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scarfacemarston · 1 year

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Tuberculosis and the Wild West

Spoilers for RDR2 , but it’s been since 2018, y’all. Trigger warnings for serious talk of severe terminal illness and severe stigma. As of 12/20 or 20/12, I have fixed some of the wording and added a few new things so please seriously head the warnings. Ok, first, some background: I've been studying TB since 2018; my father had a form of TB twice. I'm a historian, and one of my specialties is the history of medicine. Of course, you don't need to be a historian to write something like this. Also, please "like" and reblog, this sort of content takes time. Tons of pics of buildings, and info below of the “lore” and IRL people.

Background info about TB that y’all need to know: TB is still horrifically deadly and still a leading cause of death. To give you all an idea about how recent genuine scientifically proven treatments were- antibiotics targeting TB were not discovered until the late 40s. However, sanatoriums (TB hospitals) and similar TB-related places didn't all close until 1970. My sister was born in 1977. To give you all an idea of how treeified people were of this disease, think of the stigma with the AIDS/HIV crisis in the 1980s or the early fears surrounding Covid.

TB is one of the three oldest diseases dating back to Ancient Egypt with early evidence appearing through ancient mummies. Starting around the 18th century, western people believed TB was a disease of the elite granting someone ethereal beauty, writing prowess, and artistic talents. It was known as a "romantic disease" and a "beautiful death" - both of which we know aren’t true. Some western beauty standards are influenced by TB including rouged lips, blush, pale skin and a thin figure accentuated with corsets. However, the appearance was due to the patient wasting away. Patients actually had bloodied lips, feverish cheeks, a pale complexion from the illness and losing a large amount of body weight. That's why TB was initially called consumption.(There have been many other names for TB including the White Plague and Captain of All These Men of Death and phthisis which is Greek in origin.) However, people eventually woke up and realized, "Oh wait, this isn't so sexy” The disease spread like wildfire, especially in the cities affecting whole families as was seen with Doc Holliday. Soon, society blamed anyone who wasn’t a white upperclass person AND those who were "immoral . They believed it was someone’s own fault if they had the disease. People held a very e*gen*c view of the disease believing their activities or who their families were caused this. Immoral in this instance includes thieves, sex workers, bar workers, drunkards, violent people, women who had children out of wedlock, said child born out of wedlock, and homeless people. Obviously, this isn't true. It was overcrowded spaces, poor hygienic practices, but also animals, especially cows and deer. Ironically, the deer/stag plays a huge role in RDR 2. A few aspects from RDR 2 were inspired by Doc Holiday, one of the greatest gunslingers and outlaws in American history. His talents with the gun were considered by some as otherworldly. He and Wyatt Earp are most famous for the shoot-out at the OK Corral. Doc was dying of TB and headed west in order to potentially receive some medical attention, but found out that being an outlaw was great fun. Watch Tombstone for a fictionalized version of him. He had a very colorful life, but died of TB in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, at the age of 36. The same age as you know who.

This leads us to RDR 2 itself. The short answer about survival is potentially yes, but with some major stipulations. I have traveled across the country studying TB and visiting TB sites and have seen these locations firsthand. Read further to read how survival was possible and for pictures of key locations.

IF Arthur had rested, maintained a proper fat rich diet, rested in especially clean air and partook in light exercise, he MIGHT have had a chance. I would estimate a 60-70 percent chance based on my readings of TB survivors. The chance of survival could be more if he he headed West immediately after diagnosis. The wealthy traveled to newly built luxury resorts, but most people lived in tent colonies, so Arthur would be very familiar with the site. Hell, if the gang moved West, and followed the conditions I mentioned above, he MIGHT have been able to recover without heading to a TB colony. The the gang wasn't stable, and they were being hunted down, etc. However, people were pissed about the TB patients heading west to settle on "their land" (which is, of course, Native American land that was stolen). This pushed people to the outskirts of town and eventually, the establishment of sanatoriums which were tuberculosis treatment centers.

Both the picture above and below would be an example of the tents used by TB patients to camp out. The top picture was probably taken around the 1890s which is Arthur’s lifetime while the picture blow is probably from a later era like the 20′s based on the clothing. City people in big cities sometimes camped out on the roofs of their flats and apartments hence the setting of the second picture.

Due to the extreme fear, people were literally dropped off by families/friends or even government officials far outside of town. You did not want society to know that you had loved one with TB or else the stigma would affect you as well. Later, TB patients were forcibly institutionalized. Many of these patients were ashamed of their affliction, but also felt further shame that their loved ones could be ostracized by society. I cannot stress enough how horrific this disease was and how tb psychologically affected the sufferer and its loved ones. Many tb sufferers never saw their loved ones again due to their families shunning them. I interviewed the elderly who remembered family members suffering from the disease and it still haunts their lives today. We see some of the shunning and stigma in the game, not just from the townspeople but from the gang. It's actually one of the reasons why I truly dislike a few unexpected gang members, for example.

At least Abigail, Charles, Tilly, John, and Sadie still treated him as a human. Hell, Even Molly was kinder to him and she was really suffering in chapter 6.

I will tell you right now, realistically speaking, in no way could Arthur have done anything at all in chapter six. I’m not only talking missions, but any sort of work. I won't go into graphic details, but one of the less graphic ones is that his hands would struggle to grasp objects, especially a gun. His joints would be too swollen. I know because I've seen it firsthand with my father and read plenty of accounts about it. Other than that, the game does a pretty great job of representing TB - however, Arthur could have been arrested or fined for spitting blood on the street which he did quite often in the game. Link goes to an academic article, but here is a more accessible link.

By 1899, people had been heading west for TB treatment for decades. People of all races headed west to Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Arizona being the prime locations. Dry air and or mountainous air were your best bets. Colorado was quite literally known as THE place for TB tourism as it was called. It was one of the first major waves of health tourism in the history of the USA.

Another famous person and case study is Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. He himself suffered from tuberculosis who sent up tuberculosis huts in Saranac Lake, NY. For further study, other key locations include Asheville, North Carolina and in the mountainous regions of Pennsylvania. They huts looked like this:

These were also in Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs was full of them and they are still occasionally found in people’s yards today.

I visited one in the Pioneer museum in Colorado Springs. I can post my pictures later, but this is one found in an outdoor museum.

The TB patients had a very strict regimen of never leaving the bed and used bed pans. Healthier patients had access to their own private toilet. Stronger patients could work on doctor approved exercises, while even healthier TB patients who weren't ready to leave facilities yet could spend the rest of their time working around the camp or sanatorium. Below is how Arthur would have looked getting treatment if he wasn’t in a hut or tent:

Above: Women receiving treatment. Below: An 1899 TB facility. Most tuberculosis sanitoriums were built from 1905 onwards so John’s era was FULL of them. The peak of the sanitarium era though was 1920-1940ish.

The problem is TB patients had a very chance of suffering from pneumonia once TB went into remission. It's happened in tons of my case studies. If Arthur could have survived both TB AND pneumonia, then he would have been considered "Ok". Not good, but “Ok”. However, I can't predict how long he would have lived afterwards. Some TB patients had tuberculosis come in a second wave. This is, unfortunately, very common. Some people lived a few months, a few years and some lived decades after surviving the second wave.

Fortunately, survival after two waves include people who lived hard, like Arthur. Trudeau lived till 68, and that is after 2 bouts of TB and pneumonia, with the third wave of TB being his cause of death.

This is very likely a reason why Arthur would have been in New Austin if they had kept him in the epilogue and continued the TB storyline. I personally do NOT think John was ever going to kill him. MISC NOTES: Related to RDR: Important side note: Sex workers were especially blamed for spreading TB which makes sense because of the contact with multiple people, but it's not that different than someone who works at a factory every day, runs a shop or works at the docks, or in similar situations. Anyone could spread it. This is why it is actually technically very offensive to ask someone like Abigail if she had TB because it would be a way to imply she is unclean as a person. (Which people in the game already believe with some of the fandom similarly treating her poorly.) The history of sex work is my other specialty, so I am very familiar with their history. I will say, from what I gathered, sex workers did NOT seem to be that much more affected than others, but at the same time, we don't have a lot of records of people who weren't white upper-class Christian men. So we have these records if these people were arrested, but remember that all of the examples of people I mentioned were viewed as second-class citizens. Therefore, we have hardly any records of sex workers as actual people and historians have to be creative to find other ways to research them properly. Modern day: TB is also becoming antibiotic-resistant at a frightening pace. This will become a massive problem. Treatment requires at least two antibiotics - streptomycin being the main choice for the primary antibiotic. This treatment lasts months, and these antibiotics are insanely strong. They can really mess with the body's system. I've seen it. My father was one of the lucky ones only having to take the pills for 8 months. Many others take it from a year to even 18 months. Other people take the pills and undergo radiation therapy to treat TB. Modern science can't produce enough new antibiotics to outpace it, but alternative treatments do appear to be promising. If you want me to write more about TB or for any other history questions, feel free to send me an anon/message. Additional pics: Below: Sanitarium built around 1905.

Below: An example of a finished Sanatorium in 1911ish:

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misirosekisiro · 5 months

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Toshio and the boy.

In Japan, beneath Tokyu, lies a highly secretive underground prison. Contrary to what the outside world may believe, the inmates confined within its walls are exceptionally dangerous individuals. These are the most perilous offenders, incarcerated here covertly. Many were captured and detained without trials or public disclosure. The government understands their danger; some are deemed so hazardous that the world might be safer if they were eliminated. However, the government holds a different perspective; even the most dangerous individuals can sometimes be valuable. Some are utilized by the government for specific purposes, while others become subjects of scientific study.

Toshio, a new guard, has recently been assigned to this facility. He is a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and gained recognition for his remarkable actions during earthquake events. This commendable display earned him a promotion and an invitation to join the guardianship of this clandestine prison. But he have one weakness in his perfect resume. That he never tell someone, he was gay, fetish on smell , underwear and uniform.

His first day in the office is spent receiving instructions from his superior. There is a strict protocol and the inmates must be watched with the greatest of caution.

"The inmates are highly intelligent. They're all experts in their respective fields, and have unique talents that have made them dangerous to society. That's why they're being held in such an isolated location. We don't want any of them escaping and getting out into the world. If they were to escape, the repercussions could be enormous."

"How many people are in this facility?" Toshio asked.

"There are 166 individuals currently incarcerated."

"What's the breakdown?"

"We have 45 females and 121 males. 137 are Japanese. The rest are foreigners, and of those 50 are Caucasian. There's only one person of Chinese descent."

"There are so many foreign people!"

"Well, yes. You'll see more of the specifics later. For now, the main thing to keep in mind is to be cautious. The inmates here are intelligent and can be quite cunning. There's no such thing as dropping your guard around these people. If you make any sort of mistake, the consequences will be dire."

"I understand."

"Good. Now let me introduce you to the head warden."

Toshio followed his superior officer down a long corridor, until they came to a stop at the end. There, a man stood waiting.

"This is the warden," said the officer. "Warden, this is Toshio. He's the newest member of our team."

The warden shook hands with Toshio and greeted him politely. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair, a receding hairline, and glasses. He wore a suit and tie. His expression was stern and serious.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Toshio answered, "I hope I'll be able to help you."

"We'll see. First, you should know that all communication with the outside world is strictly forbidden. Do not contact anyone, including your family. We've got a special line for emergencies. It goes directly to the police. In case of an emergency, we'll call for reinforcements. We've also got a medical facility on site. There are a number of doctors and nurses here. If any of the inmates require medical treatment, it can be done here."

"What about visitors?"

"We do not allow any. The prisoners are not official be lock down here. They're being held in secret, so we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. The fewer people who know about this place, the better. Of course, in case of an emergency, the government can step in, but that's very unlikely."

"Are there any rules I need to follow?"

"Just keep in mind what I've told you. The most important thing is that you maintain a healthy distance from the prisoners. You're not allowed to approach any of them. And do not allow them to approach you. Also, you must keep an eye on them at all times. You're not allowed to take breaks."

"I understand."

After finishing his orientation, Toshio started his job.

He went to the guard room, The prison was sperate to 4 wings form A to D, each wings delare to more and more dangerous criminals, he took a deep breath before entering the first wing, A, which is a general prison.

