#'well you don't live in that world and you don't know those people' as a way to say that we can treat someone as guilty without evidence

[cosmicpuzzle]

Sun 🌞 in Houses

*Sun in 1st House

Your Sun is in the 1st House of your Birth Chart meaning that self-expression is an important aspect of your life, because you believe strongly in the rights of the individual. This is because it's so important for you to have the freedom to explore your own personal interests and make your own way in the world. Some might call you arrogant and selfish; however, you are equally determined that others should also have the ability to express themselves. You learn most through your own experiences, rather than relying on the advice of others. You may not realise it, but you also make a strong impression on those around you. They see you as assertive and independent, whether you feel it or not. Of course, this does depend on other influences in your Chart. You are frank and confident, proud and independent, and can be combative if you are opposed. You like to take the initiative and have the ability to focus on your own goals and methods of doing things, rather than adhering to popular opinion. For these reasons you are likely to be thrust into leadership roles, giving you the opportunity to fully express yourself.  The Sun in the 1st House means that the Sun is rising as you are born. In ancient times the Sun was considered particularly strong when in the angular 1st House of a Chart, highlighting your ability to live a hale and hearty life with plenty of energy to ensure that you make an impact on your environment. It is seen as a good omen and means that you are likely to succeed in your ambitions, and perhaps in rising above your station in life. The more self-motivated that you can be leads to the more individual success that you can achieve.

*Sun in 2nd House

Your Sun is in the 2nd House of your Birth Chart meaning that you are the sort of person who spends much of your life exploring your personal values. It's important for you to have a set of values by which you can judge your own and others' lives, as long as you don't become too critical when either you or others fail to live up to your expectations. If you are too critical then you will find that your self-esteem suffers, as you worry about your own failures or others become fed up with your harsh attitude. On a more positive note, you are more likely to have an upbeat approach to monetary matters. You are the type of person who knows your own value and can keep your word. Your self-esteem thrives when you handle finances well. You are likely to be the household money manager, enjoying the role of balancing the budget. Money, and the pleasures that it can afford, are attractive to you. You may expend much of your time and energy earning money in order to build yourself up, or to buy possessions that help you feel secure. The challenge is to value yourself no matter what are your external circumstances. However, you are likely to benefit financially through generous benefactors, possibly your father or a member of your father's side of the family. You could also benefit financially through a career that involves money such as accounting, book keeping, banking, and advising.

*Sun in 3rd House

Your Sun is in the 3rd House of your Birth Chart meaning that communication plays a key role in your life, because you experience a continual thirst for knowledge and an equal urge to let others know what you have learned. It's as if you are on a never-ending search for knowledge through your own experiences. You are an avid reader, who enjoys dabbling in all sorts of avenues. You may also be adept at foreign languages, which challenge your keen mind and expand your communication skills. It's not unknown for you to take short trips in order to further your personal and/or intellectual pursuits. You also enjoy keeping the communication lines open with your siblings. Your prime motivation is to enlighten yourself and others, and you have just the creative mind to be able to succeed, earning the respect of other people along the way. You do need to stop and take stock every now and then, because there is a concern that you start to believe that you can never know enough. In fact it may be simply that you are not aware of how clever you really are. You also need to be careful not to make promises that you can't keep.

*Sun in 4th House

Your Sun is in the 4th House of your Birth Chart meaning that your home and family play a powerful role in your life, as they are the vehicle for you learning about life. For this reason you expend much time and energy working out your role in the family. Family life, and even family conflict, provides you with opportunities to learn about your own resources. Love them or hate them, you can't seem to escape them unless it is to form a new family of your own. Although you do love your family members, as you mature you also feel a strong urge to leave the nest and put down roots of your own. You benefit from purchases of land, houses, and property, and may also benefit from working in jobs connected with property. You are likely to achieve your ambitions for a secure home, although at times you can feel quite unsettled if your housing situation is unclear. Astrologically speaking, the Sun is strong in the angular 4th House of a chart, and therefore whether you realise it or not you are likely to make a strong impact on your family members. You also benefit through inheritances from parents or family members.

*Sun in 5th House

Your Sun is in the 5th House of your Birth Chart meaning that you love to let your hair down and have fun in life, so much so that many of your friends would call you a child at heart. It's true that you love children and they love you, because you both share the ability to throw your cares to the wind and have a good time. For this reason you are likely to want children of your own, or may decide to work with children at some stage of your life. Parties are a feature of your life, be they small and intimate gatherings, or big fancy-dress affairs. Either way you are found at the centre of the fun, probably initiating a game or two. You also enjoy outings to the cinema, the park, or to the homes of friends and family. In fact you never seem to run out of ideas. You are the type of person who can come up with creative ideas for how to spend a rainy day at home. If you spend any time at home, you'll notice how friends seem to drop in and a party starts seemingly of its own accord. You also have a strong creative streak, and may express this through an artistic talent. You also have a romantic side to your nature, depending on other aspects in your chart, and you could have a tendency to become involved in love affairs, which could lead to some difficult moments in your life. You may also be interested in gambling either for fun or monetary gain. Again this depends on other influences in your chart. If so, you need to be careful because your success also depends on other aspects in your Birth Chart, which may or may not be favourable.

*Sun in 6th House

Your Sun is in the 6th House of your Birth Chart indicating that you are sensitive to the nuances of everyday life. You pay attention to places and people who influence your life on a daily basis. You easily form habits, being a person who pays more attention to the details rather than the big picture. You enjoy everyday tasks such as personal grooming, cleaning, paying bills and creating order. This means that your workplace is the area of your life in which you really shine. It's here that your organizational skills, good habits and ability to serve others really come to the fore. You are likely to benefit from any job that requires you to be of service to others. In fact, you have the ability to go a long way towards helping to alleviate the sufferings of humanity. The only problem is your own personal health and vitality, which can be easily drained if you do not pay attention to your wellbeing. It's possible that you suffered ill health at a young age, realizing early in life that you are prone to contagious diseases, allergies and perhaps even accidents. Ancient astrologers considered the Sun placed in the 6th House of a chart as an unfavorable position, in particular taxing the vitality of a person. However, if your Sun is well placed in your Birth Chart it is more likely that you have an interest in health and wellbeing, either your own or other people’s. Either you are likely to benefit from a healthy diet and exercise regime, enjoying a physical outlet for the stresses of everyday life. Orthodox medicine may appeal as a vocation, or you may explore alternative methods of medicine and health care. Pets may also play a significant role in your life, as you enjoy the benefits of taking care of dependants.

*Sun in 7th House

Your Sun is in the 7th House of your Birth Chart meaning that relationships are a major feature of your life, both personal and business ones. You feel most warm-hearted and loving when relating to other people, in particular your primary partner. You really shine in your own life when happily married, living or working closely with someone else in partnership. It's not that you don't like time on your own, it's simply that you enjoy being in partnership with someone else. Depending on other sections of your Birth Chart, you are likely to benefit through your partnerships. You are popular amongst your friends and business colleagues and therefore, likely to attract happy unions. A fortunate partnership is likely to help you shine in the world and achieve your goals, and success comes to you through beneficial business partnerships. Any difficulties that arise in these relationships can usually be resolved by talking through the problems, either with your partner or through a third party, a mediator. Ancient astrologers considered the Sun placed in the 7th House of a chart to be a fortunate position enabling a person to achieve their goals in life through their partnerships with other people.

*Sun in 8th House

Your Sun is in the 8th House of your Birth Chart meaning that the processes of birth and death play a prominent role in your life. Of course, this is true for many people, but whereas other people may welcome a birth or grieve a death and then get on with their life, the birth and death of loved ones affects you so deeply that you are likely to change the course of your life as a result. You are an intense person, who likes to bypass the superficial side of life and delve deeply into the meaning of life. Many people feel uncomfortable discussing intimate topics such as birth, death and sexuality, but you are not so reluctant. In fact, it's important that you delve into these topics rather than push them to one side. The most significant death in your life is likely to be that of your father, who is an important figure in your life. You are also likely to welcome the birth of children as a life-enhancing experience. Your experiences with your father deeply affect your style of parenting. Whether you have a positive or negative relationship with your father, your role as a parent is an important avenue for you to express the very depths of your nature. Trust is a key feature of your life. While you may have difficulty trusting some people, it's important that you have someone close to you who knows you intimately, someone with whom you feel comfortable talking about your innermost thoughts and feelings.  You need to trust and follow your own intuition. If you do this then you are likely to benefit through your primary partnership, gaining in personal fortune either through your partnership or after the partnership has ended. You are also likely to live a long and fruitful life, although you may go through critical life and death periods.

