#the worst comparison in the history of the world

[bibliophilicstranger]

Things I learned today:

As a child, Queen Victoria occasionally played with Sir John Conroy's daughters (one was also named Victoria)

There is an opera/ballet called Kenilworth based on Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, and Amy Robsart.

Queen Victoria "went to the opera and saw the ballet, of which she was very fond, several times."

Queen Victoria had a whole set of dolls based on this ballet. She made Amy and Robert Dudley herself.

#queen victoria #kenilworth #robert dudley #amy Robsart #earl of leicester #vicbourne #the worst comparison in the history of the world #itv Victoria #Victoria would have been onto your bs Melbourne #or at least super confused given the operas pro dudleyxamy storyline

[thatwritergirlsblog]

10 worst ways to start a book

1. An irrelevant point of view

It's extremely frustrating as a reader to read the opening scene of a novel, get invested in the story and start rooting for the POV character, only to have that character never show up again or show up as an unimportant character.

Your readers will feel betrayed. Why did they get emotionally invested in this character? Why did they care?

One of the most important functions of your first scene or chapter is introducing your main character and getting the reader to root for them.

Don’t waste that crucial moment on an unimportant POV.

2. Too many characters

Starting to read a new book is usually a bit confusing. You have to get to know new characters, a new world, a new writing style etc.

Don’t add to that confusion by introducing two dozen characters in the opening scene. Readers won’t remember their names or care about them; they’ll just feel overwhelmed and confused.

Additionally, readers will also struggle to root for the main character, because there are too many other people crowding the scene.

3. Telling

My name is Lisa. I’m a short, feisty brunette who loves horse riding. I have two best friends called Anna and Daniel, and we carpool to college every day. I have a crush on Josh, one of my tutors, but he’s twenty-seven and isn’t interested in me.

Telling is boring. It has its place, but the start of your novel is not it. The above paragraph could have been an interesting scene in which you showed the reader all the information via action and dialogue.

Unless you’re using subversion to surprise the reader, e.g., My name is Lisa and I’m a class-three demon, don’t start with telling. 

Immerse the reader in the story through action, dialogue and the senses. Show us who the main character is, don’t just tell us.

4. Description

Please don’t start your book with a page-long description of the setting. In fact, I would recommend not starting with description at all. 

Yes, a few lines of description later in the opening scene is fine. But the reader needs to care first. 

No matter how beautiful your writing is, readers won’t be sucked in by a five-paragraph description of a field.

5. Worldbuilding info dump

Please don’t start your book with an explanation of your world’s climate, politics, history, magic system etc. 

Once again, the reader needs to care first. 

There needs to be action and conflict and a compelling plot. The world exists as a backdrop for the story and the characters – it’s not the protagonist and it shouldn’t take up the opening scene.

6. The dream sequence

The main reason that this is a bad way to start your book is that it’s been done way too many times.

But that’s not the only reason.

It also feels like a betrayal to the reader, because they got invested in the story and the character and the events, and then you tell them it was never real.

And oftentimes the storyline and world of the dream is much more interesting than the actual story, which makes the latter look very boring in comparison.

7. Looking in a mirror

Once again, it’s just been done too much: A character looking in a mirror and describing their physical appearance to the reader. 

Firstly, no one describes their appearance in detail when they look in the mirror.

Secondly, the reader doesn’t even know who this person is. We don’t know if we’re interested in the character yet. We don’t know why we should care. So, we don’t want a detailed description of the character’s appearance right off the bat.

Show us interesting aspects of your main character’s personality, hobbies and life. Weave in physical description as it becomes relevant. It’s not important enough for the very first paragraph.

8. Starting way too early

Yes, most books don’t start with the inciting incident (although I recommend that they do), but the start of your book shouldn’t be too far away from your inciting incident.

So, don’t start with a long scene describing the main character’s everyday life. The readers want the thing to happen.

Providing context and introducing the main character is fine, but don’t leave the reader hanging for too long before you get to the good stuff.

9. Trying too hard

“Your first line has to be amazing and hook the reader. It needs to be something no one has ever read before.”

I bet you’ve heard that piece of advice hundreds of times. It’s not bad advice, but taken to the extreme, it creates an opening that is disjointed, conflated and confusing.

Your first scene should introduce your character, story and voice. So, don’t write a single line of profound purple prose that has very little to do with your actual story as a first line.

Focus on writing a good story. Introduce the reader to the book and make the main character intriguing. You don’t need a mind-blowing first line.

10. The lesson

Most books have a theme or something the author wants to say. Oftentimes, that takes the form of a life lesson.

This is good, but the lesson needs to be subtly woven into the story.

It should not be forced down the reader’s throat in the very first scene.

Don’t tell me what I’m going to learn, show me the lesson through the story.

If you’d like to read a Fantasy Adventure novel that does not have any of these opening mistakes, check out my debut To Wear A Crown.

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment with your own tips for writing a good opening scene. Follow for similar content.

#writing #writer #writers #writing advice #writeblr #write #Writing tips

[matan4il]

My grandparents were all Holocaust survivors. A large part of my family was murdered in that genocide. I chose to deal with the family trauma by becoming an educator on this subject. I give tours, lectures and workshops on the Holocaust, on antisemitism and on Jewish history.

Intellectually, I'm perfectly aware of how the massacre that Hamas perpetrated is NOT like what the Nazis did. More Jews were murdered over the course of just two days in Babi Yar (33,771 men, women and children), which is just one Nazi shooting pit out of almost two thousand, than during the entire Israeli-Arab conflict. Even after the carnage brought on by Hamas, this is still true. The Nazis were far more systematic (which eventually made them turn industrial) in carrying out the genocide of the Jews than Hamas has been. There's no comparison in terms of scale and industrialization.

And yet emotionally, I can't help but be hit by the similarities in terms of the immediate brutality of the murderers and the experiences of the Jewish victims. Because I am listening to the testimonies and some are so eerily similar to my research, I simply can't process how these are from recent days, not 80 years ago.

Jewish kids hiding from their would be murderers, scared to make a sound for fear of being discovered and killed.

Jewish families completely wiped out.

Jews asking themselves how did they survive and the person next to them did not.

Jewish people executed in droves, their bodies piled up.

Jews begging to be spared, to no avail.

Jewish women raped, most of them then killed.

Jewish babies executed in barbaric ways.

Jews being burned, some after being murdered, some while alive.

Jewish communities devastated. Take kibbutz Be'eri for example. It was founded before the State of Israel. Despite many terrorist attacks, it has continued to thrive in Israel's south. A small, close knit agricultural community. Over 100 people (at least) have been slaughtered there. Homes were destroyed. Everything the kibbutz's economy was based on was laid to waste, too. Be'eri has become synonymous with the worst of the carnage. IDK how they'll build their lives again after the war is over. IDK if they can. A community of almost 80 years, quite likely gone.

Foreign reporters who had been to kibbutz Kfar Azza all talked about the eerie silence and the stench of death rising from the bodies. Eerie silence is exactly how visitors to the sites of the shooting pits describe those places, while the allied soldiers who liberated the Nazi camps talked about the stench of death there.

Some of the reactions to this massacre also remind me of the Holocaust. Even though the Nazis, the murderers themselves, documented their extermination of Jews, there are those who deny the Holocaust happened, painting the Jews as liars. Similarly, even though Hamas documented themselves, and released the footage themselves, there are people going around denying the atrocities, painting the Jews as liars.

Then there's the justification of the mass murder of Jews by insinuating they brought it on themselves... Back in 1943, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, aware of the plight of Jews under the Nazis, told government officials in Allied-liberated North Africa that the number of local Jews in various professions “should be definitely limited” so as to “eliminate the specific and understandable complaints which the Germans bore towards the Jews in Germany.” Understandable complaints. Understandable complaints of Germans against Jews. Roosevelt, the liberal president, said that while Jews were being exterminated by the Germans. In the same manner, we're seeing people justifying the murder of Jews at the hands of Hamas, even though it's a known antisemitic terrorist organization which has repeatedly called for the murder of all Jews in the world. According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a reportedly Hamas affiliated Imam declared, "If the Zionist state were to move to the other end of the Mediterranean, our war would not be over, for the enemy is the Jew.

And while I stand by my statement that the scale is nothing alike, the carnage that took place in Israel IS the biggest massacre of Jews since the end of the Holocaust. Not even during Israel's Independence War and some of the massacres of Jews that happened during it (like the Kfar Etzion massacre) were this many Jews murdered during a single day.

Just like so many were silent back then as Jews were being both killed for being Jewish AND blamed for their own murder, many are silent now as well. Don't get me wrong, there are A LOT of amazing people who reached out to their Jewish friends, who showed they care, who took to the streets, who held vigils for the massacre's victims! Many heads of state also condemned this vicious attack. But I'm looking at Tumblr specifically, and it is FULL of posts justifying Hamas' slaughter of Jews. They're being reblogged everywhere, spread in every fandom. People who claim to stand for social justice feel absolutely no shame sharing such de-humanizing posts on their blogs. And what do we do? Are we calling them out? Do we make it clear that it is morally unacceptable to blame Jews for their own murder? Do we unfollow these bloggers, so that at least the dropping numbers send out the message that it is unacceptable to justify the massacre of innocent people?

TLDR:

This massacre is not like the Holocaust, but the cruel antisemitism that motivated it is the same. Let's not let antisemitism thrive here. Please do what you can (whatever that is) to stand for what's right.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

#israel #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #judaism #jewish #antisemitism #holocaust #holocaust denial #historical revisionism #jew #jews #jumblr #frumblr #antisemites #antisemitic #terrorism #anti terrorism #hamas

[ch3st3r3]

What the hell is going on; 8-9th September 2022 edition

- Combination of Tumblr and Twitter polls announce Sans (a character from the games Undertale and Deltarune) the winner of the Tumblr Sexyman poll between him and Reigen, a character from the anime “Mob Psycho 100”. #Sanssweep

- Toby Fox, creator of Undertale and Deltarune wrote a fan fiction about Sans victory over Reigen, making Reigen cannon in the Undertale/Deltarun universe.

- Pokemon Company announced a new upcoming Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet “Klawf”.  

- Queen Elizebeth of UK dies at age 96.

- The Crab rave meme is often used as celebration, with Tumblr celebrating the Queen’s death and Klawf getting wrapped up in the wave of crave rave memes.

- The beloved meme cat Thurston Waffles passed away :(

- “Destiel” the pairing of Dean and Castiel from the TV show “Supernatural”. When this ship was announced as cannon, Vladimir Putin resigned as President of Russia. Many are drawing comparisons between a monumental Tumblr event and the removal of a country’s head from power as the wheels of history repeating the motion.

note that Destiel and Putin resigning as PRESIDENT of Russia happened in November 2020 - Putin is still currently Prime Minister of Russia

- September 8th is Star Trek Day, in which a character called Data references the “Irish Reunification of 2024″. Many see the Queen’s death as phase 1 of this.

