done.” Áila begins.

Jun finishes, “Shall we return to Arctika, Grandmaster?”

With his smile hidden behind his mask, Bi-Han hushedly replies, “As my ladies wish.”

[theoldlesbianwithcats]

22.02.17 — On lesbian socialisation (by sespursongles)

We all know how female socialisation works, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone discuss the concept of lesbian socialisation, how it affects us, with what consequences — and how it is like female socialisation, squared.

To put it in a nutshell — female socialisation teaches you that you are inherently worth less than men and you must always defer to them and prioritise them and their feelings over yourself and other women. Lesbian socialisation teaches you that you are inherently worth less than male-attracted women and you must always defer to them and prioritise them and their feelings over yourself and other lesbians.

Lesbians are of course affected by both, although being gay can help us fight some aspects of female socialisation—e.g., the need to prioritise men or win male approval. Not that it doesn't affect us at all, but the message that “you are worth less than men” does impact you differently when men are worth less than women to you in your love life, and “you must behave in X and Y ways and treat other women like rivals for male interest” sounds like irritating white noise when getting male interest isn't a desired outcome.

On the other hand, we have nothing to help us resist the impact of lesbian socialisation, because we love women. We are fully behind the idea of prioritising women. Add to this a healthy dose of internalised lesbophobia, and we are now fully behind the idea that mlw are worth more than lesbians and we should prioritise these women in particular, always.

Not to mention the factor of our social isolation and quasi-total lack of outside support — how every other group and political faction hates us in a different (but, deep down, the same) way, how desperate we are for allies.

I wrote a post last week about lesbophobia and double standards in the radfem community, and one part of it was directed every bit as much at lesbians than at mlw: “Het/bi women are really seen as inherently more important and worthy of respect than lesbians, aren’t they? Can’t waste your shock and anger on people who hate lesbians because you must save it for when a lesbian calls a manloving woman a manlover.”

I wrote that post because there were lesbians who were much more shocked and outraged at other lesbians for hurting a bi woman’s feelings by calling her a lesbophobe and a “manlover”, than at said bi woman for being a lesbophobe who defended the idea that lesbians can be manlovers. (She was defending a book I mentioned previously, written by a bi woman, in which a lesbian falls in love with a guy.) There were also lesbians who hurried to write posts urging other lesbians to calm down and be nice when we started reacting to the lesbophobia, but felt no need to write posts telling mlw who were being lesbophobic to calm down and be nice. And there were lesbians who felt the need to write posts reassuring “our bi sisters” that we still love them and we know most of them aren’t like that and NotAllBis and wlw solidarity, but didn’t feel the need to respond to this surge of lesbophobia with comforting posts of solidarity to fellow lesbians. That’s what I call lesbian socialisation. Put manloving women first, always. Suck it up, be nice, placate, placate. Can’t risk alienating the very few “allies” we have.

Female socialisation teaches you “it’s in your best immediate interests to care more about men’s feelings than about women’s oppression.” Lesbian socialisation teaches you “it’s in your best immediate interests to care more about manloving women’s feelings than about lesbian oppression.”

And that’s exactly why the queer/bi/trans community has been able to dismantle the lesbian community so easily and walk all over us. Because all lesbians have been taught to never dare prioritise ourselves and our own wants and needs, to always put every other group’s feelings and wishes before ours, especially other women and other marginalised groups who need our help and compassion*. Gay men don’t have this problem and so they still have “exclusionary” spaces. *And these groups know it. They might not know it consciously, but they know it, and they exploit it.

Every time a het radfem reminds a lesbian of how dangerous and painful partnering with men is, every time a bi woman throws those bi suicide and rape statistics at us, every time a “trans lesbian” talks about how much it hurts his feelings to be rejected by mean lesbians who won’t date him, they are counting on lesbian socialisation to kick in, waiting for lesbians to feel terrible and forget about our own best interests and duly start prioritising theirs.

Het radfems do this deliberately, to get us to admit that het privilege isn’t really a thing and, back in the day, to convince lesbians to accept their political lesbianism rubbish (“Why won’t you welcome us in your community as your lesbian sisters? Do you really want us to go back to our hurtful hetero relationships?”). Bi women do this deliberately, to guilt-trip us into “including” them everywhere and shut us up when we talk about their lesbophobia. “Trans lesbians” do this deliberately, to get us to fuck them. (Men don’t have complicated motivations).

