I kinda love that we never get an explanation for what the fuck was up with Zenos. We come in fresh off of killing First Brood and can’t even dent this motherfucker. He steamrolls us in a way no one else got close to, multiple times. And then he gets an artificial Echo.
He fucking died only to go “Nah that’s boring,” and came back to haunt us and try to kick our ass again. He’s apparently dreamed of The World Before since he was a kid. He broke time and fucking space to chase us to the ends of the universe and rolled his eyes at the mere thought of us being delayed by the embodiment of despair. Usurped ‘final boss’ status by having us fight him 1v1 after everything in an instanced fight that devolves to us punching the shit out of each other.
Zenos whatevs Galvus was somehow in possession of as much Main Character Energy as the WoL he just never fucking expanded on that, dare I say iconic
The joyful counterprotest brought out around 200 people — there's even video!
^via LGBTQ Nation, September 2, 2025. They were playing Pink Pony Club on the kazoos, it was in Seattle, and yes, there is video.
The president and right-wingers have railed against it, but diversity helps companies retain customers and employees.
^"Since the president took office in January, over 20 hostile shareholder resolutions were filed demanding companies shed their commitment to DEI, including Visa, Deere, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, Levi’s, American Express, Coca-Cola, Berkshire Hathaway, McDonalds, Amazon, Netflix, Walmart, Alphabet, American Airlines, Caterpillar, Best Buy, Mastercard, and Costco, according to Fortune...
But across those annual meetings, shareholders (representing over $9.8 trillion in value) have voted with management to continue DEI policies and programs.
Those decisions weren’t based on altruism alone, if at all: HRC’s study backs up previous research demonstrating that companies embracing DEI are more profitable than their peers that don’t."
-via LGBTQ Nation, August 27, 2025
In landmark victory for LGBTQI+ rights in Kenya, a court has ruled that the government must implement laws to protect transgender rights.
"According to Jinsiangu, a Kenyan intersex, transgender, and gender non-conforming (ITGNC) rights group, the court recognised Chepkosgei’s right to self-identity and gender, declaring her “notably recognised as a transgender individual” to ensure her rights are guaranteed...
In a groundbreaking move, the court went beyond addressing the specific violations experienced by the petitioner.
Justice R. Nyakundi directed the Government of Kenya to initiate and table a bill addressing the rights of transgender persons, with Parliament instructed to take the necessary steps to enact protections and recognition in law.
The judge also awarded Chepkosgei 1,000,000 Kenyan Shillings (approximately R137,000 / USD 7,700) in general damages. [Note: And that stretches a LOT further in Kenya, where the average monthly after-tax salary is just $413, making the reward a bit less than 2 years of salary.]
-via Mamba Online, August 21, 2025
"By failing to recognize the gender identity of a transgender person, prevents that person from enjoying a right guaranteed by EU law," he w
"The Advocate General for the European Court of Justice is recommending that all EU member states be required to issue identity documents reflecting their citizens’ “lived gender identity.”
The Court’s AG Jean Richard de la Tour argued that national rules that do not allow legal gender recognition may violate European Union law, including the right to free movement and residency across all EU member states...
While the Advocate General’s opinion is only advisory, the verdicts in about two-thirds of cases argued before the court align with an AG’s recommendation."
-via LGBTQ Nation, September 4, 2025
Some transphobic sisters sued their sorority for letting a trans woman join. They just lost a second time.
"A federal judge has sided with a sorority that inducted a transgender sister after several other members sued over the definition of the word “woman.”
“Having considered the issues presented (again), we find that the majority of the claims must be dismissed on the grounds that this Court still may not interfere with [the sorority’s] contractually valid interpretation of its own Bylaws,” U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson, a Ronald Reagan appointee, wrote in his ruling.
...the judge rejected their arguments again, noting that Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bylaws don’t define the words “woman” or “women” to be exclusively referring to cisgender women. He even noted that the sorority “published and distributed multiple texts” showing that its interpretation of those words is trans-inclusive, so the plaintiffs can’t claim that their contract with the sorority was understood to mean that trans women would be excluded."
-via LGBTQ Nation, August 26, 2025
Gov. JB Pritzker has long been a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) announced a landmark free hotline for LGBTQ+ people in the state. Offered in both English and Spanish, the first-of-its-kind service launches today and will provide legal advice regarding housing, safety, health care access (including gender-affirming care), discrimination, identity documents, and more.
