#we have learned time and time again that they'd do anything to justify the killing of people

[astraystayyh]

I've been debating how to breach this topic for the past days, but there is no easy or practical way to bring it up. There is an ongoing genocide in Gaza- the world's largest open air prison, as described by U.N. officials and activists. Nearly 2500 Palestinians have been killed in the course of past few days, including women and nearly 700 children. 700. Israel urged Palestinians to leave the Gaza stripe (even though they have nowhere to go to) only to bomb their "safe" exit routes. Entire civilian neighborhoods and hospitals are being targeted by Israel, and they are threatening to cut off the water and electricity in Gaza as well, turning the few running hospitals left to cemeteries.

Palestinians children are writing their names on their palms so people would recognize them, in case they end up being killed by Israel forces. Palestinians are writing their goodbye messages on social media because they aren't sure they'd still be alive tomorrow. There is so much atrocity going on, so many war crimes that the west have deemed reasonable because those are Palestinian lives that are taken, because Palestinians lives aren't as important as western ones, because international law doesn't apply when it comes to Palestinians.

it is unsettling and uncomfortable to watch these images of war, of beheaded children being carried by fellow civilians, of ambulance drivers falling to the ground from the horror of that they've witnessed, of cries of babies who are suddenly orphans, who have never known anything but violence and murder. But this is the reality of Palestinians, as it has been for the past decades. Please, I urge you, educate yourself on the ongoing conflict. There is no hard choice, there are no nuances that you need to take into consideration, there are no 'buts'. There is a colonization, an ethnical cleansing, a genocide, and Palestinians aren't the instigators of it. They are the ones paying the price.

Standing up for Palestine doesn't mean you are anti-jew, the proof is there are a lot of Jewish people standing with the Palestine cause, because they recognize the atrocities committed by the Israeli government. There were no "40 beheaded babies" by Hamas, this was a false information, consciously perpetuated by Israel then the USA so they'd be able to attack Palestine with a "reasonable" motive, only backtracking on it when the damage was already done. There aren't two sides. There is only one true side and it's Palestine.

+ u just have to click this link and the revenue generated by traction in this website will be donated to Palestine! it's only one click per day please do it

#ik we're mostly here to escape reality but this is a privilege on its own #Palestinians cannot turn off their suffering the way we can turn off the news #please please educate yourselves #stop believing the Western propaganda #we have learned time and time again that they'd do anything to justify the killing of people #that the hypocrisy of world leaders knows no limit #i have a plateform #albeit small but i have one #i hope this urges you to further learn about this ongoing colonization

[kellterntempest]

OKAY *breaks down door* Time for my sad Boom!Stobotnik au thoughts!!!!!!

@inkbats-writing 's tag killed me in best way and inspired me

Stone is the one who filed the divorce.  

He believed everything they built together was broken, that he felt broken. (Hello internalized ableism) He thought he'd become just like another of Eggman's malfunctioning projects that the Doctor needed to fix. Stone tried to carry on like nothing happened, but Eggman refused to let it go.

"We can't just go back to normal villainy again! You almost died, just look at what's happened to you! You're acting like nothing happened!"

Nearly losing the love of his life had changed something in Eggman and he reacted in extremes. 

Out of guilt, and fear, Eggman forced Stone out a huge part of his life - swearing up and down it was because he was protecting him and also, that he was the supervillain husband and he always knew best. but the trust in each other was crumbling.

Stone kept refusing Eggman's helicopter caretaking, feeling lower than he'd ever felt in his life. Feeling rejected, useless and distrusted. He couldn't sleep, barely eating, and his recovery was hell. 

Pain, jealousy, bitterness, and resentment all winding up in both of them. 

Eventually at one point, Eggman's feelings of self righteous resentment finally slip through. "It wouldn't BE so difficult if you weren't dragging me down so much! After all I'm trying to do for you, you just don't seem to appreciate any of it! It's just mope 24/7 with you!!"

"Me? I don't appreciate you? You've got it the wrong way around!"