The guard room is a simple white-walled space, furnished with a few chairs and a desk. A single fluorescent light illuminates the room. It smells like cleaning fluid.

At the far end of the room, a door leads into a long corridor lined with cells. The cells are separated by thick iron bars. Most are occupied. The prisoners are dressed in white jumpsuits and wear ankle shackles.

As he walked through the corridor, Toshio noticed that some of the inmates were watching him intently. He tried not to make eye contact. He also notice that some inmates was in differest clothes, some even was tight in leather's strap suit same one that use in mental hospital.

In one of the cells, a man was lying on his bunk. He looked up at Toshio and smiled.

"Hey, handsome. How about a blowjob?"

Toshio ignored, He will station in Male, A zone. All women inmate was on sperate floor with women's guard.

"Hey, how about you come in and let me suck you off? I bet you'd love that. You could shove your dick in my mouth and fuck my face."

"Stop talking."

"Or what? You gonna punish me? Huh? I'd like to see you try. I'm a tough guy. You're not going to hurt me."

"No need to talk to him" another guard comming and said. "He's not worth it. He's just a piece of shit. He's a fucking pervert. That's all he's good for."

"That's not true. I can do lots of things. I can give you a good time. I bet you've never had a blowjob before, have you?"

"Ignore him, that is best way to do here" the other guard said in calm voice.

"Make me! You think you can make me do anything? I'm stronger than you are. I could take you out. Come on, let's go! You and me, right now. Let's fight."

Toshio ignore, he walked away.

But the man continued to taunt him.

"Hey, you chicken shit! Why don't you turn around and look at me? Are you too scared to look me in the eye? What a coward! I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of anything!"

Toshio ignore.

"Hey, hey! You can't walk away from me. I'm talking to you. I'm not done yet. Hey, are you listening to me? I'm not done talking to you. Don't ignore me. You're ignoring me. Don't ignore me. I said, don't ignore me!"

Suddenly the man started screaming and cursing at him. He was shouting obscenities and hurling insults.

"Fuck you! Fuck you! You're a fucking coward. I'm going to kick your ass! I'm going to make you wish you were dead. You're not going to ignore me. You're going to listen to me. I'm not going to shut up. You're going to listen to every single word I have to say."

Toshio continue walking away. He doesn't know why the inmate act like that.

"Fuck you! You're a pussy! You're a fucking pussy! You're a coward! I'm going to kick your ass! I'm going to destroy you. You're a fucking pussy! Come here and fight me, you coward! Fight me! Fight me, you coward! Fight me!"

He kept walking. He could still hear the man yelling at him.

"No worry, This place not like other prison. Most of them can't step outside that case until the end of the world. But they are still human" The other guard said in calm voice. "Some have unique talent, some are scientist and genius, they could help the government in secret, like this prison is exist in the first place"

"You should ignore him. He's just a fucking retard. He doesn't know when to stop. He'll keep doing it until he gets bored. It's best not to give him the satisfaction. Just keep walking."

"Thank you, sir."

"No problem. Don't let him get to you. It's not worth it."

They keep walking and leave the man behind.

Toshio feel relief, But he have one worry, the man's face. The man was young, and have handsome face, but something weird, he have red eye. Like his eyes were bleeding, and the other is black.

"Who is that?"

"He is one of the foreigner" The guard said. "His name is Sigma, and he is a Russian"

"Russian? What did he do to be put here?"

"He is a hacker, he hacked into a Russian bank and stole money. They sent him here after he got out from his jail"

"Why is he have red and black eyes?"

"He is a special case, and he is the first and only inmate with two color eyes, the doctors and scientists are testing him, and they are the one who have control over him"

"I see, so they're treating him like a lab rat"

"Yes, he is a special case, because of his eye color, his power and his brain"

"I see, what's his ability?"

"I don't know, they said it is a secret, and we shouldn't talk about it, so they don't leak the information"

"Okay, thank you"

They keep walking and arrive at the guard post.

"Well, I'll leave you here. Take care of yourself. We have not much guard here, Most of system was automatic unless was override by control key." He point to a key in the box on the desk. "It's only use while some case. And need to report before use it. Most of time, inmate will be in their cell. even food also have automatic system on provide it. As you may know, you need to do patrol on alley ways at least once each hour. I suggest you to just keep eye on them, ignore any request or talk to them. "

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. Just relax and enjoy. It's not so hard"

The guard leave, and Toshio is alone. He look at the key in the box and remember about the rule.

He look around the place, and the cell have one way to open, a small window, the same one that the food was serve.

He look at the monitor, and the screen show a list of all inmates in each cell, and he could see their faces, age and sex.

"Let's see, what have we got here"

"Hmm, 35-year-old male, 174 cm, 60 kg, Caucasian, Russian, hacker, 397,710.23 USD theft"

"What an amount, no wonder he was locked here."

"Hmm, 37-year-old male, 166 cm, 59 kg, Asian, Japanese, serial killer, 677 counts murder, 48 counts rape"

"Damn, a mass murderer, what did he do to deserve that title?"

"Hmm, 42-year-old male, 167 cm, 84 kg, Asian, Korean, scientist, 280 counts child abuse, 10 counts child murder, 100 counts illegal human experiment, 500 counts illegal drugs deal, 1000 counts torture, 10000 counts rape"

"Holy shit, this is a big list."

"Hmm, 28-year-old male, 168 cm, 58 kg, European, German, serial killer, 125 counts murder, 23 counts rape"

"Not a big deal compared to the first one."

"Huh!, 20--year-old male,165,52 kg, Asian, Japanese, - Data consealed - unaviable permission rank to access this data"

"What, why can't I see his data?" His attention was shift to this one. "He is only 20 years old, why is his data blocked?"

He look at the other info and find out that all other inmates are 30 and above. All others data was showed, just only one.

He think for a moment, and then realize something, this cell is not the normal one.

"Why is he locked there? He is so young. What did he do to deserve being here? He is so young. And the system doesn't even show his name."

He think for a moment.

"Could he be one of those 'special cases' the guard was talking about?"

He change the mornitor to this man's cell. then he notice. That cell is one that wear a tight leather straping suit. his face also masked with lether mask. his eye was blined with red strap, and his hand and feet is tied with same leather.

"This is so strange. why is he tied like that? This is not a normal cell. What did he do to deserve being there? Could it be his ability that dangerous enough to be locked in this special cell?"

He look closely at the screen, and notice something else.

"Hmm, why does he have a bulge on his pants? Could he be erect?"

He zooms the image and sees a big bulge in his pants.

"Why is he erect? Could it be his ability has something to do with sex? That could be the reason why his data is blocked."

He also notice that this man got an feeding tube, It's like they not want someone go near him even to feed him.

"Maybe that's it, his ability is so dangerous, and they can't risk it, so they have him locked up like this."

Toshio was curious, the boy is handsome, even his body is covered with leather, he can still see the outline of his abs. And his cock is very big, the biggest Toshio ever seen.

Toshio decide to investigate it more later, right now, he will have to do his job.

Time passed, and soon his shift is over.

He go home and relax.

In his mind, he can't forget about the boy, He was very young, and his face was covered with a mask. Toshio is very curious about him.

And also, he was curious about that man who had the red and black eyes. Why was he so angry?

He was curious about the boy's ability, and why he was locked up. He decided to investigate the matter further.

Toshio's curiosity was growing.

He knew he was breaking the rules.

But he was curious.

The next day, Toshio goes to work as usual.

He starts his shift, and his first task is to check on the inmates.

He checks the monitor, and he sees the boy is still there. He looks at the other cells, and none of them are occupied.

"Hmm, the cells are all empty, but the boy's cell is not. I wonder why. Maybe the boy is a special case. I'm curious about him."

Toshio is still thinking about the boy.

He decides to check the boy's cell.

He approaches the cell, and sees the boy is laying down. He's not moving.

"Huh, he is sleeping."

Toshio watches the boy for a while.

Then he decides to enter the cell.

"I'm going to check on him."

He enters the cell, and sees the boy is laying still.

"Hmm, he is still asleep. I'm going to check on him."

Toshio touches the boy, and sees the boy doesn't react.

He feels the boy's body, and sees the boy's face. He sees the boy is wearing a mask, but his eyes are covered by a red blindfold.

He looks at the boy's body, and sees the boy has an athletic build.

"Hmm, he is a good-looking boy. I wonder what he is like under the mask."

Toshio decides to check.

Toshio touches the boy's face.

"His skin is soft. Hmm, he is a cute boy."

Toshio takes his finger and touches the boy's lips.

The boy doesn't move.

"His lips are soft. Hmm, he is a beautiful boy. He is very handsome."

Toshio decides to check on the rest of the boy's body.

He checks the boy's neck, and sees the boy has a muscular neck.

"His neck is very strong. Hmm, his neck is muscular."

Toshio moves his hand and feels the boy's chest.

"His chest is muscular. Hmm, he is a strong boy."

Toshio feels the boy's chest.

"He has a muscular chest. Hmm, he is a good-looking boy."

Toshio keeps moving his hand.

He feels the boy's abs.

"He has a nice six pack. Hmm, he is a handsome boy."

Toshio feels the boy's stomach, and sees the boy's navel is visible.

"He has a cute navel. Hmm, he is a cute boy."

Toshio reaches the boy's crotch.

He sees the boy's cock is still hard.

"Hmm, his cock is still hard." Then he notice a smell coming from the boy's crotch.

"There's a musky scent coming from his crotch."

Toshio sniffs the air.

"It's a sexy musky scent. Hmm, it's a manly scent."

Toshio is getting aroused.

He decides to touch the boy's cock.

"Ammm Ummm" The boy moans a little.

Toshio touches the boy's cock and feels the boy's shaft.

"Hmm, his cock is long. Hmm, he is a hung boy."

Toshio grabs the boy's balls.

"His balls are big. Hmm, he is a heavy-balled boy."

Toshio massages the boy's balls.

"Ahhh Ahh" The boy moans louder.

Toshio feels the boy's ass.

"Hmm, his ass is round. Hmm, he is a beautiful boy."

"Ahawammam" Boy try to talk something.

Toshio moves his hand down to the boy's ass.

"He has a nice ass. Hmm, he is a cute boy."

"Uhmmam" Boy mumbles.

"What is it, boy?" Toshio asked.

"Amawww" Boy mumbles again.

Toshio doesn't understand what the boy is saying.

He then remove a gagged form boy mouth.

"What are you doing, boy? Are you trying to say something?"

"Yea" Boy said.

"What is it, boy?"

"Who are you, mister?"

"My name is Toshio. I'm a guard here. Who are you, boy?"

"My name is Kaito. What are you doing, sir?"

"I'm checking on you, boy. Why are you tied up like this, boy?"

"They was kidnap me!, bring me here and lock me inside this suit"

"Kidnap? What do you mean, boy?"

"They kidnap me, tie me up, and then lock me in here. I don't know why."

Toshio may not understand, but he feel he can trust the boy, his voice is so soft and so reliable.

"Okay, I believe you, boy. But how did you get in here?"

"They put me inside this suit and blindfolded me. Then they brought me here and locked me in here. I don't know why, sir."

Toshio doesn't know what to do, he can't let the boy go, but he also can't leave him like this. he feel that his head was half blank. He really feel that he need help him.

"What should I do, boy? Should I let you go or should I leave you here?"

"Please, help me, sir."

"What can I do, boy?"

"Can you please take this mask off of my face? I can't see anything."

Toshio takes the mask off of the boy's face.

The boy's face is covered with a leather blindfold.

Toshio then takes the blindfold off.

"Ahhh, I can see again." boy eyes was gaze on Toshio face. their eyes was meet each others.

"So beautiful eyes" Toshio thought.

The boy's eyes were a beautiful emerald green. They were a beautiful green color.

"Boy, you have such a beautiful eyes."

"Thank you, sir. If you like it, may you gaze deeper in my eyes?"

"Sure, boy."

"Ahhh" Boy said.

The boy's eyes were hypnotized.

Toshio gazed deeply into the boy's eyes.

"Ahhhh" The boy moaned.

"Ohhh, ohhh" Toshio was moaning.

The boy's eyes were glazing.

