#the only solution I can think of is that he's not brainwashed and he's been playing the long game this whole time

[kopykunoichi]

"Domiciles"

What other clone in the galaxy uses that word, besides Tech? He cracked Phee's encryption on her navicomputer without issue, which you can bet was pretty advanced.

But...maybe he isn't as brainwashed as he appears. Did anyone else notice how the typical clone accent was heavy when he was talking to Hemlock, but he sounded more like Crosshair when he was on Pabu?

There was a whole ass Imperial cruiser on Pabu, equipped with detention cells and hundreds of armed guards...and he just threw the highly essential asset in the back of his suped up space corvette and said, "she's with me", before he peaced out and left his imp buddies. Highly sus.

#the bad batch #tbb tech #tbb spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #the bad batch season 3 spoilers #tbb cx-2 #tbb omega #he blew up his own ship...he's really selling it #he shot those charges onto the marauder while Wrecker was outside the ship so he'd see them #he shot the pilot of the lartie not Hunter #he wants the girl brought to HIM not the Empire #I'm 100% convinced it's Tech but I don't know how we're going to resolve it in 4 episodes if he's brainwashed #the only solution I can think of is that he's not brainwashed and he's been playing the long game this whole time #he has a plan to save everyone

[itsclydebitches]

Just finished Good Omens 2 and I'm honestly boggling at the Aziraphale hate because yes, his decision led to the angsty cliffhanger, but it makes SO much sense for his character. Not just in a "Religious brainwashing and sunk-cost fallacy" kinda way but also a "Aziraphale has no reason to believe this isn't the perfect solution" way. That scene among the nebula is crucial because it establishes that Crowley loved being an angel—reveled in his ability to create and allow his creations to grow kinda like plants—and the only problem was that someone else was calling the shots, someone who wouldn't listen to his criticism. Aziraphale has also spent 6,000+ years watching Crowley do good, all the while forced to deny the fact that he's "nice" lest embracing his original nature get him into trouble with hell. Now, Metatron comes along with an offer that fixes everything in one fell swoop. Crowley can be an angel again, be nice without censure, his ideas and criticisms will hold weight because he'll be answering to Aziraphale, and they'll be together.

It strikes me that Aziraphale isn't there when Crowley sees Gabriel's trial, ergo he likewise doesn't see the (non)acknowledgement that there's an institutional problem up in Heaven. There just happen to have been two archangels who called it quits. Same when Gabriel blurts that phrase out to Crowley. Aziraphale has always been more blind to the ways in which Heaven is "toxic" (for very understandable reasons) and this season he's continually sheltered from new evidence of its structural problems. The plot just preaches to the choir: Crowley. He likewise wouldn't see the conflict Gabriel and Beelzebub have caused as evidence of an underlying problem because that's a problem he and Crowley will no longer share. Why would they be worried about Heaven still being unable to accept partnerships between angels and demons when Crowley will no longer be a demon? And that's something he presumably wants based on Aziraphale's memories of him and the ongoing admission that he's lonely.

The way I see it, they got what they thought they wanted at the start of Season 2. Heaven and Hell are keeping an eye on them, but functionally they're left alone. Crowley can spend all the time he wants with Aziraphale and nothing comes of that except that they're both continually named traitors and the higher-ups grumble about it. If Gabriel had never shown up, things should have been perfect based on Crowley's "Let's just run away and have each other's company" standards. Better, even, considering that they get to be together on their beloved Earth, rather than being bored out in Alpha Centauri without any sushi, plants, books, or Bentleys. And yet... Crowley doesn't strike me as particularly happy. Because, you know, based on that kiss he wants to be with Aziraphale, not just literally be with him, but the point of this post is that his "Let's run away and be an 'us'" falls totally flat when he doesn't explain that specific desire to Aziraphale; the desire to change what an 'us' means. From Aziraphale's perspective they're already an 'us.' That was the entire point of "our side" in Season 1 and now they can continue to be 'us' up in Heaven. Plus, Aziraphale likely sees this as a sacrifice on his part. He will give up his bookshop, his Earthly indulgences, take on the responsibilities of leadership (which I don't think he actually wants for a variety of reasons), and spend the rest of eternity in a place where he's felt so small because he thinks that's what Crowley wants. Crowley was happy as an angel. Crowley wanted them to be together without risk of permanent discorporation. They were able to achieve that after not-Armageddon and he still wasn't happy... so surely those two things together will do the trick. Crowley never actually articulates how he wants their relationship to change and the kiss comes much too late, when he's already rejected what Aziraphale must see as a perfect, selfless solution he's secured for them. Even if Crowley wasn't always moving too fast for him, an overture of romance isn't going to go well after that.

Is this crushing and angsty and devastating as a hiatus? Damn straight, my heart it breaking. But it's a good setup. More importantly, it makes perfect sense for their characters, particularly when they're still talking past one another. Aziraphale is someone who has always moved more slowly as a matter of course, as an angel he has remained immersed in the rhetoric of Heaven, his main avenue of breaking free of that (Crowley) has a huge communication problem (to say nothing of his own denial. He only made headway with the help of Nina and Maggie, seconds before Aziraphale shows up), and Metatron (in a no doubt incredibly manipulative manner) has just offered Aziraphale a job that presumably makes him happy AND Crowley happy AND allows him to maintain the moral this-is-how-the-universe-works perspective he's had since he was literally created. Of course he's going to say yes to all that!! And sure, there are problems in Heaven, Aziraphale isn't completely blind, but he can fix them now that he's in charge. How? Well... he'll figure that out later! Kinda like how he's been making plans on the fly this entire season. That seems logical from his perspective, right? It's not like he's gotten a crash-course in the concept of the master's tools never being able to dismantle the master's house...

#Good Omens #Good Omens spoilers #Good Omens 2 #Good Omens 2 spoilers #GO2 #GO2 spoilers #mymetas #this is so rough and I'll probably write better metas later #but I just have FEELINGS RIGHT NOW OKAY

[soupthatistohot]

BSD 109 Spoilers!!!

I will always always ALWAYS come back to this panel when talking about Asagiri’s storytelling.

At its very core, BSD is an absurdist text, Kafka Asagiri having been inspired by many absurdist authors. Franz Kafka, who he took his pseudonym from is one of them. Albert Camus, basically the most well-known absurdist is referenced with the Mersault prison, the name of which comes from a character in his most famous absurdist work, The Stranger. 

Absurdism is the belief that the world around us is irrational and inherently absurd and that explicitly seeking meaning is pointless. In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus explains, that there is value in the act of rebellion, though. Sisyphus, who has been doomed to roll a boulder up a mountain only for the boulder to tumble back down each time he reaches the peak, finds meaning in the act of continuing to push the boulder. Even though he will continue this cycle for all of eternity, he doesn’t just lay down and give up, he rebels against the absurdity of his situation by continuing to push the boulder, despite the seemingly futile nature of the act. 

As I said earlier, BSD is an absurdist text. All of the animanga’s main characters are on a journey of discovering their meaning in life, and their place in the world, and they do this by rebelling against its absurdity — especially Dazai. 

Dazai sees the absurd world for what it is, and when he was in the PM, he hated it. Thus, he sought suicide as a solution. I will note here that absurdists generally view suicide as a failure to rebel against the absurd, just giving up and giving into hopelessness. But ever since Dazai left the PM and took Oda’s advice, he’s been rebelling against this, doing good despite his inherent beliefs about morality and the world, and he’s absolutely gotten better for it. 

Other characters embody this idea of rebelling against the absurd, hell, that’s kinda what this whole arc is about. The world is literally ending, and things seem to be at their absolute worst, but someone like Atsushi still has hope that he can change the minds of the hunting dogs and save reality as we know it. He even has hope that he can get through to a vampiric Akutagawa when the guy is literally brainwashed and attacking him. Aya as the “last hope” right now embodies this, too, deciding that she can’t just sit around and do nothing and then trying to remove the sword from Bram even though the effort appears futile. 

But everything is going wrong right now. Fukuzawa is bleeding out, Dazai has just been shot through the forehead and appears to have died, Atsushi’s had his limbs ripped off and is at Akutagawa’s mercy, and Fukuchi is literally going to end the world! How can we have hope?!

Think about BSD. Think about the story that’s been told so far. Surely Asagiri isn’t killing everyone right now, surely the world isn’t gonna actually end. I’m not entirely convinced Aya’s plan is gonna work— but please consider that the point of absurdist storytelling is that even when everything seems to be at its worst, even when life seems completely meaningless, there is inherent meaning in still continuing to fight against this. 