- It is US Senator Bernie Sander’s 81st birthday. Happy Birthday Bernie!

- Splatoon 3, a game featuring intelligent aquatic wildlife having built a society, releases on September 9th

- Youtube star Trisha Payta gives birth 3 minutes after the Queen dies.

- A Pine Marten, a small stout, has been sighted in London for the first time in 100 years

- Kiwi Farms, a social media site for extremists, “worst place on the internet”, has shut down

Im sorry but I don't have links to all of these, this is just a summary of what is going on

I’m glad that folks ARE questioning and fact checking this summary, it’s good to fact check anything these days and that has prompted me to clarify some parts of the post while others are updating the information. There’s a lot going on in the world right now and to view it solely through tumblr lenses means y’ won’t get the whole story. I hope this post, while not 100% correct, updates and explain some parts of current events to lead them into doing their own independent investigation into the full story.

EDIT 2023: happy 1 year anniversary to this post. What a lot has happened in one year.

#current events #uk politics #queen elizabeth #queen's death #splatoon 3 #crab rave #distiel #star trek day #kiwi farms #pine marten #sanssweep

[soapoet]

What makes you different...

...from their previous partners?

requested by anon.

like & rb if it resonates ♡

01.

Your person has been through it, and you may have too, which for many of you forms a deep understanding regarding fears of repeating the type of betrayal you have both seen. In comparison to their past rendezvous, they find your relationship very secure. They feel free to voice their thoughts and feelings without guilt or shame, or outright fear of retaliation as they've grown to expect misunderstandings and gaslighting. For many, they have been cheated on, so your honesty, integrity, and loyalty sets you apart from their prior experiences.

I see them taken aback quite often. Their previous relations may have trained them to always anticipate the worst, so the clarity in your communication and how you handle conflict takes them by surprise. They're used to shouting matches and slamming doors. You express yourself when you are hurt in ways that does not tear them down. There's no eye for an eye with you because you're not as spiteful as their past lovers. Really, they simply put don't need to fear you.

They could have remnants of a jealous streak, though it transforms into a protective nature over time as they come to find that they truly can trust you. You play no games made for them to lose, and you do not go out of your way to cause them jealousy or fear the end of the relationship. You're understanding even when you air your grievances, and wish to solve problems rather than create new ones and make it worse and make them regretful they every said anything at all.

They feel safe to allow you much further into their internal world than others before you because you are respectful of what lies beyond the surface and beyond. You're neither judgemental or cruel, petty, and neither are you a bully. The way the two of you are able to relate to each other's history and defining moments inspires an unspoken promise to keep each other safe, and never trespass against boundaries or breaking any agreed upon rules.

Passion, they'll find, holds hands with love, not just with hate. They find your unquenchable thirst and will to engage with and pursue your desires intoxicating. You inspire them where others have knocked them down or ridiculed them. You encourage their passion and make them feel appreciated, even admired. Others have forced them to turn cold, but you reignite their emotional expression, awakening it from its hibernation so that it may come out to play in your spring weather.

02.

Your person has often resorted to selective hearing just to keep themselves both calm and sane. Friends and family would tell them frequently how poorly they choose their partners. They are not quite certain how or why they wound up repeating patterns in the past. Acting on impatience infused impulse they would take prospective partners at face value and believe their facades, exaggerations, and lies. Then before they'd know it, they'd find themselves in commitment with someone falling short of their ideals and what they thought they were signing themselves up for based on promising beginnings which quickly turned sour.

I see them in the past dealing with people first seemingly so deserving of worshipping, only for the tune to change to simply entitled and bratty very quickly. You are clear in your expectations and standards, but you're not loud in your demands, and to them it is refreshing that you rarely make them. This causes them to really take the demands you do make to heart and try to give you what you want or need, or try in earnest to find compromise where needed. After so many partners chewing them out and complaining about this and that at a constant flow of negativity, you're a shocking change of pace.

You're not needlessly argumentative and choose your battles wisely. They're used to practically carrying their partners away from conflict and praying to higher beings they won't even start when they'd just like a peaceful outing or a nice afternoon. The only drama you bring to the table is gossip shared for the two of you to joke about together like best friends, not the kind where they are expected to end fights you started.

By comparison to past lovers, you are mature and ooze worthiness, the kind you don't need to be so loud about. What comes to mind is the demands of princess treatment vs. earning queen treatment. Their past is full of rather immature partners who rarely pursued their own goals, and your ambition, self awareness and sense of self worth rather than ego and chasing empty applause makes them view you as an equal who is truly worth their time, money, effort, and devotion. You're on the same wavelength and it makes the whole power couple thing come so much more naturally.

Not to mention you're much better received by their friends and family. They really have no concerns about bringing you home to meet their family because they know how you carry yourself with grace, and how your charm is genuine. You're very natural and likeable, and don't try too hard. Loved ones may very quickly tell them not to screw this up, and make sure you're always comfortable and feel welcome in their homes, and begin nudging your person very early on to put a ring on it.

03.

Your person has very little experience before you, possibly none for some, at least nothing serious enough to write home about. You fit their idea of love very well, however, and they can feel surprised by how well things go with you. They've heard horror stories from friends and read the reddit posts about wildly tumultuous relationships, and be shocked by their first serious relationship with you.

It's just so easy. You compete only with their solitude, and always seem to win. They find themselves at peace with you more than they ever expected to when sharing so much time and space with another. Things weren't supposed to work out so well in this day and age, and the romcoms were exaggerations, right? Yet they find your relationship so sweet, and stable in its simplicity.

They have a past with some kind of toxicity aimed at them. For some this is family, for others it's a friend. Either way they've been used to making themselves small and to take on burdens of others by force. Emotional labour performed with a gun to their head. They have no qualms about caring for you, and are in fact more than happy to be at your beck and call because you're encouraging of them too. It's quite sad to say, but it seems that either in their family or amongst their peers they've often wound up with a target on their back solely for, well, being an easy target.

You help them stand up for themself, and help them overcome a lot of things which cause them anxiety. They're able to share their thoughts and feelings, express their excitement about their interests and feel heard when they're with you. You may very well share quite a few interests in common, which to them is an entirely new concept as they're used to others finding their interests dumb, childish, or useless. You seem to make equally amazing friends and lovers.

They're very clever and you're one of the first to give them credit for it. You're able to gently coax them out of their shell, and their otherwise cautious nature shifts to a more adventurous and daring one. And this all by no means require great efforts on your part, as by simply being your usual self makes them feel safe enough to be themselves too. You're quite similar in many ways, though you differ in how you come to the same conclusions on different topics, and these variables are small but delightful surprises for the two of you to rejoice over and discuss. You're a very healing and brightening connection in their life, and as thanks they'd fetch you the moon if they could.

04.

There is a lot of chemistry between you and your person, much more than they have experienced in previous relationships. That's not to say they have necessarily all been bad, they just lacked this kind of easy yet electrifying, "meeting of the minds" -type of chemistry. Their past lovers have been drama-free and they've enjoyed very stable relationships, albeit very milquetoast in comparison to you and the relationship you provide. Don't take this the wrong way, but they dated "perfect" long enough to realise it is merely good enough, and you with your various hiccups are more interesting and much more worth their attention. Imperfections are needed and challenges are opportunities to strengthen bonds in ways "perfect" cannot.

Though many of their previous partners have, like they themself, been stable and secure, they have also felt taken for granted, and in some instances, taken advantage of. They're a very reliable and caring person, but have not always had the best luck in terms of finding reciprocal love. More often than not, affections quickly grew monotonous and became routine, leaving them under the impression that love is just that, routine. Gifts and attention easily grew to be something expected of them rather than something truly appreciated and met with gratituse and adoration.

They're dutiful in all areas of life, but find a new pep in their step regarding their romantic duties thanks to you. They find you delightful and full of surprises. The latter being something they perhaps thought was a bad thing for a long time. You keep them on their toes a little. Enough to excite them and keep the sparks flying, but not to the point of making them nauseous. You're different from them, and as they previously dated people much too similar to themself, you're a welcome breath of fresh air, like coming face to face with the sea and its breeze for the first time.

They feel a sense of freedom with you that they never found in their past relationships. Sometimes they may have walked on eggshells, but most of all I see them often turning into a shell of their true self. In their pursuit to stick to a comfortable routine and not upset their previous partners with anything too wild or crazy, they held back on things they wanted, and put running the day to day smoothly above their own interests and whims. Through you they reconnect with these things, and you inspire them to reach for new opportunities and tap into their slumbering zest for life.

The nostalgia you evoke by merely daring to stay true to yourself, speaking your mind and pursuing your own adventures makes their efforts of creating stability in your relationship actually feel worthwhile and welcome. You fascinate them, and every day they learn something new about or through you, which makes them feel more alive. They find themselves reminiscing about how they used to be before, until they slowly take their power back and align more with their true self. Their attraction to you never seems to dull down and they more readily show their appreciation and love for you. You inspire a greater sense of romance in them, and have them thinking very differently about love. Where they previously had their linear idea of how a relationship progresses, they suddenly take more risks and stop thinking about things so meticulously and leave some things up to chance. Where once they would've waited 5 years to propose, they no longer feel the need for these arbitrary and restrictive milestones and simply propose when it feels right.

05.

Your person is quite the whirlwind. They've explored many options in love and life, or at the very least had plenty of offers. None of them ever fit quite right, though, and many may have accused them of being too picky or unreliable due to their flighty nature. You're more akin to them, and balanced in all the right places to match their energy. There is a healthy kind of push and pull between you which keeps things interesting in the long run. Many before you have been demanding in terms of commitment and how that commitment is supposed to look like, and how and when things are meant to unfold. Your love isn't like clockwork, and though you have your ideas and hopes for the future of the relationship, you don't make demands and nag them down to the bone when things don't happen on your schedule.

This actually leaves room for their spontaneity, and keeps their interest alive and well, inspiring them to take bigger leaps in love precisely because restraints don't weigh them down. Others before you have been a little too predictable for them. The scheduling types with their plethora of to-do lists and colour coded planners which only makes them anxious and has them running for the hills. You're willing to explore and experience life, and they appreciate your willingness to at least give things a try, even when you're scared or uncertain.

This isn't to say they would push you beyond your limits or cross boundaries. They've simply dealt with a lot of naysayers and those who are never up to the challenge and would rather not invest their time or energy into something unknown. Unlike those before you, you take a bite of that unfamiliar food, agree to watch the pilot of that show, or pack a weekend bag on short notice to get out of town for an impromptu getaway.