*Sun in 9th House

Your Sun is in the 9th House of your Birth Chart meaning that you are likely to succeed through your involvements in the church, universities, publishing houses, law, or travel - or a combination of all of these areas. You are also likely to have a desire to explore philosophy or science, because you want to develop intellectually. You are searching for truths which can stand the test of time, either philosophical or scientific truths or both. Once you have satisfied yourself that you have discovered some truths, then you are likely to want to give others the benefit of your knowledge. Therefore, you can be both the student and the teacher during your lifetime. It's possible that religion plays an important role in your life, whether it be orthodox or liberal religious ideals of your own or in your family background. Depending on other sections of your chart, you have a well-balanced approach to religion, and are tolerant of other people's beliefs. You are likely to benefit and succeed through your connections with foreign people or organizations and travelling abroad. You are a self-reliant, independent person who is also likely to move to a foreign country either for a short period of time or to take up permanent residence at some stage in your life.

*Sun in 10th House

Your Sun is in the 10th House of your Birth Chart meaning that you are the sort of person who likes to make your mark on the world, in particular through your profession. Depending on other influences in your chart you are likely to be born to parents of good standing in the community. From this favorable start in life, you are likely to steadily improve on your status. Success usually comes easily in whatever business or profession that you choose. People in high places are likely to look on you with favour, helping you further your ambitions. You are also likely to rise to a prominent position in society, perhaps even in government office. You have high moral standards, which you apply to yourself and to other people. Fortunately your vitality and health are usually good and therefore you are well able to achieve your goals. You are likely to carefully consider your proposed primary partner, before entering into a commitment which affects your standing in the community. As a result, depending on other influences in your chart, you are likely to benefit through your primary partnership. Ancient astrologers consider that the Sun is well-placed in the angular 10th House of a chart, and therefore, you are likely to be successful in achieving your goals.

*Sun in 11th House

Your Sun is in the 11th House of your Birth Chart meaning that you are a sociable person, who makes friends easily with people from all walks of life. You feel most at home when amongst a group of like-minded people. Success in achieving your life goals is likely to be gained through your connection with other people, in particularly those who have attained a high position in society. A loyal and honest person, you benefit greatly through your friendships, alliances and group affiliations. Other people recognize the worth of a trusting and decent friend and treat you well. You have lofty ideals and like to share a common goal with other people. For these reasons your profession may also be linked with working with groups of people, particularly one with a humanitarian cause. You have many hopes and visions of what you want to achieve in your life, and can inspire others with your ideas. However, you do need to learn the ability to focus on one thing at a time, otherwise you are in danger of failing to achieve your goals through scattering your energies in different directions.

*Sun in 12th House

Your Sun is in the 12th House of your Birth Chart meaning that much of your life is spent working behind the scenes. This could mean taking a back seat in your job as the secretary rather than the boss, the stage manager rather than the actor or the editor rather than the published author. On the other hand, you may work in the relative anonymity of an institution such as a hospital, museum, or the armed services. Although you have the ability to succeed in your life, it is likely to involve some form of self-sacrifice. This means that you may give up on your own dreams to fulfill a service to someone or something else. This can be a positive trait if you work for a charitable institution, or a spiritual organization. However, you need to be wary of losing your own identity. There is nothing selfish in living a joyous life. The good news is also that you have the ability to overcome any difficulties entirely through your own efforts, although you can benefit from other people's charity during times of need. It is possible that you often feel forced into situations where you have to tackle things on your own and you may sometimes feel overwhelmed by the forces of the world. Fortunately, you have the ability to be contemplative. Seclusion is a prominent theme of your life, whether it is enforced or by choice. It may be that you actually enjoy long periods on your own, recharging your batteries through moments of quiet reflection. It's also possible that you could have some difficulty spending time on your own, as this forces you to contemplate painful memories, particularly those connected with your father. It's likely that you have missed out on an opportunity to have a close relationship with your father. This separation could have been because your father was forced through circumstances to leave the family home, or perhaps he was unwell, or simply the type of person who lacked the strength to face up to his parental duties. Although you may find it difficult, moments of quiet reflection will ultimately prove to have a healing effect on any emotional pain. You may even discover a sense of being deeply connected with the psychic world or an artistic temperament.

For Readings DM

[olderthannetfic]

Ancient argument, but I still just do not get how the explanation for why mainstream source material is all about men is OBVIOUSLY because Hollywood is a misogynist culture dominated by men, so OBVIOUSLY the solution to get more stories about women is to support way more women creators, but also, OBVIOUSLY the reason why fanfiction is all about men is because fandom is primarily women creators, so OBVIOUSLY the solution is ?????

--

Well, you could start by not conflating all the arguments into a silly strawman, anon.

Do I need to put in the fucking FFN vs. Wattpad vs. AO3 shipping chart?

Don't come to the gay bookstore and act surprised about what you find.

Fandom is not all about male characters. Slash fandom is, for obvious reasons. It's just that most dumbass analysis ignores how and when female characters are popular.

For example, Darcy Lewis circa 2012 got a lot of that same little black dress OOC drivel treatment that other fannish faves do, and it was great. Did I read a bunch of badfic where she had Loki's baby or whatever? I sure did! But that wasn't good enough because whiny little babies thought boring Jane was the character everyone ought to care about. It was ~offensive~ that there was more meme-y nonsense fic for Darcy/Jensen from The Losers than for [virtuous but boring ship]. How dare, how dare, etc. (Darcy/Jensen made perfect sense! The only possible objection is that it should be a threesome with Cougar!)

Tony/Pepper was an actual ship people cared about in 2012. No, it wasn't just an over-tagged side ship in m/m fic... It's just that those het writers had no reason to switch to AO3 at the time and may never have uploaded their old work.

Despite what the haters think, plenty of those het juggernauts like Dramione or Reylo are full of fics by women who really like the female lead, not just the male one. There are whole communities of people writing OFC/blorbo and supporting the other writers who do this. I used to read all the Ardeth Bay/OFC stuff back in the day. I've never been into readerfic, but there again, plenty of people are quite into a f!reader character. Haters will mischaracterize all this stuff as a nonentity plus a hot guy, but that's not necessarily the case.

Video game fandoms are awash with f!player-centric fic.

Anything where you're making up the woman has women writing women.

Mainstream Hollywood trash with poorly-written women and/or women only in the feelings babysitter role and not the hot mess/woobie/deadpan snarker/pop culture-obsessed wisecracking geek/etc. roles doesn't always generate fanfiction because fanfiction builds on what is already there. If there is no appealing lady there, that is not what the fandom will build on.

But in general, women absolutely do write fic about female characters.

The only reason I don't have a billion more examples is that I personally tend to ship m/m for a host of reasons that you can find in all of the tedious "Why slash?" meta going back to the 1970s. I don't personally particularly like self-inserting, and I especially don't like doing it as a woman.

Don't come up to my face or the faces of other AO3y types and go "You know, the world would be better if you just gendered harder!"

Go find some women who experience more gender euphoria around their assigned gender. They're often not found in slash spaces. Maybe try the Romantasy girlies.

The fact that you can't find women writing aspirational or wish fulfillment female protagonists is because you are too stupid to live, not because it doesn't happen.

[pineconepie]

oooo how about vincent with reader and one of his parties gone wrong? maybe reader gets hurt or almost dies?

Here you go!! <3

TW: Near-death experience (for Reader), mentions of murder, attempted murder, poisoned Reader, hospitals

"Stay close by me," Vincent reminds you once again, squeezing your hand tighter in his own gloved one. "You don't have permission to talk to strangers or leave my sight."

You almost scoff. As if you ever have permission.

Its been at least three months since you've started living with him. Despite being constantly monitored, you don't necessarily hate living with him. After getting used to his treatment of you, it's pretty comforting.

Being able to depend on somebody and not worry about things is nice. Other than a few rules, you can basically do whatever you want as long as it doesn't involve running away, hurting anyone or yourself, or disrespecting Vincent.

Overall, it could be way worse.

Vincent looks at you for confirmation.

"I know," you mumble. "No going near strangers or leaving your sight. I'm not stupid."

The blond chuckles softly, brushing his thumb against your knuckles. "No, you're certainly not dumb, pumpkin, but sometimes it takes more than smarts to keep safe. Remember what we said? The world is dangerous." He ruffles your hair gently. "And hey, if you don't wanna stay for long, we don't have to. Just need to make appearances, all that good stuff."

You nod. "Okay."

Honestly, if you had a choice, you wouldn't attend this gala whatsoever. It was a meeting between members of Cryo, but not like their usual monthly one.

Instead, this was actual an annual thing hosted in order to show off Cryo's successes over the year and hopefully find prospective members.

Vincent was reluctant when you told him you wanted to go, since apparently these galas were usually rather boring and weren't suited for "babies" like you (in Vincent's words). Plus, there'd be plenty of alcohol, gambling, and lots of "grown-up conversations."

But you managed to convince him with your puppy dog eyes and pleading. He's weak for those, you've noticed. Always wants to please you.

He had gotten you the nicest dress/suit, even though you already had at least five ones to choose from. He donned a black suit with a purple tie and matching slacks. His gloves were also black and leather, as well as his belt and shoes. He finished the look off with cufflinks shaped like golden bullets and a matching broach on his suit.

"You nervous, kiddo?" he asks in concern, squeezing your hand tighter.

"A little bit," you admit. "Just want people to like me."

