#if: exculpate

[exculpateinteractivefiction]

"All suffering originates from craving, from attachment, from desire." - Edgar Allan Poe

Exculpate: The Fall from Grace is an upcoming 18+ action packed and fantastical interactive fiction novel. Loosely inspired by media like “My Hero Academia”, “Bungou Stray Dogs”, “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “The X-Men” and “Titans”.

Tags: [Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Romance, Drama, LGBTQIA+, Textbased]

The Astra. In the years after the war it was a name that had grown familiar. A select group of individuals who had gained special abilities after the…incident. They are powerful. They are talented. They are gifted.

And you’re one of them.

Or at least you were around a decade ago. Before you made the mistake.  The type of colossal fuck up that blows up your apparently  flimsy life in a matter of minutes. The kind that has you running away and starting completely over. That kind.

Now instead of using your worthless ability to save people, you are stuck using it for much more…aggressive work. More effective work. Or at the very least work that pays better. The only cost seems to be your sorry excuse for morals. Trading your soul and sense of justice for a paycheck. What could go wrong?

It was manageable. Meaningful even. Something that gave purpose to the now shattered pieces of your life.

Everything was great.

...until you got a hit for the strongest hero in existence. Wonderful.

Play a former hero turned assassin turned…“hero” but not really .

Customize your character’s name, appearance, personality, and gender identity.

Develop a better understanding of your dreadful ability.

Explore and navigate complex relationships with six unique romantic options.

Kill your former best friend and betray old allies and new ones alike!

Come face to face with your past (both the choices you’ve made and the people in it).

Repent for your mistakes…or continue making them.

The Hero (Your Target): Maverick “Mav” Kingston (He/Him)

Maverick Kingston, your current target and the strongest member of Astra. The strongest, period. He is unstoppable - unreachable - unattainable. You would know as his (former) best friend.

Appearance: Maverick is the embodiment of “perfection” and that crosses over into his looks. He is roughly 6’1” and is quite lean. He has vibrant light blue eyes and a head of messy blonde hair that seems to always fall perfectly into place.

Personality: Maverick’s greatest flaw is undeniably his personality. To put it bluntly, he’s the best and he knows it. He manages to come across as nonchalant and egotistical on a good day - often just messing around or teasing both his enemies and coworkers alike, and while he can be quite charismatic, his laidback and annoying disposition tends to steer most people away. Although, you get the feeling that there seems to be something deeper lying beneath the surface even after all these years…

The Strategist: Carmen Reyes (She/Her)

Carmen Reyes, lead strategist of the Astra and to put it bluntly the only one with any common sense. She is an intimidating presence - although that might just be due to her title of the best hand to hand combatant of the Astra. You used to be co-workers and classmates but that was a long time ago.

Appearance: Carmen’s beauty is just another thing that adds to her imposing nature. She is roughly 5’11” and has spent years building up her muscular physique. She has curly dark brown hair that rests just below her chin and surprisingly sharp hazel eyes that seem to track your every move…

Personality: Carmen can be considered reserved and wise at best and completely distant at worst. She has a professional air to her that most officials and authority respect, but it can come across as aloof or boring especially when comparing her to the loud personalities that the rest of the Astra has. That’s not to say she is uncaring though - in fact she is arguably the most moral of the group - or at least she was back when you were a member…

The Heart: Silas Jones (He/Him)

Silas Jones, arguably the kindest member of the Astra. He’s excitable and naive - if not a bit endearing. He tends to act as the mediator between the public and the other members of the Astra when necessary. You don’t remember being particularly close with him back when you were in the Astra so it’s surprising how desperately he seems to want your attention now…

Appearance: Silas is roughly 5’8” and has dark brown skin with glowing silver marks scattered across his body. He has black locs that have been dyed red at the tips and dark brown eyes that seem to pull you in wherever you go…

Personality: Silas is easily the nicest of the group and can be quite soothing especially compared to the harsher personalities of the other members and higher ups of the Astra. He is incredibly open and energetic, if not a bit naive. He cares very deeply for the people around him and that clearly extends to you even after all these years. It does make you wonder why he is so interested though…

The Healer: Juno Aceso (She/Her)

Juno Aceso, head of the healing and medical department at Astra. She isn’t what most people expect when they hear the words “doctor” but she is a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the group. You were close with her back when you were in the Astra…or at least as close as you can be with someone like her.