They all know the stereotypes (they create them) that are an integral part of lesbian socialisation, teaching us our worthlessness. The mean lesbian, the angry lesbian, the manhating lesbian, the ugly hairy rabid hysterical cruel insensitive heartless biphobic transphobic gatekeeping selfish exclusionary oppressive genital-fetishising lesbian.

Lesbian socialisation is the incredibly useful and necessary extension of female socialisation. It functions to keep the women most detached from patriarchal institutions, the women who least need men, who have the most reasons to rebel, quiet and well-behaved. Growing up as a lesbian, you receive female socialisation, hear that as a woman you are subhuman and born to love men, serve men, worship men, and you feel angry. But you also receive lesbian socialisation, hear that you are not merely subhuman but subwoman, lower than low, if you turn into one of those crazy rabid angry lesbians, and you back down.

And other groups know how to use all these hateful messages and stereotypes against us, either throwing them at us outright, or subtly reminding us of them, then watching us desperately scramble trying to prove that they aren’t true, or at least not true of me. They know.

So, it would be good if lesbians knew, too. Be aware that lesbian socialisation exists, that it affects you, and that other groups use it against you. Notice patterns. Notice in what contexts the calls for “empathy”, “solidarity”, “sisterhood”, politeness and niceness start flowing. Notice in what contexts other groups give you tragic statistics about their own oppression. Notice when you start feeling bad and guilty and ask yourself why. Who are you prioritising? (Usually, yourself and/or your fellow lesbians.) Whose feelings are you ignoring? Who are you concretely hurting? (Usually, no one. Prioritising lesbians does not actively hurt other groups, no matter how badly they want us to believe that—using the aforementioned tragic statistics as well as words like “denying us” to make us feel like our bodies, affection, time, solidarity and emotional labour are as necessary to them as oxygen.)

And remind yourself that it’s okay to prioritise lesbians, and that you do not have to care about people and groups who have shown time and again that they do not care about you. When a group has a long history of disregard or blatant hatred of lesbians and shows zero willingness to change, it’s okay not to care anymore. It’s okay to answer questions like “Do you support X group?” (trans people, radfems, gay men, bi women…) with “No. I support lesbians.”

Because you are not required by law to support groups who do not support you back, let alone groups who are actively promoting an ideology that hurts you and your community. It’s nice to be nice and polite and supportive, but when the niceness and politeness and support always flow in the same direction, at some point, it’s time to stop. Allow yourself to stop. (At the very least, allow other lesbians to stop and don’t lecture them for not being sufficiently nice and polite to the groups that you, personally, still have some faith in. She probably has good reasons for losing her faith in them.)

If you do stop, you’ll probably feel very guilty at first (they’ll make sure you do), but it will get easier. You might even start feeling better about yourself now that you stopped caring about some groups who never cared about you.

And finally, please keep in mind that if you don’t prioritise yourself and other lesbians, no one else will. No other group will care. Not even marginalised groups who share some aspect of their oppression with us. Not het women, not trans people, not gay men, not bi women. No other group will defend us, support us and prioritise our hurt feelings over their oppression — what they constantly demand of us. No matter how nice, accommodating, polite, helpful we are to them. It’s never going to be our turn.

[decolonize-the-everything]

i’m curious. what is your solution instead of voting for Harris? I 100% agree with you that her/her party/the system she will work in are facist, have committed countless atrocities against their own people and others, all of it. I really do agree with you. I guess what I don’t understand is what other realistic option there is right now. Not voting for Harris or voting independent is statistically highly likely to bring about a trump presidency, which would be (of the two) expontentially more harmful for our communities here in America and across the world, including palestine.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is it’s true you can’t put the fire out from inside the house. participating in a poisoned system isn’t going to be the cure. But is there really a realistic way to get outside of the house? Is there really a way to secure funding, land, and resources for sustainable practices entirely separate from the colonial state we live in? And would putting effort toward those methods bring about more peace and freedom to marginalized communities - including those in Palestine, India, Bangladesh, Sudan, and countless others, than working with the cards the system gave us? Or at least, not working against them? Global politics govern our lives whether we want them to or not. I don’t think it’s possible to separate our situation from that, nor from our nation’s political system. I feel it is nigh impossible to attempt any sort of reform without working with the colonial state, as horrible as it may be.

