#which is a dystopian as fuck sentence

[im-a-freaking-joy]

Okay so. I'm doing some reading on the 2024 presidential candidates because this is the first year that I'm able to vote and I want to know as much as possible. So im on this website, ballotpedia, and tell me why LITERALLY ALL OF THE CANDIDATES SUPPORT ISRAEL?? literally all of them are like "well israel is all good and dandy and has the right to protect thenselves (:" and like??? HELLO?? THEYRE COMITTING GENOCIDE??! I'm so tired of this fucking country good god, we cant even get one cadidate that opposes genocide and war crimes?? What the fuck.

[sarah-yyy]

Jie jie what is the devil judge and should I watch it

why would y'all give me a reason to scream over tdj, i'm still recovering.....

SO this show is from like 2021 so like a lot of y'all have probably already watched this, but for those of you who haven't and want to suffer, this post is for you because jiejie loves you 😘

what: modern kdrama // completed // 16 eps, roughly 50 mins each where: netflix // viki why: this was sold to me like this (verbatim) - think eat the rich courtroom shenanigans with morally grey judge who is also extremely hot

little bit of background - setting is in a dystopian, post-pandemic south korea. to instil faith in the judiciary, they've basically reality-showed court proceedings. viewers can vote to sentence the defendants through an app. this Live Court is presided by:

JUDGE #1 - the morally grey but extremely hot judge in question, kang yohan

where do i even START with kang yohan. unloved (unwanted, really) second son of a rich family. his terrible dad used to keep him in the basement, and was v abusive, but he had a brother he loved and loved him v much. inherited the family fortune when his brother and sister-in-law died in a tragic fire (the circumstances of the fire is......sus). lives in a huge ass mansion with his niece (elijah💕) who for the better part of the show is shown to suspect he killed her parents for their fortune. kind of a vigilante (except self-serving, mostly).

this is the star of the Live Court, makes essentially all the decisions, mostly without much consultation with his associate judges, which procedurally is not right, but you'll v soon learn that kang yohan does not give a fuck about the rules, and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal of taking the social responsibility foundation (SRF; basically a foundation run by the elite rich of the country driven by public donations) down.

JUDGE #2 - also somewhat morally grey and also hot associate judge, kim gaon

sweet boy. just wants to Do Things Right. starts off a stickler for rules. he's introduced as being put on the Live Court panel by his mentor to watch over kang yohan and to stop him when he makes extreme decisions (which kyh being kyh does on the daily). lost his parents when he was still in high school because a fraudster scammed his parents of their live savings. is huge on Justice.

this boy is extremely suspicious of kang yohan, and sets about investigating him with the intention of p much revealing his crimes. somehow gaon goes from that to uhhhh living at kang yohan's house, becoming elijah's adopted dad, making dinner for them??? WELL. all for the investigation, right?? gaon sacrifices so much for justice, what a good boy.

JUDGE #3 - a lot less morally grey but still extremely hot associate judge oh jinjoo

MY GIRL 💖 we (tragically) don't see enough of judge oh but she's Righteous, really earnest, super For The People, and a lot smarter than she plays off to be. huge kang yohan fangirl (same, 언니, same). used to sit in a more rural court, and this is her first time in the limelight. is ambitious, but not so much that she will put innocent people in harm's way.

(side note: as an actual to god lawyer who goes to court very frequently, i have not, to date, met a hot judge, but can say with confidence that if any of these three were presiding at my hearings, i would be a lot more enthusiastic about going to court.)

so the cases that the Live Court trials are high profile ones and often result in controversial sentences - kang yohan picks these cases, and they are, again, targeted at toppling the SRF. the key members of the SRF are the president, the minister of justice, several conglomerate presidents, and:

jung sunah

epitome of jiejie step on me please. introduced as a director of the SRF who assists the chairman of the foundation very closely. later inaugurated as chairwoman of the SRF. p much the brains behind the SRF.

grew up poor. possibly killed her mother when she was young. likes shiny things. low-key kang yohan obsession (same, 언니, same) stemming from the time she worked as a maid in their household when they were both young. vicious. will literally kill a man. will kill MANY MEN to achieve her goals (some murders are valid imo).

the rest of the villains are actually quite interesting as well, also low-key fond of minister cha but this post is already too long...

ANYWAY this show centres around kang yohan trying to take down all key members of the SRF through the Live Court - not all of it goes smoothly for him, because he has Meddling Sidekicks like gaon (bless his soul, but sometimes he does v dumb things with good intentions), but yohan makes things work!!

this show also ft. v homoerotic exchanges between yohan and gaon if you're into it (you should be) (is there fic where yohan rails gaon six hundred different ways because i feel like there is and y'all should point me in that direction thank you), found family vibes, extremely !!! plot twists (when i found out about the cause of the fire i was literally screaming). all the characters are interesting even if some of them (*cough*president*cough*) are annoying, and the pacing of the show is good - doesn't drag and makes you want to keep watching the next episode

LONG STORY SHORT: watch this, 11/10 would rec, thank you for making me watch this buddies, this is literally the first time ever i've felt like writing fic for a kdrama

[carlyraejepsans]

I was looking back through your character analysis stuff bc you are great(!) at this kinda thing and you said a sentence that has me curious in so many different ways.

"and what better scenario for this than one where 1) everyone he truly loved is already dead, and 2) there's a brand new unethical system of power ready to be taken advantage of now that he's got nothing left to lose."

In the best possible way, what the hell does this mean? What *could* this mean? I'd it referring to the obvious answer of "He starts getting LV"? Is it referring to him working up the underground's political system (becoming King for some reason)? Is it some secret third option???

Even if this is obvious or meant to be left to suggestion, I would love an expansion and/or exploration of this idea further because it is so captivating.

(Anyway, love your work! Keep it up)

BAHAHAHA, nothing that drastic, don't worry! but... sorta the second option there? not all the way to king though

king mtt ending: dystopian, celebrity king with zero leading experience and dubious mental stability (he is one stage of grief away from killing himself at any moment), takes power in his own hands, sets off a countrywide brainwashing campaign, ignores the kingdom's multiple crisis and if anyone opposes him too much they "disappear". what does sans do? why, he climbs up the social ladder (either by kissing his ass or making himself useful) and secures himself a place as his agent. he neither fights or miss l nor survives the system, he exploits it to cover his own ass, and rip bozo to the poor bastards underneath. now, with papyrus still around he'd obviously have something else left to care about and dedicate himself to after securing their own safety in the system, but if papyrus is gone, well. i don't see why he should give a fuck and not go along with whatever plans mtt has

empress undyne ending: undyne seizes power, declares war (again), expands the royal guard massively, and turns the underground into a massive military state hoping to crush humanity. what does sans do? ...well, we don't know for sure. he ends the phonecall on a rather vague threat

lots of people take this to mean that he's really, REALLY hoping undyne will kick your ass, but still acts as a passive observer. which i think is a perfectly good reading. now, i wouldn't say what I'm about to propose is canon, more like a personal theory/hc of mine... but there's another line in the phonecall I'd like to call attention to. and well. when you connect the two? considering sans' background as a scientist?

...i think they have some REALLY fun implications :]

[sugarcherriess]

You won't be able to push off master, little bunny hehe.

Also since you said we can request anything can I request sadistic incel hyunjae meets anime girl hehe - 🥛

I’m going to ignore that this. Sentence. Has been festering in my askbox for three months.

And now that I got to it I kind of forgot whether the mc was supposed to be an anime enthusiast or an actual come-to-life anime person so I just went with the latter because that’s more interesting. But this is definitely not even close to what I had told you guys about my extreme Hyunjae anime fucker idea 🗿🗿

(Also it’s they/them bc milk later edited the request not me tampering with the request 😭)

Sadistic Incel!Hyunjae x Anime!They/Them:

cw - smut, mc has a pussy and tits, dubcon? I mean mc is from an anime drawn in a plot where they get fucked constantly so they don’t rlly know the difference of being used or otherwise, bimbo-ish behaviour, mentions of pet play, throat fucking, perverted behaviour from strangers, owner/pet relationship, dystopian au

Let’s talk about a dystopian society where technology has evolved so far that you can buy or rent anime people online

Of course, the program started for people to be able to hang out with there favourite characters or take help from them

But there are some sick headed people out there as well

People like Hyunjae who pick out the sluttiest anime characters to buy

So they can satisfy their sick brains by using them for sexual purposes

Because nobody seems to be willing to date him irl, Hyunjae’s constantly horny brain decides to invest in this program

He chooses the character with the most pornographic plot and dressing

And the bimbo-est personality

Just like the mc of this story

He’s not even ashamed when he makes y/n walk with him all the way back to his home from the delivery portal downtown

People ogle y/n’s huge breasts jiggling as they walk by

Some even trying to sneak in and fondle their ass as Hyunjae has to stop at different places

But then they finally come home! Inside the safety of Hyunjae’s room!

