#tw terrorism

Maybe on base he wears a surgical mask, or a black, full face balaclava but anywhere else???

That mug is out and about and he's not afraid to show it.

Why would he? The scars keep most sane people away. They tell a story of his life, his survival, and the ability to keep going when anyone else wouldn't. For others, its a beacon to either fight him or fuck him, sometimes both.

That can get irritating but he's been through worse.

You never see it. Don't even know that he hides his face during missions—that he even goes on missions. Why he's so stingy on no photos, no social media, no videos, but you love Simon, so you don't argue. Not worth it.

But life has a way. Wrong time. Wrong place. Your boss made the wrong people upset and ditched and you are trapped in an office building with your coworkers who are sobbing and terrified. The nice security guard who was days away from retirement bleeding out on the floor, your hands covered in his blood as you try and fail to apply pressure and men with strange uniforms and guns are screaming at you to unlock the computer and get them in the system.

There's chaos. There's shots. There's more blood and the military makes an entrance that can only be described in movie-like terms.

It's not real life.

It's certainly not real life when a big guy in a skull mask, completely covered, but moves in such a familiar form that it leaves you reeling.

And when you two finally make eye contact?

Huh, that's a really interesting question. I think the answer is kind of... no.

I like to think of myself as open-minded, but highly suppressed non-fiction is naturally gonna tend to be some VERY fringe, offensive stuff.

Actually, this is a good opportunity to elaborate on something-

I think that when we suppress works written by bigots, religious extremists, pedophiles, animal abusers, etc, we betray a really bleak, pessimistic view of humanity. Here’s why:

That belief is based on the idea that the average person is so helpless, so easily manipulated, that merely encountering something hateful or depraved will short-circuit their moral judgment and convert them.

And listen: I get it. Sometimes it can be hard to look at the world around us and retain your faith in other people.

But I just don’t think the answer to bad ideas is to hide them away like cursed objects, as if ordinary people have no conscience, no judgment, and no ability to say "this is disgusting, and I reject it."

I believe that most people are better than the censors think they are. Human beings aren't empty vessels for the last thing they read. They are thinking, judging creatures. They can weigh, refuse, condemn, and choose for themselves.

Two gunmen did this on the first day of this year’s Hanukkah. Over 11 people were killed. Thankfully, a bystander managed to disarm one of the gunmen before he could do any more damage.

This is yet another antisemitic attack that was done on the same day as a holiday commemorated by Jewish communities. Jews always have to be subjected to antisemitic violence near or during their commemorations . It needs to stop. Antisemitism as a whole needs to stop.

I don’t want to hear any word about Israel or Gaza. You can fuck all the way off with your victim-blaming. The only ones to blame for antisemitism are the people who are antisemitic. YOU chose to attack Jews. YOU chose to be an antisemite.

Jews deserve better.