Would love to hear your thoughts. I’ve read many of your posts and am just curious as to your direct response to this question - I do not intend to take away from all the other work you’ve done in attempting to educate and establish your point. Thank you for your time and I wish you health.

You are ready to go Offline it seems. I think a lot of people are honestly. A lot of people seem stuck on voting being the option with no clue for what else to do.

And since you are asking in good faith, I'll answer in good faith.

You are asking all of the right questions. So much that I can not answer this ask in detail. You'll have to seek out more specific information yourself. I can really only point you in the right direction.

That said let me run through what I can say in bullet points rq.

All of this is very rough and vague. that's intended. You gotta find the step by step guides on your own.

There's no guarantee kamala will win and so you shouldn't conduct yourself as if her winning is relevant to fighting fascism. Likewise, her losing shouldn't be seen as a crushing defeat, long term it means nothing.

Is there away to get outside the house? Yeah. The Black Panthers were experts at this and there is no shortage of literature, podcasts, and analysis about their work for you to learn from. It's why they were so dangerous. They were efficiently and quickly building an entirely new system that didn't need capitalism, cops, or politicians to function

This bullet point is also about the Black Panthers like I really want to drill it in that the extent of mutual aid, organization, community health, and community safety they provided was LITERALLY revolutionary and is the legitimate blueprint. Pls pls pls pls learn about their praxis. It even happened relatively modern/recent times so its truly invaluable knowledge to have for the person who wants to know what to do Right Now. Palestinian and global solidarity in general was also Very important to them. have u stressed them enough? I think I have

Build these groups of people (sometimes called pods) like branches in different areas. Expand to cross-state mutual aid networks. Those same connections/people shutting down highways, military ports, etc. Imagine the power of an organized people. That's how we as Americans will earn the trust of the global community. Putting our money where our mouths are when it comes to direct action and community care.

There's a REASON they made taking down organizations like The Black Panthers a top priority and never allowed them to get that far. The potential power they had was to topple the empire. And the state knew it.

You gotta be willing to get uncomfortable and be told you're wrong. Every time it happens itll be with love, I assure you. This next step of work requires trust and vulnerability and growth like you wouldn't believe. You will fuck up or misstep or speak over someone. Learn to take those hits to your ego and not take it personally now.

I mean it. Being online and learning is a whole different ball game than direct action/praxis. Nobody is going to coddle your hurt feelings and they won't invite you back if youre constantly just creating more labor for the people around you. They expect you to hold yourself accountable. People who do this work are very much not babysitters. It's high-key why it's it's hard for cops to infiltrate [redacted] circles

From Anarchist Direct Actions: A Challenge for Law Enforcement

That's not to say it doesn't happen. It does. Which is another reason people do not fuck around with the company they keep when it comes to offline praxis.

Here are a few books Im trying to read rn that seem relevant to this ask, if anyone else has something else/better to rec to anon, please do 💗

Also gonna link these because I can

There are no upcoming dates but linking this anyway because it's worth considering that you should train for certain kinds of direct action

[gravedangerahead]

I don't know, buddy. I think this should make you rethink saying stuff like "I hate microlabels" in the first place? Not to put you on blast or anything, you're just the latest in a long line of people I've seen making arguments like these.

There's basically no genuine problem you can have with microlabels that does not simply apply to labels in general

I think it's important to be in community and solidarity with people independently of whether you have the exact same label, and to realize there are plenty of shared experiences across different queer identities.

Practically none of it is the exclusive realm of one particular identity and we don't need to be atomized. And it is, in fact, in our best political interest to stick together and fight together

Labels are a way of classifying and categorizing the infinitely diverse range of human experience. That can be helpful and that can cause problems. (I think there are criticisms of diagnostics that might apply, and some of our words actually originate in that realm.) It's important to remember that they are not material reality and they do not define your experiences, but are merely a culturally defined tool to help you understand them, that may be more or less useful given the situation

I'm always quick to tell people that labels are meant to be helpful and if trying to find one is stressing them out rather than helping, a label is simply not required. Those people might still feel like it's important to them to find the right words, and I'm not gonna pretend to know better than them

There are plenty of people who are perfectly happy being just queer, and not trying to figure out their identities any further than that. There are people going through intense anxiety while trying to figure out if they're lesbian or bi. Why do we need those intermediary labels then? Do they just atomize us? Are they unnecessary boxes? Or is that only a problem when it comes to those newfangled ones at the end of the acronym?