Appearance: Juno is roughly 5’5”. She has deathly pale skin and dark eyebags that frame her murky green eyes. Her straight chestnut colored hair lands right at her chest, though she usually keeps it up in a bun.

Personality: If Carmen is distant and Maverick is nonchalant then Juno is on a whole other level. She is practically apathetic with her laidback nature and tends to be quite removed from everyone else. That’s not to say she has no personality though. She can be incredibly snarky and sarcastic when she wants to be. Unsurprisingly, she seems the least invested in your return. Although you get an odd feeling whenever she glances your way…

The Star: Payton Monroe (They/Them)

Payton Monroe is nothing if not a star. They embrace the celebrity status that comes with being a member of the Astra with open arms. You weren’t particularly close with them back when you were in the Astra but you heard the rumors of their exploits…

Appearance: Payton is roughly 5’7” and seems to make it their life’s goal to make themself as appealing as possible. They have ivory colored skin and dazzling lavender eyes. Their hair is shoulder length and white with streaks of pink going through it.

Personality: Payton is someone who has no issue embracing the finer things in life. They are far more interested in the public image aspect of being a member of the Astra and that comes across in nearly every interaction. While they are quite flirtatious, they seem to hold no interest in pursuing an actual relationship. Maybe you’ll be the one to change that…

The Newbie: Amari Gray (Gender Selectable)

Amari Gray, the newest member of the Astra. Not much is known about them - they joined after you left and they don’t seem exactly interested in getting to know you. They tend to be annoyed with you more often than not but you get the feeling that they are that way with most people. Although, their constant avoidance towards you specifically is quite odd…

Appearance: Amari is roughly 5’3”. They have tan skin and sharp gray eyes that seem to be set in a perpetual glare. They have thick white hair that is currently styled as a short undercut. They have a few piercings and tattoos.

Personality: You don’t know much about Amari but one thing you do know is that they don’t like you. They are either actively avoiding you or are going out of their way to pick fights with you. They seem incredibly familiar which makes their determination on making your life miserable even weirder…

DEMO TBA

#if: intro #interactive fiction #if: exculpate #interactive novel #interactive game #if wip #interactive fiction wip #choicescript #wip if #wip intro #wip #dashingdon #cog wip #cog #choice of games #hosted games #intro post

[trekkiedean]

the thing about cas's arc in the first half of s9 is that it's a prime example of why I cannot look at this show through a purely watsonian lens. there is no way to make it make sense except bad writing. and "idk it was bad writing" is a copout with most shows, and can very much be a copout with this show, depending on how selectively you apply it. but also, with spn, not only is the writing bad, but the show is SO hyperaware of itself as a story that I have a lot of trouble ignoring the doylist factors, the way I would at least try to in another show.

like, I have a ton of logistic/plot questions about the whole early-s9 situation, because the basic facts just don't really make sense from 9x03 to 9x06 to 9x09. but more than that, I feel like any purely watsonian explanation requires me to either throw out a lot of dean's past characterization (I can be pretty hashtag deancrit, but I do think it's ooc for him to kick cas out with absolutely nothing) or a lot of cas's future characterization (I think cas's takeaway was that dean does not care enough about him to help him unless it will serve some larger purpose of dean's to do so, and I think that informs a lot of cas's future behavior). like, the potential watsonian explanations are:

dean offered cas some supplies/cash/a fake id, and cas was just too proud/hurt/stupid to accept