"I know you love my scent, right?"

"Yes, boy. I do. Your scent is so manly."

"My scent is so manly, isn't it?"

"Yes, boy. It is." Toshio fill his face with boy's smell.

"You want to inhale more deeply in my scent right?"

"Yes, boy. I want to."

"Then inhale more deeply."

"Ohhh, ohhh" Toshio is inhaling the boy's scent.

The boy's scent is intoxicating.

"Ohhh, ohhh, it's so strong. So manly."

"My scent is so strong, isn't it?"

"Yes, boy. It is."

"I'm glad that you like my scent, sir. Then why you not take my suit, it's fill with my sweat and odor. You must love that smell."

"I will."

"Take my suit off, sir. I want you to inhale more deeply in my smell."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio started removing the boy's leather suit.

The boy's suit is made out of leather.

"My suit is made out of leather. Do you like it, sir?"

"Yes, boy. I do. I love the smell of leather."

"I'm glad that you love the smell of leather, sir. Then why you not take a deep sniff in my suit."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio started sniffing the boy's leather suit.

The smell of the leather is intoxicating.

"Ahhh, it smells so good, sir."

"I'm glad that you love the smell, boy."

"My suit is soaked with my sweat. You want to taste my sweat, don't you, sir?"

"Yes, boy. I want to."

"Taste my sweat, sir."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio tasted the boy's sweat.

The taste was delicious.

"Your sweat is so tasty, boy."

"I'm glad that you like the taste, sir. Then why don't you take a sip from my balls?"

"Okay, boy."

Toshio drank the boy's sweat.

The taste was amazing.

"It's so good, boy. I love your taste."

"I'm glad that you love it, sir. Now why you not take of your uniform and fill yourself in my suit. I'm sure you love the feeling of my sweat on your skin."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio was completely naked now.

He was wearing only his tight spandex brief.

"You no need that brief. You want to feel your cock soak in my sweat, right?"

"Yes, boy. I want to."

"Take it off, sir."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio took his brief off.

Now he was completely naked.

"Ahhh, I'm so naked, boy. I feel so free."

"I'm glad that you like that, sir. Now take a seat on the chair and feel my suit upon your body. I'm sure you love the feeling."

"Yes, boy. I love it."

Toshio sat down on the chair.

He could feel the boy's sweat on his skin.

"Ahhh, it feels so good, boy. I love the feeling of your sweat on my skin."

"I'm glad that you like it, sir. Now why you not feel your cock in my suit. I'm sure you want to feel my warmth around your cock."

"Yes, boy. I want to."

"Feel your cock in my suit, sir."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio put his cock in the boy's suit.

"Ahhh, I can feel your warmth, boy. It's so nice."

"I'm glad that you like the warmth, sir. Now i will lock this strap on you. I'm sure you love to be locked inside my suit, right?"

"Yes, boy. I do."

"Then take this lock, sir."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio took the lock from the boy.

"Lock my suit, sir. I'm sure you love the feeling of being locked inside my suit."

"I love the feeling, boy. The suit was so tight on my body!"

"I'm glad that you like the feeling, sir. Now i think you want to taste my salivar, this gag is soak with it. And you will suck the drool from the tube. You must love the taste of my drool, right?"

"Yes, boy. I love the taste."

"Take the gag, sir."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio took the gag from the boy.

"Put the gag in your mouth, sir. I'm sure you love to have your mouth full of my drool."

"Yes, boy. I love it."

"Then put the gag in your mouth, and feel my drool."

"Okay, boy."

Toshio put the gag in his mouth.

He could feel the boy's saliva in his mouth.

"Ammhmmamammmu sos..fyooogodyoo (Ahhh, it feels so good, boy. I love the taste of your saliva.)" Toshio was said in muffed form gagged.

"Wow i can't understand what you said. But I'm sure you love the feeling, sir."

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

"I'm glad that you like it, sir. But it's will not complete if you not feel my sweat in my mask, right?

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)."

"Let's me help put my mask on your head. I'm sure you love the feeling of your head be full with my smell, right?"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

Toshio put the mask on his head.

He could feel the boy's scent all over his head.

"Ammhmmamammmu sos..fyooogodyoo (Ahhh, it feels so good, boy. Your scent is intoxicating.)"

Toshio's cock was hard inside the suit.

"Your cock is hard, isn't it, sir?"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

"I'm glad that you're so aroused, sir. Now i think you want to hear the sound of my voice, right?"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

"I'm glad that you love my voice, sir. Then why you only heard only my voice, and obey it, love it. And feel the sensation of it. Your body is completely in my control."

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

Toshio felt the boy's words.

His mind was full of the boy's voice.

"Ammhmmamammmu sos...my...boyyys (Ahhh, it feels so good, my boyyys.)"

"I'm sure you not mind, if I will fuck your ass. right, sir?"

"Yeaggaas (yes, boy)"

"I'm glad that you want to have your ass fucked, sir. Then let's me put my cock in your ass."

"Ammhmmamammmu sos, boy yyyy (Ahhh, it feels so good, boys. Your cock is huge!)"

"I'm glad that you like having your ass fucked, sir. And don't worry I will not stop. I'm sure you will come from having your ass fucked by me, right?"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)"

"I'm glad that you want to come, sir. Then feel my cock in your ass, feel it moving inside your ass, and filling your ass with my come."

"Ammhmmamammmu sos...my....boys.....yeees! (Ahhh, it feels so good, boys. I'm cumming!)"

"I'm glad that you came, sir. Now you will continue to serve me. And your ass will always be ready for me. My cock will always be inside your ass. You will always have my come inside your ass."

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy. Please, Master!)"

"I'm glad that you want me to use your ass, sir. Now let's us taste each others cum"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, boy)

"Good, now suck my dick. I'm sure you will love the taste of my cum"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, Boy)"

"Suck it. Suck my dick"

"Yeaggaas (Yes, Boy )"

The boy pull unzip a leather strap crotch and start to suck Toshio's cock.

Toshio was sucking the boy's cock.

They were both enjoying the taste of each others cocks.

"Hmmm, you are a good cock sucker, boy"

"I'm glad that you enjoy it, Sir. Your cock taste so good. And the way it fills my mouth, I just can't get enough. Good to know that this trade is not bad at all."

"What trade are you talking about?"

"Soon you will know"

The boy continues to suck Toshio's cock.

They both enjoy the taste of each others cocks.

"You make me horny, boy. I can't resist the temptation"

"That's what I'm talking about. I'm sure you will enjoy this trade. "

"I'm sure I will"

"Then cum, flood it in my mouth"

"As you wish, boy"

"Oh yeah, flood it with your cum. Flood my mouth with your cum. Yes. yes, fill my mouth with your cum"

Toshio shot his cum inside the boy's mouth.

The boy swallowed the cum.

"Hmm, you have such a tasty cum. I can't wait for you to do the same thing to me.

"Hmm, you are a naughty boy. And I love naughty boys."

"Thank you, Sir. Then drink my cum, take it."

Toshio sucks the boy's cock.

"Ahhh, the taste of your cock. I can't get enough.

"I know, you can't. And the taste of your cum, I can't get enough. So keep sucking it. Keep drinking my cum."

"Hmm, you are a naughty, slut. I love a slut"

"I'm glad that you do. So drink it all. Drink my cum."

"Ahhh, I will"

Toshio drinks the boy's cum.

"Hmm, the taste of your cum, hmm, it's so good. I can't get enough. "

"I know. I'm glad that you do. Now just wait.. ah i can feel it."

"What?"

"My body it's start to morph... Also your."

"My what?"

"Your body also start to morph. Ohhh. Ahhh"

"Oh my god! What is this?!"

"Your body start to morph into my body."

The boy body was growing, his figure was morping to be Toshio.

"No, no, what is this?!"

"Don't worry, It's will not hurt"

Toshio was looking at the boy, his eyes was widen. He was shocked.

"You are me, now, Sir."

"I'm who?

"You are me. and I'm Toshio now"

"How? Why? What did you do to me?"

"It's simple. This trade. You get my body, and I get your. We exchange our body, But you still my slave, right?"

"No! No! You can't do this to me."

"Of course, I can. You are my slave now, Sir. And you will serve me." The boy which now Toshio gaze to Toshio's eyes in shape of the boy, he whipser with slow, calm voice.

"You will serve me. You will obey me. You will do everything I say." Real Toshio eyes was start to blank.

"You will do everything I say." The boy whisper in Toshio's ear, Toshio mind was completely blank.

"I will do everything you say." Toshio said, his mind was full with the boy's word.

"You will do everything I say. You will be a good slave." The boy whisper in Toshio's ear.

"I will do everything you say."

"You will be a good slave."

"Yes. Yes. I will be a good slave. I will do everything you say.

"Good. Now kiss me. Kiss yourself."

"As you wish."

Toshio kisses the boy, he could taste his own lips.

"Now suck yourself. Suck your own cock."

"Yes, Master."

Toshio starts sucking his own cock.

"Good slave. Good slave."

"Thank you, Master.

"Let's stop for today, I'm sure i will enjoy with you later. Now your cock will keep hard but can't release, unless i'm allow you to.

"Yes, Master."

"Good slave. Good slave."

"I'm glad you have a good slave. I will take care of your body"

"You will. Now I will leave you here"

"As you wish."

New Toshio put a gagged back and check the boy's leather strap suit that was seal as normal. Then he look at Toshio's guard uniform. He pick Toshio's brief and smell it. He loves the smell. Think he got Toshio's fetish too. New Toshio took off Toshio's brief and put it on. He could feel his hard cock in the tight brief. New Toshio took Toshio's shirt and put it on. Then he put Toshio's pants on. Then New Toshio put on Toshio's shoes. He could feel the leather rubbing against his body.

New Toshio stood up and looked down at his new body. He was wearing Toshio's guard uniform. His new body was covered in tight uniform.

"Damn, I look hot in this uniform." New Toshio said.

New Toshio smiled and then walked out of the room.

New Toshio walked down the hallway. He was excited. He had a big day ahead of him. He was going to explore his new body and see what he could do with it. He had never been so excited before. He couldn't wait to start his new life.

Toshio, the old one, now was a no name boy, was laid on the bed watching his new master walk out. Toshio can only think he need to be a good slave and obey his new master.

"Yes, yes. I will be a good slave and obey."

#identity theft #stolen identity #gay #steal clothes #clothes stolen #steal uniform #uniform stolen #uniform #male body swap #body swap #body switch #male bodyswap #male body switch

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boyswanna-be-her · 2 months

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I wish i could've camped for a couple days longer. We brought such good food and had everything we needed, if we'd only been able to afford to book the camp site for two more nights. (My friends bought the first nights for us all, but I didn't have the $70 + fees for more reservations.)

I made a shitload of food from scratch including tomato sauce, refried beans, sloppy joe lentils, a loaf of white sandwich bread, a loaf of seasoned Italian bread. Bfr made us corn and potato chowder and big oatmeal raisin cookies, both of which were phenomenal, as well as a batch of homemade cashew milk to bring along. On site we cooked scrambled eggs and leftover baked beans and corn grits, toasted pitas and tortillas, we shredded a big block of mild cheese and chopped the last of our cherry tomatoes from home to make burritos. I used my ancient aeropress to make us hot coffee each morning from a jar of fresh grounds from home. Everything we brought was so goddamn good, and everything we made on site was surprisingly good, except the grits which were undercooked.

We lounged around in hammocks and I read my trashy true crime paperback from the 90s, and the Junji Ito cat diary manga I got from an inter-library loan. None of us got drunk or trashed or felt like we needed to be on psychedelics in order to appreciate being outdoors. My friend asked me to be the best man in his November wedding and I was super surprised and said yes of course. I felt cherished by my friends and adored by my partner. Things were just so quiet and easy and pressure-free. Bfr and I had plenty of camping gear between us and didn't need to buy anything new. We were able to make most of what we brought to eat from what we already had on hand, and spent under $50 for the 3-day trip in terms of gasoline, firewood, and specially-bought food/entertainment/supplies.

It takes SO much planning to do things on an extreme budget, but it's also much easier to share the planning load between two people. I've been alone for long enough that I'd forgotten how much easier it is to set up a tent with help, how much easier it is to maintain a clean campsite, and break it down at the end without stress.