I think there are more people who feel like they have to figure out where exactly they fall in the big 4 identities than people who are distressed because they feel like they have to figure out a microlabel they fit in, tbqh. And there's plenty of separatist sentiment among them too

Plenty of people find meaning and expression in being butch or femme. Why shouldn't people choose a new word that they feel best defines their own unique gender identity? Why shouldn't somebody on the ace or aro spectrum try to figure out if other people have a similar experience with attraction as they do?

People having more words to describe their identities is not the problem. At all. If somebody has decided to use a microlabel and is happy with it, what exactly is the issue?

If you actually stand with every queer person, if you're in solidarity with every anti-oppression fight of any kind, the problem of political isolation and community dilution goes away.

If you treat all labels as tools that can be played with, experimented with and not gatekept, taken up and abandoned, changed, or simply ignored if you don't want or need one, the problem of emotional distress goes away.

Neither problem is exclusive to microlabels.

[spiderfreedom]

historical revisionism of second-wave feminism

I'm wondering where this idea that "second-wave feminism" didn't bring up race came from. It seems to be conflating liberal feminism, starting with Betty Friedan's "The Feminist Mystique", for the entire movement. But "second-wave feminism" refers to an entire era of feminist organizing, including lesbian feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminist, and numerous Black feminist works with multiple intersections. Why should Friedan and NOW's 'liberal feminism' be the representative of an entire era of feminist writing? What do we have to gain from pretending that there were no Black feminist writers during the second wave?

The US women's movement has always had ties to anti-racist movements like abolitionism and the civil rights movement, as well as the New Left and socialist/anti-war movements. White feminists tried to include racial analysis in their books - to mixed effect, e.g. Susan Brownmiller's book "Against Our Will" proved to be contentious for its treatment of interracial rape of Black men against white women (example).

It feels like there's been a wave of historical revisionism to make the second-wave seem more limited and single-issue focused than it really was, in order to make "third-wave" feminism seem novel, exciting, and necessary. It's resulted in a whole generation of feminist writers and cultural critics who don't read or quote or engage with the feminist works of the second wave. They are dismissed out of hand as irrelevant or limited. It feels like another way to say "stop paying attention to women's history, just believe me when I say the first and second waves were irrevocably damaged and that the third wave is the only way to go."

I think this article does a good job of capturing one of the reasons why an interracial feminism failed to form, which is that white women assumed Black women also wanted an interracial feminism, when many Black women, especially at the start of the movement, were not interested in solidarity with white women. The fantasy of a racially integrated society was often much more important to white organizers than to Black organizers, who may have instead wanted Black self-determination. I disagree with some of the points of the article (can elaborate if anyone is interested) but I recommend reading it anyway for a retrospective on why white attempts to reach out to Black women failed - white feminists did attempt to reach out, but failed to focus on issues that were relevant to Black women, failed or were offensive in their racial analysis, and failed to understand the importance of racial solidarity for Black women.

Correcting the record on the racism and failures of white feminists in the second-wave is necessary work to building a strong movement. But there's a difference between correcting the record and pretending that white feminists didn't try to talk about race at all. They did! They were participants of anti-racist movements! But they failed to understand their own racism. They failed to understand the complex dynamics between white men, white women, Black men, and Black women. They failed to focus on issues that resonated with Black women. They were failures of bad attempts, not that no attempt was ever made... and that's the part I find weird.

The idea that there was no racial analysis made during the second wave, by white women or Black women, flattens a complex history. Like fun fact - the Combahee River Collective Statement which is the foundation of intersectional feminism and third wave identity politics? Is a second wave text! It was published in 1977, in the late era of second wave activism in the US!

I have more to say later, but for the moment, I'd like to present you with some examples of second-wave feminist texts written by Black women. Read them, and avail yourself of another myth - that there is One Black Feminism. Black Feminists have always had internal disagreements, which frightens white feminists, because white feminists want to know The Correct Answer On Race. I highly recommend reading these (and modern Black feminist texts too!) to understand the situation Black feminists faced in the 60s and 70s. All of these texts were published between 1960 and 1980. They are all essays or excerpts - links provided where possible.