dean offered cas some supplies/cash/a fake id, and cas took them, but he was too proud/hurt to keep them or too stupid to keep them safe/use them wisely

dean is a complete sociopath who doesn't give a shit about cas and kicked him out with literally nothing but the clothes on his back, and cas's self-esteem is so low that he thinks it was okay

dean is too stupid to even realize that cas might need supplies/money/resources

and I don't find any of those explanations satisfying, because there are things in other episodes that undercut or refute all of them: if dean genuinely just doesn't give a shit about cas, why did he bother trying to find him in 9x03 in the first place, or care when april killed him and get gadreel to bring him back? if dean didn't give him anything in the way of money/supplies, then how did cas get from kansas to idaho, or get a job with no papers or bank account? but if dean did give him cash/the magic credit card and fake identity papers, then why did cas need the job in the first place and/or why is he sleeping in the back room? and if he didn't, if cas is truly in such a dangerously precarious situation in 9x06 because he has nothing else, then how, in 9x09, does he have a fairly nice, well-fitting suit and presumably a fake badge and a car? if dean gave him some money to begin with, and cas is just clueless with money and blew it all, then how did he get savvy enough, between 9x03 and 9x09, to acquire all of those things himself? if dean gave him money and/or the suit, badge, and car to begin with, but cas was too proud and hurt to make use of them, what changed his mind? if he has those things in 9x09 because dean helped him after 9x06 and either gave them to him or gave him the means/money to get them, then why wouldn't dean have just done that in the first place? if dean didn't help him at all, despite knowing what a dangerous situation cas was in before they found him in 9x03, then why does dean approach cas in 9x06 like he expects any reaction but completely justified anger and hurt, and treat cas's new job like it's a silly little thing cas is doing for funsies rather than his best chance at survival? but then, why is cas treating the whole thing like it was no big deal in 9x09?

meanwhile, the doylist explanations are:

the episodes in question were written by privileged white people who have no idea what actual poverty and homelessness entail, and didn't care enough to do some basic research (or even like, ask the cast member who'd actually experienced serious poverty and homelessness for some input)

there was little to no coordination among the writers to ensure story or emotional continuity across episodes (if you told me berens and buckleming just didn't read each others' scripts or watch each others' episodes I would 100% believe you)

they didn't want to pay misha for enough episodes to show us what the fuck was going on with cas in the 9x03-9x09 span, let alone have him kicking around the bunker

and also possibly

everyone knew that if cas was kicking around the bunker, and they put him in the standard hunter uniform, dean's spirit would fully possess jackles and derail every scene by flinging him mouth-first onto misha's dick

and all of those make a lot more sense to me than any purely watsonian explanation is ever going to. and again, I do think that shrugging and saying "bad writing" can be a copout, and with other shows, I would make more of an effort to at least try and find a satisfying watsonian explanation, but spn is not only badly-written, but self-aware, even self-obsessed, in a way that other shows are not, so it's a lot harder for me to just disregard the non-diagetic factors. so I do tend to think that if you choose a watsonian explanation for the whole thing, it can be kind of a rorschach test, because you basically have to decide which character's development to prioritize, dean's or cas's.

#all of which is to say that if in the course of looking for a watsonian explanation that exculpates dean #you settle on one that's basically repeating conservative talking points about how homeless people are all irresponsible #and only have themselves to blame for their situations. well. that's kind of telling. #meta #s9 #jules.txt

[thesobsister]

"The West Has Forgotten Why Collateral Damage Is Morally Justified"

Well, that's certainly a provocative title. Let's see what this article says...

"Underlying these various critiques of Israel is the belief that despite its just cause, Israel cannot justify its continued warfare because there are simply 'too many' civilian casualties. Such criticism suggests that the Western world has forgotten the moral justification for killing in warfare in general and collateral damage in particular. The deaths of noncombatants are regrettable and tragic, but they are not immoral. If the West has a chance to defeat terrorist groups that fight by no rules, it needs to quickly relearn the necessary moral calibrations that justify death in warfare."