BSD has never been a story where the villains win, and I don’t think it’s gonna start being one. I think, as usual, Asagiri wants to scare us, to make us feel hopeless about the situation, only for someone to pull through and completely turn the tides.

Dazai laying down and accepting his death at Chuuya’s hands is not going to be the end of his story, because it goes against everything Asagiri seems to stand for. Dazai wouldn’t just give up in his fight against Fyodor, because he needs to prove he’s right about what he says in this panel:

"The ones who actually make the world turn are those who scream within the storm of uncertainty and run with flowing blood."

I think this reflects Asagiri's own beliefs and is also the reason why he is not going to let Dazai die like this, because in a way, that would be proving that Fyodor is right. From a storytelling perspective, it’d be saying “everything I’ve communicated up to this point actually means nothing and life is truly hopeless!” 

Dazai has cheated death before, as has basically everyone else in danger right now. I promise you, something is going to happen and they’re all going to survive, because BSD is not trauma porn, for lack of a better term. It’s a story about how a group of people fight against the absurdity of their reality, even when everything seems completely and utterly hopeless. 

There’s a lot of theories circulating about how things could work out, especially Dazai’s “death,” and I’m not here to repeat all of them, but I will say that a lot of them have credence, especially because Asagiri isn’t the type of author to make mistakes, every single detail has a distinct reason. 

So even though I don't know how things are going to work out, I have full faith that they will, including Dazai's current situation. None of these characters are done just yet, they've got too much fight left in them to just give up.

[original twt thread]

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd 109 #bsd spoilers #bsd manga spoilers #bsd meta #kafka asagiri #asagiri kafka #soup rants #being a hashtag camus girlie has its merits!!! #bsd absurdism analysis

[fivie]

I keep thinking about how well grantaire and anna would get along (before she gets re-brainwashed)... i know you've moved away from spn canon with UMW but do you have thoughts on how your characters would theoretically interact with spn characters?

ah yes, the re-brainwashing was very unfortunate 😔

my main headcanon re. UMW characters meeting SPN characters is that if Enjolras and Grantaire met Sam and Dean, based on Enjolras's personality and him having the sword, they would absolutely assume he was the angel of the pair 😂 Dean would probably commiserate with Grantaire about the challenges of hanging out with a socially challenged angel, and Grantaire would absolutely go along with it. Then Cas would show up and be like 'hello brother 😐' and spoil his fun.

I think Enjolras and Dean would butt heads, but Sam and Combeferre would probably get along quite well. I hope the spirit of Victor Hugo can't see me typing this.

Ages ago I actually started writing a little crossover story just for fun but I found it really weird 😂 I don't know if I'll ever write any more of it so I'll put what I have under a cut here if anyone wants to read it lol

(it is definitely not UMW canon 😂)

Grantaire is in a long-abandoned barn in rural Belgium, idly sweeping up the ashy remains of the shapeshifter that had been terrorising the nearby village in the guise of a local cryptid legend, when Combeferre pops into his mind with a bemusing prayer:

Don't come back to my apartment right now.

Grantaire pauses, awaiting further details. If Combeferre were in danger, he's sure he wouldn't bother beating around the bush, so Grantaire isn't overly worried, but Combeferre has never told him to stay away before and so he waits, curious. A minute or so later, an even more bemusing continuation:

Or if you do, make sure you come in through the front door like a human would.

Sometimes Grantaire desperately wishes that the prayer communication line went both ways. Combeferre feels distracted, like there are many other things demanding his attention and he is snatching at quiet moments to send Grantaire fragmented intel. Finally:

Other hunters here.

With that, the pieces slot together. Grantaire personally thinks it would be kind of funny for him to drop in on a room full of Musain hunters, especially the ones who'd written him off as a drunken waste of space years ago, and he could always erase their memories after if it was going to cause problems, but he supposes that Combeferre's solution of just keeping him away for a while is simpler. He finishes his clean up and is just about to return to Jehan's house when Combeferre reaches out again.

Could use your expertise for this. Come back if you're able? But please be discreet.

Grantaire snorts. He thinks he'll enjoy having a conversation with Combeferre later about why it's okay to pretend that he's human to other hunters, but not to Enjolras or Combeferre himself. He's well aware of the difference and the reasoning, of course, but he does like watching Combeferre wrestle with a moral quandary.

Enjolras is here, too.

This last part sounds like a warning, and Grantaire supposes it is, and one he should be thankful for. He braces himself before flying back to Combeferre's building, going up the stairs with pointed emphasis and hoping everyone in the apartment can hear his very normal, very human footsteps approaching. He opens the apartment door, calling out a greeting, and he steps inside and the world stops.

The other angel in Combeferre's living room stares at him, his human face registering only mild surprise even as his luminous true form roils and sparks in shock and alarm and, of course, horrifyingly, recognition. Grantaire stares back for a wild, world-tilting moment, and then he flies in a mad flurry, grabbing Enjolras and Combeferre and taking them to the furthest side of the room, pushing them behind him. Combeferre, who had just expressly told Grantaire to be on his best and most human behaviour, calls his name in confused dismay, and Enjolras is saying something too, demanding to know what he's doing, and there are two other humans here too, making their own noise, but then—

"Hello, brother," Castiel says, and all the humans in the room fall deathly silent.

Grantaire doesn't answer. His hand instinctively twitches to curl around the handle of a blade not currently in his possession. He can feel the presence of his sword burning in Enjolras's coat pocket and he wonders if the split second it would take for him to get to it will mean fiery death for all of them.

Three thousand years, he thinks. Three thousand years he successfully kept his head down, and then Combeferre goes and invites another angel into his living room—!

"Aw no, brother?" one of the new humans repeats. Grantaire doesn't dare take his eyes off Castiel, but the human sounds exasperated. He also sounds American, which raises many questions but also answers the one of why they are all here and not at the Musain. Grantaire can only imagine the Musain hunters' reaction to Americans descending upon their home base. "Cas, are you serious?"

"He's pretty clearly serious." The other human puts himself in Grantaire's line of vision, stepping between him and Castiel with one hand raised placatingly. He's uncommonly tall and more than broad enough in the shoulders to be considered physically imposing by human standards, but his posture and expression are currently extremely non-confrontational—he looks nervous, and sort of concerned. He looks at Grantaire first but then, clearly finding no invitation in his stony face, tilts his head to look past him at Enjolras and Combeferre instead. "So, uh. Got yourselves an angel."

"As do you, it would seem," Combeferre says with measured calm. It's strange to hear him speak English. Out of the corner of his eye, Grantaire sees him take half a step forward and hisses back at him, "Don't."

"Hey, who are you? Do we know you?" the first human says suddenly. "Are you an old douchebag in a new meat-suit?"

"Dean," Castiel says in quiet admonishment.

"What? It's not like we can tell."

"You don't know him," Castiel tells him before turning back to Grantaire. "This isn't necessary. I'm not going to harm you or these humans. You should calm yourself."

"And if you want to harm Cas then we're going to have a problem," the tall human says.

Grantaire makes no attempt to calm himself. "Are you alone?" he demands of Castiel, whose vessel affects a faintly puzzled expression.

"I'm here with Sam and Dean," he says slowly, and Grantaire scowls.

"I mean," he says, "where is your garrison?"

"I no longer serve Heaven, Rachmiel," Castiel says in oddly gentle tones, as if he's just realised why Grantaire would be so horrified to see him.

"Do not call me that," Grantaire snaps with a sharp shake of his head. "You—what do you mean?"

"I am...fallen." There's a strange mixture of pride and shame in Castiel's voice as he says it. "My loyalties were tested and I found them to lie more with humanity than with our brothers and sisters."

"You…" Grantaire's mind, emerging from the initial shock, starts to piece things together, starts to remember. "I saw you. Last year. You were killing angels and humans. Hundreds of them."

"Hey, that wasn't Cas," one of the humans, Dean, starts to protest, while Grantaire hears twin sharp intakes of breath from Combeferre and Enjolras as they apparently make the connection between the God-Monster they'd seen on screen all those months ago and the mild-mannered man standing before them now.

"Look, okay, let's...We didn't come here to fight," says the other human, whom Grantaire assumes, through elimination, to be Sam. "It's complicated, okay? But Castiel is with us. He's not the bad guy. He's saved our lives more times than I can count and—hell, he helped us stop the apocalypse."

"Did he say the apocalypse?" Grantaire hears Enjolras mutter behind him.

"What did you two have to do with the…?" Grantaire looks at the two strangers properly for the first time and feels a fresh wave of hysteria. There is a lot to be read from their souls that he will unpack later, but most pressingly, he can see who they are—what they are. "You're the vessels." His undoubtedly wild-eyed gaze swings back to Castiel. "You're walking around with Michael and Lucifer's vessels? You brought them here?"