Not that y/n is safe there anyway

Hyunjae is a bigger monster than those strangers

As y/n will soon find out.

Hyunjae doesn’t wait for anything

He’s impatient and restless

Although he does have the decency to tell y/n a few important things:

“My name is Jaehyun but you can call me Hyunjae. I am your owner from now on and you will do as I ask. Got it?”

“Mhm!”

The answer is more cheerful than the occasion requires

Since y/n doesn’t yet realise they are a slaughter lamb that walked all the way to the lion’s cave

“Don’t mumble in front of me, I hate it,”

“Yes, Hyunjae!”

And just like that, y/n gets their first task

“I have a very important gaming session in a few minutes and I need you to sit between my legs and warm my cock with your mouth while I play,”

“Okay, Hyunjae,”

“You’re not supposed to make any sound or any protests. Don’t move until I tell you to move,”

“Yes, Hyunjae,”

He nods towards his desk, ushering y/n under there

Surprisingly, it’s not that cramped of a space but it still isn’t the most comfortable

Y/n does their best to not hurt themselves but how careful can they be on their knees with their mouth wide open for, essentially, a stranger?

Hyunjae, not giving a single fuck about them, slides his pants down and pulls y/n in by the hair to his cock

He uses the other hand to tap his tip on y/n’s mouth, making poor, dumb y/n smile

He fists their hair to slide them down their cock experimentally for a few moments, checking the temperature and whether y/n’s mouth can get him wet enough for an easy slide

Once he’s satisfied that their mouth has soaked him enough, he gives y/n no warning before pulling them all the way down

Hyunjae’s tip shoves uncomfortably at the back of y/n’s throat

For extra convenience, his motion has no specific pattern!

So yk, y/n is really thrown for a loop!!

Which is perfect because if not now then when?

(Sarcasm)

He’s unbothered by how harsh he’s holding y/n’s hair or jostling them around

All he knows is that he wants to cum and use y/n so they’re his money’s worth

Sometime amidst this, his game begins

And he ignores y/n for the most of it unless it’s to push them from the back of their head until their nose is pressed to his pelvis

He harshly shushes y/n when they gag a little too loud for his liking

Not that he cares if his friends hear

Which ofc they do

He definitely uses the opportunity to boast about how much pussy he’s about to get from now on

Since his dumb pet is gonna be at his disposal constantly

Only good for being fucked and used as a cumdump

Y/n whines a little bit at the indirect degradation solely because they would like attention on themselves now!

The bad words don’t bother them

Because their owner thinks they’re useful <3

Y/n’s eyes might be tearing up and they might be struggling to breathe but that does not bother Hyunjae in the slightest!

With every short break in the game, his hand is back on y/n’s hair and pulling them down while simultaneously snapping his hips up

His desperately pussy-starving ass doesn’t even realise that he could be using, well, y/n’s pussy for the same reasons he is using their mouth

And he’s cum like. Four times in the small timeframe he’s had them on his cock

Somewhere amidst this mess he had hastily ordered y/n to pull down their top

He just wanted the tits to pop out but

The top was so snug that their tits squished together as well.

And lo and behold

His team finally won the game after two hours of stressful gameplay

And what did Hyunjae do?

He celebrated by pulling y/n up on his lap to use their pussy

Like he had initially planned

A plan he so gracefully forgot.

He nipped and bit at y/n’s tits as they bounced on top of him

Face smushed in their chest, Hyunjae grabbed their ass to force them down harshly on their cock

In true pussy-deprived-loser fashion, his thrusts were uncoordinated due to lack of proper practice

“Fuck! Tell me how good I’m fucking you, you slut”

God knows how his virgin ass was even able to say the entire sentence without his voice breaking is astonishing

But y/n, being the perfect little pet used to being talked down to, obliges

In true Hentai fashion, y/n whines and cries, narrating everything they’re feeling inside them

All the ways Hyunjae’s cock has them fucked up

Their mouth is drooling exactly like their pussy

Face dripping with all sorts of fluids

Hyunjae can’t resist but to fuck them harder

In pursuit of a ahegao face from y/n

Which he gets

Drooly tongue out, teary eyes crossed, blushed cheeks heating up more by the second– the nines

He cums for the last time for the night, hopefully, Hyunjae shushes his moans by fixing his teeth around y/n’s neck

And biting hard

Trying to engrave his mark on them Like a rabid dog

Y/n screams loudly– Well. As loud as their hoarse and overused throat could let them

Eyes twitching, y/n squirts all over Hyunjae

Because they were encoded to be an anime character and what kind of anime character would they be if they didn’t squirt easily hello?

Not that Hyunjae minds it

But he still reprimands them for it

And makes them lick it off him because “a good pet cleans up their mess otherwise they are useless. Do you wanna be useless? Do you want me to throw you on the streets for anyone to use?”

“No, Hyunjae!”

(Said with wet puppy eyes and a pout deeper than the pacific ocean)

[books-and-cookies]

5 SECOND REVIEW

* bro, what the everloving FUCK did i just read

* this 😃 was 😃 absolutely 😃 horrifying 😃

* if anyone ever utters the words "america is the land of opportunities" and toots about "the american dream" i will smack them repeatedly in the head with this book

* the author more than proved the argument that while the U.S. claim to be colorblind when it comes to race and that, in very simple terms, racism isn't an issue anymore, mass incarceration has essentially created a new racial undercaste

* the majority of people incarcerated are African Americans, as a consequence of an artificially created "War on Drugs", which allowed an unreal amount of control over the people, essentially segregating them to a lower status through completely legal means

* i mean, mandatory minimum sentence of 5 to 10 years for marijuana possession??? Bro. People in other countries receive this sentence for violent crimes, what are we on about??

* the way that the system militarized police and manipulated laws and procedures to make it ridiculously easy to put people in prison - specifically minorities and more specifically African Americans, or in institutionalised control such as probation or parole, is straight up a dystopian nightmare, i can't even

* being labelled as a felon amounts to loss of fundamental rights and the inability to leave a vicious circle that perpetuates poverty and second class citizen status to millions of people

* i am just flabbergasted and straight up horrified that this is happening and that it will most likely continue to be a reality unless a groundshaking change on all levels - political, economic, societal - happens

* throughout this whole book, my one thought was just "bestie make it make sense pls what is this why is it happening"

* 5/5 ⭐️

[elenaril]

Times Like These “I’m not… I don’t want to die, Johnny. I’m not ready.” She sucked in a sharp breath of air, and blinked away the tears again.  “I’ve considered every single fucking option and choice we have, and it’s just. It’s not looking so good, y’know? The malfunctions are getting more frequent, I barely know who and where I am most days after waking up, I’m forgetting things, things that are important, and I just. I don’t fucking know anymore. I’m just not sure if it’s worth it anym-” She was trembling, the thought of an ending sending her into a quiet panic

 “Fucking finally, do you ever take breaks like a normal person?” Johnny’s digital form glitched into visibility, grumbling as usual. Eden had finally sat down on a bench, in one of the many hidden nooks and crannies of Kabuki, letting out a quiet groan as she stretched her shoulders, and flexed her hands. The streets were, as every other place in NC, littered with trash and discarded items, and the scent of cheap liquor, smoke from the various industrial sites (or a certain engrams’ phantom cigarettes), garbage - the holy trinity of NC, filled her nose. Even after almost a decade in the dystopian hellscape that was Night City, she couldn’t help but make a face. 

“Hey, legendary rockerboy/terrorist/most impressive man you’ll ever meet to planet gonk? You listen to anything I’ve said in the last five minutes?” Eden, aka “planet gonk”, apparently, rolled her eyes. Johnny was pouting, tapping his foot against the ground, arms crossed, looking down at her, huffy and annoyed, and obviously in need of attention. She sighed, and sat up straight, crossing her own arms in response, and looked up at him. “What? If you couldn’t fucking tell, I was trying to relax, something you’ve been bitching about for the last two hours.” They’d just got back from a gig, escorting a client to safety; some idiot who had gotten caught up in corporate schemes, and now had a bounty/potential death sentence on his head. Nothing Eden wasn’t familiar with.

“As I was saying, which you’d fucking know if you ever bothered listening - you’re fucking starving, and your lack of self care is impacting me, so get your ass over to that takeout place over there. I don’t know about you, but even in my glitched out form, I can tell shit smells amazing. Might also just be me.” he finished, adding a wink to top it all off, along with a smug grin. Fuck, she thought to herself. He was absolutely right. She had not eaten a single thing since the previous night, and that had been a half-eaten, cold Burrito XL she’d gotten herself for breakfast.