Vincent frowns at you. "Well, if they're mean to you, they'll end up six feet under, so no need to worry about that."

"I don't want people to die either," you grumble. "Especially just because of me."

Vincent pinches your cheeks. "They can either be respectful to you, or dead. Their choices, doesn't seem like a hard one, either."

You swat at his hand, and he laughs. Soon enough, the two of you reach a large, extravagant looking building, lit up brightly despite the late night.

He guides you towards the entrance, and you enter into a massive hall filled with hundreds of people, most likely part of Cryo. Its quite loud inside. There's music playing somewhere nearby as well.

Everyone seems dressed formally. Suits and dresses abound. Several waiters walk by holding trays piled high with hors d'oeuvres and wine glasses.

Vincent continues to guide you towards a specific spot—where the guests are gathering to greet one another. As soon as he shows up, everyone greets him. Some of them eye you suspiciously or curiously, but they seem to know better than to outright approach you.

And you notice they only acknowledge your existence briefly before turning away and continuing their conversations with him or each other.

He notices you staring. "(Y/n), want me to introduce you?" he murmurs, patting your back.

You shake your head, and instead hide yourself behind him.

"Sorry, folks, my kid is a bit shy right now," Vincent laughs. "How bout we save introductions for later when they're in a better mood?"

The people shrug and agree, seeming content with that answer.

So that's how things continue. Vincent occasionally lets go of your hand to perform a handshake with somebody new, or wrap an arm around your shoulders, but never once truly leaves your side.

Occasionally, he offers to grab you food and drinks, making sure to only feed you things he knows are safe. Knowing the crowd here, for once you don't blame him for being extra vigilant.

A lot of small talk goes on. You zone out a bit as you hear talks about trade deals, weapons manufacturing, smuggling operations, assassinations... The typical mob business. You already know most of the details thanks to Vincent's constant chatter anyways.

Once it seems like the two of you have met every single person attending, he brings you to a quieter part of the gala, where they seem to have an open bar.

A couple people are milling around the area. A few seated on barstools and chatting with bartenders, others standing nearby watching. Vincent guides you to one of the seats, helping you onto the stool before sitting next to you.

"Want some juice, kiddo? We've got lemonade, grape juice, orange juice..." Vincent says. "I personally get a root beer float most of the time."

"Don't you drink?" you ask. Now that you think about it, you've never seen him drink in your presence.

"Not as often anymore. Not when I got someone young and innocent depending on me! Gotta be sober to watch you properly," Vincent says. "Besides, I'd never live it down if I became a bad influence for you."

You almost laugh. Funny he out of all people is saying that. "I guess I'll have what you're having, then."

Vincent grins and flags down one of the nearby servers.

"What can I get you, Mr. Brewer?"

"Two root beer floats for us, please."

She nods and rushes away.

While waiting, the two of you idly chat and watch everyone else. You notice a tall man with short brown hair and brown eyes approach, eyes fixed on Vincent. Something about his wide smile throws you off. He looks friendly, yes, but also a bit too enthusiastic, even more so than others who met you earlier.

He seems different than the other people here, and not in a good way.

"Hey, Boss," the man greets. His voice is slightly on the higher-pitched side. "Haven't seen you since your trip to Budapest. I heard you adopted a kid." He smiles at you.

"Yep," Vincent confirms, though he sounds a bit annoyed. "If you attended more meetings, that wouldn't have become a problem. Phoenix tried to contact you several times, we all thought you were dead."

The guy scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry... Things got busy on my end..."

Vincent looks angry, but holds himself back from yelling. For your sake, that much is obvious. You see his fingers twitching subtly. "You should make an effort to stay available whenever possible. You have a job, Sullivan. This isn't some side-gig you can just show up to when you want. If your uncle weren't contributing so much to Cryo, you'd be out of here in a heartbeat. I can still make that happen."

Sullivan sighs. "Yeah. I'll try to do better next time. Sorry again, really." He sits next to Vincent, eyeing both of your root beer floats, both in fancy wine glasses. "So, uh, (Y/n), was it? Nice to meet you."

"Yeah... nice to meet you too," you say politely, sipping your drink.

Vincent's eye twitches. He shifts his chair so it's angled closer to you protectively. Almost like a shield separating you and Sullivan apart. "Is there something else you needed?" Vincent questions, clearly getting impatient. He puts his drink down, right next to yours.

"Nah, just wanted to see you and apologize for being such trouble recently." Sullivan wedges himself between you two, arms outstretched on both of your shoulders, and both of you looking at him in confusion. Vincent's confused look turns into a sour one. "What? Just wanted to be affectionate, sorry. You're awfully grumpy today."

"Are you drunk?" Vincent sneers.

"Just a little!" Sullivan snorts and pulls away.

You're a little fearful for the guy's life, judging by the way Vincent is staring him down. You grab your drink and take a sip from it, not noticing Sullivan's brief look of panic.

"Uh, well, gotta go! I'm sure Trent's gonna wanna catch up with me," Sullivan nervously says, walking away quicker than Vincent has ever seen him go.

The blond only scoffs. "If I see him again tonight, I'll shoot him in the head myself," he grumbles.

"What happened to wanting to be a good influence?" you laugh.

Vincent flicks your nose. "Hey, if someone were bothering you who you wanted to shoot, I'd fully support it. I think the world would be a much better place if we got rid of all the people who were bothering my beloved kiddo." He ruffles your hair. "And hey, did you take my root beer float? Mine had the purple straw! Brat." His tone is playful, of course.

You pull back to look at the nearly fully-consumed drink, seeing the green straw. "Oops, must've mixed 'em up... too late, it's mine now."

He shakes his head in mock disappointment. "My kiddo... so mean. But it's fine, because yours had more in it, anyway! So ha-ha." As if proving a point, he begins loudly slurping yours. You laugh at the silliness. If only everyone knew that Vincent was a fool.

"That guy was kind of weird," you murmur, changing the subject onto Sullivan. "Have you known him for long?"

"Unfortunately," Vincent mutters. "Ever since his uncle joined Cryo, he felt entitled enough to get a job from us. Honestly, I'd much rather fire him, but since he's family with a high ranking member, I'd rather not cause any unnecessary conflict. Don't really trust him, though."

"Sounds like you really hate him," you chuckle.

"Me? Hate someone? Pfft, never. I'm a saint." Vincent nudges your shoulder with his own. "Yeah, I'm kidding. I kinda hate him. And I especially hate anyone who makes you uncomfortable, which I can tell he was doing. If not for his uncle..." He doesn't need to finish that sentence.

You finish your root beer float, and put the empty glass to the side. He wraps an arm around your shoulders while he pulls out his phone.

You see it's Quinn, and that he's telling her to keep an eye on him. You continue reading what he's texting, but then it gets harder to, the words growing blurrier and blurrier.

That's when you realize everything is getting blurry. Even the man next to you.

"Dad," you mutter. Your tongue feels like lead.

"Not now. Give Dad one sec." He keeps typing on his phone.

"Dad." More urgently.

"Be patient, kiddo. Quinn can barely type properly as is."

"I feel really bad," you rasp. "Dizzy."

Vincent looks up from his phone quickly. "(Y/n)?" His eyes widen as he sees your pained expression and sweat dripping down your face.

He drops his phone immediately as he catches you right before you fall off the stool. He runs a hand across your forehead. "(Y/n)? Hey, baby, shh, calm down. What hurts?" Panic seeps through his tone, yanking off one of his gloves with his teeth to feel your pulse, putting two fingers to your neck. Its rapid-fire.

"E-everything," you whimper. It's hard to even form words anymore. Your vision is getting darker and darker, and you can no longer breathe.

You begin to cough, holding onto his shirt for comfort as you feel the edges of your conscious slipping. Your throat feels blocked up. Every attempt to speak results in a strained wheeze and a coughing fit.

Vincent lets out a rare, strangled noise. The fear of losing you is the one thing keeping him grounded.

He lifts you up easily, bridal-style, into his arms, resting your head against his chest. He maneuvers past the crowds, calling for someone to get a stretcher for you.

You can't tell what he's saying anymore, only that he's yelling. Is he mad? Upset?

Or terrified, maybe. Maybe that's why his voice is shaky and cracked.

"Baby, come on, just breathe for Dad, alright? Just focus on my voice, sweetie," he begs, rubbing circles in your chest, as if he can coax air into your lungs. "Breathe with me. Please."

Your breath stutters and comes out shallowly. There's nothing you can do.

No way to obey him. You can't breathe. Why can't you breathe? You're trying so hard, just like he asked you to, but it's like your lungs refuse to expand, refusing to cooperate.

Vincent tries his best to coach you into breathing right, talking in soothing tones and soft coos, encouraging you to calm down and copy him.

Even if everything didn't sound muffled, you couldn't understand him anyway from the way he's speaking, on the verge of hyperventilating. He's trying so hard to act okay for you.

Everything starts to become dim. Blackness creeps into the corners of your vision, slowly overtaking your sight entirely. No matter how hard you struggle, fighting to stay awake and alive, your body gives into the poison and shuts down, leaving you limp in his arms.