Best of all, when you don't wish to leave your comfort zone you allow them the freedom to venture out on their own, without guilt tripping them into staying or blowing up their phone when they're away, freaking out when they don't respond immediately, or otherwise make their free spirit out to be the worst thing in the world. They return the same energy to you and have no qualms about your individual pursuits and are very encouraging of your prospects, opportunities, and ideas.

I see them watching you sometimes as you engage excitedly with something new that's caught your interest, and they wonder why your kind is so rare. From their perspective, as an eternal seeker, they've met and mingled with so many people, and few have truly been so excitable, finding joy in small things and not being so afraid of the unknown and unexplored. Your aversion of uncertainty and change is healthy, not the kind that immediately loses its marbles and makes mere suggestions out to be a big and horrid deal that threatens to ruin the day. They really revel in the trust that you have in them, which in turn makes them choose to be deserving of that trust every day.

06.

Soapy scribbles: If you're not in the right head space to hear mentions of abuse and trauma, I encourage you to leave this reading for another time. Take good care of yourself, ok? ♡

This one is heavy. Your person has a difficult history with abuse and addiction. Their previous lovers have been unstable and caused them a lot of grief. You're the polar opposite of their previous entanglements, and they are in awe of the fact something so gentle could touch their heart. For a long time they may have blamed themselves and thought they deserved these bad memories. They're hard on themselves and have a lot of guilt and shame for their past mistakes, and may have taken their past abuse as punishment they deserved. Of course they are wrong, and you help them see this.

You allow them room to grow. You're patient where others have given up on them or turned to verbal or even physical harm against them when they haven't performed quite to the standards set upon them. They may genuinely be shaken by your genuine kindness towards them and wonder what they did right to find an end to their darkness.

I must honestly say that I view their previous partners very poorly. You couldn't be more different than what they have seen before you came into their life. The difference is like night and day. You do not keep them walking on eggshells and do not shift from peace to war at the drop of a hat. You're generous with your time and you're understanding of their scars. They need not hide their pain from you lest you would use it against them.

Your presence in their life rewires so many things that were previously all tangled up by others before you. They're able to safely work out their difficulties and face their fears with you by their side. They take your advice and apply it knowing that they can trust you. You may fear dependency, but really I'm seeing them growing whole within themselves by your influence and becoming stronger and more independent as a result of your connection. It's much akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes. Like you found faintly glowing embers in the dark, stuck around quietly watching, and got a fiercly loyal and protective beast for seemingly just being a good person.

They're inspired by your own resilience and strength. Many of you may have been through very dark nights and dying embers too, and your survival story helps motivate them to pursue happiness as something they, too, deserve, and will do anything to return this favour to you for the stability you provided them when they needed it the most.

#pac reading #energy reading #intuitive reading #pick a card reading #love pac #tarot reading #pick a card #pick a pile #pick a picture #love reading #tarotblr #cw abuse mention #soapy.post

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Never put a human in a zoo

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)    

The sudden extinction of the Dre people was as sudden as it was unexpected to the galactic community. They were one of the oldest and most technologically advanced races in the universe. Heavily isolationist by nature, coupled with their inherent self-sense of superiority they viewed much of the other space faring species as little more than savages by comparison as none of them presented a credible challenge their rule. Yet within a month they had lost nearly 99% of their population across multiple worlds.

The worst hit was their homeworld of Belnuck situated at the heart of their empire which became an empty husk of a world seemingly overnight. Ancient and powerful cities of technological wonder now were little more than ghost towns to be picked clean by scavengers.

There were no signs of civil strife or unrest, no exterior threat from military forces, not even a record of natural disaster on their homeworld. Nothing was found that could give a clue as to what could have erased such a prominent power as the Dre, and so it was written off as a deadly unsolved mystery and the galactic community went on.

At least, that was what the public report stated.

It wasn’t until a group of Kreen scavengers came upon a set of personal journals that the shroud of uncertainty was lifted. Only to be then shortly locked away and sealed under the highest security restrictions to ensure the truth never saw the light of day.

These are those journal entries: ------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757931 Head curator Migu

The benefactors are requesting we add new exhibits to the zoo again.

I thought they would have been content with the Draxic specimens we captured last month but it seems the general public no longer find giant lizards fascinating to observe. One of them suggested we allow the Draxic to mingle with other exhibits for inter species interactions for potential science research; but I could tell right away that what they really wanted from this was to have guests pay to see those lizard savages rip apart our other attractions like a Frong in a Skitch field.

I wish they could at least try to hide their greediness behind some semblance of rationality. At least then it would be easier to stomach.

I’ve scheduled a discussion with our head capture specialists to go out and find new attractions for the people later today. I don’t have much hope they can find anything as fascinating to revive interest but one never knows. End Log Entry. ---------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757935 Head curator Migu

Capture team theta appears to have acquired something of value.

The specimens were caught will transitioning into real space at the edge of a system and were removed from their vessel shortly after.

Their technology was primitive in nature, but from the recordings the capture team sent back their esthetic design choices appear to be unique for such a low species. Accessing their data banks was a trivial matter and provided a wealth of history to them.

They appear to call themselves “Humons”, and have only recently begun intergalactic travel.

From the data we have gathered these humons are a highly warlike society repeating cycles of great conflict to great resurgence throughout their history. During war time they have fought with everything from sharpened wood stakes to low grade thermo nuclear devices.

While lacking the physical exciting traits like armored skin or shape shifting qualities, I believe their nature as a self-destructive race will make them a comedic addition to the zoo.

Theta team is on their way back now with them and I’ve already given instructions to create the new paddock for them in the east wing. With any luck the benefactors will find them as amusing as I do and calm down. End Log Entry. ------------------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-757940 Head curator Migu It could not have gone any better. The public loves the new attractions and the benefactors love the increase in profits. Theta team captured roughly a dozen of these humons and when coupled with their historical data we were able to depict several invigorating habitats. We injected them with the standard nano machines to provide feedback on each of them for both the caretakers and the guests. I do have some concerns about handing the medical needs of these humons as none of our handlers know how to treat them, but I have tasked them with dissecting the gathered data for any relevant medical information. They seem very energetic and many of them have not stopped trying to escape their exhibit since they woke up. A few of them have already begun crafting crude weapons to defend themselves while forming mini factions. The largest group has created a primitive wooden fortress by sharpening sticks and creating walls with them. The smaller group has kept their distance from the larger groups while the remaining few have decided to remain in isolation from both groups. Guests love it when they start banging on the windows and try to talk with them. The children in particular I overheard already picking out their favorites and rooting for them to survive should they begin fighting. We’ve not had this kind of engagement since we brought in Bengols with their psionic abilities. ------------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758021 Head curator Migu

It’s been several cycles since my last entry and we’ve had a few snags. Our lack of medical knowledge regarding our latest exhibits has proven costly. Despite our best efforts to decrypt the remaining data from their ships it appears medical information was damaged beyond recovery during the capture process. This has left us unable to properly care for them during medical emergencies; which have happened far sooner than expected.

After several days of captivity several of the humons began showing signs of rapidly deteriorating mental stability. They’ve displayed signs of paranoia, societal breakdown, and an increase in aggression levels to the point they murdered other humons in the enclosure.

We’ve never had this problem before with our other exhibits, at least within such a short timeframe, and now the benefactors are calling for my head. They are upset that their most prized money generators are murdering each other risking their profit margin.

I’ve suggested applying mild sedatives to calm them but was denied. They insist that curbing their more primitive tendencies would cause customers to lose interest in them.

The suggestion of capturing more of these humons was strongly advocated for but it was my turn to deny that request. Deploying a capture team was an expensive endeavor and if the humons continued killing each other the costs would overturn any increase in profits.

I’m putting together alternatives now for my next meeting with them. Hopefully something will come along and save our hides. ---------------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758043 Head curator Migu

The problem for the time being has resolved itself via an unexpected avenue.

One of the capture humons was seen treating the few remaining humans; providing basic medical treatment and care.

Ordinarily we would have written off such behavior but because of our current medical situation we decided to bend regulations and reach out to the subject directly.

A translator unit was acquired and we were able to speak directly with the humon. It took several minutes to calibrate, thankfully much of their speech was unrecognizable. They would not stop trying to speak with us while it was being adjusted and went on and on about wanting to be set free and demanding answers. Honestly you think these humons would be grateful that we are lowering ourselves to speak with them.

When they finally calmed down we explained the situation to them. In exchange for their cooperation they would be given special privileges to treats and comforts for the duration of their stay. They wanted to be let out and freed from the exhibit but I quickly shut that down as a non-starter.

It eventually dawned on them that this was going to be their new existence for the remainder of their life and could live in comfort or watch as their friends died one by one; and they accepted the offer. -------------------------

Personal Journal Entry J-758117 Head curator Migu

While unusual the negotiating tactic with the humon has resolved the issue for us and the benefactors are happy once more.

With the medical humons help they were able to stabilize the injured humons while also negotiate a form of agreement between the humon factions in the exhibit. They could still maim and injure each other while guests were present but would not kill and then would be treated afterwards before the next day’s opening.

Interestingly enough the medical humon has proved very useful. They’ve been able to communicate with the rest of the humons and get them to fall in line. What’s more they’ve been minimalistic in requests with the biggest being to be taught some of the basics of our medical equipment so he can use it himself.

Ordinarily we don’t allow this but it would have freed up some of the medical wing so we allowed it with extensive supervision.

I must admit I am rather proud of myself for resolving the situation, and with such little expenditure. Things now are running smoothly once more and the profits are seeing ever increasing margins. Maybe now the benefactors will get off my back. Though honestly I think it’ll only last one or two months before the humons are worn out and they want something new.

---------------------- Personal Journal Entry J-758135 Head curator Migu

Oh gods it burns!

Everyone at the zoo is screaming and clawing their own skin!

Gods damnit make it stop! MaKE IT Stop!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Emergency Transmission January 2873 Chief Medical Officer Maxwill Clemons

This is Chief Medical officer Maxwill Clemons of the ship “Hades Rest” calling out to any terran ships requesting immediate rescue.

I am not sure what planet or system we’re in, but hone in on this signal and you will find us. I will be repeating this message every hour on the hour for as long as this place has power.

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been in this god forsaken hellhole. The automated day/night cycles have made my attempts at record keeping near impossible.

Maybe a month? Two? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.

We were kidnapped from our ship after exiting a jump and woke up to find ourselves in some sort of alien zoo. The aliens refused to speak to us at first, instead watching us from windows and laughing at us while we struggled to find out what was going on.

They’re all dead now. The aliens that is.

I never knew what they called themselves and I don’t really care.

They treated my friends like animals, so I took their precious tech and turned it on them. Made the nano machines they injected us with register the alien DNA as a deadly virus in need of immediate eradication.

First one I got was the one who was so smug about our capture and display. They changed their tune after I spat in their eye and their face started melting as the nano tech spread. Two others came in after the screaming started and they got infected as well before fleeing the room.