“Okay, fine, you have a fucking point. About the food, thank you.” With a grunt, she got to her feet as Johnny’s construct faded away, and shuffled through the street, zigzagging between the other NC residents, and trying to avoid stepping in something nasty. 

 As she neared the little eatery, the scent of grilled meats and whatever vegetable substitute they were using, filled her nose, and she felt a pang of hunger. Fucking Johnny and his terrible (good) ideas. Even though the place was open, facing the streets, it was surprisingly cozy. It served as a quiet little pocket, where one could find some peace and quiet, at least this time of night. She stepped towards the counter, pulling her jacket slightly tighter around herself. She smiled at the chef, and leaned across the bartop, placing her gun within reach on the counter, just in case. Night City etiquette and all that. She placed an order for a simple stir-fry, and within minutes, a takeaway container was placed in front of her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to shrug off the nausea that plagued her, due to the various medications Vik and Misty had given her, to deal with the Relic. She picked up the chopsticks, and began eating. A wave of satisfaction washed over her, and she knew that it was not all her own. The chef was busy tending to a pair of customers at the opposite side of the counter, and the rest of the little eatery was empty. It was nice, being able to sit down and just enjoy the peace and quiet for once, and get lost in her own thoughts.

“Don’t get too comfortable, princess. With all those loud ass fucking thoughts you’re having, I might get the impression you don’t like me.” Eden rolled her eyes and stuck the chopsticks in the container, pushing it aside.

“Can I seriously not have anything nice without you ruining it?” She huffed and leaned over the counter again, flexing her hand.

 “Hey, I practically bought you dinner, I can be nice. Not my fault you’re being such a bitch about it.” Eden swatted at him with her left hand, both feeling the impact for a short second, before her hand glitched through his arm, leaving a jitter of code and static, before settling back into him. He snickered, and shook his head, before pulling out a cigarette. Eden refused to humour him further, and instead chose to look away.

They stood there in silence, side by side. Johnny smoking, Eden lost in thought, much like usual. The food beside her was getting cold, and a sharp pain at the nape of her neck that spread down her spine, straight to her chest snapped her back into reality. Johnny winced, feeling it too, and he turned to look at her, as she sucked in a sharp breath of fresh air. 

“‘m fine, don’t worry.” she muttered, flexing and clenching her fist repeatedly, trying to ground herself. Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, and he took another drag of the cigarette, waiting for her to talk. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she kept standing here, hunched over the counter, flexing and clenching her fist, focusing on the repetitive movement, and ignoring the tension in the rest of her body. The nausea was back, and she felt cold.

“...you alright, V?” Johnny reached towards her, and put a hand on her arm. She flinched, but leaned into him. Barely. She took another deep breath, and exhaled shakily.

“I’m… I don’t know. It’s getting worse.”

“...”

Johnny looked at her, and he could feel her growing desperation, the two of them connected in both body, and mind. He felt her agitation, and it had been getting harder and harder to shut each other out. The Relic was working as intended, blurring the lines between them, and erasing her in the process. They both knew  that it was only a matter of weeks at this point.

Eden yanked away her arm, and leaned down, burying her head in her arms. She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes, and aggressively attempted to blink them away. Johnny, not taking a hint, or ignoring it, as usual, reached over, and gently stroked the back of her neck with his organic hand, brushing the rose-coloured hair away. He did not push his luck, however, and removed his hand shortly after. Eden was holding her breath.

“...you wanna, I don’t know. Talk about it?” Johnny was toeing in foreign territory for them both. They had free access to each other’s feelings, and Johnny could read every single thought that crossed through her head, but talking about things? They were both terrible at it. But, they tried, when it mattered. And tonight, it mattered.

Eden stood up again, brushing her hands through her pink bangs as she straightened slightly, before resting her arms at the counter, fists clenched. She refused to look at him. If she did, she would probably break down. And that, she refused.

“Johnny, I…” Johnny lit another ghostly cigarette, and looked at her, his usually sharpened gaze, soft.

“I’m not… I don’t want to die, Johnny. I’m not ready.” She sucked in a sharp breath of air, and blinked away the tears again. 

“I’ve considered every single fucking option and choice we have, and it’s just. It’s not looking so good, y’know? The malfunctions are getting more frequent, I barely know who and where I am most days after waking up, I’m forgetting things, things that are important, and I just. I don’t fucking know anymore. I’m just not sure if it’s worth it anym-” She was trembling, the thought of an ending sending her into a quiet panic.

“Lighten up, princess.” Johnny looked away, and stared right in front of him. It was like any other of his usual, snarky comments, but there was nothing of the sort in his tone. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, and exhaled it, the smoke glitching into nothing. There was an air of solemn stoicism in his words, as he continued. 

“We’ll get you and that thick fucking skull of yours out of this, just trust me. If there’s anyone who’s stupid enough to come up with an insane, last minute plan, and lucky enough to go through with it, and come out on the other side? It’s you.” Eden stood there, quietly, as Johnny turned to look at her, again.

“You’re an absolute fucking nightmare, Eden, but we’re in this together. You took a bullet for me, and I’ll take the Blackwall for you.” Eden shuddered at the thought, and looked down again. When she spoke, it was barely a whisper.

“...I just. It’s stupid. But I just hoped there’d be a way we’d both make it out of this fucking mess. It’s just not fair. We both deserve better.” Johnny smiled, and let out a chuckle, and Eden looked up at him, teary-eyed and confused. “You almost had me there, princess. I almost thought you cared about me, for a second.” She let out a snort, and rolled her eyes, elbowing him in his side, as he flipped her off and blew a cloud of smoke in her face in return. She shook her head, and grabbed her gun, before leaving a few eddies for her meal. They had to find a solution. They still had time. For now. She tightened her jacket around her, the Samurai emblem at the back glowing a deep red, and they walked back into the alley, and into Night City. Eden leading the way, fast-paced and determined, and Johnny, nonchalantly strutting along, glitching in and out of view as he pleased. They still had time.

[kiefbowl]

The final redpill is that being angry at men 24/7 keeps them in power over you, if you can’t be free even in your thoughts there’s no hope.

the worst thing about radfems is like

i fucking get it. men have hurt me too. for a long time, i was afraid of men, afraid that they'd hurt me and do worse to me then they already had.

i was 16 when my mother told me her story. an ex who'd abused and repeatedly raped her.

i asked her how she was able to move on and marry my father.

what she said broke my mindset.

if i was afraid of men, so afraid and angry that i never let anyone else in, he'd win. it would have worked. he'd have succeeded in breaking me. and that man didn't deserve to have that kind of power over me.'

radfems claim to want to protect women, to keep them from being hurt by men again but all they really do is keep themselves and other radfems constantly retraumatized.

you haven't escaped. he still has power over you.

This is like a freeform poem, dig that. I suppose you wanted notes and that's why you sent it to me, I'll take it line by line.

"The final redpill is that being angry at men 24/7 keeps them in power over you, if you can’t be free even in your thoughts there’s no hope."

I like the imagery of the Final Redpill, it set's the scene in a sort of dystopian medicinal frontier where radicalization happens in doses that are distributed to you and you swallow, and also lends itself to a digital landscape in the sense that the word "Final" is often used to describe a "Final Boss" in video games. A sort of endgame of radicalization happens in this piece, you can reach a Final Redpill in which there are No More Redpills to take, so be forwarned! It's very, very good to give strong visual cues at the beginning of a poem, something to draw the reader in.

The thing that confuses me is this sort of paradoxical language of the next clause. So the narrator admits men have power over "you" aka women, but it's being angry at men that makes this happen. Okay, but then why do they have power over women? Did women spontaneously get angry at men 24/7 and then that caused the power, or did men develop the power and then women are mad at it but then that means that women sustain the power? Ultimately the narrator is suggesting women's oppression is women's fault, which fair of course we all know that, but you could use more clear language. A metaphor or simile could help, especially if you relate it back to the "Final Redpill" in the first clause.

Maybe something like The final redpill is anger, men are kept in power over you by the very pills you choose to take. there’s no hope.

Adding "there's no hope" as a single sentence adds some punchiness and rhythm, something to consider, unless this is a message about hope, then we should discuss how to get that meaning across.

"the worst thing about radfems is like"

No notes, excellent use of white space.

"i fucking get it. men have hurt me too. for a long time, i was afraid of men, afraid that they'd hurt me and do worse to me then they already had."

this has particularly good rhythm.. I like the use of an uncaptialized "i", it gives a sense of commonality. Instead of "we", we are all "i." The narrator is both a woman and every woman. I like the two short sentences and then a longer one.

"i was 16 when my mother told me her story. an ex who'd abused and repeatedly raped her."