"Michael and Lucifer are both in the cage," Castiel says. "I do not expect they will be coming looking for their vessels."

"And they already know that they do not have consent to take either of us for a ride," Dean says with a grimly sardonic smile.

Grantaire's head feels like it's going to explode, which wouldn't kill him but would undoubtedly be very distressing for Enjolras and Combeferre to witness. He wills his vessel to hold it together.

"Grantaire," Combeferre says quietly—even that makes him jump. Combeferre speaks to him in soft, rapid-fire French that the Americans clearly do not understand and that Castiel politely pretends not to hear. "If he's really broken with Heaven, isn't that a good thing? For you to not be the only one?"

Grantaire casts a somewhat tortured glance back at him, not anywhere near ready to accept the idea that running into anyone from his family could ever be good, before looking inevitably back to Castiel, unable to keep his eyes from returning to the perceived threat in the room.

"It is good to see you," Castiel says, horribly earnest. "I believed you dead."

"Yeah, that was the idea," Grantaire snaps. Castiel tilts his head to one side like a confused puppy, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"You've been in hiding," he hazards finally.

"Pretty successfully, up until now," Grantaire says.

"Hey, just like Gabriel," Dean remarks. "You gotta wonder how many other angels flew the coop."

"Gabriel," Combeferre repeats in tones of disbelief that match Grantaire's own feelings. "The archangel? He also…?"

"Gabriel is dead," Grantaire says bluntly.

"Yeah, but he had a good run hanging out down here pretending to be a trickster god," Dean says with a smile that suggests not-so-fond remembrance. "What've you been hiding out as? Some other deity?"

There's an agonising sort of pause, and then it's Enjolras who says, not without bitterness, "A human."

Dean whistles. "That's a bold choice."

"Rachmiel," Castiel says, and Grantaire wants to scream. "Heaven will not hear of any of this from me. You and your humans are safe. Please. I—Here."

He puts one hand up as if in surrender while his blade falls from the sleeve of his coat into his other hand. He holds it up, slowly and demonstratively, before setting it down on Combeferre's coffee table and stepping back.

There is a very strange, very awkward moment where Castiel and his two humans look at Grantaire expectantly, waiting for him to return the gesture and disarm. Finally, Enjolras steps forward. He catches Grantaire's eye questioningly and, at his nod, takes Grantaire's blade out of his own coat and lays it next to Castiel's. Dean and Sam's eyebrows shoot up and Castiel gives a slow, considered blink, but mercifully all three of them refrain from saying anything about the matter.

#umw stuff

[odinsblog]

T/W pedophilia mention

“Wow, this escalated. Let me explain.

Child-trafficking is a real issue that has been exploited to create undue influence aka brainwashing in tens of millions of people.

That’s why in the last 24 hours I’ve received dozens of death threats and thousands of accusations of being a “pedo.”

Starting in 2016, there has been an ongoing psychological operation to create fear about pedophiles—generally defined as Satanic Democrats led by Hillary Clinton but, importantly, a “pedophile” can be *anyone* identified by a cult leader.

The vast majority of child sex crimes are committed by family and friends. “Stranger danger” is a phobia planted through trauma—in the form of lies about “800,000 missing children per year,” adrenochrome, etc.

Pizzagate, QAnon and derivative groups have been distributing “trauma porn” depicting child torture for seven full years—while presenting people like Donald Trump as the literal savior of the phantom missing children. This is classic fascism: manufacture a problem, create a scapegoat, and present yourself as the solution.

The reason this post went viral is that it addresses the harm caused by lies about this subject which both resonates with people who have lost family and friends to Pizzagate/QAnon lies, and also people who suffer from undue influence themselves.

When cult members are presented with evidence that counteracts the cult doctrine, they suffer cognitive dissonance—literally mental pain. Seeing a post that questions what they’ve been terrified into believing is painful. So they lash out.

While I do not enjoy having my life threatened or being accused of child sex crimes, I also understand that people brainwashed with this powerful psychological warfare tactic actually believe what they say. And their cognitive dissonance keeps them in line.

I see the conversation about this as helpful and hopeful, no matter how many threats & accusations are wielded. We need to collectively understand the actual problem, with both real child predators, and those who falsely see them around every corner.

I also hope the NYTimes will begin to take more responsibility for what they publish. Presenting this film out of context is dangerous.”

—Jim Stewartson

How tf is anyone still taking Mel Gibson seriously, and why does he still work in Hollywood?

This is cult thinking and we are witnessing it in real time. Republicans and QAnon are using mass media propaganda for brainwashing weak minded, gullible white racists.

Also, it is Russia that is raping and sex trafficking Ukrainian women and children, but somehow the film is about sex trafficking happening in Ukraine?? (source ) (source)

And it is Russia that is kidnapping Ukrainian children for “adoption” back in Russia, but again, the film makes Ukrainians the bad guys?? (source) (source) (source)

And of course, the only people eating up this upside down propaganda are the usual suspects: Republicans and tankies

#politics #the sound of freedom #republicans #brainwashing #qanon #pedophillia #pedophillia tw #conspiracy theorists #mel gibson #pizza gate #tony robbins #jim caviezel #sex trafficking #russia #ukraine #disinformation #misinformation #propaganda

[pomplalamoose]

Hey bae 🙏 do you think we could get something about turning sith!luke to the light side?💗

Hiii dear anon, thank you for your ask🩵

It's been a while since I received one and I'm sooo excited, especially since I get to talk about Sith!Luke, my beloved

I wasn't sure what exactly you wanted but I hope you like this discussion of possible scenarios anyways <33

• when it comes to turning Sith Luke back to the light, I think it really depends how and why he choose the dark side in the first place and what interpretation of him we're talking about

• if, for example, he turned during the original trilogy, you'd have to approach him differently than it would be the case if he grew up raised by Vader

• while his struggle to remain on the right path for himself and the galaxy is often highlighted in the movies and books, trilogy Luke never strays too far away from what Obi-Wan and Yoda taught him

• he certainly has his darker moments in which he considers everything he loves lost, but ultimately, even then, he'd rather sacrifice himself for the greater good than reach for the power Vader, and later the Emperor, offer him

• "Never. I'll never turn to the dark side"

• "Soon I'll be dead and you with me"

• so should he fall or, for whatever reason, deliberately make the decision to join the dark side, I see two possible ways in which this could turn out, his stubbornness and wish for justice and equity being one of the more important factors

• 1) he's convinced it's for the best and in favor of many

• it's hard to resist a seemingly easy solution in times of crisis, especially if it's offered in a tempting way and Luke is by no means unreceptive to manipulation

• however I do believe he'd realize his misconception rather quickly and so the most prominent thing keeping him from pursuing the light again wouldn't be his ignorance but his deep shame

• because of the weight he carries he's very hard on himself and no less so as a Sith

• consumed by the dark side he'd probably be less focused on improvement but on self doubt and hatred instead

• he may even go as far as to remain in this situation willingly as a way to punish himself

• not only would he think himself deserving of being miserable but also think it's for the better if he never comes near his loved ones again, afraid to hurt them

• here his stubbornness hurts him decidedly more than others because obviously there's still good inside of him, he just isn't allowing it to be there in favor of another misconception and self doubt

• ("I don't deserve to be around my family after what I did.", "Because what if I'm truly evil and don't know it?", "What if they fall victim to one of my mistakes and get hurt?")

• in this case it'd definitely be possible to make him see reason

• Luke is able to and eager to learn from the past, as well as adapt to a new point of view

• if he can believe it's for the best to join the dark side, he can believe the opposite once more

• it may need patience and coaxing, much affection, assurance and insistence but through your love (romantically as well as platonically) he'd be able to find himself again

• 2) his opinion of the galaxies political situation changes to such an extent that he's convinced his fall to the dark side is genuinely important in order to implement a just system

• I will be honest, I have no idea how that would even happen but let's stick with the idea anyways because we're taking about Sith!Luke here

• (maybe he was brainwashed???)