I stood up and went to my comrades “habitat’ and let them out as every alien around us began screaming and melting away. That was at least three days ago now and I haven’t seen one of them yet. Their whole planet now is like one massive ghost town.

We’ve enough provisions to last us and the other freed captives for some time, but please do hurry. I want off this fraking shit hole as soon as possible. --------------- Message repeats:

Emergency Transmission January 2873 Chief Medical Officer Maxwill Clemons

This is Chief Medical officer Maxwill Clemons of the ship “Hades Rest” calling out to any terran ships requesting immediate rescue. ------

#humans are insane #humans are space oddities #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #scifi #story #writing #original writing #niqhtlord01 #ai generated art #stable diffusion

[mysterycitrus]

All of your Bruce takes are so real and so true. It must break your back having to carry the weight of being the most correct batman account on this website. 🙏🏻 I love your thoughts about Bruce and Dick in particular and I was wondering if you had any thoughts about Bruce and Damian? Something about them is just… oh boy.

that’s very sweet but untrue, anon 🫰

i love damian and bruce's relationship, but it's hard to talk about without mentioning two other crucial people - talia and dick. for my own sanity i only accept damian's conception as a consensual act, so in this context talia is a fundamentally well-meaning person who attempted to protect her son from a violent life, and hid his existance from bruce until she felt he could be safe. damian loves and respects his mother. this is important.

dick, on the other hand, is really the foundation for their relationship. bruce spent like two weeks with this kid before he went on his timestream roadtrip and left everything behind for dick to juggle. contrary to popular opinion, i think it's a real disservice to act like dick taught damian to "be a good person" or like basic etiquette - a more realistic interpretation would be that dick taught damian that he didn't have to prove himself to be worth something.

the robin mantle from the time it was taken from dick has always been about proving yourself to bruce, to justify your role as his partner. always unfairly, mind (think how tim is treated vs. steph, for example), but damian is the first robin's robin. dick isn't a wayne, he's a grayson. there's an interesting point of comparison being that dick is the only robin who had a clear trajectory for his life prior to his parents dying - he was a core member of the worlds greatest acrobatic troupe - but he then left that path to become something else. damian is destined for the bat, but becomes robin instead, serving beside someone who achieved greatness by his own skill and kindness. damian has been told about his father, and here he is with someone who knows bruce better than anyone but also understands what robin means, better than anyone. i cannot emphasise how important i think dick being damian's first batman is for their own development. it's so so crucial to combat damian's perspective on family and blood. it's so important that he has that foundational knowledge of what robin means.

by the time bruce returns, damian has made tangible human connections in gotham. he's not the prickly, reactive kid that bruce first met. he's allowed himself to trust that the people around him have his best interests in mind. he knows that he isn't cared for because he's bruce's son - he's cared for because he's worth loving. his siblings aren't competition for affection or honour. he no longer sees bruce as an omnipotent force, and rather as a man he could learn to love. i think seeing bruce through both talia and dick's persepectives really helps with that.

bruce i think is confronted by the fact that for the first time in his life he can't try and hide behind the "im not really xyz's father" excuse. not that his adopted kids aren't his kids, obviously, but i do think he sometimes tries to lean on that as a crutch so he doesn't get attached (way too late for that lol). he loves damian, and there's a lot of fear about damian reflecting his worst habits, his most self-destructive behaviours back at him. maybe there's some fear about damian's history of killing, and how close bruce himself always feels to that edge. maybe there's misery about missing one of his kids growing up, again, like he's always a second too late to the important moments. bruce and damian are so similar, but this is bruce's second chance to be there. he is thomas wayne, emerging from the alley alive. do u think damian looks like his grandparents?

#sorry this mostly ended up being about dick again oops #damian wayne #bruce wayne #dick grayson #batman #robin #dc comics #the ask and the answer #also i have spondylitis so my back would literally give out

[chrollosbm]

Sunflowers Fields: a Choso Love Story

You're broken from a past relationship, thinking you only deserve the worst. Choso comes along, making you realize you deserve the world and more. Will your ex-boyfriend let you go without a fight? (Choso x black!reader, yandere Choso)

warnings: swearing, alcohol use, manipulation, (eventual) heavy smut, overstimulation, begging, dacryphilia, dom choso, bossy choso, sub reader, slight yandere choso, suguru is her ex

pls support me on ao3, it would mean the world to me!

yummy.

You were a wreck. Your hair was tangled, your nails were chipped, you hadn’t showered in days, and you were currently rotting in your bed for the fifth day in a row. The only time you had gotten out of bed was to pee, drink water when you felt dizzy because of all the crying you had been doing which was not helping your dehydration, and when you forced yourself to eat small bits of crackers every now and then. Your outside appearance was nothing in comparison to the sadness and despair you felt inside though. You had gotten this bad on the outside because of the aching pain you felt in your heart. 

Last week, you and your ex-boyfriend broke up again. The relationship was not healthy at all, yet the two of you felt drawn to each other like magnets. You told yourself you were done this time though maybe. You could say your relationship with each other was pretty toxic at least that’s what all your friends and family said. You were still so in love with him though, so it didn’t matter what everyone else had to say. Yes, you were quite aware of your delusion, but it didn’t matter to you. How could you throw two years of your life with someone away? 

He cheated again. You should have known the first time that this would happen again. If you take someone back for cheating once, they’ll do it again. 

You sighed and mentally slapped yourself as you cuddled more into your bedsheets and squeezed the emotional support stuffed animal that was now covered in tears and snot.

The previous time he cheated on you, you had revenge sex with his best friend, which promptly ended a four year friendship between them. 

You found yourself smirking through your tears at the memory.

All it took was you showing up at said friend’s apartment with mascara stained cheeks (and an outfit that showed way too much skin.) You learned that the whole “bros before hoes” code was a myth that night. You simply walked into his blue-eyed-bestie’s apartment and put on an award winning performance of heartbreak (which you were actually feeling, but you had to bump it up a notch,) and feed him lies about how your ex-boyfriend had been talking shit about him for months. The rest was history. 

Of course, you put your acting skills to use again to get your ex to forgive you. After all, he cheated on you first. An eye for an eye right? Maybe you took it too far, but who cares, you actively tried to become a better person for him after that and it felt like he had done nothing to change. 

Your phone pinging brought you out of your thoughts and you rolled over to check your phone, shamelessly hoping it was a text from your serial cheating ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t, but it was the next best thing. Your paycheck was deposited into your account. It was a little lighter than usual, considering you took off for the entire week to mourn the loss of your already dead relationship. Still, it was a lot, and since your bills were already paid at the beginning of the month, you had disposable income to spend now. 

You checked the time on your phone, saw it was late afternoon and sighed. Maybe you should get up, considering you hadn’t seen sunlight in days and you deserved to make yourself feel better by going on an impromptu shopping trip. 

You scrolled down to the text messages from your closest friend that you had been ignoring for hours on end. You tried to update her at least twice a day on your mental state (which was not great, in all honesty,) just so she wouldn’t worry that you weren’t breathing (or that you went back to him, like you had previously done before.) She always hated him and always made sure to vocalize that opinion. It could be annoying sometimes, but you knew your best friend only did that because she loved you and knew you deserved better. There were a string of texts that you didn’t feel like reading, so you decided to just pick up the phone and facetime her. 

She picked up on the first ring with a call of your name coated with concern.

“Oh goodness, you look awful!” your friend exclaimed with a worried expression on her face.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Thanks a lot, Andrea. That’s exactly what I need to hear right now.” You got up out of bed to see exactly why she had such a dramatic reaction and when you reached the mirror your eyebrows shot up. “Oh wow, you’re right.”

She let out a small whimper. “My poor baby. We have to get you out of the house today. It is Friday after all, and I’m not taking no for an answer. You can’t let that asshole dictate how you feel forever.”

You let out a small sigh as you looked closer in the mirror. It was very evident that you hadn’t washed your face in days. Your dark eye bags in contrast to your brown skin made it look like you hadn’t slept in weeks, although that’s all you had been doing for the past week. Your eyes were bloodshot red and you could no longer force out tears due to dehydration and exhaustion. Your hair was an unruly mess, your tight coils tangled and in knots that will take hours to get out. 

You sucked your teeth and mentally chastised yourself for not putting a bonnet on your head during the past week.

It didn’t take long for you to respond to Andrea, considering you were tired of sitting in your own filth. 

“Okay! Did you want to join me while I went shopping? “You looked down at your chipped and overgrown nails. You were due for a refill. “We could also stop at the nail salon…” 

She squealed in delight. “I didn’t think you’d actually say yes! Of course. I’ll be there to pick you up in a couple hours. It’ll give you time to do that hair.” She teased. 

You rolled your eyes again. “See you soon, Andrea.” You quickly ended your call then jumped in the shower so you could have time to do a simplified version of your hair routine. No time for a full wash day session, so a quick detangle and moisturize will have to do. It was warm outside this time of year anyways, so half drying your hair was okay. 

You quickly washed your body and finished your hair routine in the shower, quickly attempting to diffuse it afterwards. You definitely felt wetness in the middle of your head, but it will have to do. You left it down in tight ringlets so it could dry by the end of the day when you were undoubtedly going to be forced to go out with Andrea tonight. Not that you minded, anyways. The first thing you wanted to do right now was get wasted to get rid of the heartache you felt. 

You quickly threw on a casual and comfortable outfit consisting of black yoga pants and a black graphic tee. As soon as you finished getting ready, you heard a loud and over-exaggerated car horn that you knew was the doing of your best friend. 

You quickly rushed down your stairs and threw on a pair of comfortable platform sandals and grabbed your purse before heading out the door. 

The sun hurt your eyes and you quickly shielded your face from its rays with a frown. The air smelled crisp and it felt good to breathe in natural air.

Your friend was in her very expensive black vehicle with tinted windows that you didn’t know the name of, (because cars right?) with said tinted windows down, showing a huge smile that belonged to Andrea. Her hair was different this time, small knotless braids cascading down her back, rather than her usual curls identical to yours. Thank God for that. Every time you wore your hair the same, people always mistook the two of you for sisters even though you looked nothing alike. You were both just black in a city with nearly not enough black people. 

Your personalities were also nothing alike. While she was like sunshine and rainbows after a stormy day, you were that stormy day. She was always kind, level-headed, calm, honest, and well put together, while you on the other hand were hotheaded, loud, impulsive, brutal, and sometimes extremely vindictive. You were trying to change the last trait as much as you could, but you were a work in progress. 

You hopped into her car, giving her a tight smile and she immediately pulled you into a hug.

“I’m so happy you decided to come out today! I have such a fun night planned for you.” She winked after she pulled away from the hug, mischief twinkling in her big brown orbs. 