Again, the lower case "i" is good, unless you wanted to be specific to the narrator referring to herself. Using "I" here could be good to show a difference between the lower case "i" in the line above vs. the line here to demonstrate the specific choice. Depends on your meaning. It can make sense either way since so many of us have mothers whose story is this very one.

"i asked her how she was able to move on and marry my father."

I'm not sure if this white space is necessary, if it was brought up to your last line we ask the reader to draw parallels in the relationship between the two men in the couplet.

"what she said broke my mindset."

No notes, excellent use of white space! We are seeing a change of the narrative in the poem.

"if i was afraid of men, so afraid and angry that i never let anyone else in, he'd win. it would have worked. he'd have succeeded in breaking me. and that man didn't deserve to have that kind of power over me.'"

Punctuation is strange. I'm assuming the final (') is meant to be a quotation and this is a direct quote from the mother figure of the narrator.

"radfems claim to want to protect women, to keep them from being hurt by men again but all they really do is keep themselves and other radfems constantly retraumatized."

We haven't circled back to the imagery of the Final Redpill, I'd say that's a missing element. I was such a good, strong choice, this would be a perfect place to try to tie back into the poem.

"you haven't escaped. he still has power over you."

Very spooky line and interesting ending to the poem. Having an unspecific "he" that you haven't yet referred to ends the poem nicely, it give the reader pause. Is he an abuser and rapist? It loops us back to the first line that suggests it's women's anger that causes men's power, perhaps the poem is asking us if we accepted that reality too readily and he is the source of anguish. "you" aka women haven't escaped. and why? because of him. a man is within this poem and we've hardly given him consideration, that is excellent writing.

Overall, solid A-. Clean up the first line for more clarity and better rhythm and tie more lines to the Final Redpill imagery, and I think you've got a solid piece of writing here. Thanks for trusting my judgement! :)

[sleep-safe]

(no TLOU plot spoilers, minor characterization spoilers). so far, my favorite thing about The Last of Us (TV) is the portrayal & inclusion of disability.

Joel is not just shown experiencing the effects of his conditions, which would be cool on its own. the viewer experiences it through the production, from distorted visuals, sounds, and speed when he has an anxiety attack, to the muffled audio when he can't hear. i like the way his disabilities are matter of fact, understated instead of big reveals.

more than that, though, i love the representation. many of these characters are never referenced in the show, but are clearly framed and made obvious to the audience.

the message that seems very clear to me —and means a whole fucking lot—is that there are disabled people in the aftermath of the apocalypse. in so much media we die in the catastrophe or we die (or are killed) after it because of our disabled status. it's really fucking nice to see an apocalyptic/dystopian work that not only doesn't push eugenics, but actively gives eugenics the middle finger.

it also seems like disability is intentionally used as a symbolic device. the way a society treats people with disabled is representative of its quality. (minor spoilers and violence tw). in a violent city, it is better to kill someone than to leave him injured. (end violence tw).

in a peaceful, prospering community, there are multiple shots of people with disabilities being included in and cared for by the community! there is an elderly person crying pushed in a wheelchair! a kid with downs syndrome front and center at the movies!

throughout the show, it is demonstrated that disability is not a death sentence, even in the apocalypse. people with disabilities valuable, and survive and thrive and have meaningful lives because they are cared for and cared about by the people around them. people who are chronically and terminally ill; multiple deaf/hard of hearing characters; non-judgemental depictions and discussions of mental health & illness. they don't even brush over menstruation!

there's even a scene where someone spouts some absolute eugenics who, aside from being an obvious villain from every angle, meets a poetically gruesome fate. they just don't make shit like this!

i AM only through episode 6. but so far i am shocked and grateful.

[ithoughtuweregoingforahug]

This isn't a original opinion, I don't think, but the problem with AI isn't even AI. AI is technology, technology and technological progress is good, actually. Or at least not inherently bad.

If I didn't resent AI for how it's used right now, I'd primarily find it super interesting, technologically and philosophically. Especially philosophically. What makes intelligence etc.

The problem I see is more a general capitalist hellhole problem. The problem is that AI is used mostly to avoid paying people, especially creatives, for their work, while the economic system requires people to have a job to survive. Technology is supposed to make life easier, and tech taking over certain tasks from people is supposed to be a good thing, but when no job = no food, of course we have to fear technological progress if it's gonna "take away the jobs". As long as capitalism dominates our economies and politics, as long as we have to earn the right to survival through selling our labour, technological progress can't be made freely and without fear that it will make human work economically obsolete. AI, being technological progress, could be helpful and relieve a lot of people of dull and/or mentally taxing jobs, it could be fun and interesting to do philosophy about it in relation to art and questions of intelligence and sentience and so forth — but not as long as the survival of workers depends on it not being used in all these ways.

Another, less existential problem is that the meaning of art gets bastardised. It's difficult to put into words how it feels to see AI images being treated as on par with the art you spent years and years working towards. It's even harder to form a cohesive argument based on that. Human-made art being compared to AI-generated work in a way that implies they have the same cultural and emotional value feels like...a dismissal of my humanity? Like none of the emotion and thought and intent and personal history that I put into all of my work matters and all that's important is what it superficially looks like or that the sentences are cohesive, and an algorithm can do that just as well but for cheaper and in no time.

Where both of this sort of comes together is when creative jobs specifically are threatened to be taken over by AI. Not because AI-generated works necessarily have similar quality to human-made art (at least for any those of us with artistic standards), but mostly because greedy CEOs/production companies/streaming companies don't give a fuck about the art itself, project that thinking onto audiences and assume they just want something to consume instead of actually good quality art. I feel that art (art as such, not as an investment or status symbol) has very little value to the capitalists running this system, and that thinking spills over into our cultural and social understanding of art — it's fun and games and nice to look at, nice to have, but it's not really important, at least not important enough to pay the people making it a living wage, and maybe don't become an artist and instead do something sensible.

Largely, what matters is money and numbers, which feels dystopian and inhumane to me. A rejection of art feels like a rejection of humanity and human history. And the way that AI is increasingly used to further signal to artists and creatives that what makes art art isn't what matters, casts a deep dark shadow over any interesting or useful aspect that generative AI might otherwise have.

There are other critical aspects to generative AI, like nonconsensual inclusion of artists' works in the data sets that the algorithms 'learn' off of, or issues relating to other ways people exploit AI (eg. fraud and creepier things than that). But the points I elaborated on are the ones I've thought about most.

So yeah, basically. Art is inherently human. Art is made by humans for humans. Art, by this definition, cannot be made by AI. It's just images and words. (that's roughly a thing CJTheX said, who is much smarter and more committed to reading philosophy than I am. But I feel that it sums up so well why the concept of AI 'art' feels so wrong™, so I have to paraphrase it any time I talk about this topic.)

I think we, as humans, instinctually know that there's more to art than the corporate necktie people try to convince us there is. We have to know. It's just really hard to unlearn a lifetime of capitalism. But by god, don't let art get reduced to a set of data, or pixels, or probabilities of which word follows which.

[semper-legens]

81. The Loop, by Ben Oliver

Owned: No, library Page count: 364 My summary: Luka Kane has spent two years in the Loop. He knows he will die here. Aged only sixteen, he is sentenced to death but able to delay it by taking part in medical experiments. When he turns eighteen, he will be transferred to a prison even worse...if he even survives that long. But when rumours of rebellion outside filter through to the prison, Luka’s world begins to change. Will he survive the trials of his new existence? Or will he become yet another corpse? My rating: 3/5 My commentary:

Well, this was an interesting one. I picked it up because of how intriguing the premise sounded - a young man sentenced to death, locked up in a hellish prison, denied human rights, and treated like the lowest of the low. He can delay his execution every six months if he agrees to have medical experiments performed on him, which are increasingly likely to be fatal. When he turns eighteen, he'll be sent to the Block, an even worse adult prison. Things are looking pretty bleak - fortunately for me, I really like depressing fiction! Yay? Anyway, I thought this was pretty good, but there was One Big Flaw keeping me from unequivocally enjoying it.

Our main character is Luka, a sixteen year old inmate of the Loop who has at this point been in there for two years. He's grown used to life in the Loop, as much as he hates it. His crime is ambiguous at first, and what actually got him sent to the Loop becomes a mystery solved only later in the novel, when the details come out. He's determined to survive no matter what, is empathetic with a dose of natural cynicism given his circumstances, and just wants to be safe alongside his loved ones. Overall, his voice is engaging, and he's a good window into this world. The rest of the characters, however...there are a lot of them, and I really had trouble remembering who was who and what all of their unique characteristics were. Understandable in a way - characters start dropping like flies after a certain point - but it meant that the only character I really had any feeling for was Luka, everyone else just felt a bit too one-note for me.