I'm trying to appreciate everything now that I think might be impossible later (due to climate change, my employment situation, my age and physical health etc). Idk what else my overall takeaway is--or if I even need to have a conclusion from this experience. It's all a part of the balance that is currently working for me and keeping me well, I guess.

#doomjazz #bfr #my only cure for nihilism is gratitude

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psychedelic-ink · 9 months

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4k-5k words : 45 USD

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Turnaround time depends on the complexity and length of the project. I aim to provide a realistic timeframe when discussing your commission. If you have a specific deadline, please let me know, and I'll do my best to accommodate it.

Yes, definitely. Once the fic is complete, I'll share it with you for review. You can suggest any revisions or changes you'd like, and I'll make sure the final piece aligns with your expectations.

I'm sorry, but I do not allow sharing of commissioned work on external platforms, including websites or social media. This policy helps maintain the exclusivity of the work for the client who commissioned it. If you have any questions or concerns about this, feel free to reach out to me.

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#writing commissions #commissions open #anime fandom #pedro pascal character fanfiction #commission #fanfic commissions #my commissions #marvel fanfiction #anime fanfiction

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nflstreetsanimereviews · 1 year

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Anime Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)

Despite losing its relevancy a while ago, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya maintains to be an iconic anime series to this day. It was a staple of the anime fandom in the late 00s–a time when anime was way harder to obtain, the most common way of consuming it being through watching Cartoon Network, watching episodes on a dodgy streaming site, or watching episodes in ten-minute slices on YouTube. Well, in America anyway. Despite all of that, the fact that it was released out-of-order, and some episodes having no context at all at the time, Haruhi was still a hit worldwide. Goes to show you that ‘vibes’ is a huge contributing factor to whether or not an anime is a hit.

In order to fill in gaps (and piss off many viewers), Kyoto Animation made a successor to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006), named…The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009). Only slightly confusing.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) is nearly identical to its predecessor, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006). The second season of Haruhi shares the same name as the first season, which is understandable when you find out that all of the 2006 edition of Haruhi is contained within the 2009 edition. The fact of the matter is that this isn’t a ‘second season’ and more of a ‘remake’. The confusing part is that KyoAni includes episodes from the original series un-edited. Hell, the first ‘new’ episode doesn’t come to episode eight–the only reason I could tell that it was from the new season is because it had a different opening and ending. It makes it a nightmare to log on sites such as AniList or MyAnimeList. Like, how am I supposed to categorize an episode that I’ve watched if it gets counted twice? Do I just count it twice? Or only when it’s actually an episode from the 2006 edition? Clearly, KyoAni didn’t have pedants like me in mind when it came to the Haruhi series. For shame.

With the 2009 edition containing all of the 2006 edition, it renders watching the first iteration pointless. Not that you’re missing out on much, since the broadcast order in season one was swapped around to make little sense chronologically. The first episode in the season one broadcast order is the twenty-fifth episode chronologically–yes, it’s so far in the future that it requires context from the 2009 edition to make sense. Of course, there are, presumingly, traditionalists that prefer the broadcast order over the chronological order. I personally see no reason to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in the broadcast order since there’s no payoff. The only reason why the first season was broadcasted in that order was to end on a high note. It serves no purpose beyond that as far as I know. If you want to have the plot make sense, watch in chronological order.

The two ways of watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Sorry if the image is a bit small, I took it from imgur.

The plot of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is pretty simple: Kyon is selected by Haruhi Suzumiya, an energetic, annoying, and eccentric classmate, to be the second member of the SOS Brigade. Haruhi forms this club to research and investigate for proof of the supernatural. In her ideal world, aliens, espers, and time travelers exist. Thankfully for her, they do! It turns out that Haruhi has god-like abilities, and can will all three into existence. Too bad for her that they’re hiding in plain sight, purposely never letting her discover their existence.

All three other three members of the SOS Brigade are important in their own right, since they all were gifted powers by Haruhi. The third member, Yuki Nagato, who’s the sole member of the Literature Club, has her clubroom annexed by Haruhi. That’s fine though, since Nagato is actually an alien sent to keep watch of Haruhi. Nagato is essentially silent, only speaking when spoken to or when she really wants to. This makes dealing with her challenging at times, but she is also more useful and less of a headache to deal with than others. She’s by far the most powerful person within the SOS Brigade, besides Haruhi of course. The fourth member, Mikuru Asahina, is ‘forced’ to join the Brigade like Kyon. Asahina, being the prototypical ‘alluring, cute girl’, is a time traveler from the future that’s ALSO here to observe Haruhi. Her inclusion makes coming to the SOS Brigade Clubroom worthwhile for Kyon, and Haruhi often uses her physique to obtain things she wants. Her fragile demeanor lends to her being frightened easily, something Kyon doesn’t mind if it involves her clinging to him. She’s rarely useful beyond following Haruhi’s outlandish demands. The fifth, and last, member is Itsuki Koizumi, who fits the bill of being a ‘mysterious transfer student’. That alone is good enough for him to be invited to join the Brigade. He accepts, because he’s an esper that’s here to, you guessed it, watch over Haruhi. Unlike Nagato and Asahina, Koizumi acts as a yes-man for Haruhi, which gets really on Kyon’s nerves. His insistence on always going along with Haruhi stems from him wanting to keep her happy, since his job as an esper is easier if she’s in a good mood. It doesn’t help that Koizumi is also a type-A ‘gentleman’, making it hard to find fault with him.

Kyon is the only ‘normal’ person in the SOS Brigade. Unlike Nagato, Asahina, and Koizumi, he doesn’t have any special powers anointed to him by Haruhi. And unlike Haruhi, he doesn’t have god-like powers. Kyon’s inclusion is mere happenstance–only because he was the one to suggest that Haruhi form her own club instead of trying to find the one perfect for her. For whatever reason, she has picked him to be part of the brigade–and since she has the power to rewrite the world to her will, he has to be included, whether he likes it or not.

Haruhi, unaware of her god-like powers, uses them for the silliest of reasons, such as changing the color of pigeons in one area or having specific cherry blossoms bloom out of season. The reason why her power is used for silly reasons is because…well we don’t exactly know why. The theory behind why she has these powers is disputed by the members of the SOS Brigade. Whether she was born with these powers, anointed by god, or given them after performing a ritual is unknown. All we know is that she has them, and that her finding out would only mean bad things.

Part of what makes Haruhi, or at least this iteration of Haruhi, so infamous is the inclusion of the ‘Endless Eight’ arc. For those who don’t know, Endless Eight is an arc where Kyon and friends find themselves stuck in a time loop. This time loop, like most other things that happen in this series, is caused by Haruhi unconsciously. She can stop it at any time, but since she’s unaware of a time loop happening in the first place, she doesn’t. The only reason why Kyon and the rest of the SOS Brigade know about the time loop existing is because of how it interferes with other characters' abilities.

What makes the Endless Eight arc interesting is that it isn’t just eight of the ‘same episode’, as some would want to imply. Yes, each episode goes roughly the same plot-wise, but to say they’re ‘the same’ is being dishonest. None of the episodes reuse animation from the other, making each one of them different, even if they’re the ‘same’.

It goes without saying that Endless Eight is not made to be binged. It was only bearable because I watched only around two episodes a day. Even though the episodes are animated differently, they follow the same pattern. They do gel into one episode after a while. The fact that Nagato has the memory of all of the past time loops is crazy, but not tragic when you consider that the two weeks that repeat are filled with fun activities. It’s not like Nagato is spending those two weeks at school learning the same thing or in solitary confinement. It does get a bit dull–a point which is driven by the fact that we have to sit through this eight times. We get to feel what she felt, because watching the same episode eight times might as well be the same thing as going through the same two-week period fifteen thousand times. For all intents and purposes, Nagato doesn’t seem to mind. You have to keep in mind that this is the same girl that idled in her apartment until it was time to go to school and meet Haruhi. 600 years is nothing compared to having the entire knowledge of the universe, something that would make a mere mortal like you or I freak out and kill ourselves. I don’t think she really cares either way. If she did, she would do something about it.

Endless Eight is the defining Haruhi arc, if not for all the right reasons. It is true that it does start to get old to watch after the fifth or sixth episode. It’s at this point where the episodes start to feel the same, even if they’re technically different due to having new animation and lines. For it to be enjoyable to watch would be defeating the point, but really anything past the third episode until the last episode due to these episodes having no new plot developments past a certain point. I enjoy weird stunts like these, but I can perfectly understand why someone would consider this pointless, if not pretentious. I was very glad to be at the end of the Endless Eight arc, but at the same time, that was the point it was driving home. It's things like this that set Haruhi apart from other anime series. The light novel version of ‘Endless Eight’ is only a short story. It only covers the last instance of the two-week loop. In a way, the story is better that way, since it’s way easier to consume. Not as much when it’s the ninth time you’ve seen it in the last week, but I digress. The difference between animation and light novels though is that it’s easier to justify having eight of the same episode, rather than eight of the same chapters. Both would be controversial, but reading the same thing eight times would actually be torture. KyoAni saw a shot to go crazy with it and took it. Would I have taken it? Probably not, but I respect their decision to. It’s the only time (I know of) an anime doing something like this. That alone makes it interesting. It also makes you miss the other parts of the show–my favorite songs from the OST were missing from Endless Eight, making the arc all the more boring. One could say that was the point, but I heavily doubt that was intended.

The reason why I talked so much about Endless Eight is that, as I said in the paragraph above, it’s the defining Haruhi arc. It’s such a long arc that it’s impossible to ignore. Realistically, you could only watch the last episode if you want to keep it similar to the light novel, but let’s be honest: not many people have read the Haruhi light novel, so how would they know that? The only reason it worked is because of how the 2009 edition of Haruhi was adapted; with them being the second through the ninth new episode, but episodes twelve through nineteen in the chronological/airing order. You could skip episodes three through seven of Endless Eight if you wanted. It’s your call.

Outside of Endless Eight, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is slice-of-life at its best. There is a multitude of reasons that make this so: The fact that Haruhi herself isn’t presented as anything other than what she is, an extremely baffling and uncontrollable girl, is satisfying. One thing that always slightly grinds my gears about slice-of-life anime is the insistence on having the ‘most beautiful girl’ in the cast–while Asahina was selected for that role by Haruhi, her skittish behavior makes you feel more sorry for her than anything else. Haruhi also hogs so much of the screen time that it makes whatever effect she wanted Asahina to have rendered moot. This alone makes Haruhi more interesting than your standard slice-of-life, which often takes the easy route out with which tropes it assigns its characters.

The storylines in Haruhi are often banal from the surface. From going on vacation to a villa on a private island to filming a movie for a school festival, Haruhi herself is the one that livens these arcs with her latent ability to ‘create data’. This manifests in ways such as nasty weather suddenly popping up to less subtle ways such as a cat speaking in Japanese minutes after Haruhi states her wish for it to. It’s unknown how she’s able to manipulate the world–the only known is that the rate of manipulation increases whenever she has mood swings. When she’s in a bad mood, ‘negative space’ forms. When she’s in a jubilant mood, she can get carried away with what she changes. The main job of the other three members of the SOS Brigade is to make sure that she doesn’t find out about her powers, which is where most of the comedy comes from.

Due to all three other SOS Brigade members having different powers, they all belong to different factions. They only get along because all three of them share a mutual interest in keeping Haruhi happy. To Asahina, that means being Haruhi’s plaything. To Koizumi, that means going along with Haruhi no matter what. To Nagato, that means protecting Kyon whenever someone tries to kill him. Kyon is the one person to experience all the different types of supernatural phenomena that Haruhi has spawned into the world. His annoyance at being chosen by Haruhi never gets old.

The Haruhi series avoids issues many other shows with time travel as a concept by never taking itself seriously. The fact that there’s more than one way to time travel is a perfect example. If the Haruhi world sounds like it was hastily made up in someone’s head, it’s because it was! Her supernatural creations contradict each other, a product of one girl’s imagination running wild.