The last thing you hear before darkness consumes your consciousness is Vincent screaming louder than you've ever heard him before.

...

Vincent paces back and forth as he waits in the hospital hallway outside of the ER.

"Vincent," Trenton greets sympathetically. It's rare he ever refers to his boss with his first name, but it's not something Vincent minds usually, especially not now. His mind is too preoccupied. "We found the perpetrator—"

"Sullivan," Vincent snarls, finishing for him. "I already figured."

"R-right," Trenton sighs. "We caught him attempting to run. He was already prepared for flight. Uh, it seems like the strychnine was meant for you, but either mixed them up or you got your drinks mixed up."

Vincent nods. "That damn traitor... you have him in custody, right?" Trenton nods. "Good. Keep him alive. I want to kill him myself."

"Understood. Do you want us to torture him first?" Trent asks. He's usually not this brutal, but he loves you like a sibling, after all.

"No. I'm saving that pleasure for myself." The door opens and a doctor steps out. Vincent's most trusted doctor, Dr. Fredericks. "(Y/n)! Let me see them now!" He doesn't even bother asking if you're alive; he simply refuses to even consider that outcome. That's the only thing that's been stopping him from absolutely losing it.

"Okay, but they're very much out of it," she tells him, leading him down the hallway into your room.

She's right.

You're on a hospital bed with the covers pulled over your chest. An oxygen mask is secured over your mouth and nose, and several monitors hooked to various machines beep quietly, tracking your vitals. There's an IV drip attached to your wrist.

As promised, you are awake, but clearly unable to do anything beyond that. Your eyes are drooping and you're blinking slowly, struggling to stay alert.

"(Y/n)," Vincent breathes, rushing over and grabbing your hand. He crouches beside the bed so that he's level with you. "Sweetie? Can you hear me?" He kisses your temple gently. He brushes your hair away from your forehead, pressing his cheek against yours.

You try to move your hand weakly towards his voice.

The blond nods quickly. "Hi, baby. Yeah, its Dad. I'm here. Everything is gonna be okay now." He presses kisses all over your face—anywhere he can reach without disturbing the oxygen mask.

"Poisoned," you manage to rasp.

"I know, lovebug. But it'll be okay." Tears threaten to spill down Vincent's cheeks.

"Scary," you say next.

"I know," Vincent whispers again, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching closely enough. Shouldn't have let him anywhere near us. I won't make that same mistake again, I promise." Not after he turns that bastard to dust. Slowly.

"Not y'r fault," you slur.

"It is. I should've protected you. That's my job, sweetie." He kisses your hand repeatedly. "Don't speak anymore, okay? I just want you to rest. At least until this comes off." He taps the clear oxygen mask. "And then we'll talk aaaall you want. Doesn't that sound nice?"

You shift positions as much as the wires will allow, and you pat the small space on the mattress, motioning for him to join you.

He chuckles and shakes his head fondly. "Aww, buddy. I don't wanna crush you."

When you continue to persistently slap the bed sheets, he finally concedes. He slips his shoes off and climbs onto the bed with you, helping you lay on top of his chest.

He makes sure all wires are in place as they were moments ago. "Comfy?" You hum in confirmation. Vincent plays with your hair. "Get some sleep, honey. Dad's not going anywhere."

Your eyelids flutter shut as you listen to the sound of his steady heartbeat, grounding you and lulling you to a peaceful, safe sleep.

Normally Vincent would be awake, hyper-vigilant as ever, but the exhaustion from running around in a frenzy and pure terror takes its toll on him too. His eyes close and sleep follows soon after.

[esmedelacroix]

Nerd Alert

synopsis ! he’s an American football player by day and a passionate mathematician by night. She’s a well-rounded historian and writer who couldn’t evaluate a derivative to save her life. They lived in two different worlds but shared the same study room.

previous chapter | series masterlist

cw ! no use of y/n, y/n is _____, fluff, slow burn, college au, ooc sukuna, f!reader, child abuse/neglect, alcohol abuse,

fic radio ! idfc by blackbear

a/n : this one is a bit shorter. the next one is longer promise.

Sukuna lived multiple lives. In a weird way, he was so many different people depending on his environment. When acting in almost every scenario, you lose yourself.

Deep down. Under all the layers Sukuna had created to protect himself, He was a nerd at heart. He read comics in his room of Superheros fighting bad guys. It was what inspired him to workout and go to the gym. His favorite DC comic heros made him feel strong. Like he had a chance against the weird men that preyed on his mother or the ones that would try to go for him. His mom didn't give a rats ass about him. Then again she too deep into her high to realize the situation she was in.

Secretly playing Five Nights at Freddy's with his elementary school friend Nanami. He couldn't take the bullying he would receive in school if they knew he loved comics, playing weird video games, scary movies, and math. He already had enough problems whenever he looked into his bank account or went to his house.

When he started football, Sukuna found a sport he loved and could hide behind. Why be seen as weird when he could be liked by most people? Slowly, Sukuna became the kid who would agree when others said math was hard and then miraculously got an A. He became the kid who said he didn't study the night before when his dark eye bags indicated he did.

He even stopped hanging out with friends like Nanami because he wanted to hang out with his colored friends. Though he never wanted to seem like he cared for anything, he truly cared about his public image. He never wanted people to notice he was broke so he worked two jobs to afford clothes and an occasional haircut.

His heart dropped to his ass when he looked up from the essay you were helping him out with to see Toji wide-eyed and confused looking through the glass wall. He immediately burst into the room without your permission. "Dude, what are you doing here?" he questioned.

Sukuna froze. Nothing was coming out of his mouth. "We're studying. What are you doing here?" you echoed.

"I'm just doing some work. Deans are on my ass about getting my shit done to keep my scholarship."

In all the years that Toji had been friends with Toji, they did everything together. They rushed for their frat and got hazed together(Sukun ended up keeping the pink hair cus he 'lowkey fuck with it'). He opened up about his home situation and brought him to his place. Toji was the one who recommended he put his mother in rehab while he was away at college. after four years he was still mending their relationship.

He couldn't admit that he was good at school and cared about his grades. "Why don't you believe me? Ryomen's in three advanced math courses. He did all those problems on the board."

Sukuan stared directly at his laptop disassociating. he didn't know what to do or say. Here you were, very inconsiderately exposing him. "What d'you gotta say for yourself, bro?"

Sukuna looked up at Toji shocked to see him grinning widely. he visibly looked confused and Toji laughed. "I'm just playing with you I know you're smart as hell," Toji chuckled pulling out the chair across from the two of you.

"What?" he finally said.

"Dude, I'm your best friend. I suspected you were a nerd all the way in high school. You think I don't notice things? You have mad comics under your bed. You use a Nintendo too. If that's not enough proof I know you play Zelda on it when you think everyone's asleep. There was also that time I needed to use your laptop and I accidentally saw your report card," he explained.

You were impressed by how close he and Ryomen were. It completely surprised you that Ryomen was a full-blown nerd and not just some jock that was good at math and wore his prescription glasses when he forgot contacts.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked annoyingly.

"It was fun watching you try to act cool and hide it," Toji shrugged.

Sukuna let out a groan and sunk into his chair with his head in his hands. "I hate you," he mumbled

"Love you too bud," Toji smiled.

The three of you spent that evening studying. You and Sukuna yelled at Toji as he did his homework like helicopter parents who don't know how to parent.

The weekend finally arrived and you were in the football stadium with your friends cheering on the team. You were wearing some school merch and jeans. Your hair was in a messy bun matching Geto's as you took your seat with your arms full of snacks and drinks.

You put a bit more effort into your style and hair today. just for you to throw it into a messy bun and get ketchup everywhere.

During half-time, the team huddled and dispersed. Sukuna squeezed his after from his bottle while pouring some on his face and shaking his head to get it out of his hair. Droplets of sweat accompanied.

He looked around in the crowd and once his eyes met yours they stopped and his expression changed. It was unreadable but it changed. He scanned you and you waved. He didn't wave back he just stared and when his coach called him over he rejoined the group. You shrugged it off and continued to talk to your friends.

The second half of the game was phenomenal. everyone was connected. Sukuna was making amazing plays and the team was scoring so much that you had to sit down and take a breather for, how much cheering you were doing.

When the clock ran out, you and your friend shot out of your seats happy to see your team had one. All the guys high-fived. But Sukuna turned around looking directly at you making eye-contact facial expression still unreadable but soft around the edges.

You mouthed a 'congrats' to him you were sure if he caught before his team huddled around him.

"Don't think I didn't see the two of you eye fucking. Right in front of my salad, tsk tsk," Geto smiled looking ahead.

"Oh shut up," you rolled your eyes elbowing him.

"you like him~" he sang.

"As if."

You played things off cool, but the heat rising to your face and your bouncing leg told Geto everything he needed to know. You were crushing. Hard.

. . .