Throwing words that cut, out of pain and frustration. Needing to feel seen and heard, without either really thinking about the damage hurled.

"What was I thinking – I should never have given you a part in my plans. You should have stayed where you were, as my accountant!"

"Do you really think you can win anything without me? Without my designs? My ideas? Where would you be without me?"

"You arrogant prick! You think that lowly of me, all this time? I'm the brains, I'm the brawn, I don't need you to be a big bad supervillain!"

Silence. Then, "Sometimes I wish I never met you."

After days upon days of this spiraling and endless fighting, Stone called his lawyer. He decided to leave. They'd be better off apart, he didn't want to hear any more of what Eggman had to say, didn't want to hear apologies, or promises to fix things. He'd take his chances alone. He thought he would finish recovering on his own and be rid of it all. No more powerlessness, no more pain, no more feeling small and smothered. He thought for sure that Eggman didn't want him anymore, not in this state. 

And after the long, arduous and stressful divorce proceedings happening over months and months time, they finally both signed the documents….

And Stone regretted it instantly. Every day, he wished his old life back – he wanted his body back and their relationship back too.

But there was no going back. He had to learn to live with and accept his present life, what he lost, and his injury that would never heal.

And it was a brutal riot. Stone, a usually quiet, polite and composed man, went off the rails like a complete wrecking ball to cope. One can only bury feelings underneath for so long before they explode.

Meaningless destruction, senseless arson, sabotage, all sorts of skullduggery to get back at Eggman.

It's just what supervillains do. 

Stone dove back into the world of villainy headfirst, back into his circle of mafia friends on the mainland and started his own villainous campaign. He'd prove that he would be just as powerful and unstoppable. Chasing his dream for reasons that he told himself were right and justified.

But deep down Stone missed Eggman so, so much. Cried so many tears, angry and heartbroken. He kept his wedding ring on his person, in a locket attached to a silver cord. Half in spite, half in heartbreak, to remind himself what he needed to do. That he couldn't give up, and fail Eggman, again, like Eggman had said he would (at the end of one of their heated fights)

#sonic boom au #stobotnik #boom!stobotnik #my fics

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I never gave this panel much thought, even though something I'm about to show/explain in a moment shows that Buffy didn't know about "Not Fade Away" in season 8. (The above panel is from season 9.) I just assumed Angel and Spike must have finally filled her in about it here in season 9.

So, yeah: the proof that Buffy didn't know about it in season 8, and isn't letting Angel tell her about it at the time (though Buffy is definitely justified in her anger here atm and in not wanting to talk/listen):

But now I'm thinking that when she does finally learn about it in season 9, it was probably just Spike who just told her about it--which is really kind of sad, when that whole thing was Angel's whole idea and major sacrifice, really--since she and Angel aren't talking at the time.

But, yeah... everyone in the comics who didn't live in L.A. didn't know about "Not Fade Away." For months, the entire city gets sucked into Hell at the end of that episode. At the end of "Angel: After the Fall," which covers that whole thing, Connor dies. And Angel is unwilling to accept that, of course. And he and Wesley very cleverly realize that Wolfram & Hart want him for their plans and won't just accept his death and will be willing to do anything to stop it, should it happen. So, he then kills himself. And then in order to save him/bring him back, the Senior Partners have to undo the past months, and they essentially make it so everything that happened in "Not Fade Away" (following the alleyway fight) never did. And because of this, only the people in L.A. who had gotten sucked into Hell remembered that L.A. had ever disappeared and that they'd been gone. So while Buffy probably did know that Angel and the crew were gone at the time it happened and mourned them, by the above part of S8 she no longer does.

And while we're at it... let's just talk about the comics hinting at the information that was passed along from the Buffy group to the Angel groups--and vice versa--as a whole. Because I've meant to discuss this for a long time:

So, Angel and Spike clearly told Buffy about Illyria. And since Buffy flat-out says Angel was part of that, this was undoubtedly in season 5 that that discussion happened.