Above all else, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is fun to watch because Haruhi’s goal every day is to have fun. It’s why a dull trip to a remote island can be interesting. Or how watching a really crappy homemade movie can be fun to watch, knowing that you watched five episodes of the SOS Brigade making said movie. Endless Eight is just a part of it–a part that can be shortened if you’d like. If you wanted to be a weird ‘light-novel purist’ (something that I don’t think exists), you could watch only the last episode. Or you could do what I did and watch them all because it isn’t all that bad if you don't try to binge them in one night…okay maybe it does get a little bit old by episode six. But isn’t that the point? We already had this discussion, but I’d like to add that it’s disappointing that Endless Eight’s inclusion sunk its rating. I mean, it has a lower rating than the 2006 Haruhi adaptation, which is definitely an inferior product. What makes this adaption of Haruhi so good is how it fills in the gaps that the 2006 edition had. And it does it without ret-conning anything and having episodes from 2006 flow with episodes from 2009 without it feeling janky. It speaks to KyoAni’s animation skills. Haruhi is one of the most lively slice-of-life anime out there. And it isn’t an accident knowing how on point KyoAni was at the time. If you’re going to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, then don’t bother with the 2006 edition. The 2009 edition has much more to offer. Endless Eight does take away from the enjoyment, but there’s nothing stating that you have to watch every episode. I’ll look down upon you, but you can still do it. Haruhi would be required viewing if you had an Anime 101 class. KyoAni did everything well, even the parts that made the show suck on purpose. Funnily enough, finally doing all of Endless Eight gave me a greater appreciation for Haruhi. I enjoyed it way more than the first time I watched it, when I only watched the first and last episodes of Endless Eight. Needless to say, it’s a must-watch. Its sequel, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, is also a must-watch.

90/100

#anime #review #anime review #haruhi #the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya

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lonestarbattleship · 1 year

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February 19, 2023 Update from the Battleship Texas Foundation.

(my apologies, I forgot to post this earlier. It's been a busy week for me.)

"DRY DOCK TOURS

Another beautiful day at Gulf Copper!

Yes, we’re still running dry dock tours! We have dates posted until April 2023. For more information please visit: battleshiptexas.org/drydock

SHIP REPAIRS

TORPEDO BLISTERS (Yes, new torpedo blisters ARE going back on) - The addition of new framing for the torpedo blisters has stopped on the ship’s starboard side. Any new frames will be done with modules that will consist of about 9 frames each. They are produced off of the dock and will be brought on and attached to the ship’s hull. We now have the first two modules installed on the ship.

The plated up portions of the blisters are comprised of two blister modules, more to follow.

The forward starboard blister is nearly complete, the rest of the starboard blister will be built as modules rather than assembled on the ship as individual frames and plates.

Modules are being made in the shipyard’s fabrication shop.

More of the blister plate is going on the forward section on the starboard side. The forward sections are almost entirely plated up.

The blisters will be of a slightly different design and square off at the bottom below the waterline. This design change will make the new blisters easier to maintain. Workers have removed most of the aft and midship portions of the port torpedo blister.

The exposed end of a blister module. Note the flat bottom, this is the main modification that we are making to their design. The original blisters curved under the ship and created maintenance problems because of it.

FOAM REMOVAL - Foam removal on the port side blisters is complete.

HULL - As work continues moving aft, any holes in the ship’s original hull (including areas under the blisters) are being repaired. New plates are added to thinner areas and smaller pin holes are welded up. The ship’s hull on the starboard side is now being primed temporarily. Sandblasting is almost complete on the starboard side.

The midship section of the port side blister is largely removed, as well as the lower portions of about 3/4ths of the port side blister.

Progress on the port side blister will soon reach the forward most section.

STERN - New plating continues being paced onto the ship’s stern. As the new plates go on, they are welded to the repaired framing done while the ship was still at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in 2013-2014.

More steel on the stern, there is a large open section behind the scaffolding awaiting new steel.

SCRAP STEEL - Any steel that comes off the ship (and is deemed worthy) will be used in future fundraising. We have already started making prototypes of the new products we will be offering on our store.

The scrap pile grows, rest assured that this material will be made into items available soon on battleshiptexas.org/donate

Thank you all for the support and,

Come on Texas!"

Posted on the Battleship Texas Foundation Group Facebook page: link

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howlingday · 7 months

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The Remnant Retention Regiment (RRR):

A secret organization established to maintain public order. Their primary objectives include hunting down spy networks and conduct surveillance of the public.

Primary tactics include the use of brutal violence, wiretapping, cruel and unusual torture, intimidation, and much, much worse...

They're feared by the public, though they remain ghost stories to their own kingdoms, referred to only as "The Secret Police".

Cordovin: Hm? Is there a reason you're here? Mm? Orders from the general? Fine. Best of luck, Specialist Arc.

Saphron: Thank you, ma'am~! I'll do my very best~!

SAPHRON COTTA ARC, AGE TWENTY-NINE.

THIS WOMAN IS A VETERAN SPY-HUNTER.

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

Clover: Man, what was General Ironwood thinking, hiring such a cherub-faced girl? Especially for this line of work?

Cordovin: If I recall, his exact words were...

Ironwood: "Who, Sapphy? She's a cutie, ain't she? Kinda like a doll~!".

Clover: Seriously?

Cordovin: That's what he told me. Besides, that might be just what this kingdom needs. Regardless, she gets results, whatever it takes.

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

Saphron: So, nice to meet you, Mister... Mann, was it?

Shay: I ain't got nothin' to say to you-

Saphron: Oh, listen to this! My baby brother just got married~! I'm just so excited to go out and celebrate with them~!

Shay: Uh, that's-

Saphron: And he's such a good man! So kind and generous and smart and he gives the best hugs ever! He means the world to me...

Shay: Yeah, so-

Saphron: Oh! Maybe you've met him? He works here in Vale, too! How lucky am I to make it here with the Argus team to aid in conduct a spy hunt!

Saphron: Shoot! That reminds me! I still need to call him and let him know I'm in the city! But just between you and me, I haven't told him I'm visiting, so hush-hush on that, okay?

Saphron: But for everything else, just lay it all out.

Shay: I dunno what you're goin' on about! I ain't a spy!

Saphron: (Drops photos) These are you, aren't they, Mr. Mann?

Qrow: Hey! What the hell?! Why didn't we get those photos?!

Saphron: I've been so excited to be here, I guess I just forgot to deliver them. Clumsy me~!

Saphron: Now, as for you, Shay D. Mann... WHY DON'T YOU START COOPERATING?

Some time later...

Shay: And that's it. That's everything I know. All I did was make copies, deliver them to the drop site, and they paid me for them. That's it. Dunno anything about the woman who picked them up. Said she was from out of Vale, but didn't say where.

Saphron: Was there anything you could point out about her? Any unusual ticks or features?

Shay: Far as I could tell, she was a totally normal chick.

Saphron: Mhm... I see... Tell me, Mr. Mann... DOES THE NAME "NIGHTSHADE" MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?

Shay: ...No? Who's that?

Saphron: She's a spy from outside of Vale. They say she's a master of disguise. She's planning to destroy everything we hold near and dear. She's the exact kind of spy why the RRR was made. Help us catch her, and all of this goes away. Okay?

Shay: W-Well, let me think of something-

Saphron: Something truthful and honest, yes, because you already know that lying doesn't work on us, and lying only gets you into more trouble.

Shay: Ghk! Alright, listen! I just needed the cash, okay?! To meet girls! I wasn't hurting anyone!

Saphron: ...Meeting girls? What about your wife?

Shay: J-Just for fun! Marriage is it's own other thing, y'know? You're married, too, ain't'cha?! All I did was give 'em some scraps of paper! It ain't like I'm plannin' a revolution! Cut me some slack!

Saphron: ...

Saphron: (Stands up) Let me be perfectly clear, Mr. Shay D. Mann. While it's true that I am married, neither my spouse nor my own brother knows that I work for the RRR, and I don't plan to, either. Part of the reason is so I can keep my loved happy because I'd hate for them to worry about my dangerous job. (Slips on black gloves) But the other reason... IS I DON'T WANT THEM TO KNOW JUST HOW DIRTY I GET MY HANDS SOMETIMES.

Saphron: (Grabs him by his hair, Slams down) Mr. Mann, I don't think you quite understand. You don't see the reason. Your crime is called treason. Those papers may only be "scraps" to you, but to everyone outside Vale, they're tasks on their to-do!

Saphron: (Grips hair tight, Grinds face down) Unlike you, I love my family. I love my spouse. I love my brother. And I will do anything to keep him safe, regardless of what kingdom they live.

Saphron: (Twists hair, Lifts head and bashes) WHATEVER. IT. TAKES.

#rwby #spy x family #rwby au #saphron cotta arc #caroline cordovin #clover ebi #shay d. mann #qrow branwen

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mysterious-animated-skulls · 7 days

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I like to imagine that Vivi navigates around people disbelieving in the supernatural. She believes even before she has concrete proof - the cave, Mystery, Shiromori, Lewis, etc. - and has no interest in arguing. People will believe what they want to believe.

Which doesn't annoy her any less, however.

Applying this to crossovers can be very funny. Let's take Detective Conan for example. The titular Conan doesn't believe in ghosts. Yes, he has some good instincts which I can accept.

But he's also got a death radar. And 'bad things are happening' radar. Conan has the argument on his side that bad things tend to happen. But with how he homes in on the location and the exact moment?

That's definitely a sixth sense, not investigative work or instincts.

And just the way his luck works, he and associated civilians regularly encountering murders and other crimes. But no, Conan claims it's nothing special.

Vivi would side-eye Conan so much for that. She knows by this point that a toxin reverted a 16-years-old teenager by ten years to a grade schooler. She has investigative knowledge coupled with an untainted perception of him and knowing stranger things have happened. Apparently to him, however, science is enough to explain even that.

But eeh, not her problem. If he thinks her silly or naive for her belief in the supernatural, not her problem. She's here for visiting her family and enjoying a vacation. Hot springs, haunted sites, and hot food are calling her name!

If there's anything she's judging Conan for, it's what he's doing to Ran and everybody else around him. But especially Ran. He has been lying to her for months and deceived her several times, to "protect" her. Made her doubt her own mind, when she should know what danger he and SHE is in.

Vivi has a visceral, hateful reaction to discovering that secret.

(She's still struggling with the consequences of Lewis' magic altering her memories. People indirectly lied to her about him, which was understandable because any memory of him used to hurt her. But they still lied. And Mystery hid an important secret with the intention to protect her, only for that secret to blow up in their faces.)

She understands why Conan is keeping that secret. She would be more sympathetic if not for how many people that are not Ran know it by now.

Some of the ghosts following Conan claim that he has connections to U.S.A. secret services. Some of them have been helping him maintain the ruse that he's not Kudo Shinichi (deceiving people included). They're hunting for the same organization.

First, what the fuck?

Second, no chancing to get the kid's deeper attention. He's curious. Vivi approves of that in a detective, but not here, not from him.

Okay, she's biased. Who can blame her?

She mentions the events of the Cave, around the cover story she's developed. She leans into her love for the supernatural to have people dismiss her. She can't do anything if Conan wants to investigate the Mystery Skulls, but she'll definitely make it more difficult. She'll also make fun of him the entire time.

Of course, it's at this point that a murdered pins their deed on Vivi.

Said murdered happens to push all of her issues and she tears verbally into them. (And maybe with her bat.) If said rant also indirectly calls out Conan and everybody covering for him?

Well, only she knows.

#mystery skulls animated #vivi yukino #msa vivi #msa crossover #mystery skulls animated crossover #mystery skulls vivi #detective conan #mystery skulls

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jellazticious · 10 months

Note

they have. one coder working on the entire site just as the season begins. as in right now

the owner consistently disappears every time she's needed and admitted to using the donations they get to fund her own hobbies and not on the site

3 admins quit very recently, including the social media person rainy, and nobody has replaced them

reports sit for YEARS without being addressed by any of the staff

mods are consistently left out of the loop, trying to explain things to people when they don't know what's going on and the admins aren't responding

mods drop like flies because they're all volunteers (including pika! the only coder rn! when the owner can also code!) and all the pressure gets dropped on to them

the owner's friends get preferential treatment, for example one of them spam posted spiders on their account to get it deleted (like reports, these are not taken care of and have a backlog unless you beg staff), which would normally get them banned, except it's okay because it's takaia's friend

all of this is being said as someone who still deeply loves art fight, I'm just very critical bc the higher ups are a mess and we could do better

YES THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING, This is all I need omg. SOOOOOOO MUCH people cannot do that for the life of them nowadays.