-> next part

@minasuniverse @not-a-glad-gladiator @love-me-satoru @sukunawhores @emoedgylord @domainofmarie @sadrna @lazylunarlover @tamishadawn @boudoirbae @river-vixenn @bitchyfestivalbouquet @elizabeth-von-winken-universe @clp-84 @emochosoluvr @yoongithebean @linaaeatsfamilies @magalimachete @chubbydumplingbarnes @katsukiseyebrows @sukubusss @r33m-world @pelicanpizza @mykuronekome @linny-bloggs @your-mum3000 @jayathelostdragon

comment to be added to the taglist !

[jelloapocalypse]

Loved the new video!! Very fun watch and so well edited from the criteria section to the ending list itself. I was waiting to see the show at number 1 all video, and I started worrying it may have had some egregious text/credit placement issues I forgot about, and then there it was right at the top lol! I'm always happy to see that show get the praise it deserves, and that entire sequence was so well edited it made it feel even better.

Anyway Im sure an entire new video ranking anime outros would be an insane undertaking, but did it ever come into consideration? I'd be curious to hear if you had any thoughts on how the criteria would differ from the intros, since it doesn't need to entice someone into trying a show they already watched. (This mostly came to mind because of chainsaw man's unique episode outros, but thats a pretty special case)

I'm really happy so many people are having this exact reaction to the #1 pick.

Amy and I decided pretty early in the project that we'd never do this for Anime EDs. I couldn't tell you why, but I just don't care about them nearly as much as openings. I devour OP guessing games but EDs? I sleep. v_v

I think there was something gorgeous about growing up in that golden era of Cartoon Network from like 1999-2005 that really made me love intros. I've always adored them. I love the way they act as bite-sized catchy advertisements to let you know something you like is coming on. I wish we lived in a world where western animation fans were as obsessive about tv openings as anime fans are, it makes me so sad we don't have even 1% as many quizzes as anime fans do. (((ask me about western animated OPs pls pls pls pls pls)))

I tend to watch 98% of openings on any show I check out unless they're really bad. Inversely, I tend to skip EDs unless they're really good. If I'm loving a show and I want to get to the next episode that ED better fuckin' rock if it wants to keep me from hitting the "next" button ASAP. I think the last show I watched EDs for was Bocchi. Love those little dancing guys.

Also, we don't need to do a best anime ED video because everyone knows that #1 is this:

OPs have a variety of factors that determine their quality. Visuals, music, credit placement, theming, jennies, etc.

EDs have an entirely separate grading rubric, and that's the Redraw factor. Namely, "How much does this make a DeviantArt girly from 2009 want to redraw her blorbos in place of the characters in this OP?"

To wit, this is the 2nd best OP:

And as third place, let's say Link Click ED1. This song usually cuts in as a scary "UH OH. CLIFFHANGER! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!" moment, and it fucks every single time. I have a lot of issues with S2, but the worst one is that this song isn't the ending anymore.

[camelspit]

Fintan Pyren by @crescentpaws

Councillor Bronte by @isolde-illustrates

Definition of a sexyman: An often pathetic and/or evil man who is sexy (but perhaps not in the conventional sense)

Propaganda:

Fintan Pyren:

"he's like if a chewed on and half-dead rodent was a twink" anonymous

"twink, need i say more" anonymous

"Okay, let's be real. Fintan is HOT. Bro's the kind of person that makes you nervous. Good or bad, whatever. And I KNOW he gets a lot of hate, but let's be real. The only reason I'd join their cult- I mean the Neverseen, is because of HIM. Like, @/maxcrescentpaws art of him.... My friend that absolutely HATES Fintan, well, after seeing some fanart...." anonymous

"girl idk i just am hyper fixated on this bitch and want gethen to lose by an embarrassing amount" @luigimangionesjailcell

"I love all of them in different ways, but also FINTAN 😍" @kyeiscrying

"f slur (lovingly)" anonymous

"He's a twink with fire powers, you should utilize that!" @skia-tumb

"Three words: HOT. AS. FUCK." anonymous

"he's absolutely pathetic. and evil. also did i mention he's gay? and he has a cool backstory that shannon better elaborate on or imma throw hands" anonymous

"Why yes he did end several people's lives while being incredibly hot, but when you look past the murder, hes just incredibly hot. Ans that's enough for me, and a lot of people, I think." anonymous

Councillor Bronte:

"This man does not have the strength to put his past behind him and ignore the other ancients who keep committing atrocities. He literally cut off his curls because he was not intimidating enough. He desperately seeks for approval from people a tenth his age.

He claims that everything he does is for the good of the world, yet he tortured a girl in her session in front of one of the other government leaders and got away with it. Bronte does not care who it is. If you don't have a past with him, you're just a pawn that needs to be moved. And if you are from his past, he will drag you down with him.

His curls are too powerful. People want him, and Bronte has no clue what to do with that. He's hot with or without his curls. His ears get tangled in long hair. He could cut mallowmelt with those points. Put this old man in an assisted home not a Councillor's castle. Twelve year olds scare him more than murderers. A twelve year old taught him how to laugh, and that was the most terrifying thing he endured in his thousand years of life." @isolde-illustrates

"He’s literally just a silly guy. He has beef with a literal 12 year old for, like, two books, just to become one of her biggest supporters and I love that about him" anonymous

"f slur (lovingly)" anonymous

"How can you not look at this 2,000 hear old man ass guy and go, "Damn, wanna swallow 'em whole." Now that's, sexy!" @skia-tumb

"f slur (derogatorily)" anonymous

Want to submit propaganda? Do so here and it will be added in the next round!

[valleymyristica]

[ TagGame ]

Post 4 fictional characters you relate to and assume something about the previous person based on their characters [ Original ]

Thank you @nightjasmine10 for the tag! This one sounds like quite an interesting one

Eris Sinbad

Alastor Hazbin Hotel (Pilot)

Snufkin Moomin (1990 TV series)

Fluttershy My little pony: Friendship is magic

And the gifs are quite fitting too, especially the Alastor one, when it comes to the story, what we have in mind, can't help but let a smile spread from time to time. Heh Eris is more the author in me.

Thank you again @nightjasmine10! This was a fun surprise

Here's my little analysis based on your characters Hope it's somewhat fitting as I didn't know most of them

.·˚✧ Koenma (Yu Yu Hakusho) ✧˚·. You have a level head, making sure that things goes as planned, helping. You like to focus on what you enjoy, and not too much on what's outside of that. Plus, you're loyal to those you care about, always wanting the best for them.

-

.·˚✧ Peri Fairywinkle Cosma (Fairly OddParents: A New Wish) ✧˚·. Likes to add some flare to what you do. Fearful of failure and always seeking to do good. Maybe also a sprinkle of, wanting to give others a nice impression of who you are out of fear of how they might perceive you if you don't.

-

.·˚✧ Chandler Bing (Friends) ✧˚·. You're a fun one who enjoys making others laugh. It's better to bring others up with joy than down with any sorrow you may feel. Hiding behind a smile because you've learned that others just like to see the sunshine you may spread, instead of any hurt that may be in your head. Still, all in all, you're a good person.

-

.·˚✧ Monica Geller (Friends) ✧˚·. You're indeed one that likes to keep the peace. Making sure all is well, maybe even at the expense of yourself at times. You don't think yourself bad, but you sometimes have a hard time seeing all the wonder you give.

-

You know yourself well enough to keep yourself up. You know what your ideal life may be, but you can still find joy in what you have currently. Still, there are many things that could be better, but hey could be worse too, right?

In essence, you're a good person Pretty like a flower

Hope I didn't overdo it Or maybe I did and it brings you glee Well, the important part is you being happy!

As for people to tag, always so unsure, but there are always lovely people to bring some brightness to!

@waitineedaname, You're a lovely one who's analysis is always fun, plus, it would be fun to see who you may related too (feeling one of them might be a librarian, though, guess that depends)

@shrimpyjackal, LOOK! Can you see me? Do you find the characters fit? Always so fun to hear from you, always a joy in seeing what you do, so it would also be fun to know which characters you relate to too ᵔ���ᵔ

@stitchwraith-stingers, You're a fun one, so it may be fun to see, who are the four that call to out to you? And why does it feel like not all of them are human too? Whatever it may, hope you have a wonderful day. Ups and downs are sure to come, but save the fun, enjoy what you can.

@wreckrinho, The cool cat that is you, do oh so wonder, who do you relate too? What characters make you feel more at home, for not all is lonely. You don't have to be alone. For you are one who deserves to be seen and happy, with joy to fill what's in-between!

@freesso, Sweet and fun, happy one. Hope all is well, do you want to play? It's odd, I have a vision of silver shimmering white, no idea who that could be, right? Regardless of choice, hope you are having fun in whatever you working on getting done ᵔᵜᵔ

@midnightdemonz, You're a fun one, wanna join in the game? Whatever you choose, I hope the day will give you much joy to gain, much fun to be had and do hope that things are good, not bad. For a lovely fun one, just like you, deserves much joy, it's true!