Black Women’s Liberation group of Mt. Vernon, New York - Statement on Birth Control

Mary Ann Weathers - An argument for Black Women’s Liberation as Revolutionary Force (https://caringlabor.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/mary-ann-weathers-an-argument-for-black-womens-liberation-as-a-revolutionary-force/)

Frances M. Beal - Double Jeopardy: to be Black and Female

Doris Wright - Angry Notes from a Black Feminist (https://yu.instructure.com/courses/49421/files/1918241/download?wrap=1)

Margaret Sloan: Black and Blacklesbian

Alice Walker - In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens

Angela Davis: Joan Little: The Dialectics of Rape (https://overthrowpalacehome.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/ms.-magazine-from-the-archives.pdf)

Michele Wallace: A Black Feminist’s Search for Sisterhood (https://www.amistadresource.org/documents/document_09_03_010_wallace.pdf)

The Combahee River Collective (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/combahee-river-collective-statement-1977/)

Barbara Smith - Racism and Women’s Studies (https://hamtramckfreeschool.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/smith-barbara-racism-and-womens-studies.pdf)

[picaroroboto]

I've been wanting for a little while to talk about Pandaemonium, and about Hermes, and what I think these two topics have to do with each other, so here goes. The whole time I was playing the story in Pandae, I kept thinking that I wish I could tell Hermes about all this. For one, because Hermes expresses that he feels he's the only one emotionally suffering, yet here is Erichthonios also clearly going through some shit, so maybe they could find some sort of solidarity together.

For two, because I feel Pandae proves Hermes right in his criticisms of the Ancient world. It's essentially every single flaw of their world in microcosm! Let me try to explain:

To start, let's review Hermes and his problems:

This is from the conversation with him after you show him the Elpis flower changing color for you. He expresses the sympathy he feels for creations, and how being forced to put them down for the sake of the star puts him in this ethical crisis. The entire Ancient world is built around this idea of "for the sake of the star" at the expense of all else, including the lives of their creations and their own individual emotions. Because of this, Hermes feels all the more isolated, as if he's the only one who ever feels bad or questions the foundation of their society.

There is something very, very twisted about the fact that Pandaemonium lies geographically below Elpis, the Hell to its symbolic Eden or Heaven. At the very moment Hermes is crying over having to put down dangerous creations, even more dangerous creations are being kept alive in a hellish gothic prison replete with chains and cages.

As I traveled through Pandaemonium, I also kept thinking "Why is it a prison?" Why does such a place even need to exist? As we find out in Anabaseios, the concept of it being a place to research dangerous creations is a cover story, it's more or less Athena's personal laboratory for her to pursue her goal of godhood. I've seen people praise Athena for being a more shallow and simple villain than Emet-Selch for example, but she's not just a megalomaniac:

"I am no different from our peers" is soooo telling. Her obsession with remaking mankind in her image isn't just a selfish madness, it's the ideals of the Ancients, their obsession with making perfect creations for the sake of the star, taken to it's furthest and most insane conclusion! (also note the irony in her belief that a goddess would remake the species better, when Hydaelyn, the only true goddess in the setting, chose to preserve them as they are. Arguably even making them worse by Sundering).

So Athena takes her duty to the star way too far, Lahabrea sees that she's become a danger to the star for it, and kills her, then cuts off the Hephiastos side of himself - another example of how ruthless the Ancients can be and how they justify anything for the sake of the star. Because the Ancients also place a low importance on emotion, he never talks to Erichthonios about Athena. Feeling neglected by his father and curious about his mother, Erich is lead deeper into Pandaemonium and made even more vulnerable to Athena's manipulations. So even if it was one woman's madness that spawned the action in Pandae, the other flaws of Ancient society serve to perpetuate and exacerbate it.

It's also worse mentioning that for Pandae being a prison for dangerous creations, you actually fight more transformed Ancients and corrupted Warders than you do actual animals. As my brother put it in his own meta, Pandae isn't a case of "inmates running the asylum" as much as it is the power that the Warders wield over their creations corrupting them. Athena is indirectly behind the Warder's transformations, but she also took advantage of vulnerabilities that were already there, like Hesperos's fixation on Lahabrea.