Suspicion clouded your mind, wondering what she was up to, but decided to let it go considering you didn’t have a care in the world about what you guys did today, as long as you were able to get blasted. “Is drinking involved?” you said plainly and she smiled again in a way that could light up the entire galaxy.

“Duh.” she said simply and you finally gave a real smile as she pulled out your driveway, onto your day of adventures.

After a lengthy but fun day of shopping, getting your nails done, and eating your first full meal in days, you and Andrea approached her luxury apartment.

Another difference between you and Andrea? She was in a healthy and loving marriage. She and her husband were still newlyweds, but they had been living together since their engagement (which was very soon after they started dating.) You smiled thinking about your best friend’s luck in life and love, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t a little jealous. She deserved all of this and more of course, but you couldn’t help but envy her situation. You were trapped in a toxic cycle while a good man found her, a rich and handsome one at that. 

“You ready, babe?” she snapped you out of your thoughts and grabbed a handful of shopping bags. You guys went way overboard. 

You nodded and followed suit, grabbing the remainder of bags and headed up the elevator to their apartment. 

As you two stepped into the large and luxurious apartment, Andrea called out to her husband and all but ran to the kitchen when he responded with joy. 

You followed behind her awkwardly and pretended to be doing something on your phone when you saw the two of them sucking face.

When they finally came up to breathe, he looked up at you and gave you a sad smile. “Hey, how are you feeling?” You knew Andrea had already told him, considering he actually knew your ex-boyfriend. They went to high school together, but weren’t close at all.

You gave a matching smile back and felt your eyes well up with tears as you answered. “In all honesty, horrible. If it weren’t for your wife I would probably still be in bed sulking and crying over that asshole friend of yours.” 

He winced a little at your harsh words, but quickly recovered and had a face full of anger. “You want me to hire a hitman on him? I have that kind of money, you know.” 

You laughed loudly but his facial expression never changed. “Woah chill, Kento! He isn’t worth it. I hope he and that bitch he’s with get what they deserve but I don’t know if it’s death.” A smile remained on your face at his protectiveness. He was always protective over you considering you were his wife’s best friend. He even got into a few heated arguments on double dates with your ex over you.

“Well if you change your mind, I have a guy on speed dial. That asshole Suguru needs to learn a lesson.” He responded and Andrea caressed his arm in an attempt to calm down which seemed to work almost immediately. His face softened and he looked at your best friend in such a loving way that made you want to smile and puke at the same time.

“Thanks, dude. I’ll keep that in mind. Now let’s go Andrea, we have plans tonight, remember?” You gave him a grateful smile and grabbed your friend’s hand before you were caught witnessing another makeout session between the two. 

As you dragged her into her vanity room, you heard him shout after the two of you. “How much of my money did you spend today?!” The both of you erupted into a fit of giggles as you shut the door behind you. 

You both finished getting ready just before the clock hit ten pm. PartyNextDoor was blasting in her speakers as you two got ready, along with Andrea making insulting jokes about your ex the entire time. You, of course, were almost in tears at her jokes. You were so grateful to have her all the time, but especially during times like this. 

You were currently standing in front of her ceiling to floor, LED-light filled mirror looking at yourself in awe. You forgot how pretty you actually were. Due to the fact that you hadn’t seen yourself in makeup in weeks (you were naturally beautiful bare-faced as well,) but also the fact that you somehow felt ugly when you were dating Suguru. You knew you were pretty, but his excessive cheating made you feel less than. You always found yourself comparing yourself to the women he cheated with, who looked nothing like you.

Your face was lightly beat along with dark eyeliner that also included dark, but lightweight lashes that made your dark eyes look even more beautiful. Your lips were outlined with a dark lipliner with an expensive clear lip gloss that Andrea (well, Kento) had bought for you earlier in the day. You had on a tight maroon red dress that stopped at your mid thigh, the color making your brown skin look radiant and your body look amazing. You paired your outfit with gold jewelry you borrowed from Andrea since all your jewelry was left at home. Finally, you were going to finish off your outfit with black opened-toed kitten heels that you were going to put on at the door before you left. 

Your hair was put into a puff with minimal curls left out to frame your face. You were smiling at yourself in the mirror when you heard a knock at the door. 

Andrea went to open the door and her husband was standing at the door, mouth agape as he took in how she looked. You couldn’t blame him, she looked fucking hot. Her knotless braids were left down and she had on a black two-piece mini skirt set with silver jewelry that was to be paired with black stiletto heels. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear and her eyes widened slightly and she cleared her throat immediately after.

“You ladies ready to go?” He said with a smug look on his face and you gave Andrea a questioning look.

“I thought this was a girls night?” You said with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked, that mischievous look in her eye again. “I never said that.” She grabbed her black shoulder bag, along with an identical one she picked out for you, ushering you to come. “I said I had a fun night planned for you didn’t I? Just trust me.”

You looked between the Nanamis with suspicion written all over your face then shrugged. “As long as that includes free drinks, I don’t care what’s planned.”

“That’s my girl!” Andrea cheered as she gave you a slap on the ass when you walked out the front door.

You could’ve sworn you heard Nanami grumble something in the lines of, “Just don’t bankrupt me.”

You were currently in between tipsy and drunk, but not quite drunk yet like you wanted. You were dancing in your very own section with Andrea and Kento, about to take your next tequila shot. Andrea was already very drunk, you could tell by the way she was dancing on Nanami, who stopped drinking a while ago. He was driving after all, and he apparently never liked being drunk when he went out with Andrea because he wanted to make sure she was safe at all times. As you finished taking your shot with a shiver, you heard your best friend call your name.

You looked over at her with curiosity as a man you didn’t know was let into your section. You looked at him with confusion and interest. He was certainly a sight.

“This is Ch-Choso!” She yelled way too loud into your ear, slurring her words.

You took a second look at the man and were not disappointed. He was very tall, much taller than you. You looked up at him and he had two buns with shorter pieces sticking out the front to give him slight bangs, dark eyes that had eye bags underneath them, and full pink lips that were currently wearing a small smirk. He had on a dark shirt with equally as dark pants and sneakers. He had tattooed covered arms, and one of them sported a very expensive watch. He also had bright diamond earrings in his ear. They shone so bright you felt they might blind you.

“Hello, gorgeous.” He grabbed your hand and gave it a small kiss and you had to stop yourself from smiling. As your hand reached his lips, you noticed a dark birthmark across his nose, making him impossibly more handsome. It was something you had never seen before, giving him even more intrigue than before.

You cleared your throat and introduced yourself quickly, a look of suspicion and annoyance on your face you weren't trying to hide at all. In reality, the pool in your stomach was becoming hotter by the second.

“Will you excuse me for a second?” You gave him an obviously sarcastic, tight-lipped smile and let go of his hand to immediately grab Andrea’s. You dragged your stumbling friend and took her into the thankfully vacant bathroom.

As soon as the door shut you turned to her, where she was sporting a slight smirk. You didn’t return it though.

“What the hell is this?” You folded your arms over your chest and waited for her to answer.

She feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you mean!” She was full blown smiling now, like something was funny.

“Who the hell is that guy? Why is he in our section? Was this supposed to be your fun night for me?” You said it all way too fast and way too angry, but you didn’t care. Was she really trying to set you up with another guy when you were still heartbroken (and still longing for your ex-boyfriend)?

She put her hands up in defense. “Chill out!” She sounded way more sober now, your words seeming to light a match under her. “I was just trying to make you feel better. You were with that selfish, cheating asshole for two years and now you’re finally free! This is a time to celebrate, babe. I get that you’re sad, but how much longer are you going to let him dictate how you feel? How long are you going to let him dictate what you do, or who?” She gave you a wink and grabbed your hands.

She was right and you knew it. You had been taking Suguru's bullshit for years now. Every him he stepped out on you or whenever you caught him texting other women, it sent you into a spiral. He was draining the life out of you everyday, but it was like he was your own brand of heroin. No matter how much he hurt you, and how bad he was for you, it was like you were addicted to him, waiting for your next fix. You wanted to slap yourself for not being strong enough to just quit.

"...And Choso is a sweet guy. He’s smart, and works with Kento, so you know he’s loaded. He’s also fine as hell.” You felt your cheeks get warm at that. You have to admit. The man was sexy as fuck.

“It doesn’t have to go anywhere! I just want you to see there are other options out there other than Sir-Cheats-A-Lot.” She continued. Her eyes were pleading you, at this point.

You let out a small sigh. You knew she was right. It really didn’t have to go anywhere. You could just dance with him fuck him tonight. It would be a good distraction and you really wanted to get over Suguru once and for all you also really really wanted to fuck Choso. Like badly.

You gave her an eye roll then faked annoyance. "Fine. I'll entertain it. Just for the night." You were excited at the chance to finally talk to someone new, to be honest. She didn't need to know that, though. She squealed in response and she pulled you into a tight hug, too tight for your liking. You smiled widely in the hug and laughed as you hugged her back. As the two of you pulled away, you smelled the alcohol on her breath and remembered you were there to get blasted tonight, anyway.

When you returned to the table you were met with a concerned Nanami who was ranting to a very sexy looking Choso. The man you just met tonight looked bored as his coworker was very obviously worried about his wife. When the two of you approached the table, it seemed like his entire mood switched. His eyes became brighter and his lips formed a small smile. Kento's eyes snapped to Andrea with relief and you let the two have their reunion (his genuine concern for her leaving for five minutes made you both happy and nauseated) as you settled down next to Choso, making sure to sit extra close to him. If you wanted to fuck him tonight, you had to lay it on thick.

His cheeks reddened slightly as the bare skin of your thighs touched his clothed thighs. He seemed to quickly compose himself. “I thought I scared you off.” He nudged you with his shoulder with a smile.

You shook your head at him and smiled softly, returning the nudge. “No way. I just had to make sure my friend wasn’t going to black out.” You gave him a quick lie.

He seemed to believe it just as a server brought over four more tequila shots. Andrea let out an excited squeal for the tenth time tonight and attempted to grab a glass, which Nanami quickly blocked. She gave him a puppy dog look, which he seemed to ignore and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go dance, sweetheart.” He said, attempting to distract her and it worked. He dragged her onto the packed dancefloor and you were left alone with Choso and four shots.

“It looks like we have to down these ourselves, gorgeous.” His hand caressed your bare thigh lightly as he reached over to grab two shots. It was hard to ignore the increasing wetness in your underwear, very afraid it would start pooling out at some point. You couldn’t help it, the man was insanely gorgeous. He gave you the shot with a small smile and the two of you proceeded to clink glasses together and down them, finishing with a slam of the glass on the table.