@vhs-consumer, Fun fantastic! Hope you're good and the world is kind, bringing you lively things to mind. Hope there is fun to be had in your day, hope you are doing okay ᵔᵜᵔ

@poggieking03, Hope all is well, and the day brings you glee, just like you have so many times brought me! Would be fun to see what you may say, and who are the ones that best match your days. Surely someone cool and full of spark, for you are always a bright spot in the dark.

@paaelle, A fun one to see, you come and you go, hope you're day is bright and enjoy all that you know. You may join if you like, but most of all, I want to tell, that I appreciate you as well!

And for clarity, no pressure of course!

Most of all, I just want to wish you all well For you are all so sweet and swell! So very wonderful, just wanted to tell ᵔᵜᵔ

Also, if anyone else would like to join in, then that would very much bring glee Fun people are always fun to see, trust me

[alllgator-blood]

I genuinely love the way you write each character. They're all so distinct, and you don't shy away from their vices. And the angst?? I'm absolutely living for it. Genuinely a masterclass for tugging at the heartstrings. It's so visceral that it's just leaving me at the edge of my seat. The Yule comics were absolutely gorgeous. The grief you pulled from your own personal experience has created a marvelous arc detailing just how hard each Bishop was struggling to cope in their own way.

Each stroke you make and letter you type is simply ethereal. Even a silly doodle from you is made with such earnest that it feels like you're just making masterpiece after masterpiece. Seeing you on my feed has me kicking and squealing with absolute delight!

I hope you're doing well, and I can't wait to see more from you! 😊💜✨

This means the world to me, thank you so much!!! The few times my family asks what I've been up to and I talk vaguely about my comics, I'm always met with "??? WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THAT??? WHO WANTS TO READ THAT" and while it sucks to hear or whatever, I prefer to internalize asks like these because THIS is why I draw. YOU GET ME! And anybody that follows this blog gets me as well which is more support than I've had in a long time. Maybe ever??

Sad comics for me have always been THE way I get my feelings out, I'm not so great with words to describe how I feel and it's also hard to capture that feeling with just one picture, therefore...ANGST COMICS! I get hit with that feeling of "this is like deeply personal maybe I should just save this for when I do OC art again" when I make stuff like the yule comic or the one I'm about to post, but idk the bishop family has a fuckin death grip on my heart. They SUCK but they still love each other enough to literally fight to the death on each other's behalf, even if two of them know they won't win. IT'S REALLY GOOD I love them and I feel very fulfilled when I write for them.

I think about those guys all the time and it feels like an honor having other cotl fans see my comics and feel emotions over them. I'd be making these even if nobody saw them, been doing comics for years that nobody has ever seen, but genuinely running this blog and seeing people's feedback has gotten me to wake up earlier than the afternoon just to post/read stuff. Even if sometimes I disappear because I'm terrible at being social, messages like these really do make the amount of time I put into my art 100% worth it. I appreciate you and I hope you're doing well too, thanks for taking the time to send me this!!

[cripplecharacters]

Hi hi, I'm writing a fic with a number of mentally and/or physically disabled characters, and have a few questions.

+ One of my characters has autism, and I intend to write from their POV eventually. I am not diagnosed with autism (though many people have told me that it is likely I do) and I'm unsure of how to go about writing them. I have a strange train of thought that I've found most people can't relate to (one thing will make me think of something else that it is only related to in my mind, if that makes since), so I was thinking of basing their train of thought off mine, but I don't know if that would be a good idea. Any tips?

+ I want to write one of my character to have a congenital limb defect in his leg, like my great great grandfather, who had a peg leg. The story is set in a fantasy world, with slightly better technology than the world we live in, however, the character in question lives on an island country with relatively few resources and his family is kind of poor. Should I give him a modern prosthetic, or a peg leg? (For context, another character in this fic is a cyborg with a fully functional cybernetic arm that connects to their nervous system and can be controlled as well as an actual arm.)

+ Would it be ok for me to give a character facial vitiligo that highlights their (fantasy) race? Like, very intricate swirls and spots? It has almost nothing to do with the story or the character's personality, it's simply for the character design.

2/2 I should probably clarify, when I said that vitiligo was just for the character design, I actually meant that disabilities and facial difference aren't as stigmatized in this world, because of all the different peoples who inhabit it. (Snake peoples, goblin-like peoples, sea creature peoples [not mermaids], ect.)

Hello,

so, most of these questions have already been answered on the blog numerous times. Please go look through our resources first next time.

1: If the character is meant to be autistic, then it's a good thing for them to think like an autistic person. It might be different than what allistic readers relate to, but if the character is autistic, they need to have autistic traits. Basing it on yourself in this scenario just makes sense - attempting to make it more relatable/palatable for allistic readers would defeat the purpose.

2: So, most leg amputees who can't afford a prosthesis will simply use crutches. They're cheaper than peg legs and more comfortable to use, especially if it's above the knee. That said, there are very low-cost modern prosthetics that are meant for those kinds of situations. This one apparently cost 87 USD as a whole to produce, there are ones made from recycled plastics, etc. But most amputees in poverty will just use crutches and/or a wheelchair.

2.5: Please, please, please, no magic fantasy sci-fi arms that work like bio limbs. This is the most common topic we cover here and our advice/stance is always the same: research how amputation and prostheses actually work, they shouldn't be "controlled as well as an actual arm". There is a link in our pinned in the FAQ section about this, and more in the navigation section.

3: Please don't do this, this falls under fetishization of vitiligo. Vitiligo is a real condition, not an aesthetic. I strongly recommend you look through @vitiligo-is-not-a-trend and/or our #vitiligo representation tag. I'm not sure what highlighting their fantasy race implies, but design choices like likening the vitiligo to animal patterns isn't great either.

Please check the relevant tags on the blog in the future, as most of these questions have been answered previously.

mod Sasza

[vaguely-concerned]

listen I just... this path of harding's loyalty mission with this specific party. the disrupted self squad. the trauma has made me a stranger to myself Have You Seen Me I can't find my way back union. team fractured reality and I'm piecing it and myself back together as best I can (will you keep me company in the meantime?). the echoes and the implications. as above so below, as in you so in me, large cosmic scale to painfully small personal psychological scale. pain from the distant past still alive and snarling to be known in the now, and pain right now and ongoing but forgotten and unseen, supressed by means natural and unnatural (what's a little blood magic to help denial and dissociation along between frenemies huh solas). the extra meaning 'spite' takes on as a phrasing here (because it's all IN THERE this is all in the big text of the game!!! the themes echo back on themselves everywhere you listen for them!!!!). rook who once more doesn't even know that they don't KNOW they're also speaking to themselves as well as harding in this scene, to their own broken self and mind partially mirrored in someone they love (broken by the same perpetrator, even, in this case!!!!!!!!! hello solas once more), harding who doesn't quite know she's also speaking to them as well as to herself, to the dwarves, the titans, the world; everything and everyone that has ever been hurt, but whose stubborn kindness still has room for it all. (even for solas. hello again. we cannot escape you it seems mr dread wolf it's almost like you and your plethora of fuckery are thematically central or something (grudgingly affectionate).) even without perfect understanding of the full picture, the simple intention to be kind matters.

(forgive me for my sentimental nature and everpresent rookanis bias for a moment but ALSO lucanis looking over at rook Like That in this context, while those words are being spoken!!! spite's role in urging him towards escaping, living, thriving, instead of merely numbly surviving, and how it ties in with harding's revelation and decision here. and rook who opens doors and stays to walk through them with you, at the end being found and helped through a door of their own, and lucanis himself being one of the people to do that. do you. do you get me. I feel strange and wild.)

most of all harding just. saying the whole thing. summing the whole game up. 'we're different, but we're not gone. we will thrive -- in spite of you'. I was RIGHT about it all the way back in november actually and I should say it!!!!! the game is saying this on purpose. 'and then... everyone was there. and that's when I knew we'd be okay. that I'd... that I'd be okay'. my friend lace harding might be the only person who really gets it huh. and what a legacy for varric to leave behind in the narrative (and what a common da2 W, the little team that couldn't does it again better than anyone's ever done it by doing it the worst anyone's ever done it, hawke can't stop winning by always losing). no salvation but each other but my god that is plenty. my god. that is enough. once more

my head is in my hands I love this game desperately, it rewards really sitting with and taking in the themes so much. i'm so sorry for dropping a bunch of my own metas in there like that but I'm finding it so hard to say what I need to say all in one go, it's just -- it's so big! it's so much! I have so many thoughts to express about my unified theory of veilguard and only my poor battered neurons to do it with, please look upon me with clemency and, perhaps, forbearance. and it's so interesting that you can bring another companion along with rook and harding in this scene and have it mean just as much with slightly different nuances, have it resonate just as much with the overall meaning the game is trying to get across, because they're truly all tied in with each other that way; they're all part of a larger truth. you think it's one theme after another but the damn things overlap etc.

[isolaradiale]

"What is that?" Two of the Stars sat huddled over two of the many computer monitors set up within their abode. It had been a few days since it had appeared, prompting the city's defense systems to seal away half of the branches. One screen showed an impossibly long chain of code, while the other flickered through various images from within the quarantined areas.