It's unfortunate yes but like damn, I don't think hack fraud is the word imo but like yeah, this is on the owner but not the rest of the team eh? unlike how people claim it to be. Also explains the frequent 503 errors, yeah. It's not like it's the mods fault or that it actively looks at people's info or anything for the whole event to be treated like a scam.

Artfight is like, a wonderful concept of a yearly event but I understand that it's hard to maintain especially with such an owner but again, none is done with malicious intent yknow? People are just stupid and that doesn't mean you can just I dunno, tell people an exaggerated version of what really happened yeah

#but again. thank you for explaining. have a cookie 🍪#like I'm serious about it. so so so deeply appreciated. I'm just so tired of people saying stuff without telling why cuz there's a lot-#of missing info when that happens PLUS the lack of nuance #Jella answers

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ourautumn86 · 2 years

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𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡

Joseph Quinn x Fem! reader PT.4

LINK TO PART 1!!

LINK TO PART 2!!

LINK TO PART 3!!

REPOSTS AND COMMENTS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!<3

✧ Synopsis;; Joseph Quinn was filthy rich, for he was royalty. Handsome, charming and a gentleman, a dream dressed in pure silk for any kind of woman. But not you.

✧ y/n is a mere slave of a nobel family who just turned 18. On the night of the prince’s royal ball she is dragged against her will to this dance just to be used as a coat rack for the purses and coats of the family ladies, who, of course, treat her like absolute sh’t, to the point where they could agreed to hand her over for a generous amount of gold.

“Just name your price, sweetheart.”

“Screw you, my prince.”

Just how lucky you were for had caught the

prince’ s attention!

< enemies to lovers 3

17th century royalty!

A/N;; i’m sorry if this is sloppy and like…, BAD, english is not my mother language and it’s my first joseph x reader story. either ways, i hope y’all like it. <3 comments and reblogs are appreciated!!!

CW;; this series might include 18+ content (details will be given at the start of each new part uploaded) MINORS DNI AND SKIP!!!

Please, under no circumstances, repost my work on any other sites. I do not consent to anyone taking my work and posting it as their own.

WARNINGS PART FOUR: none <3

WORD COUNT;; +5k

“I shall excuse myself throught the window.” you sarcastically smiled to both friends, who quickly went and grab you to pull you back down on your sit.

Your legs, back and hips hurt, you were desperate to leave the carriage, and they could see that.

“I promise you, we’ll be arriving soon to the royal inn, just wait a little bit more, alright?” the prince gave you an understanding smile, since he too felt his neck aching, acknowledging you were uncomfortable by the way you accommodated yourself and sighed every couple of minutes.

The three of you were tired of sitting in the same spot for hours. You thought by the way the sun made its way to the sunset, that it had probably been around seven hours. Of course, you’ve made a few stops; to stretch your legs, to admire some hummingbirds and flower lands, to eat some of the supper the prince had packed…

“In fact, I think we’ve arrived.” you heard Harrington mutter, the three of you peeking through the windows of the carriage to see how servants opened the iron door that led to the inn and welcomed you.

“My prince, it’s been a while.” they bowed with their heads down once the three of you had left your seats and your feet had met the floor.

“It has. Thanks to all of you for all the hard work. I know it must be hard to maintain the inn around the clock.” he gave them a sweet smile, bowing as well to their presence.

“It’s our pleasure, my prince. It’s good to see you’re in good health.”

You took a deep breath, you could sense in the air how it slowly thinned as you approached a more forestry area, away from the capital.

Your feet and eyes wandered around. The inn was beautiful, with flower gardens and white facades full of windows. You took a turn, your mind wandering far away and your eyes widening when you noticed something that you hadn’t before, probably for being too focused on how bad your whole body ached.

“I’ll fetch the cooks to start the supper, the three of you must be starving!” the servant smiled at the thanks of the prince.

“Oh, right! I’ll like to introduce all of you to…” he started, turning around with a hand raised but he frowned when you were no where on sight. “Steve?” his voice caught the attention of his friend at the second try. “Steve!”

“Yes, my prince?” he got startled since he had been too focused on chatting with a couple of giggling servants.

“Where’s y/n?” in answer, he looked around, once he had turned back to the royal, his and the prince’s eyes widening before starting to call out your name while running and searching for you.

“y/n!!!!!”

“y/n!?! Where are you?!!!!”

“This is all your fault!”

“Mine?!! Was I the one flirting with the servants perhaps?!”

“…” “y/n?!?!”

Their breaths where shallow and heartbeats rapidly beating in their chests. The prince was actually panicking. Not because you could have possibly tried to run away, (if that’s what you desired he would gladly let you go) but for the fact that you were on unknown territory and you could get lost.

“y/n!!!!” Harrington screamed for you once again, being hushed when his friend hit his arm repeatedly. “Hey, hey! What was all that about?” he was frowning and looked hurt as he rubbed his arm.

“Shhh!” the prince hushed him, pulling him behind some bushes and pointing forwards. “Look!” he pointed towards the lake in front of them, but more precisely to the pieces of clothing left on its edge.

The two of them frowned, looking around just to see a head emerge from the water, your wet locks spreading on the water as you ‘swam’, not really doing so since you really didn’t know how to, using your feet instead to walk on the deep waters, a bright smile on your face. It was the first time you’ve ever seen a lake in your life.

The cold water made you sigh in relief, the water surrounding you making you feel so free you wished you could stay like this forever. You played with some of the pink water lilies around you, humming a song as you played with its petals.

There were dragonflies wandering around along with little birds and butterflies. The sun hitting your skin made you squint your eyes a little bit as you relaxed. You felt like living in a dream.

“A wondrous fish indeed habites the grove.” the prince’s words came from behind you, making you turn to face him and Harrington, who amusedly stared at you.

“Oh but I’m not a fish my prince, for no fish does not know how to swim.” you said, making him chuckle and Harrington smile when you splattered some water.

“Then, for your beauty, you’re no longer a fish but something else.” you rose your eyebrows to his words.

“And what would that be?” you inquired, the water up to your lips.

“A nymph.” you laughed.

“Nymphs do swim, my lord.” you mocked him.

“Then you shall learn to swim.” you raised your eyebrows when you saw him get rid of his jacket.

“You should not trust him, y/n. He really sucks at swimming!” Harrington screamed at you. After the prince had gotten rid of his socks and shoes and rolled up both his silk shirt and pants, he went into the lake.

You were covered by a white undergarment that stuck to your body and ruffled sound your waist since the water made it float.

“Believe me Harrington, drowning will actually free me from his torment.” he laughed, sitting in one of the rocks and watching the prince hiss due to the coldness of the water. “Is the water not to your liking, my prince?” you mocked him, splashing water toward him. You laughed when he gave you a sour look, splashing you back.

He finished getting in, his white silk shirt stuck against his chest as he soaked into the lake.

“With time you get used to the cold and then, you find warmth .” he said, getting under the water and soaking up his curls.

“You must really be a fish.” you said, making him laugh.

“Do I really look like one?” he offered you one of his hands as he approached you, even though you hesitated at first, taking it anyways.

“Perhaps. I really prefer not to look too closely. Blind eyes know no ugliness.” his mouth fell agape.

Did you just…?

Harrington burst out in laughter. “I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone call another ugly in such a graceful way.”

“That’s my charm.” you said, hearing the prince scoff.

“How merciful of me to not let you drown right now.” he said, the water up to his chest as you both entered the deep part of the lake, your feet no longer touching the ground.

“How stupid of you to indeed not have killed me yet, my prince.” you said, taking his other hand when offered. “You really are strange.”

“I’m not strange. Like you said, I’m just a mere stupid.” he shrugged, his eyes on yours as he smiled at you. And there it was again, that shine in the brown of them, that secret message that you couldn’t read nor understand.

You both stared at each other for a couple of seconds, him being the one to break the silence.

“Okay. Swimming is quite easy when you finally get it.” he explained. “Can you lay on your stomach?” you did as he asked, struggling a little bit ‘till you found comfort on the water. “That’s it! Okay! Now you just need to splash the water with your feet up and down.” he squinted when the water got to his eyes when you did so, laughing a little bit. He started to move backwards, letting you have your way in the water so you could gain more confidence, your hands still on his as he guided you. After a couple of minutes, letting you know that it was time for you to try and move your arms. You started with just one. And you felt fine. Excited even. “Now I’m gonna let go of you hand, okay?” you nodded, struggling a little bit when you found yourself alone with no help.

He felt the need to help you once again, but then you surprised him as you started swimming. By your own. A smile grew on his lips.

“She’s a natural!” Harrington cheered on, taking the prince’s attention away from you for just one second, when he looked back… You were no longer there.

The two of them frowned, looking around in the lake, not finding you. His eyes quickly widened, calling for you before sinking his head under water, trying to find you in case you’ve drowned.

“y/n!!!!” both screamed for you.

The prince’s heart was rapidly beating as he couldn’t get you back on sight, getting startled when you suddenly pushed his head down the water. When he came back up, he saw you laughing facing the sky. Harrington laughed at your little trick too.

The royal huffed, still finding himself laughing when he saw your smile, feeling calmer when he finally had you back on his side.

“You should have seen your face!” you yelled, voice soft and breathy.

He shook his head, amused, and he splashed you water on the face before saying:

“You really are a nymph.”

It was night already. After sunset, the three of you had gone inside to change your wet clothes, take showers and prepare to have supper.

The clock in the hallway pointed 11PM as you looked though the crystal doors of your bedroom’s balcony, to the absolute darkness and guards wandering around the flower gardens. You didn’t feel like sleeping. Not when the trees danced with the wind and the moon shone up in the sky along with the stars surrounding her. When you opened the balcony’s door, the fresh wind of the night hit your face and neck, making you slightly shiver. At the same time, someone knocked at your door. You turned your head as the door opened, the prince peeking though it, his eyes meeting yours and a smile growing on his lips.

“Can’t sleep?” he inquired, stepping in and closing the door behind his back. You sighed, shaking your head and looking back at the starry sky.

“Not really.” you muttered, feeling his presence by your side as his arms leaned on the balcony’s railing. You stayed silent for a couple of minutes before your lips let your words fall like a cascade into the night. “Have you ever felt like a traitor?” you inquired, startling him due to the suddenness of the strange question.

“Like a traitor you say?” he frowned.

“It doesn’t have to be a deadly sin.” you explained. “More like a heaviness that caves on your chest and mind, making it difficult to lay down to sleep… To breathe…” your eyes never left the stars as you spoke, his own on the side of your face.

After a couple of seconds, he spoke.

“ ‘There is nothing either good or bad…” he started, your voice joining his mid-sentence.

“, but thinking makes it so.’ ” you finished for him, your eyes meeting his as his mouth fell agape.

“You know Hamlet?” more like a question if felt like an affirmation.

“Someone else introduced him to me.” you chuckled.

“You must have read the book.” you fell silent once again.

“No, my lord, I have not, for I don’t know how to read.” he seemed taken back for your declaration, though he reminded himself that slaves indeed weren’t taught how to read.

“Then someone must have read it to you.” and then he noticed, the droopiness of your eyes, hurting as you looked away.

“Not for what it seems to be an eternity, my prince.” you whispered, your hair dancing with the wind as your eyes got lost in the gardens.

“Treason is not a sin if done for love.” he said after a minute in silent.

“And what if it’s love against what you carry out treason?” you inquired, your eyes on his once again.

“Then you’ve found a greater love than the one you’ve decided to betray.” he whispered, and something in your heart ached. It felt as if an old wound had opened up, breaking the scar tissue that closed it years ago.

“And if that love makes you bleed?” you muttered as he faced you, the warmth of his touch leaning on your temple as he brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, making you shiver.

He smiled. “That’s the thing about love, what kind of it would not make you bleed?”

Your beautiful shiny eyes stared up at him, his brown ones taking in your soft skin under the moonlight.