• in this scenario I imagine it to be rather difficult to make him reconsider

• not only is he now convinced of what he's doing is inherently good but also of the fact that the people not sharing his opinion have some devious plans to make those he's so set to protect suffer

• Luke firmly stands by what he believes in and while that is a wonderful attribute to have it's rather problematic when it's used for harm

• that man is ready to fight for his convictions and I see him defending them in a way similar to how he resisted the dark side in RotJ

• he's still Luke though and not stupid, I belive it still possible to reason with him especially if you're someone he admires or otherwise holds dear

• in order to get him to listen to you though you'll need time and patience to get under his skin

• now let's take a quick look at the interpretatiom of the Sith!Luke I write about

• to some extent he's still the same person as trilogy Luke but while they share certain traits, they turned out like opposites due to the circumstances they were exposed to during their lifes

• basically my Sith!Luke is a "What if Luke and Leia were raised with the dark side by Darth Vader"-version in which he grows up in a galaxy after the Empire defeated the Alliance and thus doesn't know anything about Jedi since they just,,,don't exist anymore

•(granted, this is a rather dark AU but I saw no other way in which Luke would act like he does in my fics, without any hope of him changing his ways)

• (there are of course works that discuss a different outcome, exploring Luke turning to the light side despite being raised as Sith, so it is of course a possibility if that's what he's set up to do)

• (I, however, like to center my Sith!Luke around the idea of just that being unthinkable since it's so far fetched and ooc for a person so full of light and good)

• (please keep that in mind when continuing to read, xx)

• this too is the only case in which I think it wouldn't be possible to turn him to the light side because the concept in itself is a foreign and outdated one

• it does exist, yes, and Luke is aware of it too, after all he's well studied and educated, has to be if he is to be the successor of his father

• but it is nothing that seems worth looking into further since the classical "fight" between good and bad is a thing of the past

• because while Luke may not agree with every political stance his family takes he knows he'll be the Emperor sooner than later, able to make changes as he likes

• in this regard, depending on the role you take on in his life, you might be able to slightly influence his decisions and/or his treatment of a certain group of people

• if you're important enough to him he'll listen to what you have to say, though he won't necessarily implement it into the system

• you are well advised to approach such attempts carefully though since you don't want him to suspect you of disregarding his status and position

• or, even worse, want to alienate him from his family and loved ones

• because no matter the universe, Luke would move worlds for those he cares for and accordingly (mainly Sith!Luke) grows easily suspicious when someone so much as questions their behavior, motives, etc. or insinuates to be against them

#ask #luke skywalker #luke skywalker x reader #star wars return of the jedi #luke skywalker x you #luke star wars #dark luke #dark luke skywalker #sith luke skywalker #sith luke #star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars a new hope #star wars empire strikes back #star wars legends #star wars alternate universe #star wars headcanons #fanfic

[phoenixyfriend]

Now I want a fic where Anakin realizes he's accidentally brainwashed his wife, fears he's brainwashed EVERYONE ELSE who loves him, and decides he has to ask a Mature Adult to help him undo it, but it has it be someone who's proven immune to his bullshit affection mojo

Yoda is too nice to him, in his opinion. He decides to go to Mace, because Anakin's pretty sure that even when Mace is being polite to him, it's only out of professional courtesy.

(It's not, but Anakin POV is famously unreliable.)

Mace is. So tired. They're eighteen months into a war and Skywalker is having a mental breakdown (again) about free will and love.

And despite the war eating all Mace's time, this is somehow legitimately more urgent.

Anakin fully intends to go entirely no contact with Everyone. He is going to do solo missions and receive instructions by comm and stop influencing people because he'll wear FORCE CUFFS when MEETING WITH THEM.

Mace tells him to dial it down a bit, they can start with just the cuffs as a specialist undoes whatever Anakin thinks he did to Obi-Wan or Ahsoka, first (the cuffs are so he doesn't accidentally redo what the specialist undoes), and once they have more information on what and how, they can go from there.

I think that with most people who like him or find him charismatic, the Force Vibes are only as strong as like... subconscious messaging (like wearing makeup, a nice suit, body language, etc).

Mace just thinking "Well... at least his intentions are good, even if the solution is a bit... much..."

(And, hey, at least he's avoiding Palpatine now!)

And from @jebiknights:

It's also ironic though because aside from Padme where it happened in relative isolation in a short period of time, most of the other people he could influence either like, straight up don't like him/are neutral to him, or like... in reality like with Obi-Wan where even though they had a Force Bond, Obi-Wan is known for having good shielding and resisting suggestion so like, Obi-Wan's probably fine but also Anakin would once again be turning over the fact over and over again that Obi-Wan only took him on because of Qui-Gon, and that he got Obi-Wan essentially repudiated by his Master- the only reasonable explanation when he thinks about it is that he had been influencing him the whole time! You also have to wonder though if the people who do actually dislike him also weren't picking up subconsciously on his own insecurities? (not everyone but yaknow, also a possibility I guess) I feel like it's likely though that random people that he doesn't have a lot of contact with probably do pick up on his "please please please like me" vibes and that could influence the random people who end up looking up to him as the chosen one

#Anidala #Padme Amidala #Anakin Skywalker #Mace Windu #star wars #the clone wars #phoenix posts

[munsluyt]

nah bro who EVER said billy’s actions were okay? i wouldn’t say i’m a billy “apologist” and nobody’s saying what he did was all sparkles and rainbows.

girl half of billy stan’s look at him through a canon lens anyway plus we all just want to see him heal, grow and realize his actions were so wrong the fucking character development we were so cruelly deprived of.

also i think stans surrounding billy has a lot to do w empathy, let’s be honest here, a lot of us can relate to the trauma and brainwashing he experienced and how that alone can make you a pretty cold, selfish and ignorant person, you’re in defense mode all the time, that’s whats victim’s of a abuse do? (ESPECIALLY when it’s your own damn parents)

i myself have been through a scary amount of all kinds of abuse in my childhood- let’s not forget BILLY WAS ONLY 17-18- and it took years of therapy to develop a right state of mind. people have issues bro and they deserve the chance to become better people. (this whole “toxic people are damned” is some seriously prejudice shit.)

you’re literally wishing death against someone (granted he’s fictional, but that’s kinda backwards, to sit on your high horse and say someone deserved to die. who tf are you? it’s pretty sick that these billy haters are pretty much stating that the only solution for people like him is to off themselves. people fuck up especially broken/hurting one’s. billy could’ve turned himself around given a healthy environment and i can attest to that.

everyone deserves to better themselves (some people, i will say, are a lot harder to give that consideration but-) if you think otherwise just fuck off with your closed minded self.

lol this had me heated

(the people that are so pressed are pissing me off. LIFE ISNT PERFECT FOR EVERYONE, fuck me man. do you not understand how confusing and damaging it is to have abusive/racist parents? it takes a long time to come into your own line of thinking and heal. racism is disgusting and it’s a generational thing, for some people it’s something they grew up with and have to realize is not normal and wicked. remind yourself his character is only 17. if you don’t agree, if you don’t like what i’ve said here, keep scrolling and move on with your day.)

#billy deserved better #billy hargrove gif #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove smut #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove #stranger things imagine #starnger things #billy x reader #billy x y/n #billy stranger things #billy hargrove one shot #billy hargrove blurb #billy hargrove stranger things

[nation-of-bros]

Europe as a sponge for the USA

I only have to go out on the streets to see the consequences of those Western arms deliveries: Germany has been OVERRUNNED BY REFUGEES FOR DECADES CAUSED BY AMERICAN WARS! The Ukrainian refugees in particular are an incredible (and thankless) burden. And the US authorities even have the audacity to tell Ukrainian refugees on the border: You can't stay here, fly on to Germany. We are just something like a sponge for them, which they use to wipe away the blood of their victims.

As a thank you for our service as their sponge, they secretly attacked our system-critical infrastructure so that we would lose all economic advantage and slide into debt. Germany is not viewed as an ally, but as an enemy state (including by the UN to this day, as the relevant legal clauses have never been abolished). And because it can't be worse, they are infiltrating the German government, like every government in Europe and the world, so that this US remote-controlled government looks the other way and pretends they don't know anything.

If you have the USA as an ally, you no longer need an enemy.

USA drives others into climate madness to ruin their economy

For example, the CIA made a fucking children's book author the German economics minister, who, in his green madness, is converting the fourth largest economic nation into a "climate-neutral" third world state. Their ideologues want to transform the “capitalist growth economy” into a “climate-neutral circular economy” where “graphic designers literally become reforesters”. Growth should turn into "healthy shrinkage", especially by making energy a luxury good in order to turn "climate-damaging industry" unprofitable and force private households to save.

In his actions, the German Economics Minister fulfills all of the interests of the USA. For example, instead of repairing Nord Stream, he had LNG terminals built on the German coast so that we are supplied with 10 times more expensive American fracking gas instead of the much cheaper and environmentally friendly natural gas from Russia. And the greatest irony of all – no, you have to call it malicious sarcasm – they justify it with "fossil energies from Russia are evil". But the fact that these LNG terminals are now polluting the coasts and the extraction of fracking gas in the USA is chemically contaminating the soil too and causing earthquakes seems to be completely okay for this children's book author who wants to save the world's climate. These Green Maoists are absolutely despicable lackeys.