The Mistwood's trees had been dyed crimson, affecting the lighting. When the screen showed the Sky-Strewn Islands, you could see what looked like bodies walking over the edge of the floating isles. "A gift. Likely from the ones who infiltrated through a backdoor at the beginning of the year."

"Bloody hell. Are those bodies? Is it affecting all of the life in the simulation? Even the plant life? What sort of virus is this?" A glance at the coding was all they needed to identify the cause. "Its glitching the data? Altering its behaviour... Like zombies? How long will the system be able to suppress it? Long enough for us to counteract it, I'd hope?"

"Not zombies, fortunately. Their behaviour is similar, but... Perhaps disconnect Ofiuco from the network for the time being? They've been banging on the barrier for 26 hours. I don't think it'll hold for long with that much data crashing into it. Actually, never mind. It already collapsed. Maybe activate the emergency protocols."

Cracks could be seen forming in the barrier on the second monitor. It didn't take long for it to shatter, unleashing hundreds upon thousands of bodies that crashed into the city. Anything that was living that they crashed into became infected with a virus and moved to attack anything that hadn't been infected.

But while the Isolans from other worlds would be attacked, they couldn't be infected. So killing them would have to do instead.

"Erm. Slight issue?"

"What?"

"It has infected the emergency systems. We only have one charge."

"[CENSORED]. That's not good."

WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING!?

Zombies! ...Kind of! A virus has spread among the NPC people, animals, and even the plant life. While the characters won't know what the Stars are officially referring to them as, they have been simply codenamed "The Glitched". Anything "living" they come into contact with will become Glitched itself, with the exclusion of the player characters.

That said, The Glitched will see the player characters as prey nonetheless and will try to kill them instead. There is also a glitching effect visible over them to indicate their status. Lets go over the types of Glitched in more detail:

GLITCHED NPCS Your standard "zombies". They were the NPCs that lived among the player characters this whole time. They resemble traditional zombies in many ways. They shamble, they moan and groan, and their movements can be unsettling. But they aren't decaying at least! They will attack in ways similar to zombies, running at you in hoards, thrashing, and biting if needed. Whatever it takes to kill their targets. That said, they're generally slow.

GLITCHED CREATURES Animals and monsters are also affected (not including character pets). They've become much more ravenous, including those that would normally avoid people altogether. If you've ever been terrified of the prospect of zombie squirrels crawling in through your vents to get you, well... Depending on the animal or monster, they might be faster and / or more dangerous than a regular Glitched.

GLITCHED PLANTLIFE While not as outwards dangerous, infected plant life affects the environment. Any infected plants will glow crimson red and, once enough plant life in a contained area even the sky will begin to glow an ominous red. A phenomenon that will spread north as the virus spreads.

EVENT MECHANICS

ABILITY DRAIN

At the beginning of the event, every characters will be uncapped entirely since the Stars activated the emergency systems. However, these systems have lost power since. As a result, every usage of a character's powers will cause all of their abilities to weaken regardless of the one used, little by little, until their powers disappear entirely. This means that the characters will need to be smart about using them once they realize. This also applies to weapons, and their durability will degrade after each fight until they're liable to break. While we won't be policing this, we ask that you don't ignore this mechanic completely.

NO RESPAWNING

The respawn system is part of the emergency systems, so for the duration of this event your character will not be able to respawn. If they die, they will remain dead until the conclusion of the event! If you go this route, they will exist as something kin to a ghost that cannot interact with the living world, but will be able to interact with other ghosts. If your character is still alive and has the power to see and hear ghosts, though? You'll still be able to interact with them!

MODIFIERS

The ones who installed the virus in the first place also installed a modifier system. Every encounter with ten or more Glitched will trigger a modifier wheel to spin on the phones of every player character nearby and will all land on a single modified that may affect the Glitched or the characters themselves depending. A new modifier will be rolled every hour, replacing the current one. You can find a list of what the effects do here, as well as the wheel to spin before each thread here! You're not required to use the wheel, but we do recommend it especially if you're doing multiple threads! Characters will be able to check their phones at any time to see which modifier is active.

GLITCHED TERRITORY

At the beginning of the event, the southern branches already be completely dyed crimson and is rampant with the Glitched. They've broken through the barrier and are now entering the city en masse. Throughout the event, they will move farther and farther north, leaving your characters with a choice. Will they hunker down in the city to try and ride out this storm, or will they flee to the branches across the water? Unfortunately, eventually nowhere will be safe.

FAQ

When does the event officially end? The official end time is 11:59:59PM EST on Friday, April 18th! You won't be able to make any new minis, opens, or starters after that point!

What are the requirements for participation? All you need is one IC post within the event scenario!

What if we're not very good with horror elements? While the Glitched take a lot of cues from the zombie genre and you could portray them to be as physically bloodied and ravaged as you'd like, because they aren't technically undead, you could portray them without less or no emphasis on what might make them visually disturbing if you need to!

Can we kill the Glitched? What will happen to the NPCs that are killed this way? You can! They'll respawn as if nothing happened at the end of the event, but the characters themselves won't know this. This will surely bring about a moral dilemma for some, especially those that know specific NPCs personally.

If my character is killed, can I write a thread with them set before that death? Of course! As long as it's set chronologically before they died, it's fine!

Will my character have any way to defend themselves if they have no powers? Yes! Characters that are powerless can access an app in their phone that will allow them to assume their avatar from the Fantasia Interspace simulation! Even if you weren't in the group during this event, you can create this avatar by picked a player race and spells!

I have another question! Feel free to ask through the masterlist! We'll answer it as soon as we're able to! We ask that you do not ask event questions in the server for this event, just so everyone is able to see the answers if they have the same questions!

[lyxchen]

Okay so I've heard this said a bunch of times and I'm gonna admit I thought like that too for a while but no, Gi-hun did not win the games because he was lucky. A lot of people think that's how he won because he never killed anybody but that's really not the point. Gi-hun won the games because a) he's smart and is able to look at things from a different angle, b) because he is a good and kind person who also believes in others and c) because of the goodness and care get got back from other people.

In the first game he survived because Ali saved him and that wasn't luck, that was Ali being a good person and helping somebody not get killed. Ali could've not caught him, let him die, he didn't even know Gi-hun at all at that point and he put himself in more danger too by having to hold on to a person while standing completely still but he still saved Gi-hun because Ali is a good person.

In the Dalgona game he quite literally Was Not Lucky. He decided to go with the umbrella which is the worst shape to pick and he probably would have died if he hadn't looked at the game in a different way and decided to change his strategy. Gi-hun is smart. He is also optimistic and so he tried something new and found a different way to beat that game.

In the third game he survived because he was smart and kind enough to listen to Il-nam. The other people in their group dismissed him as just an old man speaking but Gi-hun didn't and that way they had a good strategy to beat the other team. The same goes for him listening to Sang-woo's idea of running three steps and then stopping, which ultimately was what saved them. His group also chose him as their leader (who, as Il-nam said, needs to not seem weak or loose hope because then the whole team is doomed). His team trusted in him and his optimism and they were right to do so.

In the marbles game he won because he was once again kind and decided to team up with Il-nam and also because in the end Il-nam decided to "sacrifice himself" for Gi-hun because he showed him kindness before. Yes Il-nam didn't actually die but he also knew that Gi-hun had cheated and still let him continue on to the next game, probably because Gi-hun had been good and kind and caring towards him before, even though he really didn't have to be. Gi-hun also didn't know this but by teaming up with Il-nam he inadvertently ensured that Il-nam had a lot more fun in the games than he would have had, had everybody just ignored to "old, fragile man". Gi-hun was good to Il-nam throughout all the games and it ended up saving him in the marbles game.

In the fifth game it's only some small moments as Gi-hun isn't really involved in the game because he's the last number but still it wasn't just luck. First of all he was kind enough to give the number 1 to the player that asked him for it. Yes, that number was bad but he didn't know that and had he been selfish enough to say no to that other player he wouldn't have survived. Being the last to play in any game can end up being bad for you, still he decided to give up the number he picked because the other player asked him to. Secondly he also survived that game because Sae-byeok was kind enough to remind him of which glass tile to step on after he had forgotten which one it was. It's only small but she didn't have to tell him and still she did. Sae-byeok btw is also good to him because before that he was good to her and protected her (even though he was angry at her at first) and that way he was able to gain her trust.