Pritzker announced the initiative, called Illinois Pride Connect, at an August 21 event with the Chicago Legal Council for Health Justice, which will run the hotline. “For us to be able to go on offense, and not be on defense, is what I love about this state,” he said.
“Building upon the state’s transgender and gender-diverse wellness and equity project that we launched at the beginning of 2024, we will be the only state in the entire United States that provides free legal advice to protect the LGBTQ community,” he said."
-via LGBTQ Nation, August 25, 2025
The judge said that drag shows "plainly involve expressive conduct within the protection of the First Amendment."
"A federal appeals court has ruled that West Texas A&M University’s ban on student organization drag performances violates the Constitution’s First Amendment protections of free speech. The court’s Thursday ruling overturns a 2023 district court ruling in favor of the university.
FIRE’s lawsuit also claimed that Wendler’s actions violated a campus free speech law signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in 2020, which explicitly forbids universities from taking action against student organizations “on the basis of a political, religious, philosophical, ideological, or academic viewpoint expressed by the organization or [its] expressive activities.”
In its 2-1 decision issued last Thursday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie H. Southwick (an appointee of former President George W. Bush) wrote that theatric performances and drag shows, “plainly involve expressive conduct within the protection of the First Amendment.”"
-via LGBTQ Nation, August 19, 2025
The districts aren't giving up their pro-trans policies.
"Five Virginia school districts are refusing to revoke their transgender-inclusive policies that allow trans kids to use facilities matching their gender identity [and other policies about pronouns and sports teams], even though the current presidential administration has frozen the districts’ congressionally approved federal education funding over the matter.
The school districts — Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William — say that their policies are required by Title IX, the federal law prohibiting educational discrimination based on sex. But while the previous presidential administration interpreted the law as requiring schools to maintain trans-inclusive policies, the current one has claimed that such policies harm cisgender female students.
...The letter [from a local LGBTQ regional coalition] notes that over 3,000 Virginia families, teachers, and residents signed letters supporting the districts’ pro-trans policies in the face of “unprecedented federal pressure,” adding, “These policies and practices foster a culture that affirms the dignity of each student and celebrates our diversity as individuals.”
Things that happen in Dawntrail that sound like shitposts:
You are invited to meddle in the affairs of a major political power. These events with extremely serious ramifications for global politics include gardening, animal herding, mountain climbing, and a bake-off.
Night City travels diagonally through time and fuses with a small town in Arizona.
An uplifting Hollywood movie pop-gospel song about unity plays over a montage of you and your friends building a bomb.
You down a suspiciously beaver-themed energy drink and briefly go super saiyan.
The temporally anomalous catboy dad deepthroats two scoops of nothing-flavored ice cream in an attempt to ease the tension at his work friend's family reunion. Somehow, this actually achieves the desired effect.
An AI-generated ghost attempts to burn all of the world's people and resources to extend the life of their metaverse Disneyland for other AI-generated ghosts. In response, you proceed to fight a robotic biblically-accurate angel inside their mind palace.
I should probably wait to post this tomorrow but I'm impatient (so if you notice any mistakes no you didn't) . Only one page because 14 characters, but my motivation to work on stuff has finally returned and I got a new tablet recently so I'm looking for excuses to use it. Actual dialogue starts next page wahoo~
John Oliver gets it, as usual. AI Slop is one of the best episodes of Last Week Tonight I've seen so far. Gen AI is theft. Those who use it are not authors or artists, they're grifters profiting from real creatives.
"Gale? What's wrong?" Ari asks.
Leaves shift again and fall from her hair as she sits up. He rubs at his temple and shakes his head again.
"I- I'm sorry, Ari," he says shakily, trying to sort his thoughts. "I don't know what just happened… I think I had a vision? I'm not sure."
A long silence stretches between them and Gale looks at her uncertainly.
"Ari?"
"Oh gods, Gale, I'm so sorry - I -"
The realization feels like a guillotine has chopped his heart in half.
---
The beginning of an exploration in how Gale comes to terms with his attraction towards multiple people, as well as his hangups from his previous relationship. A dash of Astarion's growth thrown in there too for good measure.
I don't usually post my writing but I re-read this one and realized it was pretty decent. Here's hoping others think so too.