And the same obsession with perfect creations for the sake of the star, the abuse of the power over life and death, continues to characterize the Ancients after the Sundering, with the way Emet and the Ascians ruthlessly Rejoin Shards in order to bring back their "perfect" world. But what Elpis and Pandaemonium prove is that the idea of the Ancient world as a paradise is little more than Emet's grief and nostalgia talking. Hermes may have triggered the Final Days, but I feel the blame for destroying "paradise" doesn't lie entirely on him - his crisis was layered on top of myriad flaws with the world he lived in, flaws he felt he didn't have the freedom to talk about because everyone else believed the world was perfect.

Any world where people can't question the foundation of their society is very far from perfect. A world where people ruthlessly wield power over others, both creations and other people, in favor of a grand goal is no paradise. A world in which prisons exist is no paradise.

If my tone started to sound a bit vengeful there, it's because I sympathize deeply with Hermes, and can't help but feel a bit vindicated on his behalf when I think that Pandaemonium proves him right and Emet-selch wrong. But even after I've spent all this time tearing into the Ancient world, I feel like I have to remind both myself and any readers that the point of the conflict between the Ancient and Sundered world in FF14 isn't to objectively compare them and decide which is better and which is worse. Such pragmatism would be in-character for an Ancient, but we don't have to subscribe to their views. Think about it - even if the Ancient world was proven to be a true paradise, we'd still choose our broken world over it, because returning would cost too many lives, and because we love our world not because it is perfect but because it is ours.

The choice is just made a little easier by all this proof that their world was never as perfect as they said it was.

[iraqueer]

you know what I really believe that one of the reasons that people's opinions on the Israel palestine conflict is more pro palestine than ever is thanks to the low barriers of entry to information on the subject.

we all shit talk the internet for being rife with misinformation. the way the internet keeps us trapped in our own echo chambers and how algorithms just lead to confirmation bias(where we see on our fyps or our timelines or our google search resulta things that the algorithms think we want to see and so we keep seeing only that telling the algorithm to continue boosting that stuff).

and all that is true! but before you'd hear about Israel and palestine conflict and it would be a week on the news and that's it and you'd hear it's complicated by experts and that both parties feel strongly. and the psychological trick of that is that you end up feeling

this is complicated and requires expertise and nuance to discuss otherwise you'll offend someone. better trust what the experts on the news or what our government says

I'm not either of these parties and so if I open my uninformed mouth I could do more harm than good. and I don't want that better trust the story on the news

if I'm critical of israel I'm antisemitic and I'm a good nice person I don't want to be antisemitic

which israel is banking on people doing! and it's worked for so long it nearly worked now but several things happend here that made things different.

social media gives lowers the barrier of entry for dissemination of information. everyone has a phone and can show you wants happening

if you want to read up on the conflict you just need to look it up on your phone. no library card no nothing. and you can look at both sides of the story and judge for yourself. you aren't reliant on the president or mainstream news to pick and choose the sides of the story

now these things on their own aren't enough. in 2018 to 2019 where you had social media you had the internet people weren't looking up palestine israel conflict. why not? what changed? what's different?

in 2018 you had the great March of independence where every Friday people in Gaza would peacefully March to the walls and protest. and they would get shot at! civilians! and they come back next Friday every Friday for a year.

you probably hadn't heard of this. or of you had you heard about it recently while learning about the conflict after Oct. 7

and that's the thing that's different and that leads me to the most important point.

on October 7 hamas attacked and killed an unprecedented number of Israelis. and the usual tactic of the Israel/American media machine of telling you this is too complex and hoping you check out and don't bother researching didn't work.

why? well usually when israel airstikes gaza the media covers it for a day or two. one week max. and then you forget and we move on to the next breaking news and israel gets to continue bombing invading occupying unobserved and unobstructed. this time the media stayed on the story and at first most people where leaning pro israel. that's what the president and the celebrities and the reporters on the ground are saying. but because it stayed in the news long enough. because you'd open Instagram or tiktok and see the horrifying images coming out of gaza it planted a seed of doubt. and that lead people to look up the history and learn

israel is the agressor

the issue is not complicated its actually quite simple. you are not bad for taking a side and you can follow your gut instinct of genocide=bad

Israel lies all the time and they got caught in several lies in record time (their shireen abu akleh lie took months to be disproved)

Israel brags about the atrocities it commits and then fucking tweets it. they say in interviews Palestinians are animals.

like I've seen pro palestine protests and they've never had this many people. this much solidarity this much strength. they've never gone on for this long there's never been this much diversity.

colonial powers never last. they inevitably die off and we're going to witness the end of this one