Lastly he won the Squid Game because Gi-hun was kind to Sang-woo and because Sang-woo deep down was still a good person. There were probably many reasons as to why Sang-woo decided to kill himself in the end but part of it, I'm sure, was also because Gi-hun was a good friend to him. I mean Gi-hun was even willing to give up all the money and go back home with nothing gained if it meant that Sang-woo didn't have to die and would be able to come home with him. Gi-hun deserved that win and that money and in the end Sang-woo knew that. He also knew that Gi-hun would make sure to take care of Sang-woo's mother and that he wouldn't just take all the money for himself because Sang-woo knew that Gi-hun is a good person. (Gi-hun technically also won the Squid Game because he was good at it which is also him being smart)

So in conclusion and I hope y'all haven't stopped reading yet: Gi-hun didn't win the games because he was lucky. He didn't just sit around doing nothing and won anyways. He won because he was smart but even more importantly he won because of the kindness and goodness that exists in humans and that is especially present in him. He won because he had empathy, because people trusted him, because he got back from them what he gave to them first. He never killed anyone and we can clearly see that he Could Never kill anyone in those games but that's not his weakness. Just because he didn't let himself get corrupted and turned into what the games wanted him to turn into doesn't mean he won because of luck. Him not playing by those subtle, hidden rules that are made to force him to be bad, to not care about others and to give up his kindness actually means he was better than the games. He won because he didn't let them turn him into a monster. They tried really hard and they failed and that's how he won!! But also on top of that he also won because he isn't the only good person in this show. He also won because other people helped him, were kind to him and gave a shit about him. Each and every person that helped Gi-hun didn't have to do that. They all could have not helped him, Ali could have not caught him, Sae-byeok could have not told him which one was the correct glass tile, hell, she could have Lied to him about it and the only difference it would have made for the other players would have been them being one more dead person closer to winning all that money. But that's really not how humans are and act which is why all these people helped Gi-hun, helped each other in small or big ways and in the end his own kindness and the kindness that exists in other people is what lead to Gi-hun winning. That's not luck. That humans being good

[basofy]

i think you can be as critical about the venezuelan opposition and maría corina and edmundo as you want but arent venezuelans allowed to choose for themselves even if the options arent perfect? are you willing to justify electoral fraud and police brutality, class inequality, bad management of resources, lack of maintenance of the country, breach of the law, lack of investment in health services and education etc etc just because the person doing it is someone you like or because you don't like the other option? are people at fault for wanting something different?

[beastblade69]

well that's fucking awesome. all of the damage russians have done to our electric infrastructure can be repaired in one year minimum. IT'S GONNA TAKE MORE TAHN ONE YEAR TO REPAIR ALL OF THE ELECTRIC STATIONS RUSSIANS HIT WITH THEIR MISSILES. AND WE AIN'T EVEN TALKING ABOUT CIVILIAN OR ANY OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE. ONLY ELECTRIC ONE. MORE THAN ONE YEAR. AND WE ARE STILL NOT STRUGGLING ENOUGH IN ONLINE PEOPLE'S OPINION. FUCK OFF

[no-nic]

clicked nuance. first of all, i completely forgot top/bottom discourse existed. what a world i live in, huh

(warning: i'm getting explicitly explicit & disjointed below)

note: i have little japanese cultural context, this is from my experiences in internet fandom spaces as a young teen who was improving their english by reading fanfic. my experiences with explicit fics are not universal; in fact, it would be truly weird if you've read the exact same combination of works as me! general "you" is used. if you want to rear up and say "well i never..." then it's obviously not about you personally. except this. this is talking to you. yes you ^^ good? good.

my understanding of top/bottom, especially in m/m context, is simple: top has a dick (fleshiness optional), bottom has a hole, there is penetration. and generally i don't care who does what.

i'm not sure how exactly those words are used in fandom and across the world now. "top" implies dominance, so much that there is a need for the phrases "service top" -- which usually boils down to: they are using their dick, but don't worry, they actually care about their partner's pleasant experience more than their own. or they aren't in charge. or something like that -- and "power bottom".

we have hopefully left the seme/uke yaoi dynamic in the past. seme/uke looks at the stupid question "so which one is the girl?" and says "this is m/m but one is a strong masculine Man while the other is a fragile feminine Creature who gets fucked". according to this tops are dominant, bottoms are submissive, you get the drill. plus since the bottom is the only one getting fucked, he is the only candidate for mpreg. don't ask where the womb came from... he was feminine anyway... no there's not a transgender explanation, he is still a man so he just has to have a dick /s can we sort hashirama/madara, known equals on the battlefield, into this predictable dynamic? nah

then the trend slowly changed. the slight D/s power dynamics stayed. #topping from the bottom is a tag i see a lot. you can take a dick and still be dominant! there must be some het femdom influence ("she is strong even when she gets penetrated", which eventually got somewhat shoved aside by pegging. cis women with strap-ons, ofc. she can take it off and be truly feminine again, don't you know? /s). see my "service top" ramblings above.

this can be applied to our hashirama/madara ship somewhat better. it's a solution, unfortunately when done badly it can come off as too desperate to invert the previous dynamic: mr dominant warrior man madara gets dicked down but he is bratty during everything, so it... saves his hardass reputation...? he gets penetrated but it's not... inherently demeaning? "subverting expectations" why did you have those expectations in the first place hm? madara also has a "i'll only bottom for hashirama" vibe. how that differs from "i'm gay only for you" is left as an exercise. people around here apparently want madara to bottom for hashirama. good for them. good for everyone involved. on the other hand, tobirama tends to be the bottom when paired with madara, so it's not an inherent character trait, it depends more on the ship. see rudimentary ao3 statistics below.

so we're done here, right? we've established that the top/bottom labels can be divorced from dominant/submissive behavior; it's just dick placement? hahahahaha

welcome to a variety of worlds that are basically everywhere now. there could be a two-semester university course on it. i'm very very much simplifying everything here:

behold! mpreg returns with a vengeance on the wings of omegaverse! you can do so much fun stuff with it: be predictably basic (congrats on re-inventing seme/uke, now with more body fluids & innate urges), attempt to be transgressive (the omega is fierce, wow! etc.), return to the basics but with twists, twists, twists...

but the top/bottom dynamic is built-in. alpha sticks dick in omega. omega goes into heat and begs to be fucked. alpha goes into rut, often in tandem with their omega's heat. we're talking alpha/omega m/m here; don't think too hard about alpha female or omega male dick functionality. everyone's worldbuilding is different. it would be interesting to know how many omegaverse authors are transgender, especially mlm trans guys/transmascs; seems like a dream come true to have a world where you can be an average dude who happens to have a vagina. damn, i could write a whole essay on this, please stop me from researching <- don't come at me with "um actually", i can't take more rn omegaverse allows for over-the-top behavior during sex while keeping the characters somewhat normal outside of their hormonal phases. how do you get a headstrong bottom to submit (not in a "releasing control and responsibility" scenario)? mandatory biological instincts!

anyway. how are omegaverse hashirama/madara doing on ao3?

number of works (number of hashimada specifically):

A!madara: 170 (19) <- tag is full of madatobi

O!madara: 79 (38)

A!hashirama: 103 (50)

O!hashirama: 24 (15)

now compare to top/bottom (again, hashimada in brackets):

t!madara: 126 (47) <- about the same amount of hashimada & madatobi

b!madara: 133 (71)

t!hashirama: 56 (50)

b!hashirama: 54 (59)

since omegaverse is a whole society and not just sex (shocking, i know; i didn't filter by rating) it can be expected that only half the tagged works include the hashimada ship. madara is a rebel, so it fits to have him as an "atypical" omega, regardless of shipping. meanwhile top/bottom is exclusively a sex thing. as you can see, poor hashirama barely has anyone else to top or bottom for... :(

so here are my personal answers beyond clicking "nuance":

top/bottom by dick action: ...not relevant? let them switch?

D/s: dom hashirama/sub madara. bonus points for mokuton bondage

omegaverse: both major options are intriguing, especially in a canon-adjacent verse; however i recently saw a pregnant hashirama fanart & can't get it out of my head. so

gender(+sex)bending one of them: no thanks

tobirama: fuck madara hashirama: (dreamy look on his face) hmm... tobirama: not like that!

i'm sorry if this is all over the place, i typed it in parts. not necessarily in order

Ok, I need to know:

[asgardian--angels]

things I wish I could relive for the first time again:

that magical window where you finish a new piece of media, having watched/read it all by yourself with no fandom contact whatsoever, and you are just so happy about it, and full of interesting theories and takeaways, and just in love with it as a gorgeous piece of art.

because I swear to god as soon as you join the fandom for anything, you're bombarded with how you're supposed to view characters and their arcs, how you're supposed to morally and ethically judge the plot and the ways it apparently failed to present the right message, and if you don't you'll either be shunned for not sharing the popular headcanons or you'll be harassed for not criticizing the source material enough.

like how is it that the fans of a piece of media are also the ones being the most negative about it? If I like a show or a movie or a book, well, I liked it. That's kind of the point. I'm actually not here to tear it apart and talk about how it didn't live up to standards other people had! I enjoyed it for what it was, and forcing myself to find negative things to say about it doesn't actually bring me more enjoyment of it or reap any benefit to me. Fandom's a double-edged sword; you want to join a community to share your love for a piece of art, and the price you pay for a modicum of joy is a mountain of negativity. that's one main reason that I never engage with fandom until I'm completely done with a show, because if I was plugged into all of that commentary and discourse during the process, I'd be completely colored by how I'm expected to interpret everything this piece of art is presenting to me without being able to even form my own opinions.