Angel must have told Buffy stuff about Connor (who then told Xander). There can be no other explanation for the above scene, really.

I will say that one thing that kind of saddens... actually, even ticks me off a little (though at least where the shows were concerned, there were legal issues involved, in which it got to a point where Buffy and Angel couldn't appear on each other's shows anymore--at least not very easily--because they were on different networks), is that after Buffy and Angel breakup he shows up a number of times to help Buffy out with her apocalypses or to be moral support for her when she needs him. But Buffy only ever shows up to help Angel once. (Edit: And this is why, even though it's not the canon verse, I actually kind of prefer the "In Every Generation" timeline where Buffy took an army of Slayers to help Angel and the A.I. team in the "Not Fade Away" battle.)

I've seen the argument that it's because the one time she did go to help him (the Faith thing in "Sanctuary") it didn't go well, they were on two different sides of that argument, and just ended up fighting with each other. But that's not a good enough explanation for me. Really, I feel like that's just an excuse to try and justify it, when really it makes no sense and kind of paints Buffy in a bad light.

And we see in the comics that there were definitely times when Angel wanted Buffy's help/could've used her help, but didn't get it (though of course, once again, he goes to help her with one of her apocalypses in the comics. And is treated kind of badly while most people there while doing so. Which I do get after the whole Twilight thing, but sheesh!):

(In the above panel, Dawn's beginning to fade away--and people are starting to forget her--as the world no longer has magic in it anymore.)

Which is why I'm actually kind of glad we get this moment in season twelve, where Angel takes this apocalypse he needs help with to Buffy and is basically like, "Yeah, you're all going to help me with this, and I don't want to hear it."

Anyway...

Edit: However... in the classic comics, at least, Buffy went to help Angel a few times (which I so appreciate!). Thank God.

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#buffy the vampire slayer #long post #buffy comics #angel & faith comics #bangel #mess of topics #quite a few topics going on here #buffy and angel #a lot of this is about buffy and angel of course. but not everything. and not even entirely is it just shipping #like some of this is about how well the buffy and a.i. teams communicated and helped each other out on the two shows (and in the comics) #...or didn't #the scoobies #angel investigations #team angel #the fang gang #the scooby gang #a lot of this. to be honest. is why the comics are kind of annoying (and trash? -shot-) and why a lot of people of course don't see them as #canon. and say to ignore them. and perhaps we definitely should #but there is also some good here too #buffy classic comics #buffy the vampire slayer classic comics #past lives #willow & tara #angel comics #ats comics #angel classic comics

[deathdxnces]

Irelia’s people were peaceful and sought harmony with their neighbors, but rumors of foreign invaders sighted off the coast unsettled many at the Placidium. Irelia returned to her village to find it already occupied, with steel-helmed soldiers from distant Noxus shoving unarmed civilians through the streets with the butts of their spears. The Noxian Admiral Duqal had seized the Xan home to quarter his fleet officers. Irelia’s brothers and her father Lito had evidently protested; her entire family now lay in unmarked graves, in the gardens.

both her bio and her short story note irelia's family had followed karma's teachings of non-violence regardless of circumstance for generations. she was raised in that belief — that violence is never justified, not even when it's used against you. it's what she's certain her family believed in, and it's a philosophy she not only went against but led many others to do the same (on top of not regretting her use of violence and growing ever more ruthless against the noxians)

personally, i don't think her family would've hated her for it as much as she ends up thinking they would (which easily turns into self-loathing, in some ways). her family may not have protested violently (there's nothing beyond the line that says they protested), but at least some of them did not passively accept to let the invaders do as they pleased, her father (and at least some of her brothers) included.

it's suggested that's why they were killed, which seems all the more likely with the fact that when irelia arrives, the noxian soldiers are handling people roughly, but they're not killing everyone. at the same time, it wouldn't have taken anything extreme in their act of resistance to get her family killed, so it could've been a non-violent protest (she, a girl of 11, takes her family crest from the hands of a soldier and that's enough for duqal to order them to kill her). i think it's likely lito didn't use violence, but protested still (and while we have no official ages, my hc is that zelos and kai, being the oldest and already adults or nearly so, followed suit - and maybe they turned to violence when the soldiers killed their father).