But the really bad thing is that the Germans are so fucking brainwashed by this Western propganda that they put up with this unbearable idiocy, even want it themselves; at least a very large part. The other part that still thinks clearly becomes like a hostage to the fucking Western do-gooder. They can only free themselves by offering total resistance to the system and resigning from their jobs until this unbearable nonsense ends through new elections and a change of government parties.

But that won't work, because the workers themselves have to live on something, earn a living. So they remain trapped in this hamster wheel. And the political opponent, the AfD, is kept small through perfidious actions where foundations paid by the government spy on AfD politicians and publish the recordings in a distorted image. The system and its sheep defame anyone who rejects their world-saving climate neutrality as a Nazi; yes, they even manage to insult people as "Nazis" who are in favor of peace negotiations instead of arms deliveries, while these self-proclaimed "good democrats" themselves have no moral compunction about supplying weapons to real Nazis. This is absolutely unbearable to any sane mind.

Justice must be self-made

Therefore, the only real solution is the violent overthrow of the government: Angry crowds who storm the Bundestag, drag the politicians into the streets and beat them to death. The people must teach this scum at the top of this foreign-controlled state to fear. The mob must show the puppets and their secret leaders that they have long since crossed every red line. But the Germans are far too civilized. In other countries, angry men would have long since stormed parliament and eliminated the government. Instead, all I have to do is turn on the TV and see the same politicians who have been responsible for the biggest scandals for years and yet continue to do so with complete impunity, with the sheer arrogance of getting even re-elected instead of being thrown into a hole for life.

There is no justice on this planet, you have to do it yourself. Nobody will come and save you, you have to save yourself and your people. The vast majority of humanity has long since been lost.

#politics #essay

[steviestits]

Not sure if you're still taking prompts but I was wondering if you could do Potions/Bitching, and Guards/Brainwashing if no one has asked those already. Thank you!!

Thanks for the prompts! And nope, no one has asked for those, so yours are completely original

Potions/Bitching - Eddie is a potions master and Dustin is his apprentice while Steve is Dustin's surrogate big brother. Eddie and Steve are alphas, but Dustin is a beta, so he's having a bit of trouble learning how to create potions suited for alpha/omega biology. Dustin doesn't let that deter him, though, and he continues to try to learn the practices on his own.

Eventually, Dustin thinks he's got the potion right and gives it to Steve to try, telling him that it should make his ruts go smoother. Steve is dubious of the potion's powers, but Dustin wears him down, promising that he wouldn't be giving it to Steve if he wasn't one hundred percent certain that it works. So, against his better judgment, Steve drinks the potion.

The potion works. Steve does have a smoother rut, because he doesn't have one at all. The night that he takes the potion, Steve goes through his first heat as the potion bitched him from an alpha to an omega. It's a bit painful growing a womb, but by the end of it, he's moaning in pleasure as his hormones shifted to those of an omega.

After Steve finishes his heat, he tracks down Dustin, upset that the kid accidentally bitched him. Dustin feels sorry and takes Steve to Eddie, who will know how to turn him back into an alpha. Though Steve doesn't want to try any more potions, he goes with Dustin to meet Eddie to see if he actually has a solution.

Steve arrives with Dustin at the tower, only to find that the omega in him is going wild over the alpha's scent. Dustin relays the problem to Eddie, but Eddie is clearly not listening as he seems aroused by Steve's scent, too. Eddie makes up an errand for Dustin to run, and Eddie fucks Steve right there on his potions table.

Dustin returns shortly after they finished fucking for the tenth time and doesn't seem to know what was going on in his absence. Eddie agrees to make the potion to change Steve back, except it doesn't work. The only reason why it wouldn't work was if Steve was pregnant, making the affects of the spell permanent.

As it turns out, the potion also made Steve hyper-fertile. Not only did he get pregnant super quickly, but nine months later, the local midwife delivers all six of Steve and Eddie's baby nuggets.

Guards/Brainwashing - Steve works as a day-shift guard at a magical prison that houses the most dangerous magical creatures known to the kingdom. One such creature is a hawk-like siren named Eddie who has been responsible for the sinking of numerous shifts and the deaths of many of crews. He's kept in one of the high-security wards where they have enchantments that supposedly nullify the inherent magical nature of his voice.

Eddie is personable and sometimes chats with Steve on shift, asking him about his day. He seems to be one of the more model prisoners, serving his consecutive life sentences without much of a fuss. Also, the other prisoners don't bother Eddie, so he doesn't bother them. All in all, Eddie seems to be taking imprisonment very well.

Because of the highly dangerous nature of the inmates, guards sleep on site in their own barracks, even on their days off, they must return to the barracks for sleep in case of an emergency. What no one knows, however, is that the night watch has been compromised as the enchantments stopped working in his cell.

Every night, Eddie sings a song for the guards and commands them to release him. He doesn't escape, however, and instead heads to the guard barracks where Steve sleeps, so he can sing to him. Eddie's been working a deeper song on Steve to sway his heart and loyalty in order to make Steve into his beloved mate.

The two have intimate intercourse each night while Eddie wraps Steve tighter in his spell. Steve assumes these are only dreams since there's no way Eddie would still be here if he could freely leave his cell as he did at night. He begins to believe that maybe he actually has deep feelings for the siren prisoner.

This continues until the spell is complete and Eddie can take his prize away from the prison. He brings Steve to his nest, where Steve is happy to stay because of the song that binds him.

#show: stranger things #steddie #my fics #alex answers #wip wednesday #but on a friday

[codenamesazanka]

"not the actual person, but the inner child he saw inside" is the impression I have as well, and although I keep holding onto the hope that Horikoshi has enough respect for his characters that the actual saving of Shigaraki will be more complicated than that, I am fearing that there is no way around fixing everything by saving the crying child <3 now. Just a very lazy and easy solution to the problem. Which is incredibly frustrating after all that build-up and because I still think that Horikoshi is capable of coming up with something smarter. I used to be very excited to see how the saving Shigaraki plotline would unfold, but now I almost dread it. :(

I hold the same hope, anon! That the actual saving of Shigaraki will be more complicated than 'save the crying inner child', and Horikoshi is capable of coming up with something more interesting and satisfying. Shigaraki is a character he's had for several incarnations - through the 'Tenko' oneshot and more loosely 'Shiina' from Oumagadoki Zoo - and with the way he developed Shigaraki Tomura as a antagonist in parallel the whole time through the story, I hope it means he cares enough for the character of Shigaraki Tomura to give him a good conclusion.

(What a good conclusion is, of course, is up for debate, but for me, it means respecting the journey Shigaraki and addressing his pain not as a brainwashed victim whose issues were made up, or a dismissable tantrum-throwing child that needs to find Heroes cool again, but as someone who has a right to be angry with the world.)

It's been frustrating! I do admire Deku for wanting to save Shigaraki so badly. He's stubbornly committed to it, if nothing else; no matter what the OFA vestiges think, and no matter what Shigaraki tells him, Deku does not want to kill Shigaraki and be done with it. That's great! The problem is that it feels like the biggest obstacle right now is actually Deku himself, in that he refuses to see the man in front of him and is instead fixated on the vision of a crying child.

One can claim that 'Shigaraki Tomura' is not actually a real person, just a construct created by trauma and grooming/an evil spirit that has grown around a innocent child, so the only thing real to save is Shimura Tenko. But from Shigaraki's own experiences and words, he acknowledges that he's someone that's grown from Tenko - he remembers seeing Nana's picture in Chapter 270, but decides to reject that past dream; he names himself as both Shimura Tenko and Shigaraki Tomura in Chapter 379; and despite what the official translation says in Chapter 412, Shigaraki says clearly 'that boy became me'. Perhaps he's not as over his traumatic past as he claims, but that doesn't mean he's not the same person.

So it just downright insulting when Shigaraki is saying all this stuff, talking to Deku, asserting himself and his goals left and right - moreover, him having expressed lots of times his discontent with Heroes (all might’s smile is a farce, heroes swept pain under the rugs, the rot has built up, everything i’ve witness, the dream will end, doing this partly for the league) - only for Deku to just keep harping on 'The Crying Child': "Not actually going to listen and respond to you! You're just a hurt child deep down, I'll make you reveal your damage to me so I can save you." How patronizing. How dismissive.