The night progressed with the two of you taking more shots and you noticed how both of you slowly began to get more comfortable with each other. You somehow found yourself sitting on his lap with his hands around your waist, that were inching very close to your ass. You were currently laughing at something he said (God knows what, you were just drunk off your ass) and giving a playful slap to his very hard chest. It was like slapping bricks.

The music was loud, the lights were flashing, you didn’t know where your two friends went, yet you didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything but the beautiful man in front of you. He had to be as drunk as you considering the amount of shots you both had, but he seemed to be completely composed. His dark orbs stared holes into you as you were telling him stories about you and Andrea in college.

You were supposed to be on a mission to get some dick, but you found yourself actually wanting to have a conversation with him. He was a great listener and you somehow just couldn't stop talking. The way he was looking at you with genuine interest and attention made it hard to keep quiet.

You quickly learned he was a man of very few words, even with alcohol in his system. He would give a light smile and chuckle every now and then, but he mainly remained quiet besides the occasional questions he would ask, which prompted more stories from you.  He didn’t make you feel annoying, either . Unlike Suguru, who would at times tell you to “just shut up already,” when you were expressing things you had interest in.

You slowly stopped talking and looked down as soon as you thought about your ex-boyfriend, your mood dampening. Choso seemed to notice and put a hand on your chin and softly lifted it to look into his eyes again.

“What’s wrong? You were just getting to the good part.” He asked with genuine concern. His eyes burned holes into yours again and it all became too much. You were suddenly aware of everything around you. The music was too loud, the lights were blinking far too much, your clothes felt too tight on you, and you felt sick.

You quickly got up, grabbed your bag, and with a quick “I’m sorry, I have to go.” You left the section the club with Choso shouting your name behind you. You had ino idea where you were, your vision was blurry and you just wanted to go home. People in line outside the club were looking at you in confusion as you stumbled, almost falling on your ass, but you quickly left, having no idea where you were going.

Chapter Two is up

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #jjk fic #jjk smut #jjk fluff #jjk angst #choso #choso x reader #choso x female reader #choso kamo #choso x y/n #choso x you #jjk x black reader #choso x black!reader #choso x black y/n #choso smut #choso fluff #choso my beloved

[fandangotales]

500 Followers Event, figured I would do it right out the gate so I didn't forget lol. Also, be aware this is lengthy and I am so sorry for it.

How do you think the characters (Jean, Ningguang, and Sara) would react to a reader who listens to crime and history stories while playing, in particular crime cases such as Jack the Ripper, history stories such as the South Sea bubble and the Depression, and war stories such as the American Civil war or stories from the world wars?

How would Jean react to hearing about the devil of Whitechapel who paralyzed London and was never caught? What would she think of a world where monsters like Jack roam while her god is defenseless.

How would Ningguang react to the first financial crash in history...and the fact that so many people actually fell for it?

How would she feel knowing about just how often our world has financial crashes and just how many troublers it has with currency, and more importantly how would she feel knowing that such times could engulf the world while her God calls it home?

How would Sara react to the bloody and horrible nature of our conflicts, because while Inazuma's civil war may have been bad, I feel that it utterly pales in comparison to the sheer devastation and madness that was America staining itself red.

How would the ever loyal general feel knowing just how devastating and horrific the wars of our world can be, and just how plentiful they are? How would she feel knowing that her creator could be caught in one such conflict with none of them there to protect them?

I intend to do something like this where the Acolytes get tormented with gruesome facts and stories by a child reader who is a history buff and decides to tell them some of the tales about our world...and promptly gives all of them nightmares in the process lol.

I hope to get on the idea...sometime this or next year because I have a few other projects I am working on and I know just how badly I tend to procrastinate.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this ask, if you don't want to do it that is okay. Here is hoping I did everything right in regards to the rules in regards to this ask, but regardless have a great day and stay safe.

If you do end up writing that, I’d love to be tagged so that I can read it. Also, please don’t worry about your ask being troublesome, I’m honored to be getting an ask from one of my favorite SAGAU writers! Keep up the good work on your writing, I always love reading your posts! <3

Honestly, considering the way Teyvat works in regards to safety, and wars… I think it’s fair to say that many, if not all of the people there would be shocked by what life is like on Earth.

For example, if you decided to go out on an adventure by yourself, the worst you’d have to worry about would be hilichurls, considering that you aren’t going anywhere particularly dangerous.

On Earth, that simply wouldn’t work because there are a lot of bad people, and bad things that could happen to you if you were simply out on a walk at night. Especially if you weren’t in the company of another person.

If Jean heard about people who’ve done horrible things like murdering multiple people for… “The fun of it?”.

I can imagine her being repulsed, and incredibly concerned for your safety.

You may be the literal God of Teyvat, but would that stop anyone from randomly deciding to murder you, “for the fun of it?”

You might hear this idle voice line more often than the others:

“I do hope the Knights of Favonius are all working hard…”

She wants to tell you to take precautions against those with hostile intentions, to make sure you aren’t out to late… if only the code didn’t restrict her from voicing her thoughts.

For now she’d have to settle with reminding you of how safe Mondstadt was. With the Knights of Favonius, you would be safe.

With her, you’d always be safe.

Just… please be careful, alright?

The first time Ningguang heard about how terribly this world deals with money, she’d probably laugh.

“Oh, how amusing.” She’d chuckle, before realizing that it was your reality, instead of just a poorly made joke.

The idea of multiple currencies seems especially stranger to her, since Teyvat only uses Mora. (Disregarding the use primogems, which is only for you.)

One day, however, as you were talking while playing Genshin, she heard you bring up something called “inflation”.

You then proceeded to complain about how food prices where getting ridiculously expensive, and how your “fridge” had literally no food in it.

Ningguang seemed to freeze, being brought back to her early days as a child.

She had been through similar struggles, but knowing that her God is going through financial issues?

That her God is suffering because of the undeserving world in which they reside?

Preposterous.

“There were over 60 million casualties from World War 2…”

The voice droned on, as another daily commission was completed.

Sara’s face blanched, taking in the numbers.

60 million.

That was well over the number of citizens living in the entirety of Inazuma.

“The war was notable for the Nazi-sponsored genocide of the Jewish people…”

Genocide of people?

Why?

Her hands shook around her bow, as you guided her to shoot a hilichurl, directly in the head.

Sara heard you sigh, as the monotone voice was silenced.

Your divine voice spoke over the background music of the game.

“Third war I’ve had to research this week, interesting, huh?”

This was… considered an everyday occurrence for you?

Another shot, the hilichurl faded to dust.

You lived in a world where wars like that frequently happened-

She steeled herself, finding resolve as she struggled to keep shooting the hilichurls.

Sara would find a way to bring you to Teyvat, where you wouldn’t be in any danger, ever again.

#cultau #sagau #genshin impact #genshin impact sagau #fandangoevent #genshin cult au #genshin sagau #sara genshin impact #ningguang #jean genshin impact

[genderliquid-witch]

Do flowers bloom from walkers? (Radical optimism in The Walking Dead: The Final Season)

I remember playing The Final Season for the first time way back in October of 2022 and immediately being blown away by how polished the game was in comparison to its predecessor. I mean I had always loathed the visual style of A New Frontier, so this comic-book inspired look was a nice change of pace, especially once combined with the expert use of lighting that is present throughout the game. But what really took me off guard, more so than anything else, was the opening credits.

I mean, obviously; these games had never done anything like this before. And while I'm fond of the whole FADE IN TITLE ACCOMPANIED BY OMINOUS MUSICAL CUE, this was a welcome change. But there was one specific image that stuck with me throughout my playthrough: the decomposing walker (pictured above), painted in greyscale, with the only colour being the stark red background and the yellow flowers blooming from its corpse. I like to think that it was an intentional decision that ties into the game's themes and not just "Oh this looks cool, let's do it", but it weirdly never came up again. So I was kind of just left to play the game while it loomed in the back of my head, waiting for its moment to shine.

It wasn't until almost a year later where I'd figure out what the image represented, or at least my interpretation of it, and I settled on this conclusion: this decomposing walker is supposed to represent this apocalyptic world, and the flowers symbolise the people that attempt to build from it, in this case the Ericson's kids.

I've had this opinion for a while that if the first three games show the attempts and failures to re-establish the old world ideals of order and civil society, then The Final Season serves as a rejection of that idea. From the walker-ridden fortress of Crawford in Season One to the bureaucratic nightmare that was the New Frontier, it's an accepted fact that these attempts at returning to the methods of days gone is ultimately futile and will result in total collapse, largely due to the decisions of its rulers. While we could argue about which of these groups is truly the worst, they all originate from the same basic principle: a desire to return to normality. Crawford, Howe's, the New Frontier; these groups were formed by people who, while cruel and monstrous in their own ways, all had the admittedly noble goal of attempting to return order to this ravaged world, but failed due to their leaders' cruel and selfish actions.

Or did they? (Vsauce sfx)

There's this interaction Lee has with Katjaa in the very first episode of Season One that has stuck with me for a while. It's an optional dialogue so it's very easy to miss (I did on my first playthrough), but when Katjaa hopes that things can go "back to normal", Lee has the option of expressing resentment for this old world:

"But they weren't before? The banks, the politics, the--the crap--those things are gone. Hell comes in a lot of different colors."

Usually this "fuck the old world" sentiment is expressed by sociopaths who are excited to enact their sadistic desires onto other survivors, but Lee's resentment for society feels a lot more justified. The fact that Lee is a black man who's specialty is American history makes his criticism of wanting to go back to how things were feel more warranted; he's someone who understands how corrupt and unjust the societal structure of the past was, so of course he'd feel conflicted about longing for its return.

And while this is just a small interaction, I feel it plays into what I've been talking about. Crawford, Howe's, the New Frontier; did these factions collapse because of their evil leaders, or because they were emulating an inherently unjust and corrupt power structure? Their desire for order and stability allows them to see past the cruelties that came with building these hierarchical societies, to the point where they begin to mimic governments of the old world (Crawford, discrimination and the outlining of "undesirables"; Howe's, prison labour and terror; the New Frontier, imperialism and state corruption). So these failed factions force us to ask the question: is a return to order possible in this world?

It isn't until the The Final Season that the games give us an answer to that question: no, it isn't, but that doesn't mean you can't start something new.

When introduced to Ericson's it's made immediately apparent how different they are to any other group we've met before. While there's the obvious homage to Lord of the Flies with a group being made up of entirely children, I think this is more than just a "well it's the final game, best do something interesting". Children are a symbol of hope and optimism, but also of potential and, in a more abstract sense, the future. They are clay that has yet to be moulded, with infinite potential, a luxury most adults don't have. So I don't think it's a coincidence that the main group in this game, and the one that Clementine eventually settles with, is comprised entirely of children: it feels like an intentional choice to highlight how this group will be the one to survive on account of how they have the potential to create something new.