The setting of this book was really cool. In a dystopia way, obviously. Systemic inequality has split the world into Regulars, unmodified humans, and Alts, who can afford genetic engineering. There is very little work for Regulars, who have to struggle and fight for even the smallest luxuries. The world has merged into one nation, run by Happy, an AI who works on complete logic. Different Regions have different Overseers, humans who govern that Region. Oh, and everyone has cameras embedded into their heads that are recording memories. There's some neat ideas here; some are a little on the nose, like the camera thing, but that's part and parcel of the dystopian genre. Little details, like inmates having their energy painfully drained to power cities and their prison, are nightmarish, and each character's story of how they've been fucked over by the system are exaggerations of very real systemic problems in our society. It was well thought-through, and well-built.

So, what was my problem with it? For me, this book was suffering from a lack of focus. There was just so much going on that none of it was explored to a satisfactory level. Is this book about the injustices in society that led to these kids being imprisoned under sentence of death? Is it the dystopia outside? Is it about the apocalypse and genetic engineering for the purpose of eugenics? Is it about these kids and their character arcs? It's about all of these things and more, but the end result is that no one thing seems developed or focused on enough. As soon as one element seems like it's getting some focus, a new one is introduced and everything else is put on the backburner. I wish there was more about this world in general and the systemic injustices faced by the main characters. It was off to an good beginning; the fact that a lot of the kids are people of colour or disabled was an interesting touch, and the isolation and hopelessness of Luka's situation was emblematic of real abuses within the prison system. But then that got derailed by the eugenics apocalypse, which in itself got derailed by Luka questioning what is real and the governmental conspiracy that caused the infection. I wish the book had focused more on one thing, and left the others to develop naturally over the course of the series - like many YA novels, this is the first of a trilogy. Other than this, however, I thought that the book was really good! I just wish the focus was a little narrower.

Next, two boys are swept up in the horrors of the Holocaust.

[decembermoonskz]

+ ateez : the world ep.1 : movement | my comeback review/thoughts °˖✧

figured i’d start doing this bc it’s a lot of fun writing these haha enjoy me screaming, making incoherent sentences and losing it over them. (tldr i love ateez so much) i used a star for my favorite songs!

album ;

now then, time to get into the album! >:)

:: PROPAGANDA 

first off hongjoong’s “wake up world” intro is so cool. it gives me chills.

the sirens(?) and the very cybernetic vibes of the synth are so cool (that synth key change freaked me out highkey it’s ominous)

when the guitar hits tho it’s so interesting, like it reminded me of “daisy” by pentagon (it’s the same key as that song actually iirc) but also it’s like a calmer “guerrilla” as well with jongho’s vocals.

this is a great intro imo

:: Sector 1 ★

THE INTRO!!! IT’S FROM THEIR PREV MVs!!!! NEAR THE END WHEN YOU SEE THE MAN WITH THE MASK!! this literally got me so riled omfg!!

but omg the song is so so good! it’s one of my new favorite b-sides from them for sure

the chill intro and then jongho comes in and it completely becomes the hype ateez dance anthem vibe again

hongjoong + mingi rap coming in again and slaying fucking fr *cries* (mingi’s rap is so so good! it’s both lowkey but has his usual aggression it’s perfect) 

the pre-chorus is so good tho omg yunho *head in hands*

the make it rain / make a wave part is so fucking catchy omg i just groove to it

san’s part in the bridge with his lower register has me feeling some type of way *looks away*

def an instant fave

:: Cyberpunk

oh my god the intro slapped me in the face

SAN STARTS THE SONG *CRIES*

the funky synth tho is so good omg the loop isn’t too droning or annoying i like it

MINGI’S RAP IS SO EARLY HHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAA (the fix on got me riled)

ooh the chorus tho... :000 the keys they’re hitting and the progression, it’s almost like a circus type of feeling i love it so much.

hongjoong’s rap is so good so fluid MINGI CAME BACK

jfc jongho went up three octaves (go off man goodness)

i like this one a lot, has a eerie vibe but very techno and dystopian i love it (the circus-y chorus made me think of the circus area in nier automata)

MINGI AGAINNNN

:: Guerrilla ★

THIS SONG MOTHERFUCKING SLAPS!! it’s definitely one of my favorite title tracks from them already. 

on first listen i knew immediately

hongjoong and mingi’s raps are one of my new favorites for them for sure *nod nod* (the relaxed vibe in hongjoongs and the flow of mingi’s >>>>)

the song perfectly captures the vibe of their stroyline and the imagery they were creating in the mv and even on its own it explains the story perfectly! if you’re just getting into them this is still a great intro into their overall aura for sure!!

jongho’s vocals are really amazing in this one, the ones in the ending of the chorus are almost haunting it’s amazing 

the clearness of the guitar at the end of the chorus is pure ear candy i won’t take any other opinions. thank you.

yunho and san’s part in the second verse!!!!!!!! i lost my mind omg the way san went up in his falsetto set me off it was soooo pretty (such a contrast to the rough and dark color of the song i loved it)

THE BRIDGE >>>>>>>>

the metal elements were not overused or oversaturated which was so nice imo i’m glad they didn’t overuse the heavy metal screaming sample i think it would be too grating on my ears otherwise. they placed it in the song at the perfect times which is amazing 

overall the song is great. the composition is amazing 10/10 for sure!

:: The Ring ★

oooh this one sounds so interesting. 

i wasn’t expecting how slow the beat was.

OMG the pre-chorus + chorus is AMAZING!!!!! omg i loved the buildup and the drop was delayed too! i was anticipating it but omg it caught me off guard. it’s so good!! the bass hits so perfectly

MINGI’S CALM FIX ON!!!

omg hongjoong you better mfing slay

THAT DROP IS SO GOOD *head in hands*

the ascension of the vocals i love ittttt

help- i didn’t even realize this song is freakin four minutes LOL i was like “omg it’s still going” HAHA

omg the lotr. ty salena for pointing it out i wasn’t a lotr kid don’t judge me

:: WDIG (Where Do I Go) ★

oh snap the intro!

OH SHIT NO THE START YES THIS IS MY SHIT RIGHT HERE

mingi tell ‘em omg!! 

my head is bopping

the autotune is actually used nicely i’m a fan

OOOOOH THE CHORUS YES! it’s slower than i expected the hits are so good!!

OMG THAT SOUND BEFORE HONGJOONG’S RAP EAR CANDYYY

omg i love this one so much!!! 

:: New World

THE CHOIR-LIKE VOCALS TO START WHAT IS THIS FINAL FANTASY?!?!

OMG THE AURA OF THIS SONG

i feel like i’m in a video game and we’re heading for the final battle

it’s such a good vibe for their storyline!! like we’re heading into the battle or starting a revolution! it’s so epic feeling

SAN’S VOCALS *SOBS*

MINGI’S FINAL RAP MY HEART IT’S SO GOOOOOOOD

THIS SONG IS SO EPIC UGH I LOVE IT

what a great conclusion to the album!!

mv/performance ;

okay now to just talk about the mv and the dance and stuff. omg this was an amazing comeback and it really speaks to their lore and storyline! they went all in with this one for their universe they’ve made and i’m absolutely in love with it!! when i saw the teaser where hongjoong took the mask off and the heavy metal screams came in i knew this was gonna be an amazing comeback and i was right!

the mv was absolutely amazing!! i loved the sets and the overall vibe. the way they’re starting the rebellion/revolution and rising up it feels like they’re phoenixes that the world they’re in tried to silence and they’ve risen again. 

this was my favorite image from the mv by far. the symbolism and the revolution themes here are so beautiful. the colors too i love it so much. this has to be one of the prettiest scenes i’ve seen in an mv period. i love it so much. if i’m not mistaken they’re referencing an existing painting (if you guys know it please let me know bc i can’t think of it right now). 

the visual effects are so wild but at the same time they could be overwhelming when hongjoong and mingi were rapping. i for one loved them, i say this more for people who may be new to atz or not aware of their storyline/lore, however it felt like it was fitting that it was overwhelming, bc at least for my interpretation they’re overwhelming this so-called perfect system the world they’re in claims to live in.

the styling was so nice too. the all black outfits were so nice but the ones they had in the area where the blimp flew over them were nice too! i loved the styling overall and it felt so good! 

i want to say props to their staff and their team for making such a great vibe that felt so unique and distinctive for ateez and the world they’ve made.

final thoughts ; 

if you made it this far then thanks for listening to my rambling but i just had so many thoughts about this comeback (i’ll probs do this for other cbs as well when i feel up to it) this comeback is probably one of the best in 2022 and also just in general for me. i’m gonna enjoy and savor this era so much. it’s truly a masterpiece! ateez are such amazing performers and storytellers. period. 