Hmm...well, that's…certainly a viewpoint. Let's see what else it says...

"Children should not be punished for the sins of their fathers…Yet human nature ensures that children do suffer (or benefit) from the decisions of their parents, just as any political order guarantees that citizens face the repercussions of their leaders’ decisions…

None of this means that one should target enemy noncombatants. The realities and obligations of our shared collective fate, however, dictate that one prioritize one’s own soldiers and citizens while worrying less about those who share another people’s destiny."

Okay...

"These two primary factors—our obligation to protect our own citizens and our filial duties to our brethren—come together when addressing the dilemma of involuntary human shields. If, at the end of the day, an army won’t attack certain legitimate targets because of collateral damage, then the terrorist group will use human shields to prevent their defeat. It’s hard to achieve a decisive victory when you cannot—or will not allow yourself—to destroy the enemy. Yes, guided missiles and other advanced technologies allow for greater precise targeting. Nonetheless, in the fog of war, it is impossible to achieve 'immaculate warfare,' especially when the defenders are daring you to kill their human shields.

Ultimately, the defeat of these terrorist groups is the primary ethical imperative. This will benefit not only Israel but also the Gazan civilians who suffer longer under their terrorist leaders and the continuous warfare that they breed. There is a moral cost to not acting decisively, and a strategic cost to forgetting the moral justification for killing in war."

Hmm…so…Palestinians, who are being killed, abused, tortured and starved by the thousands are actually better off for the hell they're enduring. And I haven't gotten into the contradictions and self-serving arguments posited throughout this article. Wow, what kind of a POS would write an article justifying the killing of civilian noncombatants, including children, in...

"Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for the Jerusalem Post."

'nuff said. Fuck you.

If you want to subject yourself to this douchebag's "reasoning," it's online at Public Discourse, a website magazine published by a conservative think tank, whose editorial staff comprises 12 white people who don't think same-sex marriage and reproductive rights are useful for them or, by extension, anyone else.

#palestine #gaza #genocide #zionism #ethnic cleansing #tortuous self-justification and -exculpation #no seriously #fuck you

[theyuniversity]

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest | Ko-fi | eBook

#vocabulary #culpable #inculpate #culprit #exculpate #English #English class #learning English

[weirdwoodeyes]

the cultural discourse about which country’s tourists are the most ostentatious is very amusing to me because if you live anywhere that attracts international visitors i’d assume it’s always abundantly clear who’s a tourist and who isn’t. for example you can identify europeans in new york by who is wearing sunglasses on the train and visibly clutching their bags when a black person gets on.

#this isn’t to exculpate obnoxious americans lol but europeans thinking they blend in so seamlessly is hilarious #like first of all you’re wearing jorts and blocking the door #me

[deianaracrush]

Getting to add to this note is the main thing keeping me going through the semester

#tag yourself I’m exculpate

[girldraki]

it continues to frustrate us deeply that there is no way to become a perfect actor who exclusively does the right things forever but we will concede “stop eating poison you know is poison” is less a tragic testament to the fallibility of man and more kind of just our fault

#txt #give us like 45 minutes to workshop an argument that our mental disorders somehow exculpate us here #for the twitter veracity

[blossom-in]

cardfight vanguard (2013) ep 23 is so dramatic and for what

#the music the whole exculpate thing everything #and it just stops!!! before the end of the fight!! #and goes into the ending which is also stupidly dramatic for a trading card game anime #i love it a lot tho like it's different to the og anime but also aichi is so much more babygirl (actually maybe he is more babygirl in og #when i think about it but still aichi is babygirl)

[garudabluffs]

At this point, Trump has incriminated himself so many times, that there is no value in continuing to platform him.