And it's not just their age demographic that makes Ericson's so distinct from the other groups in the series, but also their power structure. Following Marlon's death, their is no one person in control of the group. Sure, there are leaders (Violet takes the chair once Marlon's out of the picture, and upon her return Clementine becomes the one who's advising the group), but they feel like role models and advisors more than anything. When Violet takes the reigns it doesn't seem like anyone truly acknowledges her authority, and she doesn't even seem to enforce it either. Same goes for Clem; she doesn't really express any desire to control the rest of the group, instead preferring to make decisions in a more democratic manner as to include everyone's individual skills and expertise.

Ericson's vision of society more closely resembles that of an anarchist commune than any government that previously existed, and it manages to be the only group left standing by the end. It's through cooperation and an altruistic attitude that keeps them alive in the end; their concerns for the survival of the group far outweigh any desire to create "order". And I don't think it's a coincidence that a majority of the game's antagonists (Lilly, Minerva, and even James) are people who represent the past. Lilly is obsessed with the cruel lessons her father taught her and prides herself in her attachment to the militaristic level of discipline that she inflicts upon her subordinates. Minerva is essentially a ghost of the past, with her whole arc with Violet and Tenn serving as a lesson on the dangers of holding onto the past. James, while good natured and mostly kind, can't bring himself to accept the fact that the world has changed, and its these beliefs that either kill him or sever the only connection he had made in years.

To conclude, while Telltale's The Walking Dead is a series that is rife with conflict and tragedy, I also find it to be a story that is ultimately about hope. I always considered that Lee's greatest lesson to Clementine wasn't how to shoot a gun or to cut her hair, but instilling within her a radical sense of hope, the idea that things can be better, and you should always try your damnedest to make it happen. That even in the most desolate of circumstances, something profoundly beautiful can bloom.

Or maybe I've been wrong this whole time and flowers growing out of a walker just looks really cool.

#i didn't expect this to be so long but oh well #needed to rant about twdg so i chose this instead of the wall #twdg #the walking dead game #clementine #twdg clementine #lee everett #media analysis

[deliciousdefendorinternet]

Honestly one thing I Hope we see in the future films is Poppy actually properly having to struggle through a character arc for a change.

in terms of Drama its pretty annoying how well stress free Poppy's is in TBT the film has her go through a surface level arc about understanding the complexities of family.

through meeting Viva but its just that surface level because her and Viva's problems aren't actually anything that negative in regards to Poppy.

Viva didn't want to leave with someone she only just met to go to the outside world which she'd been afraid of for over 20 years.

there's no wronged party in this situation neither her nor Poppy are to blame and even in the moment its understood this is just a temporary set back and Poppy can come back to see her later.

way different to Branch and his Brothers where there was clearly people in the wrong in both situations when the family broke up so the movie making a narrative comparison between the situations is just wrong as hell.

Branch was wronged by his family in big life shattering ways and then not even treated like a human being who's feelings were valid in present day.

and then was going to be dumped again through no fault of his own and even belittled and mocked for having valid feelings on the matter.

not at all similar to Poppy's family situation so the movie acting like these two things are on an equal playing field is dumb as hell.

they have Branch have the big eureka moment after hearing Poppy say to Viva that their family history doesn't need to be perfect as long as their together.

but that isn't at all comparable to Brozone's situation where it came about as a result of the older brothers being selfish and toxic and didn't change even after two decades.

not because of human flaws like Viva had that she actively tried to work through.

and frankly this is annoying like why does Branch always get saddled with the crappy end of things? why couldn't Poppy's rose tinted view of family actually be tested?

like have Viva be someone who genuinely mistreats her and is selfish towards her actually testing Poppy's beliefs on family.

Rather than giving her an instant best friend who's only problem is something that isn't really anyone's fault and didn't really have any baring on Poppy's feelings.

instead of dumping Branch with selfish siblings who literally do nothing but let him down and mistreat him and dump him when they encounter even mild inconvenience.

yet still force him to forgive them in the end no questions asked basically making the message of the film about unconditional forgiveness which similar to Raya is possibly the worst message a film could have.

basically what I'm saying is you wanna have Poppy go through an arc then actually test her because TBT's arc was surface level and it back tracked in the end.

by having the one character who challenged Poppy's beliefs come around to her way of thinking in the end and take back toxic people who hurt him time and time again simply because of a rose tinted view of family always being great.

like maybe in the next film actually have her get the shorter end of the stick and actually have to struggle properly with some of her beliefs.

maybe like I said in the other post it could be something to do with her mother coming in a future film and Poppy being Poppy is eager to get to know her and have a mom in her life willing to forget about her walking out on her Peppy and Viva.

and Regardless of Wether she's actually a downright villain or just a selfish crappy person the result can be the same where Poppy's trust is actually used and abused multiple times.

maybe actually leaving her in danger or resulting in her getting hurt and by the end despite her being desperate for her mom to be someone who she could help change for the better.

she's literally forced to realise that she can't change her and has to cut her off.

or hell if we do go the full on villain route like I've said before have Peppy straight up get killed by the villain due to Poppy's actions in not being able to accept that they couldn't resolve things her way.

and Poppy actually has to struggle through the guilt of her own dads death being in some part her fault or at least that's how she feels.

it'd actually make it feel much more admirable for her character if in the end she kept to her mostly peaceful beliefs in the end despite her loss.

something I feel is lacking with her character for comparison Hiro Hamada not killing Callaghan and stating the protocol of not hurting people wouldn't be seen as being as noble if he wasn't one of the main victims of Callaghan's crimes. ( aka losing his brother because of his actions )

and instead it was just something he believed and decided just because he's a posotive person I feel Poppy is kinda like that.

she spouts her posotive talking points in every film but has never really been tested to the extreme that most good heroes have.

so having her either have to have bubble regarding family well and truly burst after genuine mistreatment that she can't ignore forever.

or if the stakes are bigger and you have her literally lose a loved one due to a villain with opposing ideologies.

yet she still in the end stays true to her morals and beliefs then that would make her character overall better imo as like I said I feel her character is lacking a proper sense of having been tested.

and to have another story that has a comparison drawn with Branch maybe ( I say looking very nervous and guilty 😅😅 ) that it could tie in with my little idea of Branch having a plot surrounding his semi surrogate parent figure.

sorta having the story draw a clear comparison between toxic and healthy parental figures even those that aren't related by blood.

those are just a couple of ideas if you have any others I'd love to hear them but my point is

just let Poppy actually have to struggle through an arc for a change and it actually have permanent consequences for her in the end.

plus let my boy Branch get the good aspects of the story for a change Rather than be Dumped with literally all of the negative shit like the multiple tragic backstories and the crappy family members. 😕😕😕😕

#trolls #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls future ideas #trolls 4 ideas #trolls 4 #dreamworks trolls #trolls band together

[nicklloydnow]

“Looking from East to West in the 90s, like Alice through the looking-glass, one could feel as confounded as the residents of Animal Farm. The Russian premier Boris Yeltsin spent the 90s spearheading "shock therapy" for the former Soviet Union. This process of economic liberalization, privatization and asset-stripping led to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of an oligarchic elite, leaving the rest of the country to impoverishment, psychological shock, endemic organized crime and corruption. To the benefit of its leaders and the detriment of its people, the East became a mirror-image of the West's worst excesses. The Manics' critique of Western capitalism and its turbocharged adoption by the East, allied to their lack of faith in the practical application of communist ideology — though not the ideology itself — makes "Revol" an extension of the axiom of post-communist cynicism which states that Soviet leaders "were lying when they told us about communism, but were telling us the truth about capitalism."

The Manics' use of Soviet imagery in a post-Soviet world was not new, but The Holy Bible, with its lyrical preoccupations the band's adoption of military uniforms and the semi-logo of a Soviet war medal, saw it become something more definitive. How much of this was aesthetic opportunism, and how much politically earnest? Like the Manics, I grew up in impeccably Old Labour territory and, way before discussions on how to be a fan of problematic things, remember being starry-eyed about the Soviet Union. Any yearning for the USSR, though, had less to do with the reality of its final days and more to do with its symbolic opposition to a Conservative regime which was then laying siege to the industry, economy and community of my part of the country. I looked East in the way one might look to the stars in the hope of arbitrary rescue by occupants of interplanetary craft, with expectations about as realistic.

What had been a source of fear and fascination in the 1980s was, in the postmodern vacuum of the 90s, safely powerless and therefore kitsch. Fascination with the communist past — dubbed Ostalgie — tended to be denied any political dimension, allowed to manifest only in ironic or mocking forms, and very rarely linked with contemporary anti-capitalist critique (Pyzik, Poor). The Holy Bible's suffusion in Soviet chic, though, had more to it than ironic recuperation. Nicky Wire, when asked, "What do you think makes sense?", responded: "Certain kinds of socialism, where everyone is given a chance. A true egalitarian society where everyone is offered an education." As basic and uncontroversial as this is — and note the cautious "certain kinds" of socialism, pre-empting the conflation of socialism with Stalinism — it highlights the band's commitment to keeping the idea alive in politics and culture. The later Manics' Labourism appears almost uninterestingly mellow in comparison to The Holy Bible's morbid fascination with the extremes of Soviet communism, but neither approach denies the contemporary relevance of political history, or presents it merely as kitsch.” - Rhian E. Jones, ‘Unwritten Diaries: History, Politics and Experience through The Holy Bible’ [p. 76 - 78]

“Ballard, Saville, The Holy Bible all use shock tactics, aesthetics of gorgeous abjection to assault the viewer. Ballard does it with crashed bodies and psychologies smashed to shards; Saville with bloated bodies out of control, tragic flesh of saints, sanctified for their suffering with no meaning, of no purpose beyond the physical carrying-through of their existence. The Holy Bible does it with its ruptured squabbles, soul sores leaking pus of humanity's capitulation to the dark side, rotten missives, accusations, breakdowns and weaknesses, as if it can't stop shaking anymore.