I'm a software engineer for Microsoft. Which is a job I DID honestly enjoy quite a lot until whatever the hell's been going on lately.
Like imagine you're an architect and you get pulled in to help build a house. And it's a pretty well-engineered house! You can recognize and appreciate this and contribute the same standard of quality.
Until the guy who controls all the money shows up one day and says houses are NO good anymore. People want a BOX for the AI to live in. And actually start tearing down walls and ripping out the electrical and plumbing because the AI doesn't work with all that. Just make it a BOX for the AI.
So you do what they say and rip out things you're proud of and smash holes to drag all the AI through. But the AI is constantly changing and no one knows who you should ask to understand the shape the house needs to be to fit the AI. And the people who do know are probably too busy getting their necks breathed down by members of leadership who are paid millions a year to tell you to just do whatever ChatGPT does. So your team gets dicked around with unclear instructions given with absolute urgency. Also every 6 months they lay off 3% of the company so you walk in one day and Bob who's worked here for 25 years is just gone.
Also the AI is supposed to get good enough at building houses to replace your job. Maybe. It doesn't actually do that but the guy who controls all the money is hinging all that money on convincing other people that's true.
When you first meet him, especially if you haven't run the Dragoon quests, or even if you have, it's easy to think he's this gruff, stoic asshole of a dragon slayer, right? But the interesting thing is, he's actually kind. A lot kinder than he first appears. And you can hear it in his vocal tones.
Given that he wears the helmet of his Drachen Mail all the time, we can't rely on visual cues. You really need to pay attention to his voice. And it really begins to show when we go with him to meet Lady Iceheart, Ysayle that first time.
He's stressed, he's trying to get Nidhogg to back off the city, and it seems like he's being stymied at every turn. But when Ysayle tells him the story of Hraesvelgr and Shiva, he listens. And says, "I believe you." He's running out of time, both literally and figuratively, but he's trying.
His voice is gentle and kind. To the woman who who broke the magical wardings on Ishgard and enabled a massive assault to occur against the city. He lost brother and sister Dragoons in that fight. He could have raged at her for it. Instead, he chose to listen and to be kind to her.
That kindness doesn't come from nowhere. He is literally putting his ass on the line, trying to make himself a bigger target to Nidhogg, to keep him from destroying the city of Ishgard. For the many people that he's never even met. Because he doesn't want to see his home burn again due to Nidhogg.
And then he gets told by Hraesvelgr that every Azure Dragoon has died before they reached two score and a half years. In plain speak, before they reach fifty years old. He's thirty-two. He's running out of time. And even though he's a man on a mission... he takes the time to teach Alphinaud to collect firewood and how to build a fire. Something that keeps being referred to as we go along.
Because he didn't have to do that. He could have just done it himself. But he did because he could see in Alphinaud, the little brother that he'd lost. So, rather than snapping at him, he teaches and guides him. Being a big brother. Showing kindness.
Hydaelyn herself says that Estinien is a man with a heart filled with love. And he is. His gruffness just hides how kind he can be.
Vrtra really said "Even here have we heard of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn" like he wasn't having Thavnair intelligence scooping up every detail of anything and everything to do with Louisoix Leveilleur the second he heard Bahamut hatched and was ready to glass Eorzea and Some? Mortal??? from Sharlayan managed to almost tank the blow
Ahewann, sprinting out of the meghaduta into the town square: I Need The Sharlayan Ambassador Right The Fuck Now
Five, six years later and the intel squads say the Scions have imploded, except whoops no they haven't they've snuck out of the regicide accusations into Ishgard and have disappeared into Dravania trying to end the Dragonsong War? pffff yeah good luck with that Nidhogg's been filling up my inbox for a thou- WAIT WHAT? WHO?? AND THE LEVEILLEUR GRANDSON???