Trump's media interviews, his continued lies & the need for a gag order to protect the jury pool. Sep 18, 2023

 here's the bottom line for me

8:00we have enough incriminating evidence we

8:02have enough confessions out of Donald

8:05Trump's mouth

8:07that even a novice prosecutor would be

8:10able to walk in to a courtroom and

8:13convict Donald Trump in his or her sleep

VIDEO 14:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Myu2vIaXY

616 Comments

Trump loses mind, admits to crimes in worst interview ever 9/18/2023

Failed former President Donald Trump is interviewed by Kristen Welker, and it goes so poorly that there is speculation of Trump setting up an insanity defense for his criminal trials ---

VIDEO 10:59 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_IjugawJe8

#Trump #exculpates #smug cartel #exoneration #Youtube

[tuesdayisfordancing]

tbh I liked Shaw better without his tragic backstory. Let his xB prejudice just be prejudice. Let him be a dick in several enjoyable ways and 1 morally shitty way. Let his mental health history not be from something Picard did.

#picard spoilers #not exculpating his prejudice bc of the trauma tbc: he should have been open about not being able to work with an xB and taken whatever hit

[exculpateinteractivefiction]

i like the story concept🥰😘😘😘😘😘💖😙😙

Are there any fun facts about the mc💖💖😍😍

Some fun facts about the MC:

- They’re around 27/28.

- They met Mav and Juno when they were 13 (same class).

- They don’t like their ability.

- They were the best martial artist of the Astra.

- They’ve been an assassin for around 5 years. Before that they just did odd jobs.

- They dislike the Imperials (Government/Astra Higher-Ups).

- They made a mistake when they were 17/18 that got them “kicked out” of the Astra.

#if: exculpate #exculpate if #exculpate #MC #ask #answered #answered ask #worldbuilding

[theyuniversity]

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest | Ko-fi | eBook

#vocabulary #root word #word roots #culpable #inculpate #culprit #exculpate #English #English class #learning English #ESL #EFL #ELA #ELT #grammar

[elierlick]

They're so desperate to exculpate Israel and dehumanize Palestinian children that they invented a phrase that has never existed in English before. Unreal. They should change their slogan to Democracy Dies in Israel.

#democracy dies in Israel

[givethispromptatry]

Exculpate

(Ex-kul-p-ate)

Verb

To clear from fault or guilt.

#writing prompt #story prompt #november 2023 #'rare' word challenge

[txttletale]

'utopia is a verb not a noun' isn't actually a bad sentiment i just hate how lancer fans use it to universally exculpate all the problems of lancer's tonal issues. like they will say ad infinitum 'ah, see, you have misunderstood, union isn't utopian, it's just striving to be but of course it's not there yet' -- when the stuff you're pointing out about the setting isn't even 'this isn't utopian' but 'this is blatantly incoherent' or 'this is actively nightmarish'. also one of the lancer guys gave an interview where he said that union using its state power to seize the assets of one of the three (!) megacorporation with legal representation and a private military that engages in human slavery would 'make things a hell of a lot worse' by 'disrupting intersetellar trade' which. lol. lmao

#tattletxt #ttrpg #SORRY i keep bitching about this i just keep getting lancer fans straight up lyyyying to me about the content of the bookkk #not even dnd fans try to gaslight you about whats in the PHB they just look you n the eye and say 'its good that the game is bad' #whiuch is somehow less annoying

[transmutationisms]

idc if people want to take drugs as part of a medical or therapeutic regime (as i always say, i am so pro-drugs that i think even the ones given to you by a professional in a white coat are morally ok) but if yr argument for drug use / legalisation depends on any real or perceived health benefits then you are still fighting the war on drugs on the side of the state, the medical apparatus, and the carceral system. we have got to get over the idea that drug use needs to be justified & that health is a moral duty. when you configure drug use as exculpated by having some kind of therapeutic potential, you are not eradicating the boundaries of officially sanctioned substance consumption but merely shifting them; by design there will still always be people and settings that fall outside this narrow demarcation and you are continuing to demand social and legal personhood for yourself expressly by contrasting your approved drug use to these marginalised & punished others’

#many such cases