All three want to make their mark on you, perceive their own mission as one of violence upon the spectator: a moral mission because amidst all the white noise and static of the information-entertainment world, the jeering is too loud, and the crying is all but drowned out. In the service of truth, the artist must lacerate, and the profound abjection of the body, the scarification of the self, the breaking of the taboo of the illusion of sanctity of the body as self-contained whole, is a perfectly acceptable way for encroaching on the complacency that allows us to live complicit lives. Aesthetic butchery is thus a moral enterprise. Obscenity, critically modulated, pulls you out of your comfort zone and makes you confront yourself, or at least the parts you hide daily in order to live in polite society and in good conscience with yourself.” - Daniel Lukes, ‘Fragments Against Ruin: The Books of Manic Street Preachers' The Holy Bible’ [p. 226, 227]

“The present absence of Richey endured even through the years immediately following his disappearance, when the band was most vociferously separating from their past. Speaking in 1996, Nicky stated, "We'll never fill that gap. We'll never get anoth er guitarist. James will never go over to that side of the stage" (qtd in Maconie, "We Shall Overcome" 88); the space of stage right became a sacred site of remembrance for the band, but also a heightened, present absence for fans. In the documentary for the tenth anniversary edition of The Holy Bible, James describes his discomfort whilst playing Reading Festival in 1994 as a three-piece (at this time, Richey was hospitalized), which included the fact that some of the fans "were staring at the space of the stage where Richey should be, refusing to look at me." This desire to look at the empty space usually occupied by an object perceived as valuable is arguably an expression of the connection between emptiness as an index of a sign that holds symbolic meaning; the absence ironically brings more meaning to the surface than was originally recognized in the object itself. In his discussion of the spectators who flocked to see the empty space in the Louvre from which the Mona Lisa had been stolen in 1911, Darian Leader posits that this incident makes manifest the split between art and the space it usually occupies, thereby prompting an interrogation of the usually unseen or hidden meaning in the artwork that typically isn't in question. In becoming a signifier of totemic mythologies of tortured genius and martyred rock stars, Richey's absence became an index for that signifier, whereby spectators intuit meaning even by staring into the void of the lost signifier. These mythologies then perpetuate a kind of lovely knowledge because they fit into an already established perspective and narrative of popular culture. Within the last twenty years, the proliferation of music magazine covers featuring Richey have played into this lovely knowledge, rather than confront the difficult knowledge his disappearance evokes.” - Larissa Wodtke, ‘Architecture of Memory: The Holy Bible and the Archive’ [p. 302, 303]

All passages from Triptych: An Examination of the Manic Street Preachers’ Holy Bible (2017)

#manic street preachers #holy bible #revol #communism #socialism #soviet #soviet union #soviet kitsch #ostalgie #chic #stalinism #nicky wire #richey james edwards #richey edwards #richey james #james dean bradfield #sean moore #triptych #rhian jones #wales #pyzik #agata pyzik #poor #poor but sexy #daniel lukes #larissa wodtke #ballard #jg ballard #crash

[hero-israel]

Hi! You come across as confident, so...how roes one keep up hope and confidence in such a situation? Not "just" with the attack of Hamas but also the antisemitism that crawled out of the woodwork at Israelis/Jewish people being harmed? Atm I am horrified and I'm not even Jewish, so I can't even fathom how this situation must be for someone Jewish. Would love to hear your five cents, if you are willing.

This was the single worst day in Jewish history since Mauthausen (the last Nazi concentration camp) was closed down in May 1945. We are closing in on the death level of the MV Struma disaster a few years earlier. Those comparisons make more sense than any of Israel's wars because then as now, practically all the victims were noncombatants, families.

The antisemitic social commentary was always there - it is inherent to the world-spanning, bloody-bordered empires that Christianity and Islam established for themselves, and for people to learn to overcome it is slow and deliberate. I am sorry to see it but truly not shocked. Events have long since proven Herzl was right.

I keep up hope by remembering how far the Jewish people have come, against such odds, how many threats we have outlasted until we are the only people who even remember them anymore.

I am quite certain that Israel will continue to be what it is - the only homeland and guarantor of safety for the Jewish people. And that it will continue to do anything it judges necessary to defend itself. This barbaric frenzy will prove to be just as long-term pointless as everything else anti-Zionists have tried during the last wasted century. They fundamentally do not understand their enemy - that enemy being nothing less than the Jewish view of history - and so they cannot win.

#jews #judaism #antisemitism #israel #palestine #zionism #jumblr

[partikron]

Major Spoilers for Armored Core VI:

Handler Walter: The Monster

Would you do something terrible for the ones you love?

Not many people are capable of being a monster for their own desires, but what if the only thing that can save the people you hold dear IS a monster? Are you willing to become something hateful in order to do what you think is right?

Enter the infamous Handler Walter, the man who would burn the Coral, commit planetary genocide on a sapient alien species and burn to cinders a whole world full of living people, to prevent what he sees as the single greatest existential threat to humanity's continued survival.

If he were to succeed, his sin would be orders of magnitude greater than all the atrocities of human history combined, all the brutality and unnecessary violence, the endless bloodshed over resources, the ceaseless bigotry, and the seeming unwillingness to treat other people as human beings worthy of love and respect. One man in a bid to "save" his species would destroy countless lives in a wave of searing heat and fire that would make the wrath of human gods seem pitiful by comparison.

Many of us would say he is wrong; there's a better way forward, one that has no need for unimaginable catastrophe and tragedy. But ask yourself one question: what if he had been right?

Would it be justified? If humanity were on the brink of annihilation and all it took to stop it was one person willing to be history's greatest monster, would you do it? Could you be the single worst person ever to live if it meant your species still had a chance?

Are all the songs, history, poetry, art and literature of humankind not worth some sacrifice? Doesn't every newborn babe and loving parent deserve a chance at life?

Is the future of the species not worth one great sin?

#armored core #armored core 6 #armored core vi #fires of rubicon #armored core series #mech #mecha #scifi #science fiction #video games

[transmutationisms]

could you talk more about catholicism vs protestantism in succession? I think roman accidentally buying the protestant football team instead of logan’s catholic team is super interesting

yeah the hearts/hibs mixup is a great detail. so in general i think this is a really funny level of the show. like, if you're making fun of american or british billionaires the obvious choice is to make them protestant. it's like, demographically likely, and in the american context in particular protestants have all these overt ways of reconciling their faith with capitalism and the desire to accumulate wealth. like, making money is configured as a signifier of bourgeois masculinity; it means you're productive (often implying and signified thru bodily fitness specifically, even though capitalists are ofc not the ones actually performing whatever labour is generating surplus value). catholicism is more uncomfortable generally with the open pursuit of worldly wealth, which is NOT to say catholics are never wealthy or that the church lacks wealth (it emphatically does not) but just to point out that this is a contradiction in ideals that catholics often just kind of uncomfortably ignore.

this is an undercurrent with the roys generally. they're ultrawealthy but rarely seem to enjoy their wealth all that much---like, they're comfortable and cosseted but they all have weird relationships with their bodies, food, sex, etc; also, their ways of signalling wealth are chronically uncool (their clothes) or else nouveau riche tacky (logan trying to host wine tastings or whatever that pierce make fun of him for). this also plays into how america has a relatively recent history of overt anti-catholic sentiment (like, see how people talked about jfk lmao) and combined with logan's canadian-scottish identity and lack of generational wealth, it gives him that persecution complex he retained even when he was literally one of the most powerful people in the world.

more to the point, logan has, like, the absolute worst and funniest case ever of catholic man who is uncomfortable with bodies disorder. it's tolerable if you're using your body to assert dominance in some way (pissing on kendall's floor, how logan wanted roman to say he was harassing gerri with the dick pics) but yuckydisgusting if you just like, have a body that is vulnerable or god forbid perceived by others (logan's attitude toward his illness, his disgust when it becomes clear roman was actually engaged in some kind of sexual affair with gerri---who is old and a woman and therefore also has a body). this is why it breaks logan's brain to think about shiv having affairs, and why, even though he is a misogynist, including to her, he does NOT talk about her body. it's also why he's so invested in getting roman "straightened out" and why he uses accusations of homosexuality to convey how much of a flop loser he thinks kendall is. his whole deal with masculinity is that Men Do Not Have Bodies. bodies are gross and physical, what are you, some kind of sissy? like, entire essays you could write on how each of the kids fits into this schema.

anyway, the obvious points of comparison here are the pierces (east coast blue-blood protestants), tom (germanic midwestern social striver protestant), connor's mother (american, lowbrow, implied/assumed protestant), caroline (protestant english aristocrat), and mencken (implied catholic convert, which is a whole other level). again you could write essays about this on any one of these characters, but in general the protestantism on the show is funny bc it's contrasting with logan's disgust at his body yet simultaneous desire for it to be Strong And Masc (NOT GAY!). caroline and the pierces bring out his persecution complex and insecurity about being boorish; tom is able to be "striving and parochial" partly bc he doesn't have the baggage of the roys, who are like, tormented by being wealthy in a gauche way ("how to control us news media in a god honouring way").

this is all like, peripheral obviously, but it's deeply funny also. and i do genuinely think the roys make more psychological sense when you understand that they have chart-busting levels of catholic martyr syndrome (kendall), guilt (roman), and repression (logan, shiv). even connor's "i'm like if napoleon was a us president" type beat is funnier through this lens (remember that napoleon very famously restored state relations with the catholic church after the revolutionaries had severed them and tried to found a secular 'republican religion').

with the three younger sibs in particular, this is one of the ways in which they fail to understand logan; they're aware on some level that he's catholic and were probably raised with some degree of religious practice, but it's heavily implied caroline interfered with this and the kids grew up less catholic than logan wanted, which was kinda the tradeoff for him having basically sought out an aristocratic pedigree for them. so, a misunderstanding like hearts vs hibs is a throwaway joke, but also hints at this much deeper level on which logan's kids don't get him or his priorities, and are never going to be able to respond adequately to his internally contradictory, repressed and repressive catholic-military-bourgeois standards for how they should relate to their bodies and how that affects his political worldview.

#i can expand on specific elements of this but if i wrote it in one post we wld be here all day #blood sacrifice

[stra-tek]

An excerpt from I Survived Kirk, a forthcoming trashy tell-all fanfic biography of a bitter redshirt on the U.S.S. Enterprise during the events of TOS and TAS...

Ask the Kzinti how evolved and peaceful humanity are.  They’re the space cats the Federation declawed.  A warrior race, forced to live on what is essentially a Federation-occupied world.  After losing four wars with humanity, we basically quarantined them and forbade them from building ships with more than the most basic of weaponry.  It’s a shitty situation for sure, they’re right next door to our core worlds and seemingly are biologically unable to stop themselves from launching wars of aggression against their neighbours.  I know it’s racial profiling at it’s worst to make this comparison, but tell a cat not to try and catch a mouse and see how well that goes.  I shudder to think how the Klingon situation is going to end.  Can anyone else picture the Klingon homeworld in Federation territory and a populace forced to take anti-aggression drugs?

The Kzinti don’t get much attention these days.  They’re left out of history text books, because you can’t teach people that they’re in utopia when that utopia is built on the oppression of another species.  I don’t know what other alternatives are available besides what we did.  But I’m deeply bothered by that history being glossed over.  Federation President Ken Wescott is allowing this to happen.  There are probably people out there now who don’t know the first thing about the four Man/Kzin wars, because they’d rather teach that humans were destined for greatness among the stars and that as soon as we met the Vulcans everything was a constant state of orgasmic bliss.

#star trek #the original series #tos #kirk #kzinti #fanfic #star trek fic #my fic writing #i survived kirk