regardless, i don't think they'd condemn her for standing for ionia, even if her stand was bloody. i do think her father wouldn't approve of her ruthlessness and resentment towards the noxians, as well as her taste for violence against them; but not in a you're no daughter of mine sort of way and more in an attempt to lead her towards a better path, to understand this isn't the way and why, had he lived. while entirely self-indulgent, i also like to think zelos wouldn't be judgmental at all. he loved his little sister no matter what, and he'd have understood her anger and where it turned to.

her mother is always difficult because she's not mentioned at all (and i always assumed she was alive, but checking the bio again, the number of graves is never specified so maybe she had already died long before the invasion). a lot of her people's traditions she learned from her grandmother, though, who is suggested to deeply believe in old myths and generally be very tied to tradition (being the one who first taught irelia to dance and who spoke of their dance's connection to ionia itself, something irelia didn't really believe in initially). so i guess one of them would have been deeply saddened and disappointed at her still, possibly, but for the most part i think irelia's idea of the judgment they'd pass onto her is far harsher than reality would've been, and that she's very... inflicting punishment on herself and making herself suffer for not being what they'd have wanted while they wouldn't have been so harsh on her.

#» out of character — ⌜main sup irl.⌟ #» character study — ⌜both the tranquil sea and the tempest.⌟

[desertdragon]

Two headcanons

After the events of Shadowbringers and having put all of the residual Warriors of Darkness souls to rest, Vaste finds each Source version of the relic weapons they once used and brings them to the First

She goes to the spot they originally died, by a hill in Kholusia, and stabs each weapon beside one another at the crest- this is their memorial where everyone else let everything they did besides their sins be forgotten

She visits them as frequently as she can and especially to mark milestones in her life, since we see their spirits at the end game cutscene I imagine they're capable of reappearing in the world from time to time, and they'd probably figure out what she's done for them, learn through her that Cylva is still alive too

They talk to her on these occasions, either as individuals or in pairs and as a group, but half the time it's empty, and that's still ok for Vaste because there's still the idea that they're listening whereever they are now- other times when they come down I'm sure they'd check on Cylva now and then too

All she ever wanted was to be their friend, she gets her wish

--------

Her relationship with her younger brother U'ingwe was very much influenced by the positivity and support her older sister U'rahtalo gave her whenever she was down- with her brother being born rather small and initially reserved even for a Drake, she felt a commonality with them both being separate in some way from the Normal of everyone else (at the time of course she didn't know she was mixed heritage and just figured she'd been born a little different)

In a way interacting with him showed and cultivated the first signs of her ability to lead people through kindness; even after they've separated he embodies her old self, the kinder, open, and more gentle person, back when her worst experience was the guilt after killing an old Sundrake for her huntress trial- that's the person she wishes she still largely was without faking most of it as she tends to now

She would do nearly anything for him and her sister despite the huge differences between their places in life

In the events I have conceptualized for after her goal for a world without Primals and magic, I imagine she slowly relearns those parts of herself, though forever afflicted by her traumas yet working past them with her loved ones and herself- she would vow never to kill again and cultivate life than end it, all the killing during the fighting previous weighs hard on her, there was so much of it it feels pointless and as if she's drowning in death itself seeing so many lives ended, justified or not she'd want an end at last to so much carnage and no more souls added to those haunting her mind after she killed them

I feel like most regular people would think she died in changing the world, so her resolve to be more pacifist just completes the deception that she's just some farmer or whatever exactly she chooses to do as a civilian, that's ok by her, people can have the myth, they don't need to throw themselves at her feet and she never liked that anyway

She wants to go back to being nobody and live life how she pleases above all else

#hc #the soul is many; the heart is one