[thesylphroad]

Inner Monologue Shitpost Breakdown A.K.A. Review of Chapter 1 of "A Court of Thorns and Roses"

Everyone on TikTok is going batshit crazy about this book series, so as a very late-to-the-program sheep, I must join the wave. My credentials are that I'm obsessed with faerie lore and I read a lot of AO3 fanfic so I'm pretty well qualified to review what I am assured is "faerie smut." There better be faeries and fucking or I will sue.

Commence Chapter One.

We meet the book's narrator, Girl in Forest. She has wandered too far into the forest (which, like, never a good sign in fantasy). Her family is starving, so she is hunting for deer. We get some ominous foreshadowing about both giant wolves and the supernatural ilk that seems to freely wander out of Prythian, which is the name for the "faerie lands." Right away it sounds like this world will adhere to a physical barrier between realms (thank god, I hate that dimension jumping bullshit). Kudos to the author for spelling faerie with the "e' because that's obviously the superior way to spell it.

Anyway, moving on, this girl is cold, and she tells us as much, and then immediately launches into an existential follow up: "A shudder skittered down my spine at the thought, and I shoved it away, focusing on my surroundings, on the task ahead. That was all I could do, all I'd been able to do for years: focus on surviving the week, the day, the hour ahead." Immediately I'm like, okay so I think she has BPD. Anyway narrator is simply a girlboss, in what almost seems like a Hunger Games type backdrop. Girls just wanna survive their dystopian medieval-esque? era frozen hellscape. Please god don't let this be a YA series. Anyway, author maybe forgot the "show don't tell" rule, but I'm full of forgiveness so I won't hold it against her.

Narrator reminds us (me?) she is in a tree, which is good because I'd forgotten that detail. Never mind, in the next sentence she informs me she is getting off the tree. We already know she's like, survival-centric, which gives us a good idea as to her social status (and thus her likely financial class) but she adds in a detail about her fraying boots so we know for sure she's no uptown girl. Protagonist is probably like, humble and selfless and all that.

Okay, so she's got a few hours of daylight left and now she's really harping on the giant wolves rumor, and like, how they're traveling in groups (as wolves are wont to do). But more sinister still, she shares this little detail: "Not to mention whispers of strange folk spotted in the area, tall and eerie and deadly." I have bad news for the narrator after reading the follow-up sentence: "ANYTHING BUT FAERIES." I have a sneaking hunch it might be faeries, since like, this is the forest and the forest leads directly into the faerie lands as aforementioned.

We get some lore for the road, about "long-forgotten gods," whom the hunters are still praying to, for some reason. I guess when you need a crutch you need a crutch, right? She goes on to explain that she's actually a couple of days away from the "immortal border of Prythian," and this is why they've been "spared an attack." I will assume these are hostile invader faeries until otherwise advised.

Oh no, narrator's family finished their last loaf of bread yesterday, which means they are really banking on narrator to come through with a kill. Narrator is like, the breadwinner, except instead of bread it's deer. Which, like, not to be rude but this is fatherless behavior, where is the dad who's supposed to be crunching through the snow with her right now? Narrator is like (paraphrasingly), "But also I'd rather starve than be wolf food. Or faerie food." OK, DO THE FAERIES EAT HUMAN FLESH? More on that later, I trust she will not forget to expand on this detail, as author is very good at expanding on…every single detail. "Not that there was much of me to feast on," narrator adds (coyly).

Note to self: narrator is a skinny legend.

Okay, homegirl definitely has some self-worth issues to work through here, which furthers my BPD suspicion. I mean she's like, traveling deeper into the forest, and the whole time she's playing out this scenario where she comes back empty-handed and her family is like, disappointed or angry or something. She's in the winter of her life, and the wolves she meets along the way are her only…I can stop.

Moving on, narrator is waiting and hoping. Good to hear she still has hope, because she definitely just told us she didn't exactly have that. Interesting detail to note is this sentence where she's like "Too many families had already started begging for me to hope for handouts from the wealthier townsfolk." Book world is presumably also in a recession, and they're probably relying on the same age-old trickle down politics pyramid scheme.  I'm on page 19 and protagonist is getting deeply troubling in her existential inner monologue. Like, not only is her life kinda crappy, narrator actually feels like her world has no color. She is in her 2016 Tumblr era. She cannot stop listening to that Arctic Monkeys album. Like, not only is the landscape bleak (could be a little bit of seasonal depression rearing its ugly head here) but this also applies to like, the luxuries of jeweled brooches and expensive silk fabric. I think this is meant to imply that she maybe at one point enjoyed these luxuries, like maybe she is New Poor. You know how there's New Money and Old Money, and there's also New Poor and Old Poor. I think this lifestyle is newly acquired, if that makes sense. She cranks it up a notch by telling us she sometimes "would even indulge in envisioning a day when my sisters were married and it was only me and Father, with enough food to go around, enough money to buy some paint." Okay, okay, actually this makes sense: narrator is an artist. A real Barbara Ross with the paints, if you will; so it makes sense that she sees the world in terms of COLOR. It's interesting to consider that, in these sort of unspecified back-in-the olden days societies there was probably a good deal of like, inter-family resentment when parents just kept popping out kids they couldn't feed, and we see that evidenced here. Narrator resents her sisters, and since she mentioned they're both OLDER than she is and neither one of them are traipsing through the forest with her right now, I can kind of sympathize. I also just randomly remembered that part of this book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and those old fairy tales love a good "shitty sibling" or "shitty step-parent" motif, so this tracks. 

Narrator admits that, while she hasn't admired any beauty in the world in like forever, she is currently admiring this beautiful winter light on the snow even though she is super miserable and cold (also starving). Narrator is a real contradiction. We get a cute little tidbit about some guy called Isaac Hale (they fuck). She's like, a cool girl, though, so it's more like romps in the decrepit barn, and not anything serious. "Hungry and empty and sometimes cruel, but never lovely" is a real as fuck way to describe a no-strings hook-up. I like that. 

"The howling wind calmed into a soft sighing." Okay, back to that "show don't tell" rule, because I'm bored of the snow at this point. I have some serious questions about the editor who let "the lethal, gentle beauty of the snow" slip through to publication, but carrying on. We get this recurring reminder that the protagonist is "peering through thorns" which seems relevant since it ties back into the title and all, or maybe it's just an allusion to the thorny lifestyle girlboss leads, I don't know yet. Will follow-up on this. 

FINALLY a wild plot device appears, and a deer spawns in the clearing ahead of narrator. Deer is eating tree bark, narrator is like "This deer is not too scrawny to kill." Narrator should remember the old adage "Beggars can't be choosers." She also adds that this deer could sustain her family for like a week, probably. I'm not a hunter myself, so no comment, but I believe her because why would she lie? Protagonist really puts off the whole ACTUALLY firing the arrow process, distracted by her maladaptive daydreaming about what she's going to do with all the meat and the deer hide if and when she ever shoots the damn thing. She's also like, "One of my sisters needs a cloak and the other sister is an if u got it I WONT it type of girl" which, like, stay focused girly, the deer is STILL ALIVE. 

Fuck, okay, now there's some golden eyes shining across the way. This is probably because you took so damn long to kill the deer, and now there's one of those tall faerie things in the bushes!!! 

Nobody panic it's just a wolf. Fun fact: more people get attacked by deer every year than wolves. Wolves are super non-aggressive towards humans, unless they're cornered or feel threatened. Just keep that in mind if you're going to develop a fantasy RPG and wolves are one of the hordes of monsters you include in the wilds.

OK never mind narrator is like, "He was enormous--the size of a pony." CUT THE TAPE. CUT THE FUCKING TAPE. Does…does the author know how big ponies are? Ponies are just small horses, okay, some ponies are like 14 hands high at the shoulder that's almost five feet tall. THAT'S ALMOST FIVE FEET TALL THAT IS TALLER THAN ME. Holy fuck pony-sized wolf is "unnaturally stealthy." Who buffed the wolves in this world? Okay, is it a werewolf? I thought this was a faerie book.

I actually hadn't considered that the wolf might be a faerie, but she suddenly foreshadows that this is a possibility, and I get the feeling author isn't super great with subtletly, so I'm thinking there's a good chance it's a faerie. A wolf faerie. Equine-sized. 

"If he was a faerie, I should already be running" okay how do we know it's a boy wolf? Note to self: wolf faerie is obviously packing. I'm sorry I still can't get over the size thing, like I'm just imagining a pony-sized wolf, and all I can think is that you should absolutely be running at that detail alone. Like, this is clearly some kind of fucked up, genetically maximized wolf. 