“I shall go now.” he muttered, stepping back. “You should try and sleep. Tomorrow we have a long trip to the vacation castle.” he smiled at you, leaving you on the balcony as he stepped towards the door, opening it. “Good night, y/n.” and with that he left you, closing the door behind his back.

And as you closed the crystal doors and laid on your bed, the words that had left his lips echoed in your mind.

‘Then you’ve found a greater love than the one you’ve decided to betray’

The holiday castle was as big as the one in the capital. Maybe even bigger due to the amount of land surrounding it that the royal house had under his name. There was the most beautiful forest you’ve ever seen surrounding it. Well, let’s say the most beautiful, ‘cause you’ve never seen any other before. The gardens were decorated with tall brushes and flowers and the facade was white with a golden rose window in the middle of it, along with balconies and more windows on its sides. It was beautiful. With flowering vines creeping on its walls.

“Welcome home, prince Joseph.” the servants of the castle waved at him, smiles and hugs being exchanged in between them and the monarch.

“You’ve been gone for too long!” one of the kitchen ladies said, giving him a tight hug.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve missed you all.” he said, a smile on his lips as he talked with them.

That’s one thing you’ve noticed lately about him. He, like no other royal, really cared about his servants. He didn’t even treat them like servants at all, more like his equals. It confused you.

“What is it?” you turned your head to Steve’s voice, his eyes on your frown.

“Why is he…”

“Not mean to them?” he finished up for you, to what you nodded. “Because they see them for what they are…, persons.” your eyes went back to the prince, laughing and chatting with the kitchen ladies. “That’s who the prince is.”

“He’s weird.” you said, making him laugh.

“Yeah, I guess he is.” he nodded.

“y/n! Harrington! Come here!” he called for the both of you, waving his hands so the two of you could come and meet the castle’s people.

After new introductions, you were taken inside so the three of you could leave your suitcase and settle down on each other’s rooms.

Your room was white as the snow, and really big. Over a step there was a king size bed, the first thing you could notice as you stepped on the room. To your left, a bench under a window along with sofas decorated with blue cushions and white fur surrounding a tea table made of marble, in which stood some biscuits and a jar of fresh lemonade.

On your right there were two doors, once that led to a private bathroom with marble floors and a quartz giant bathtub under triple windows that led to the flower gardens. There even were double sinks with giant mirrors and freshly cut flowers.

The other door led to the most magnificent wardrobe you’ve ever seen, full of dresses of all materials and colors with a crystal expositor in the middle of it with all the jewels you could have ever dreamed about. Were those rubies?!

When you went back to the main room you noticed a dresser with multiple perfumes and makeup like pink lipsticks, probably made with flowers.

You felt overwhelmed. And the fact that when you looked up to the ceiling the only thing you could see were hand-drawn paintings of delicate flowers really did not help.

“Do you like it?” you turned around to the prince standing on your door, a smile on his lips as he leaned against it with both of his arms crossed over his chest.

“Are you crazy? Have you seen all of this?!” you inquired in disbelieve. “It’s too much.” he shook his head, getting closer to you.

“It’s enough.” he said, ‘cause for him, you deserved so much more than all of that. Much, much more.

“My prince, I’m not a royal. I don’t need a hundred dresses, or a dresser with thirty different shades of lip balm, or… Hand-painted ceilings!!” he chuckled.

“You are right, you are not a royal. And you surely don’t need all of…, this.” he laughed. “But I want to give it to you.” he said, your eyes meeting his when with his index finger and thumb softly took your chin, raising your gaze. “Is that wrong?” he inquired, searching in your eyes any kind of annoyance.

You slightly shook your head. “I still don’t understand why you’re doing all of this.” you muttered.

“Who knows?” he smiled as he stepped back. “So… Have you settled down yet?” he inquired and you chuckled, pointing at your little bag, where only your first ever dress stood. He laughed. “Sorry. I just… There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to in the salon. They really want to meet you.” you looked him in the eyes with an annoyed expression. “I know. I know you don’t like royals.” he smiled, both his hands up. “But I promise you that you’ll like them.” he said, offering you his hand. You seemed unsure at first. Meeting people wasn’t your strong. It has never been… But you still decided to follow him, accepting his hand and winning a smile in return. “Come on, they’re waiting for us.” and with that he tugged you out of your room.

You didn’t even know how you’ve ended in this situation.

“No. Try on the pink!”

“Please! Another pink one?! Let’s go for the sage one! Sage is a really pretty color!”

“Sage?! It won’t match her skin!”

You really didn’t know…

“Guys…” you tried and stop their discussion about… Dresses. Obviously failing at your first attempt. “Guys!” they both stopped when you raised your voice, catching their attention.

“Yeah?” the two of them inquired, eyes on you.

You sighed. “Can we stop with the ‘trying everything on’ thing? I’m tired.”

You were introduced to this two really sweet girls by the prince, who he had known for years. They were really chatty, and energetic. The most being the blonde one, for sure. Her name was Robin, Robin Buckley, if you had heard right. And she was Steve’s best friend. They had been working together for 6 years now, and they were the pure image of two peas in a pot.

The other girl was Nancy Wheeler, a brunette with curly hair and the bluest eyes you’d ever seen. She was sweet, and really smiley.

You had chat for a couple of minutes, and even though you were untrusting of them at the start, you grew soft on them when they showered you with books and flowers as welcome gifts. Nancy even had baked you a really beautiful flower bread that the three of you had enjoyed together on you room when they asked you if you could show it to them.

And after going crazy about the amount of new wardrobe you had, they had pushed every and each one of them over your head over and over again.

“No!” they both shook their heads, standing up. “We still need to find the perfect dress for tomorrow!” Nancy said, going through the dresses on more time and picking some of them out for you to try on. That was like the fifth batch on a row.

“Wait, wait!“ you pushed their hands away when they tried to take the one you were wearing off your body. “Tomorrow? What’s going on tomorrow?” you inquired them, your eyebrows knitted together.

“Has the prince not-“ Robin tried and say but Nancy hit her on the arm. “Hey!”

“Shh! It’s supposed to be a surprise!” Nancy said between her teeth, as if that would make it less easier for you to hear her.

“Mmmh, guys?” they turned their heads to face you. “I can hear you.” you smiled at them, making them groan.

“Look.” Nancy stepped closer, whispering. “We can’t tell you about the details, okay? But all, the five of us, are going for a…, walk, tomorrow morning.” she explained.

“Yeah. And we weren’t supposed to even tell you that. So you need to promise us that you won’t tell the prince nothing about this. ‘Cause if you do…” they stared at each other, gulping with pale faces.

“Okay, okay. I won’t.” you promised, making the color go back to their cheeks. “But can we please stop-“

“Nice! Then let’s continue!” Nancy cut you off, a smile on her lips as her hand took yours.

“For the perfect dress!” Robin screamed, taking your free one.

And as the both tugged you towards your room to keep on trying new dresses, you felt the headache that had been creeping on the back of your head for the last thirty minutes grow.

You woke up that night with your heart beating fast against your ribs and drenched on sweat, the feeling of a sweet but awfully cold touch still lingering on the skin of your cheek and a voice ringing on your ears, which words rapidly blurred on your mind.

You felt sick. Awfully sick. And when you stood up, you felt like sinking in the air that surrounded you. You just needed some water and then you’ll be alright. You always felt better after it. And so, every night that you’d wake up in between short and anxious pants, you’d promise yourself that the terror would do away. But it never did.

The door to your bedroom creaked when you opened it, the marble under your naked feet making you shiver as you stepped out to the corridor. The windows were open, what made you feel grateful for the fresh air on your soaked skin, which grew on goosebumps. Some guardians that rounded the corridor nodded at you as a wave when you passed by. You asked yourself if they ever got bored for spending so many hours in silence, next to each other but unable to talk in case they’d wake up someone. But then you shrugged it off. ‘It was their job’, you thought.

You tried and remember the way back to the kitchen, but it was quite hard since you only had the moonlight and a little candle that you’ve lighted before going out of your room to light your way.

You almost screamed when you saw a shadow move on the corner of your eye, but you just cursed under your breath when you crashed against the prince’s chest, his hands on your arms and his eyes on yours.

“Woah, woah, woah...” he hushed you, trying to calm your quick breathing down. “Are you okay? Did something happen? Why are you awake this late at night?” he inquired you, worry on his voice.

“Jesus Christ!” you whispered-yelled, trying to calm down your breathing and heartbeat. “You almost killed me there.” he muttered a ‘sorry’ with a little chuckle. “I just wanted some water. But I can’t find the kitchen. I think I got lost. This place is huge.” he softly laughed.

“You did. You are like on the other end of the palace.” you cursed once again. “It’s alright, I have some water on my room, let me get some for you.” he took your hand, guiding you a couple of doors forwards, opening the door that led to his own room. You squinted your eyes a little bit as you entered, due to the amount of candles lighted. You took a glimpse around his room. At his king size bed, balcony and incredible amount of bookcases filled with books of all types. At his messy desk and bed full of books. One of them was open. Was he reading? “Here.” he filled you an empty glass form a jar that he had on his tea table. You muttered a ‘thanks’ as he handed it to you and took a sip.

“Were you reading?” you inquired him after a couple of seconds, pointing at the books on his bed.

“Yeah. I was.” he smiled. “I do it when I can’t sleep.” he sighed, watching you go towards his bed and take the open book in between your eyes, your eyes squinting at the title on its cover, trying to read it… Nothing. “Othello.” he said as you looked through the pages. It was like looking at hieroglyphs.

“ ‘Kill me tomorrow; let me live tonight.’ ” you whispered, quoting Desdemona. “I guess Othello it’s alright, not my favorite, but alright.” his eyes widened as you left the book on its place.

“Which one is your favorite then?” he inquired, his arms crossed over his chest. “Romeo and Juliet, perhaps?”

“ ‘Thus with a kiss… I die.’ ” you overly dramatic quoted Romeo on his dying bed, a hand on your forehead as you acted like falling, making him laugh. “You sure are romantic, my prince.”

“It’s known as the most tragic love story of all times!” he tried and excuse himself.

“That’s foolish.” you shook your head. “They were just two idiots in love. There are pains greater than love.” you rolled your eyes, leaving the glass aside when you’ve fully drank the water.

“Yeah? Tell me one.” he tested you, watching as you wandered around the room, a fresh flower that you’ve taken from the numerous pots on the room in between your hands. You carefully plugged the petals out of its core, letting them fall to the ground.

“Loss.” you simply answered. And then he was silent again, your eyes meeting his for a couple of seconds before you could talk again. “I’m sorry my prince, but I prefer something less… Sentimental.” you shrugged.

“Tell me about it.” he asked, his voice only a whisper.

“Oh, but how could I know if my prince has read it?” you teased him, a smirk on your lips. He squinted his eyes, amused.

“Try me.”

“ ‘It is too late, he drags me down; I sink, I sink, — my soul is lost forever!’ ” you muttered, your hands going though the pages of another book. If only you knew what they said…

“So Macbeth.” he smiled, actually impressed by your chosen book of Shakespeare’s collection. “May I know the reason?” he inquired.

“It’s easy, my prince.” you said, closing the book in between your hands and stepping closer. “Because everyone dies.”

He was taken back by your answer, but awaited for more as your lips parted.

“It’s the story of a pure greediness, ambition of power and thirst for blood. It’s the story of a man who not only loses his mind, but loses everything. A king with no silver or gold, but blood on his hands.”

“Loss.” he nodded, remembering the words that had fallen off your lips a few minutes ago. “But if I may ask…, who read this books to you? Was it a friend of yours?”

“The greatest.” you mumbled, sitting on his bead with a sigh. “She was the greatest friend I’ve ever had.” you smiled. Although it was not a happy one, but the saddest grin he had ever witnessed.

“And where is this friend now?” he inquired, sitting beside you, his voice soft as a feather.

“She died.” you answered, not a linger of break on your voice. “Years ago…” you played with the skirt of your petticoat, hair falling on your face. “I was the one to bury her. Under a willow tree.”

He sunk on his seat, his heart on the bottom of his stomach once your words filled the air around you. He felt as if the oxygen has left the room.

“You must miss her so.” he said, taking away the hair from your face with his fingers, making you look at him.