And like, it'll be good for Deku too - that he has to acknowledge the cute, crying child is the same person as the actual Villain, with all his anger and dreams and humanity - he has to deal with both Shigaraki Tomura and Shimura Tenko. That's a more interesting challenge. Like, in Chapter 348, he failed with Toga because while he can relate to Toga's admiration, in the next breath he also basically said 'but you do it weird', and then lost Toga completely. He hasn't dealt with the whole of a person. He should probably do that with Shigaraki.

Thanks for the ask!

#nalslastworkingbraincell #asked #ask #answered #anon #anonymous

[zorciarkrildrush]

I really get and support conscientious objection to military service, but I think it's also worth reminding mainly Americans but definitely not only Americans that Israel's wars are not comparable to things like Vietnam (where dodging the draft was, obviously, the thing people like me would be supporting), and definitely not Iraq and Afghanistan or any other damn overseas conflict they grew up with. I get that you did not, and will likely never experience actual frequent attempts to invade and destroy your country and your people. That's good! I get why for you, military service seems morally indefensible. You wouldn't catch me calling you wrong, or a weak hearted liberal, or any other damn thing. You think the service itself is wrong, that serving an armed force in any capacity is wrong, and I really get that!

But Israeli troops - conscripts in compulsory service (which of course, they would go to jail for dodging) and reservists and NCOs and so on, aren't opting for overseas operations done purely for funsies and capitalism and fear of the USSR. You must recognize this false equivalency is very prevalent, even when your criticisms of the Israeli government and the IDF are very true and important. God knows I have a lot of criticism for both, jesus fucking christ do I. In the mind of every 18-year old dumbass kid, getting their first letter of conscription (which is again, compulsory and will be enforced with jailtime) - and also their parents, and their grandparents, is actual and real danger to their lives. Our neighbours invading with the real, publicly expressed intent of killing us, of demolishing our homes and driving us to the sea as a whole. This isn't a proxy war overseas, where they can just not go and be fine with it - there are actual people with guns and they're firing actual rockets aimed at your mom and everybody else you know. People with guns are breaching the fence with the express purpose of murdering you and your family. Not random Palestinians or other Arabs just trying to live their life - actual governments with actual armed forces, who use those armed forces to kill you. Hell, you probably know someone, either directly or one step removed, who violently died because of it. This was true since Israel's inception, and the staggering amount of times it happened is not something you can just solve with "well they shouldn't have done so and so!". Because yes, certainly, the Israeli government shouldn't have done a lot of things, and maybe you'll say those dastardly Zionists should have never wanted to come here, seeing how nice and safe and wanted they felt back home. But discussing what people shouldn't have done is very nice, especially when it doesn't personally affect you, especially when you never lived with the frequent and real danger of violent death - but I'd also suggest it doesn't really help anyone. Certainly the person currently launching a rocket aimed at my house shouldn't have opted to do that, and certainly the person who chose to pick up a gun and fire at me shouldn't have done so either, but I'd really prefer to talk about what we should do now - what the actual solution is for both Palestinian and Israeli parents to stop losing sons and daughters to violence every fucking year of their lives. Is that okay? Is that allowed? Or is it more effective to just say an 18 year old kid, commanded to pick up a gun and watch for someone coming over to kill their mom, which is a constant and real threat and has been for decades, is a mindless murder monster? That he's doing it for funsies and due to brainwashing only? My answer might surprise you.

#selfpost #i/p #I will never let go of people going on about Gal Gadot 'murdering Palestinian babies' since she served in the army #she was a fucking gym instructor what are you talking about #people reluctantly go do a thing they have to for 3 years and it's usually an office job and it often makes them a lot more anti-government #but no let's talk about how every single one is an irredeemable monster doing it for fun + mindless hatred #god bless people abroad I hope their life stays so easy and safe from organized violence

[sebbys-mama]

I love Aziraphale. Truly. And I believe, at his core, he wants to *be* good, but even more so, he wants to *do* good.

However, because of the indoctrination by Heaven, he is often misguided. Aziraphale is certainly far from perfect; he has many flaws. This includes, but is not limited to, being quite hedonistic.

Between these two large parts of his personality, Aziraphale’s attempts to do good often come across as selfish. He wants to please Heaven, but also himself.

I also believe, wholeheartedly, that Aziraphale loves Crowley. I can't imagine why else an angel would go out of their way to befriend and *help* a demon.

My headcanon is that Crowley fell in love, and was able to identify what that love meant, well before Aziraphale. I believe Aziraphale's feelings crept up on him slowly, manifesting more and more with every interaction he had with Crowley.

When Crowley saved Aziraphale’s books, I believe that was when it hit him. He finally realized what he felt for Crowley was more than platonic. However, he must have also been hit with great confusion. How could an angel love a demon??

Yet, that hedonistic side of him wanted to see how far he could get with those feelings, but without having to be honest and admitting it outright. So, he flirted. A lot.

I think, in his own way, he wasn't only protecting himself. He was protecting Crowley as well. Certainly, neither Heaven nor Hell would approve of such a thing. Aziraphale had to at least suspect that Crowley felt more for him than simple friendship. But, like his own feelings, he felt it was safer to keep that possibility hidden in the shadows.

When Aziraphale was approached by the (fucking asshole piece of shit) Metatron and was told he could bring Crowley to Heaven with him, he jumped on it. In his hedonistic mind, he believed that was the perfect solution. With Crowley as an angel, his feelings for him would no longer be a danger to either of them.

I believe that if Aziraphale suspected Crowley loved him, he had to be keeping quiet for the same reasons. Therefore, being reinstated as an angel would be how the only way they could truly be together.

Of course, Crowley knows Heaven's offer is bullshit and hopes he can convince his foolish angel that they can "be an us" without either side's approval. They're on their own side and have been for a long time. Aziraphale just doesn't realize or truly believe it. Especially when he gets an opportunity to please the beings whose approval he's been brainwashed to absolutely *need*.

These are obviously all my personal beliefs, and I know that when season 3 airs, I could very well be proven wrong. Everyone's headcanons are valid and possible. I don't want to argue or debate about it. I just wanted to write my feelings down. (I did not anticipate that this post would be so long lol)

#ineffable husbands headcanon #good omens headcanon #ineffable husbands #ineffable idiots #good omens #good omens 2 #crowley loves aziraphale #aziraphale loves crowley #crowley good omens #aziraphale good omens #the metatron can fuck right off

[starwalker03]

I’m not sure if this question is crack or not. What would WMLP Dick do if Batman plus a Justice League team up beat up Slade and threw him in the phantom zone? Superman let Bruce cause they were both pissed about Slade killing Dick.

oh my godddddddd. because that's like. he's not getting Slade out of there. he's just not. the only way he has a chance to do that would be to get help from wither the league itself or... i don't even know. the future heroes have access I think. i don't even know. but Dick's not managing that.

(okay this got long so uhhhhh)

I mean I guess he's becoming Deathstroke! he probably would like to save Slade, and that's a goal int he back of his head, but he has no idea how to do that. so in the meantime he'll take up the mantle and get to work.

okay but if he did, I imagine Clark and Bruce like 'we're not letting him become as bad as Slade was' and immediately trying to arrest him. if they're at the point of throwing Slade in the phantom zone then they're probably at the point where they're willing to just be like 'no. we've decided Deathstroke doesn't get to be a thing anymore. we've had enough.'

which makes it rather difficult for Dick to do his job.

and like. Slade isn't getting out himself any time soon. So Dick probably is like 'y'know what? imma just... chill for a bit' as he starts getting information and stuff to hopefully break out M'Gaan, Conner and Kaldur. he's just not doing many contracts y'know.

after several close calls escaping Bruce and Clark I think he starts doing his work in disguise. or at least just in all black gear so he can't really be connected to Deathstroke. and that'll only be a solution for so long, because now he has a batman mercilessly trying to track him down.

I think they pick up on the fact that this new deathstroke isn't really doing typical contracts. sure he's killing but it's not a kill mission. he's breaking into things and stealing things and hacking things. and they can't find a buyer, they can't track anything down about who he's working for. so perhaps this of his own accord?

I think Clark starts getting hopeful that maybe there's more to this story, and perhaps there's a chance for rehabilitation. Bruce is too clouded by righteous fury, though.

Dick can't evade them forever, eventually he'll get caught, he can feel them at his heels. he hasn't been home in months, refusing to accidentally lead them to Rose, he's running out of safe houses and bases, but it's okay. he just needs to last long enough to save his friends old team mates.

and even if they catch him before that, if he has the dominoes set up he can hand it over to them and let them knock them over. at least his goal will be fulfilled and everyone will be free and he can... well. it doesn't matter after that. The only other priority is Rose, and he trusts Wintergreen to care for her.