Ahewann, sprinting straight to the Ishgardian consulate without stopping: Hey Uh Can You Tell Me What, and please understand this is very important, The Fuck
Then for a short bit family matters quiet down, again, maybe. Estinien "Not Not Nidhogg" Wyrmblood passes through Thavnair but moves on to Othard pretty quickly. Ahewann gratefully takes off his running shoes and Vrtra peels himself off the ceiling like a scared cat from worrying which would be worse to meet, Estinien or Nidhogg. Midgardsormr dies again but that's less of a big deal than it should be, he'll sleep it off. Tiamat is suddenly flying again for the first time in five millenia so that's . . . good, the world is ending but that's good at least. Estinien Wyrmblood may or may not have joined the Scions, no one can get a solid confirmation. Anyway he's got to get these scales to the alchemists, the Baldesion reps are coming soon, he can't focus on his own family drama right now-
He looks up and standing before him is an Archon astrologian in a bathrobe, another Archon nerd cosplaying as a gunbreaker, two Archons oh this must be the Baldesion group, [INSERT INSANE PLAYER CHARACTER APPEARANCE], well they look . . . interesting, are they imitating the Warrior of Light? and an Ishgardian dra -
Vrtra, malms away in the meghaduta: A
Vrtra: Ahewann
Vrtra: Ahewann we've got a Code Leveilleur situation here
Ahewann: What?
Vrtra: THE SCIONS ARE HERE
Vrtra: ESTINIEN WYRMBLOOD IS H E R E
Vrtra: GET YOUR SHOES ON AHEWANN HOW DID WE MISS THIS
Ahewann, spilling curry down his front, bursting out of the throne room with laces untied: Hey Everybody Come Help Me Throttle The Spymaster
(person who learned from childhood to make themself as small and unimportant as possible to avoid being a burden) yeah its okay we dont have to do my thing if you dont want i dont mind
DuckDuckGo's new search feature comes as the internet is being flooded with AI-generated slop.
The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the ‘nuclear’ list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist,” DuckDuckGo said in a post on X. “While it won’t catch 100% of AI-generated results, it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see.
You are a fan of internationally-acclaimed K-pop group Huntrix. They drop a new single to wild success and its debut performance is canceled without clear explanation. Huntrix's management says something about a medical condition with the lead singer.
At the same time a new boyband debuts with a song that tops all the charts. The boyband doesn't seem to have a management company. Or names. Maybe that doesn't matter because their sound IS catchy. Huntrix is completely out of the public eye except for two appearances alongside this new boyband where they are there exclusively to beef. It's maybe a PR stunt. It's maybe because Rumi is exes with one of the only two named members of the Saja Boys.
People start going missing at a rate 4x the national average. You probably wouldn't even know about this except that 3 of the missing people were big names on Stan Twitter so it's kind of a big deal. There are four different high-traction posts claiming all the recent missing people were Saja Boy fans. But that's like claiming all the recent missing people drank water and breathed air.
Rumi is still on medical leave but Huntrix management is saying Huntrix WILL be at the K-pop Awards. Someone on Twitter's uncle's friend works in a recording studio and he says Huntrix is debuting a song which tells the Saja Boys to die. The exes theory gets a lot of traction. Twitter tries to doxx Jinu to confirm the theory but no one can figure out who he is. Twitter tries to doxx the other Saja Boys to the same lack of success. One account said she had "a lead" but her Twitter has been silent for 72 hours since.
Rumi is back from medical leave for the K-pop Awards just in time to have a massive falling-out and break-up on stage. This probably devastated you but you don't really remember it. The Saja Boys invite everyone to a concert. A lot of people who went don't remember going, and you'd call that suspicious except you also went and don't remember going.
Somehow no one in the crowd of 10,000 thought to record the concert on their phone. Maybe there was a "no phones" rule but usually there are still leaks. No one has any video or photo evidence of this concert happening. However you all collectively remember hearing "What It Sounds Like" at the concert (before it debuted 4 days later from Huntrix's label.) This does not make a lot of sense because this was a Saja Boys concert, supposedly. Someone says they saw Zoey impale at least one of the Saja Boys. You would brush this off as a stupid rumor but 2-dozen other people are saying the same thing and you a little bit remember it too.
There's a lot of people saying "Let's wait for an official statement from the Saja Boys" on Twitter but they've been saying that for 2 weeks now and no one has seen or heard from them since the concert. There's a lot of people saying "Zoey killed them fr" which was a joke at first and now, is not not a joke, but it hits a little different.
Most of you are kinda over SB Twitter at this point so you kind of don't care anymore but there are a few remaining fans who've doubled down on the doxxing effort to figure out if they're okay. It's not going well. One person claims to have found Jinu's identity but everyone thinks she's stupid because that guy died literally 400 years ago. YES the royal court's painting of him looks identical and yes that guy was a singer too, but come on, the K-pop look is 90% make-up anyway.
dededos
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