You gave him a weak smile. “How can I miss someone who was never mine?” you muttered, looking into his eyes.

“You can…” you shook your head.

“No, I can’t.” you whispered under your breath. “That’s what slavery does. It rips from your hands everything you once knew was yours. You have nothing, for you are someone’s, and yours is theirs as well.” his eyes dropped at this, his thumb caressing your cheek, and if you weren’t that exhausted, you may had pushed him away. But you weren’t strong enough. You never were. That’s why you found your self leaning on his touch, on its warmth… “I don’t even believe I’m mine anymore.” his heart shattered a little bit at your whisper. Even more when you leaned forwards towards his chest, your forehead pressing against his heart.

This was one step. One step closer to what you’ve ever been. And he didn’t want to scare you away.

“Oh, but you are.” he said, one of his hands on your hair, delicately brushing through it with his fingers. “It’s yours you liking Macbeth. It’s yours you hating fancy dresses and lipgloss. It’s yours you liking lakes, and flowers, and books, and the night… That’s all yours. That’s all you.”

“I hate you.” you muttered after minutes of silent against his chest, your hands fisting his silk white shirt.

He never stopped caressing your hair. His calm breathing making your own follow its pace.

“I know.” he smiled to himself, muttering back. “I know…”

He leaned back ‘till his back hit the bed, laying down with you beside him, your head on his chest and heartbeat on your ears.

You heard ruffling and then the leather part as he opened a book.

“Act one. Scene one. Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches.” he started, his soft voice filling your ears and the shiny room as his eyes travelled through the lines. “First Witch: When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” your heart throbbed when you realized what he was doing. He was reading. For you. And not just another book but your favorite. He was reading Macbeth.

You squeezed your eyes shut as your fingers clung on his shirt, his soft breathing making his chest rise and lower below your head, rocking you to sleep.

And with that, and the echo of his voice in your ears, you slowly started to fade away in your dreams.

And for once, Morfeo took you in his arms and never let go of your ever again for the rest of that starry night.

To be continued…

A/N;; hi guys! here it is, pt.4 of the series!!! sorry for taking my time, i went through a little block and i got too excited with other projects to even be able to sit and write more of this fic! <3 but i’m pretty happy with the result of this chapter. my favorite part is the ending for sure! what do y’all think!?

thanks to everyone who comments, likes and reblogs, it really helps this series to reach more and more people!!! i cannot express my gratitude for those who support this fic, y’all are amazing! 💗

TAGLIST ♡!!!

@kik51199 @alicegrayson @hardysbitch @gamorxa @knifeluvr @estrellitams @elarasstardust @therealbattleangel @cherrypieyourface @stardustworlds @the-iridescent-phoenix @darkened-writer @brlnamy @ellathefriendlyalpacaaa @vintagemoss @greetings-and-salutations @dazedshoon @goldenharrysworld @ih8milk @ellathefriendlyalpacaaa @lucipurrr69 @apolixyan @hazel-babbit @thebrookemunson @sav7689 @hqtetsurou @nobody-000 @sidthedollface2 @aleisnothere15 @aprilmia

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fandomshatewomen · 5 months

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I want to tell you my opinions on the objectification and oversexualization of female characters in visual media, such as comic books and anime/manga.

When the oversexualization of women in media is criticized, I often see a counter-argument (derailment tactic) saying "but men are sexualized/objectified too! Look at how big and muscular Batman is!"

Yes, men are also subjected to harmful beauty standards. The ideal of a visible six-pack 100% of the time is unhealthy and in fact a sign of dehydration, Chris Evans spoke about being malnourished and dehydrated during his run as Captain America because of the demands on maintaining his physique.

But by saying "men are objectified/sexualized too, look at male action heroes with their idealized physiques, swelling abs and six-pack" I feel that is missing the point of what makes the overt sexualization and objectification of women in media harmful.

Unlike women, men more often than not get to keep their dignity. They appear strong, powerful and in control regardless of situation. They do not have to be sexually appealing in every scene they appear in. Women however are much more frequently drawn in a sexualized way even when inappropriate.

For example, take a look at this page from Captain America (2002) #30 penciled by Scot Eaton.

This is an example of a man and a woman being drawn differently for no real reason. Both captain America and Diamondback-a female character-have been captured and suspended in manacles. But while Cap's stance is powerful and his expression stoic and defiant, Diamondback is drawn in a way that draws the eyes to her curves. The context is entirely non-sexual yet the reader is invited to be aroused by it.

There are countless more examples of female characters in comics being sexualized even when unconscious, victimized or dead. It's called "sexualized in defeat". And most people are probably aware of the "boobs and butt pose" frequently used to make a female character's breasts and ass visible at the same time, even if their anatomy gets mangled in the process.

The point of the "Initiative Hawkeye" art movement where male characters are placed in the same provocative poses as female comic characters is to highlight how absurd these poses are for the female characters in question. If you find male characters looking ridiculous when sticking their ass out in a serious action scene it means its just as ridiculous a female character, and the only reason not to would be because of being desensitive due to overexposure.

Using another media as an example, this time an anime:

There are four male characters in the picture and one female. Their outfits are supposed to be special, technologically-enhanced outfits designed for combat, able to provide protection from fire and bullets and inspired by the Super Sentai Genre, yet the one girl has much of her legs exposed and a cleavage so deep it reaches her navel.

It doesn't look like it could protect her from the elements let alone bullets and doesn't even resemble a Super Sentai uniform. Sexiness comes at the expense of suspension of disbelief and leaves the one girl in a team of mostly men with no dignity for no reason at all.

What's worse, her father was the one who designed her outfit, thus making her outfit creepy in a way the show never dwells upon.

Basically, I feel like even if we take "men are just as sexualized" at face value, at least it leaves them with their dignity intact while fictional women don't even have that. That's what makes "female objectification" degrading and humiliating in my opinion.

I want to add that when I posted this on another site, I've received some input that I want to include:

One is that its toxic and harmful for men to be pressured into appearing strong and confident all the time, that men should be able to be vulnerable and express sadness and cry without judgement, which is completely true.

But in the context of what I've said, the objectification of women also leaves them as non-people unable to express emotions if that will make them "sexually unappealing" in the eyes of the audience.

Someone who worked in the comic book industry has stated that sexualizing a female character is a very deliberate choice, far more than just drawing them with an idealized body. Camera angles focused on the lower body and breasts, extra shininess on their thighs, unnatural poses that draw the eyes towards the curves and invite the reader to be aroused even if the character's intent and emotional state are nonsexual, and they aren't allowed to be given facial expressions that are too angry, "intense" or ugly-cry for fear of being sexually off-putting.

While unhealthy standards for men do exist, we should acknowledge that female and male characters are indeed treated differently, and the root cause is appeal to a presumed straight male audience.

#sexism #misogyny #submission

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jeannereames · 3 months

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Hello Dr. Reames!

Like many of us who follow you on this Hell-site we call home, I started watching Netflix's Alexander: The Making of a God. I'm an awfully shy person, and have been meaning to say hello, but a deadly concoction of anxiety and imposter syndrome has kept me away until a part of the docuseries lit a burning fire of a question.

I'm an Early Modern historian (18th century France), and although I have an obsession with Alexander the Great (going as far as begging my parents from around age 10 to 18 to legally change my name to Alexander) I never took a deep academic dive into the ancient Mediterranean world.

I think it was episode 2 where Alexander and Darius finally face each other at Issus, and after the battle Alexander has the captured "Greeks" (I can't remember now if he said Greeks or Macedonians) from Darius' army killed for fighting on the "wrong side." This kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially when they switch to the talking heads and they kind of touch on it being known that people from the Greek poleis were mercenaries and were throughout the known Mediterranean world. That scene had a sort of 'Alexander as a Macedonian Nationalist' feel, and I assumed that Alexander was more open to the blending of cultures or at least there wasn't a single correct way to live and rule. That whole sequence of scenes felt contradictory: the mercenary system is well known yet a betrayal against "blood brothers"? Would Alexander actually have mercenaries executed for being hired by Persia?

Thank you for your time!

I'm glad you decided to finally step forward and ask a question! Nice to "meet" you.

Ah, yes, this is a matter of Real Politik.

After Granikos, a number of Greek mercenaries were captured, although their commander, Memnon, got away himself as he’d have been on horseback. Alexander had the men executed.

Greeks had served as mercenaries in Asia as far back as the Assyrian Sargonids. In fact, arguably, the archaic full hoplite panoply developed to fight on the broad plains of the middle east, not in Greece. (See John Hale’s chapter “Not Patriots, Not Farmers, Not Amateurs” in Men of Bronze, Kagan and Viggiano, eds., from Princeton; I find his argument convincing.) And, of course, Xenophon’s famous Anabasis told about the flight west of Greek mercenaries who’d served under Cyrus the Younger in his disastrous clash with his brother Artaxerxes for the throne.

For Alexander, the problem was that he—or really his father—had positioned this campaign as retribution against Persia for Persia’s earlier invasion of Greece, especially that under Xerxes. The invasion was, officially, under the aegis of the Corinthian League, with the Macedonian king just the hegemon. That made it a “Greek” campaign. This was all propaganda of course, but important for Philip, then Alexander, to maintain as it gave a patina of acceptability, not a naked power grab for more territory. While conquest wasn’t looked on then nearly as badly as it is now, it helped to have at least a plausible excuse.

His own troops included a number of Greek allies. After Chaironeia, they didn’t really have a choice. But a lot of Greeks were not happy to be in the Corinthian League. Sparta outright refused and would later be the center of an anti-Macedonian revolt.

At Granikos, the Persians had more Greek mercenaries than Alexander had Greek allies! (If one doesn’t count the Thessalian horse.) The optics were really bad. Ergo, as I think it was Carolyn who pointed out, Alexander had to send a clear message that fighting for the Persians against “the Greeks” wasn’t an option. In the Greek mind, mercenaries had always occupied a liminal status: not fully trusted because they fought for pay, but typically better than citizen troops, so used extensively post-Peloponnesian War. It was easy for Alexander to cast them as “just in it for the money” and as traitors to the Greek Cause. Like Thebes in the earlier Greco-Persian Wars, they’d “Medized,” which had a similar force to calling an American a “commie” in the 1950s.

The executions weren’t well-received in the rest of Greece, and resistance continued until it came to a head a couple years later with Agis’s Revolt (Agis III was the Spartan king who led it.). But Alexander was never afraid to send a harsh message when he needed to: Thebes, Tyre, Persepolis…. Philip did too. He could be just as brutal (Potidaia, Amphipolis, Stagiera), and Alexander learned well from him how to use carrot and stick.

So that’s what was going on there. Alexander was trying to turn Darius’ Greek mercenaries (who were some of the best troops in Asia Minor), and to send a message back HOME not to unite behind him and cut his supply lines. This was not successful; in fact, if Curtius can be believed, the Greek mercenaries were more loyal to Darius after Gaugamela than Bessus and friends. They figured they couldn’t go over to ATG, so they stuck with Darius who’d treated them well. Ironically, these same guys later did surrender after Darius’ death and were pardoned because, by then, showing clemency worked better for him than punishment.

Due to time constraints, and the desire of the showrunner to focus on Alexander and Darius, a lot of the details behind the campaign weren’t explored. So to the average reader, it looks like it was just Macedonians deciding to invade Persia because Persia killed Philip, although Philip says before he’s murdered that he wanted Alexander back for the Persian expedition. Not sure the casual viewer caught that. But this isn’t entirely wrong, as it really WAS a Macedonian campaign covered in the sheep’s skin of “Greek revenge.” Nothing is shown of ATG’s Greek campaigns, not even the infamous siege of Thebes because, again, the creators wanted it to be a clash of Macedon and Persia.

Alexander’s career is just so sprawling it’s really impossible to cover everything in limited time. But I hope that helps to contextualize why the Greek mercenaries were killed, and why it was presented as being traitors to the cause.

#asks #Alexander the Great #Alexander: the Making of a God #Greek mercenaries in Persian service #Memnon #The Corinthian League #Philip's campaign of “revenge” against Persia #Alexander's campaign of “revenge” against Persia #ancient Persia #classics #ancient macedonia

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