I think they finally catch him when he breaks out M'Gaan. they barely manage to get out without Bee taking them down, Dick had to sedate M'Gaan to stop her from fighting him, but it's okay, he's in his getaway vehicle (a very small plane with enough fuel to get to a safer place where he has a vehicle kitted out to escape under the radar) when suddenly he's being tailed and it's not from Bee's military.

he's got it handled, he lasts surprisingly long, until he's close enough to the ground that the league decides he'll survive a full blown crash and fires direct on the ship. he's still awake when he lands, makes sure M'Gaan is okay, drags her away from the fire, and then he's surrounded by leaguers. and he just... can't. he just doesn't want to deal with this bullshit. he let's M'Gaan go, she can be caught, she'll be okay. they'll work on the brainwashing. he'd prefer to help her himself, without putting her in the stress that is being saved by the league, but it's fine. he'll take what he can get.

so yeah, he fights. he survives longer than he expected to. Superman can't just go flying out to Qurac and start shooting down planes, it'd cause an international incident. but Batman does whatever the fuck he wants. he's got Canary and Green Arrow and Green Lantern, who is taking care of the plane wreckage and making sure it doesn't explode or draw attention from Bee's intelligience.

but yeah. they win that fight. Dick doesn't stop fighting, face pressed into the sand, until the fire gets too close to M'Gaan and he starts screaming at them to get her away from it. she's not in danger of catching but she's way too close for a Martian.

they're telling him to focus on himself not someone else, he's in much more trouble then her, until eventually he just snaps, "It's M'Gaan you fucking idiots! get her away from the fire!"

Lantern gets on that immediately, pulling her away with his ring and getting her into their ship so he can check her vitals. and now Bruce is trying to interrogate him about This Whole Situation, as Canary is cuffing him, because how the fuck does he know M'Gaan? how did he know where she was?

Eventually Dick just snaps, "don't you think there's a better time for questions Bruce? fucking hell. you did it, you got me, calm the fuck down and get out of my face."

Bruce does not want to calm the fuck down and get out of his face, but Oliver basically pulls him back like 'he's right, calm down, we'll question him on the watch tower, we gotta get out of here before Bee shows up.' which is much too logical for Bruce to ignore it.

And then they knock Dick out so he doesn't try anything, drag him into the ship, and off they go to the watchtower. the fun thing is I don't think they even bother taking his mask off. they'll leave that for later. honestly it might not even occur to them because his identity doesn't really matter till they're putting him in the system. if they even do that. maybe they can just shove him in the phantom zone with his master. (Clark makes it clear he doesn't like that idea).

and then interrogations begin. Dick refuses to go along with any questioning until they tell him that M'Gaan is okay. they do tell him she's fine, he managed to keep her away from the fire pretty well and she's on track to finish bed rest at the end of the day. but after that there'll be a lot of work. she needs all kinds of therapy. Dick is relieved. they ask why he cared to save M'Gaan.

I think they have Canary interrogate him while Bruce watches behind the mirror, fuming, because everyone decided he was too emotionally compromised by the whole thing.

Canary: it's interesting you ask about M'Gaan. you seemed very invested in her well being. and getting her out of Bee's clutches couldn't have been easy. how do you know her?

Dick: I would've thought that was obvious by now.

Canary: explain it like it's not obvious.

Dick, wondering if there's any way he gets out of this without the truth coming to light. also wondering if he can put off telling the truth as long as possible because man this sucks: *sigh* can we just cut to the part where you tell me where the hell you're locking me up?

Canary: what makes you think we're putting you in prison?

Dick, mask covering face but still very evidently giving her a look of 'are you fucking serious?': do you want that list in alphabetical or chronological order?

Canary: funny. the first Deathstroke never used to be this entertaining to talk to.

Dick: that's cause of the permanent stick shoved up his ass.

Canary: so there's no love lost between you and your former mentor?

Dick, has been away from Slade long enough he's started to gain some semblance of independence and begun detaching his emotions from Slade: sure.

Canary: and how old were you when he took you as an apprentice?

Dick: no younger than most of your kid heroes. how are they doing by the way? still losing them?

Canary, not having any of that: how interesting that a question like that makes you lash out.

Dick, remembering she's a lawyer and also did their therapy, internally: shit

Canary: so you were young. and what exactly was the nature of your relationship? how did you meet?

Dick: tindr.

Canary: please stop deflecting. I'm trying to help you.

Dick: that's kind of hard to believe with my hands in cuffs and an inhibitor collar around my neck.

Canary: I think you can understand the precautions we need to take. now please, answer the questions.

Dick, knowing all of this is gonna come out eventually but hating it and hoping to just gloss over things: *sigh* I was fourteen.

Canary: I see. and where did he take you in from?

Dick, knowing the truth is going to be so specific but not really thinking of many other options: he killed me then brought me back with the same serum that gave him his enhancements

Canary, feeling a strange sense of foreboding and a tug in her memories, but not wanting to devolve the conversation: and why did he choose you?

Dick: ...

Canary, waiting patiently: ...

Dick: ...

Canary: ...

Dick: so like do you want to skip to the part where I tell you who I am, or...?

Canary: if you'd like. is it pertinent to my questions?

Dick: uh yeah you could say that.

Canary, beginning to have hypotheses she doesn't like: elaborate

Dick: uhhhhh...

Canary, never seen a Deathstroke, Slade or otherwise, fumbling this much: why are you anxious?

Dick, does not know why he's this anxious, because he totally doesn't care about any of this whatsoever, definitely, for sure: uh well- I wasn't expecting to have to do this shit when I started my mission to save M'Gaan

Canary, knows he's lying: I assumed you didn't wish for us to know your identity for typical reasons. but there's more to this. you simply don't want us to know... because?

Dick, currently with an inner monologue that sounds a lot like 'fuck fuck fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck': listen Dinah, I really don't need a therapy session right now.

Canary: I beg to disagree

Dick, really sick of this, is just gonna rip off the bandage: Dick Grayson

Canary, blue screening: wat

Sounds behind the mirror: *bang crash*

Dick: who's listening to us?

Canary: pay no attention to the man behind the curtain Dick Grayson is dead

Dick: only for like. a few weeks at most. actually Slade never told me back then, time kinda blurred

Canary, storming around the table to take off the mask: I swear to god if this is a game-

Dick, now not wearing a mask, hair very much a mess and getting in his eyes: hi?

Canary, mask in hand, gaping, very conflicted feelings right now, no idea what to do, ready to call in reinforcements: ... Bruce?!

sounds behind mirror: *more crashing and door opening*

Bruce: *appears in doorway*

Canary: *gestures vaguely at Dick, who could really use a hand getting a piece of hair out of his eye*

Dick: oh joy we're doing this now

Bruce: Dick? you're alive? you-

Dick: yes we've established that

Canary: I'm gonna leave you with Bruce-

Dick, does not want to talk to Batman: I would prefer if you did literally anything else

Bruce, scorned by a second son who's come back from death, does not know how to emotion, continues standing int he doorway because he doesn't have any space left in his brain computer for anything else right now, voice does not sound the way his brain does because it comes out all gruff and mean: you don't want to talk to me?

Canary, sensing a Problem oncoming: okay maybe I'll stay actually

Dick: what if I just go to prison and we skip all of this actually?

oh this got long. whoops. man now I have this whole thing playing in my brain lmao.

the idea of the league catching him without knowledge of anything else and just being like 'what the fuck' for a while until Clark is like 'time to rehabilitate him'. okay but Dick just moping around trying to avoid being rehabilitated and work on a way to escape so he can get back to Rose and saving his friends, but the league keep trying to make him become a better person. they're basically like 'team up with us and we'll save COnner and Kaldur! and maybe track down Artemis! you'll be like a double agent or something!' and he's like 'I have no interest in being the justice league's pet mercenary'

basically he becomes that guy in Buffy, the vampire with the blond hair. Spike? I think. he's just vibing in the background, against his wishes.

#dc comics #fanfiction #young justice #dick grayson #with morality like a polynomial #wmlp #angst #deathstroke #black canary #dinah lance #the justice league

[koukaaa-descent]

thinkinh about the world building im trying to hit indigo&monsoon's world with .. collection of little lore snippets.

totally fun facts about my ocs

Monsoon dies in order to carry a star onto Gordion. The star itself is contained inside of its ribcage, quite literally burning it from the inside out. In order to get it there, Indigo fed the star to Monsoon.

The star in question is used to 'wish' Gordion out of existence.