Narrator has just explained how she's kind of really alone in the world and her family sucks and the rich people won't help the begging poor folk, but now she's like "Should I help my village and kill this big wolf?" Um, how about no? How about you're the only bitch in this forest right now and are you forgetting that this thing is the size of a small horse?

Girlboss…proceeds to waste an ungodly amount of time wondering whether the wolf is a wolf or something more than a wolf, but the point here is that SHE THEN EXPLAINS SHE ONLY HAS THREE FUCKING ARROWS AGAINST A WOLF THE SIZE OF A SMALL HORSE. Okay, so, I took a deep breath. I am putting my trust in the assumption that narrator is wearing plot armor, but the odds are SOOOOO not in her favor right now.

We learn that the girl has 2 regular arrows and 1 ASH arrow. Ash is supposed to be a faerie killer, according to the narrator. Which is interesting because in Celtic faerie lore ash is actually one of the three sacred trees of the faerie folk, but carry on. Okay, so I'm learning that ash trees are rare in this world. I'm writing that down. This is gonna be the dragonglass of this book series, isn't it? I'm calling it now.

 So it's not that I'm not intrigued but the author is really telling way too much and showing way too little. Protagonist proceeds to like, wonder whether her ash arrow is even REAL. Because like, the counterfeit ash market is a real problem in the village. It could be fake, she's had it for three years, why the fuck has it taken you 3 years to use one of your 3 arrows? I just…never mind. She finally draws the arrow like 8 paragraphs later, but even as her chest starts to ache, she's like, I should get sidetracked again wondering whether this big ass giant ass horse-sized ass WOLF is alone. Girl, I am praying to the forgotten gods for your ass that it IS.

Oh my god, I can't believe I'm typing this but narrator goes on another side quest explaining how she's never faced a wolf before. She seriously needs an Adderall prescription this is insane. "I'd thought it made me lucky--even blessed" GIRL BLESSED BY WHO YALL DON'T REMEMBER YOUR OWN GODS. Jesus. Now she's like, lol idk where to HIT IT. Just hit it. For god's sake. Hit it already. She reminds us one more time she only has the one ash arrow. I think I have to kill the wolf myself at this point. 

Protagonist has already decided for herself it's an animal and not a faerie, but now she's suddenly like, "oh no what if there IS a faerie heart pounding in there?" It will die of old age before you shoot the fucking ash arrow, so I would not worry too much.The wolf is like, unnaturally stealthy but then two paragraphs later it snaps a twig but it's okay because the deer is stupid and just looks in the other direction. How fucking long has this deer been eating bark off this same tree? I feel aged. I feel evolved.

"If I judged wrongly, my life wasn't the only one that would be lost." What the fuck does that mean? Like, if you shoot the wolf and don't kill the wolf it will probably kill you, and if you sit here and wait for spring to come the wolf might kill the deer. What does this mean? I am so confused. I am so overstimulated. Help?

Finally, at long last, can we get a round of applause, narrator shoots the wolf. She waits for the wolf to kill the deer first. She did a lot of deliberating about where to hit the wolf only to hit it in the side, which…statistically speaking that's not one of the more lethal regions to puncture, but that's okay because this is her first wolf, remember? I would like some sort of compensation for having to read this sentence: "He barked in pain, releasing the doe's neck as his blood spewed on the snow--so ruby bright." So ruby bright?????? SO RUBY BRIGHT??????

Ugh.

I really do wanna like this book, okay, did I mention I spent $84 for the hardcover boxset of this series at Target? Okay, well I did, so I'm going to be really disappointed if they suck, because like, TikTok girlies put me on. But I have to be honest this chapter reads like a first draft.

Next up the wolf is just standing there, looking at the narrator. The ash arrow is "protruding so vulgarly" from his side. Gods help me. Okay she is definitely starting to think the wolf is like, sentient. But in a human way. Or like, does that mean a faerie way? Are we sure this isn't a werewolf? She fires a second arrow through his eye, which like, cheap shot considering but go off I guess. Now the wolf is finally laying down. He's still like twitching and whatnot, and the narrator is like "Impossible--he should be dead, not dying!" Well dying is a process, okay, and isn't this your first wolf? Don't get cocky. She describes the blood on the snow some more, and then wonders whether dying from an arrow through the eye is super painful, or maybe he's just trying to "shove death away." My guess is probably yes. Yes to both. The snow is continuing to fall. She decides once more that he is a wolf. Not a faerie. She's honestly just trying to convince herself at this point, I don't even care anymore.

She starts thinking about how another predator could smell the blood while she's cleaning her arrows off, and I'm praying to the forgotten gods that this doesn't happen because at this point I know it has to be dark because it's been several hours in the forest and PLEASE JUST GO HOME WITH YOUR WOLF AND YOUR DEER. I just remembered she has to carry these two carcasses back home and she's just a skinny legend as we learned earlier in the chapter. How is she gonna do that, I wonder? Okay, so the answer is she skins the wolf pelt and just carries the whole deer carcass. Girlboss moment. As she's leaving, she's like "wow really wish I could feel sorry for this wolf" even though she kind of already did wonder whether it was in pain or not that was a whole thing like 3 paragraphs back.

I actually really like the closing sentence, "But this was the forest, and it was winter." It hit me right in the "But winter is coming" feels.

Um, overall, I have to say, well I have to say what the fuck but I'm going to keep reading because I heard there was gonna be fucking. So um, yeah. Stay tuned I guess if anyone wants to read my chapter 2 review.

[philosophydawg]

Existential dread

They say suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

However, I’d like to play devils advocate for a second.

First off, suicidal ideation or thoughts of suicide can get you put on a 5150. For all you non medical/first responder folk out there is an emergency 72 hour psychiatric hold. Just for vocalizing your thoughts of suicide. You can be strapped down in five point restraints and be injected with a combination haldol, Benadryl and Ativan unagainst your will for being agitated about being placed in restraints against your will. I’ve seen it many times. If you refuse to talk about the situation and reject medication it could lead to a 5250. Which is an extended hold that can be up to a 14 day hold.

Let’s think about this for a second. There is no federal law making suicide a crime however the state has given law enforcement officers and physicians the power to hold you against your will for attempting suicide, being dangerous to yourself or for vocalizing your thoughts about having suicidal thoughts.

I understand that circumstances can arise where someone can do something to themselves out of grave emotional distress. But let’s look at this in a different light. You can’t abruptly end your own life but you can legally buy a liter or two of vodka and consume it on a daily basis, along with other products such as cigarettes or junk food ie soda, candy, chips, etc. you can consume all these things which are harmful to your health in mass quantities which can and will lead to death. But yet there is no laws against doing such behaviors. No one will be put on a hold for diabetes, high cholesterol or cirrhosis of the liver.

So the real question is does the state really care about your well being? Or is it just care in the manner in which you decide to kill yourself? As long as it’s slow and not abrupt you’re good. Why is that?

I understand Canada has assisted suicide laws that feel very dystopian but let’s think about living life for a second.

Life isn’t a bed a roses.

It’s not filled with rainbows and unicorns. In fact the world is a very harsh cold environment. No one cares about his fellow man. The rents too damn high, inflation is taking its toll, gas prices are up and let’s not even talk about taxation. Couple that with a bad break up and here the state can fuck you up even more. The state can strip you of your parental rights, impose child support on you and limit your visitation to your offspring. Then threaten to imprison you for not paying said child support. The same thing goes for taxation. If you fail to pay your taxes, the state will impose penalties such as fines or lengthy prison sentences.

The state will even take a 3rd of your pay.

The state will even take a 3rd of your pay. Sometimes even more depending on how well you’re doing and not make your life a bit more enjoyable than it was before. In fact things have been going from bad to worse. We’re on a steady decline for decades. And what’s worse is they can indoctrinate your children with what they consider is right and wrong and then let them take mind and body altering drugs without your consent. Not to mention put you on a watch list and label you as an extremist if you oppose the democrats views on critical race theory, gender theory or LGBTQ ideology imposed on your children. Let’s go back in time for a sec. Not too long ago the guy who game up with germ theory was committed to an insane asylum. Galileo was persecuted by the church for his theories on planetary systems and so called witches were burned at the stake all from popular opinion and no concrete evidence just kangaroo courts.

This all this being said, who does this truly benefit?

I should be able to do what I want with my body? Wrong!

Self harm is frowned upon. You can just cut yourself without risking your freedom. I mean you can tattoo your body from head to toe, you can pierce your face and genitalia and no one will batt an eye. But once you put a razor blade to the skin, off you are to the looney bin!

What about sex?

Sex is legal, exchanging goods and services is legal but as soon as you want to sell your body that crosses the line.

Or what about using drugs?

Use of illegal substances is a criminal offense. One of the few things that might make you feel better about your painful existence. Something to numb you from the day to day monotonous actions you preform just to survive.