In my interpretation of lore, Gordion is the name of a universe-devouring beast (also using the moniker 'Death'). Same appearance as it as ingame. As in; huge planet.

Sigurd has both a lesser and greater role. He is one out of a few others who have left logs & things that one can find. At the end of his logs, he instead expresses a wish to see Death's death. (Regarding Gordion; Gordion is meant to be widely regarded as death itself, here.)

The company creates 'employees' via piecing together usually mindless drones out of the corpses of entities, humans, and other odd things. A great majority are simply brainwashed into believing that they are human, despite anything that may prove otherwise. Since the company itself is rather lackluster in enforcing the brainwashing, there have been numerous cases wherein entire crews have gone into it entirely conscious of themselves. It is an incredibly flawed process.

Think of the company as a hive & the employees the worker bees. They are an attempt to lessen the universe's slow death in the maw of Gordion, for those who no longer exist to have a greater amount of time to search for a solution that, too, does not exist anymore. There was an entire workforce dedicated to slowing & ceasing the consumption. They are all dead and gone, and with their disappearance leaving behind objects that eventually became known as Comedy/Tragedy masks. Their purpose is unknown, as there are no traces of information regarding them and their creation left.

Indigo dies nearly immediately after Monsoon does. Monsoon disintegrates in his arms.

The only reason that Indigo does not immediately disintegrate beneath the star's power is because of his biological makeup. To keep it simple, he's closer to a bracken & a corpse than he is to a living being; he lacks several organs crucial to life and is mostly patchwork on the inside. Thus, he also burns like wood. Wet wood. It doesn't make it any less painful, though.

Nutcrackers, coil heads, and Masks/Masked are regarded as human creations. This does include the parasites within the nutcrackers. This does have 'lore' relevance.

Indigo is an unfinished product. He basically got sent through the creation process as if it were a blender. Thus, while he does not entirely believe himself human or retain the loyalty to the company, he does retain a need for purpose. That need tends to overshadow everything else. It can consume him, in a way, just as Gordion has consumed everything else.

If given more time, Monsoon could have become indigo's 'purpose'. I dare to say even a week more spent oblivious to Gordion's existence would have let him fixate entirely upon Monsoon. The unfortunate thing is that that's not how it happens, nor could Indigo change his purpose after he became fixated on the first initial purpose. It would be similar to taking away the thing a robot is meant to do; sure, it could do other things, but never will it retain the same ease, passion & desire to do those things as it did its initial thing.

Many species have been behaviorally changed in accordance with the story. For example; Nutcrackers actively guard specific areas within the facility/mansion. Their patrols are consistent rather than erratic, and rather than play their music only during confrontation, they continuously play the music at a low volume. (Something about war machines that sing). They are semi-sentient and intelligent enough to recognize humanoids and discern whether or not said humanoids are intruders upon the area they guard. A nutcracker will still shoot to kill if you are within its guarded area, but it will resort to warning shots if you are either nearby or bordering its area. They also recognize that the mansion itself is something to be protected but are designated to specific spots and, therefore, do not stray outside of those spots.

Coil-heads were once people (of many species) who had been eroded into what they are now. I will not be clarifying much on this. However; I dare say that attempting to trap and contain a star is a deeply terrible idea, even if it is in the attempts to erase a greater evil. Do you think a star cares for the guilts and grievances of such small beings? Of course not.

Indigo's skeletal structure is more 'animal' than it is human. In fact, he is actually missing some bones in some places, as there was either no need for them or the species used to form those parts simply didn't have bone. He can look directly behind him by looking directly upward and opening his mouth. (Image below.)

It looks about as odd as you'd expect.

His neck situation is kind of frightening. He is missing most of the vertebrae in his spine above the ribs, and it's mostly just cartilage and... stuff, going on in there. You could probably just reach in and take a wad of suspicious flesh out, bare handed. That's how loose and tender everything is in there.

Monsoon is very sensitive to heat and light, as one would expect a plant based creature to be. I suppose this makes the impact of its willing act of holding a star all the more important; even without sentience, without understanding, its faith in Indigo was so awfully strong that perhaps the agony meant nothing to it.

Monsoon's anatomy is odd, as it does not actually have bones. 80% of its body is simply solid fibers or material resembling cartilage. Its skull is the most solid thing inside of its body, as it is roughly 75% bone.

#oc lore #oc monsoon #oc indigo #loredropping about my oc's world is drving me nuts #i will continue this lter i tjink #reminder to self elaborate regarding the creation & purpose of the Masks #lethal company #lethal company oc #refinng this latwe i wrote all of this on the verge of sleep

[mariacallous]

"I wake up every morning, thinking this may be my last day. I have never lived like this", a young woman in Kyiv told me 10 days ago, when I visited the city. It seemed calm, and life was normal. But this week the missiles came back.

There is no normalcy. War is an all-consuming experience. Every Ukrainian is involved in it in one way or another: Fighting, helping, caring, worrying, crying.

In Kyiv two things became clearer to me: first, most Ukrainians truly see the conflict as a war of survival for their nation. They view it through the lens of Russian repression of Ukrainian nationhood in the 19th century and Stalin's killing of millions of Ukrainians in the Holodomor, the mass hunger of the 1930s.

I had read about both, but it was only through conversations in Kyiv that I understood the intensity of this trauma.

It is no surprise that Poles are so overwhelmingly supporting Ukraine. They experienced similar trauma from Russia and Germany. The story is similar for the Baltic states.

The conviction that this is a war of survival makes the discussion of geopolitical analysts sound so wrong.

They ask how much defeat Moscow can take before things become too dangerous. But victory and defeat cannot be precisely balanced out, as if war was some laboratory exercise. For Ukrainians the point of "too dangerous" is long past.

It arrived in 2014, or at least on 24 February this year. Russia has been attacking Ukraine, its people and the nation for eight years. And it has not been shy about it. Every day its Russian TV pundits talk about "so-called Ukraine".

Ukrainians think they can buy themselves some years, or perhaps even decades, of rest if they defeat the Russian army and push it out of their country.

This is a rational assumption that Ukraine's allies need to share, for Ukraine cannot fight without their military and economic support.

Euphemisms

The worst the allies and their public commentators can do is muse endlessly about what a "political deal" could look like. Because a "political deal" is a euphemism for handing over Ukrainian land to Russia.

And "handing over land" is a euphemism too. People live on that land. They would have to live in Russia — brainwashing certain, survival not guaranteed.

The endless talk about a political solution overlooks another problem. Putin has ruled it out. He made a show of "annexing" four Ukrainian regions, declaring them eternally Russian, before saying to Ukraine: "Come and negotiate now" — making these words meaningless.

There may be a moment when the Russian government wants to negotiate for real. The war is going badly for them. Then there may be talks (though probably not with Putin). The Ukrainian government would consider the situation in consultation with its allies.

Possible scenarios may then emerge. But trading territory and people in abstract discussions now is pointless and insulting.

The second thing that became clearer during my time in Kyiv is this: many people in the West would like Ukraine to be a little bit guilty as well, or at least be problematic. They say: Look at those Nazis of the Azov regime! How about corruption? And wouldn't some Ukrainians prefer to live in Russia?

Why are these people obsessed with Ukrainian problems and issues that are irrelevant to the conflict?

A list of serious problems could be drawn up for almost any country in the world. But, in the case of Ukraine, how are these problems related to being brutally assaulted by a neighbour that wants to steal your land and destroy your culture?

They are not. But it is nice to think they are related. It gives psychological relief. If Ukraine would be a little bit guilty as well, would it not all be much easier? We could then dismiss the conflict as some complicated, hard-to-understand historical struggle between two neighbours.

We could feel good and rational saying that Ukraine needs to find some kind of political solution. Trade some land. Let some of the people be taken over by another country (they speak Russian anyway, don't they?). We helped them alright, but now it's enough.

I have worked for more than eight years on Ukraine and have visited many times. Ukraine has problems, but they have not caused this war.

Today it has only one existential problem: Russia.

This is our problem too. The Kremlin follows a path of revisionist aggression for more than a decade. It wants to destroy European peace and democracy along with the international rule-based order.

Democracies are far from perfect. They apply doubles standards and often make bad compromises between what they define as their interests and values.

But Russia is different. Its policy is to systematically help dictators around the world to crush their people. Ukraine is the frontline of a war against all of us.

The best we can do is support Ukraine to bring this awful war to an end as quickly as possible. It is a hard way to go.

Not everybody believes this is the right way to go. This is a legitimate discussion, but it should be an honest one. People who propose "political solutions" need to explain the brutal realities and risks associated with their solutions.