We don’t even know for certain if our consciousness ends at death. There could be a whole new universe to explore when we die. And why do make such a big deal of eternal darkness? Why do we push others to strive for greatness? There’s a quote from my one of favorite movies. “Don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never get out alive”

Now that I got that out of the way does the long dirt nap sound so bad?

[charleslucid]

They’re sitting in the living room of the Harrington household, a place they spend most of their time. Since Steve’s parents are never home, he and Billy practically live in the place. It’s to the point that Steve would ask his parents if they could just move the ownership over to him but he knows for a fact he wouldn't be able to keep up with any of the bills with his 9 to 5 job that only pays 5 dollars an hour. Not to mention Billy would also have to get a job to help out and that’s definitely not happening. He says he’s protesting by not succumbing to the dystopian mindset that is capitalism. Steve knows it’s just a half assed excuse to mooch his parents money.

Billy is laying on the couch playing with a rubix cube, below him Steve has his back to the couch trying to complete one of his assignments. He’s struggling to read any of the words, they’re all jumbled up and shit.

Billy convinced him to go to community college a while back. He said it would help Steve get a better job and after Steve graduates they could move closer to one of the 100 colleges offering to take Billy in for free. Apparently Billy is a genius. Steve would totally believe this if it weren’t for the fact that he once locked himself in the bathroom. His hands were wet and he didn’t think to dry them so he just sat down and waited for Steve to find him. He didn’t even think to try again when his hands were dry.

It’s a bit unfair that Billy is considered the next Albert Einstein when he can’t even open a door. Then again, Steve can’t read so he shouldn’t be talking. He can open doors though.

Speaking of not being able to read, why does nothing on this paper make sense? The words keep blending together and stretching out across his vision. It’s almost like he’s on a bad high and the headache he suddenly has definitely doesn’t help.

Steve startles when he feels a hand settle on top of his head, “What’s the matter pretty boy?” Billy presses his lips to the brunet's temple and sighs into his skin.

“Nothing, I’m fine. Go be a genius somewhere else.” He huffs and gently pushes his boyfriend away.

Billy ignores his attempts of pushing him away and repositions himself on the couch so his head and laying on Steve’s shoulder, “Me being a genius is an opinion. Plus I’m still a fucking idiot in social situations. Now, what’s wrong. You’re looking at that paper like it killed your entire family.”

“It might as well have, ‘can’t understand it. Looks like squiggles everywhere.”

“Lemme try,” Billy reaches over and grabs the paper from Steve, “Which part are you on?”

“None of your business!” Billy raises his brow and Steve sighs, “The start,”

“You’ve been doing this thing for three hours and you’re at the start?” Steve looks down at his lap, “Understandable, isn’t one of your accommodations that they make the words bigger? What a bunch of fuckin assholes.” Billy grabs his chin and lifts his head up so he can press a soft kiss to his forehead, “Don’t worry Bambi I’ll help you.”

Billy slips off the couch sitting next to Steve on the floor and starts to read the paper, pausing every couple of sentences to go on a rant about something that has no correlation to what they are reading before chiding Steve for not keeping him on task. His voice is gentle and soft, a complete contrast to his personality. Once they get to the actual questions he writes down Steve answers to the questions, and doodles on the edges while his boyfriend racks his brain for answers.

“A la verga, we’re finished!” Billy presses another kiss to Steve’s neck, “So proud of you Bambi.”

Goosebumps begin to rise all around Steve's skin as Billy slowly moves up past his jawline and bits at his ear, “Yeah whatever, I’m probably going to get a zero on it.”

“Nope, pretty sure you got every question except for one right.” He moves his hands to the bottom of Steve’s shirt. They slowly travel beneath it up his side and stop at his chest. “93 percent bitch, that’s an A.”

Steve quirks an eyebrow, “You’ve been checking my answers?” A shiver moves through his body when Billy gently runs a hand over one of his nipples.

Billy hums an affirmation as he lifts Steve’s shirt off his head. He leaves kisses all over Steve’s chest before trailing back down to the elastic of his jeans. He pauses and looks up at Steve.

“Are you asking for my permission or something? Keep going.”

Billy laughs, “No, just want you to know how fucking smart you are.”

“Yeah whatever.” Steve rolls his eyes.

“I’m serious Steve.” He lifts and moves himself up and pulls Steve into a kiss.

“I know.” He roughly kisses back before he cups Billy’s face and pushes him away, “Now S-U-C-K M-E O-F-F”

Billy laughs and does a mock salute before moving back down to Steve’s crotch.

[withallthingslove]

OF COURSE Nick only looks out for June...because he loves her, she is his whole heart! The same way June *only* looks out for Hannah and Holly, the same way Moira *only* looked out for June (and compromised an entire humanitarian operation). These characters do morally questionable things, some which have gotten innocent people killed, for those they love. But for some bizarre reason, only Nick gets crapped on for it.

Yeah I think it's easy to sit back and judge or look at things through our worldview... like if I saw someone like Nick in real life on the news who was the member of a religious cult or the leader of an uber conservative country I'd probably be like "yo fuck that dude" and I've been with someone who often did not act on their feelings and was like "I wanted to do this but didn't" and it was infuriating.

But Nick is literally a fictional character in a dystopian story where people cannot be 100% good all the time and everyone is nuanced. And he is in a position where things that he wants to do/have are literally impossible or a death sentence. Stuff that would bother me about someone irl doesn't bother me because in the contexts of THT his actions make sense, and also you can like a character and not agree with every choice they make?? Nuance and complexity and compromised morals makes TV interesting, and prioritizing people you love is a human instinct

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

21 (dystopian AU) and 93 (makeovers),, with roceit,,, ( ˘ ³˘)♥ ( ˘ ³˘)♥ ( ˘ ³˘)♥

21. Dystopian AU || 93. Makeovers

~

makeover like making over the dystopian future- /j

no okay so. think dystopian society with a sorta hunger games like structure- where there’s a certain sect of upper class people, and pretty much every one else is low class and unable to really get out of

things aren’t really great for most of the upper class people either- y’know how in HG it was kinda revealed some people in the capitol were stuck in their own fucked up system, with suck ass beauty standards? yeah

roman’s a former member of the society’s upper (but not uppermost) class. janus, former member of one of the lowermost classes and therefore someone who’s Always been disillusioned with the system, helped get him out, which is why he’s ‘former’

they met when roman was in janus’s slums (it’s honorary, within the upper class, to visit the lowers once a year, to remind themselves of how much better, prettier, happier they are). they talked a bit, roman letting a bit too much insecurity out as he pretended to be High And Mighty, one thing led to another, and then janus was more or less kidnapping roman via knocking out his driver and poorly driving them out of town

he didnt really have a plan, and lowerclass people dont get taught to drive, so they end up crashing in the wilderness between towns. it’s wild, untamed, roaming with creatures not seen since the dark ages. no one would dare try to chase them down out here... because it’s practically a death sentence

somehow they figure it out, janus having enough survival instinct to keep them alive. roman’s kinda a bitch at first, about lower classers and missing his home and such, but the longer he’s out of the Society, the more he realizes how fucked up everything was. he grows to appreciate the wilderness, feral yet flourishing; and janus, never touched by beauty product nor riches, and yet stunning and strong

out in the wilds, they eventually fall in love, happy to be together in their screwed up paradise

...except. well.

a lifetime ‘in the system’ doesnt go away just because you’re free and gay. roman’s caught janus falling back into his old mindset plenty a time, hoarding food even though there’s no reason to, hiding away from the faintest sound, scratching down the side of his face as if trying to tear off the scars there that have marked him from birth as Lesser

roman helps him, of course, coaxing him out of that mindset, happy to take care of any aftermath... but he’s not the only one with issues

they dont really have mirrors in their make-shift forest house, but they keep buckets of rainwater, and sometimes, when roman sees his reflection, naturally disoriented by the impure surface, face completely lacking in beauty product, or anything to make him look good, only seeing himself, covered in dirt and scratches... well. those are bad days

but janus knows how to help too

when he catches roman staring a bit too long at his reflection, rubbing his face clean to the point of rubbing it raw, frowning as he picks at his clothes, he’s immediately in action, grabbing roman’s hands and tugging him into what they consider their living room. he leaves him on the couch for a moment before he’s back with berries, flowers, leaves and sticks

he arranges roman’s head in his lap, hands left to rest on his stomach and Not touch anything while janus works, using the leaves and sticks to apply the colourful berries’ juices to roman’s face while arranging the flower petals in his hair

the end result is messy, sticky and stained, certainly not professional or anything like what High Society would consider beautiful

but when roman sees it, it reminds him of janus, and that janus loves him just like that... and that helps him be okay