#Due to the fact that she is from the caste of judges

[sunsbaby]

𓂃 ❝ living life for the first time ❞

a little more about my baby lighter .ᐟ reader; aka feu

𑁤 . if theres somewhere in a room far away from sam and dean, that's where you'll find feu.

it's not that she hates the winchesters—she's actually rather grateful for their hospitality. she's only afraid of the death that looms over them. how the whisper of the dead cling to their voices as they speak. they had no issue sealing her fate right before the witch cast a spell, so why wouldn't they now? if only she realized they only wanted to help.

𑁤 . feu finds comfort in those like her.

often sneaking off into the boys duffle bags and gathering their lighters. her feet padder against the flooring of the bunker as she rushes off into her room to speak with them. her voice is soft and gentle as she reassures them of their inevitable fate—not realizing that it was actually reassuring herself as well. she collects lighters, even the ones others would see as ugly because she feels bad. they are put on display in her room, and she talks to them continuously throughout the day.

𑁤 . feu loves the cold.

even as a lighter the silver casing engulfed her in a cool hug, unlike the warmth she provided. in the dead of winter you could catch her outside in only her undergarments—which the boys have to keep telling her she can't walk around like that—laying in the snow making little angels. in that moment all her fear and worries wash away as she giggles, smiling from ear-to-ear. an expression the winchesters have never seen her wear.

𑁤 . she often has to be fiddling with something or tracing a pattern to calm down.

feu's fingers often find themselves fidgeting with her necklace, sliding the pendant around as she listens in on the sounds it makes. sometimes if she's under a lot of stress—most likely from being forced to go on a hunt—she'll trace around the burn marks and rust adorning her body. though at times she wants to scrub it all off and wish she was a lighter again, maybe then the world wouldn't be so cruel.

𑁤. feu enjoys being in the presence of both blade and dem, after they turned human.

she'd spent long enough time in that god-forsaken duffle bag of theirs to become somewhat acquainted with both weapons used by the boys. when feu found out they were turned human as well, she immediately clung to their sides like a child would to a parent. her fingers always grasping onto one of their hands or the backs of their shirts. she sought comfort in their nature, and the knowledge of them living their first life as well. as she gradually warmed up—with the help of dem and blade—feu spent her time tapping away on either sam or deans computer with dem; playing their silly games together of course.

𑁤 . she cannot read nor tie her shoes (do not judge!!)

feu would attempt to help the boys with finding lore, after she finally got used to them. but soon came to realize she did not know what the jumble of letters sounded like. when she tried to form the sounds her eyes fogged up and her brain began to hurt as she struggled to figure it out all on her own. sam and dean had to calm her down as she cried about not being useful to them anymore. during hunts that she tagged along on, the most simple ones the boys went on at that, she often tripped on her laces. her knees always had scrapes on them due to the fact she did not know how to tie her own shoes nor did she want to learn—learning was hard. sam had came up the idea of giving her slip on shoes, those did not work the best either, so they just let her run around barefooted or with socks on. unless she absolutely HAD to wear shoes.

sunny yaps! MY BABY LIGHTER!READER HOW I WANNA PROTECT U FROM THE WORLD! GO CHECK OUT @h8aaz !READERS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I SAID SO!! I KNOW THIS IS SO LONG AHHHH

special tags! @bluemerakis @h8aaz @dulcescorderitas @daylighted @titsout4jackles

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 ® 𓂃 do not repost or copy my works without permission!!

[miracleinfeathers]

[v1sexual]

another actor au where reader gets injured on set and ofc the others being worried af ☹️ (vi and caitlyn being the most worried 🫶)

sticks and stones ; caitvi x reader

note : omg my first ask yay! anyways, i just wanted to say how much i love this omg. just imagine, caitvi fussing over you, giving you the princess treatment *explodes* this is lowkey poorly written tho, it's my first time writing with two love interests. i mean i could have made it platonic but where's the fun in that.

content warning : blood, minor injuries, swearing,

“cut! get the medics in here right now!”

you had no idea how this happened. a second ago, you were literally in the middle of acting a scene out with ekko in the firelight hideout. next thing you know, you twisted an ankle and fell 10-15 feet to the ground. thankfully, the leaves and branches from the tree (of the firelight hideout) broke your fall, leaving you with a few scrapes, bruises, and possibly a broken ankle.

when vi saw your body hit the cold hard floor she bolted, shouting for someone to get any medical professionals on the set. it took cait a couple of seconds to register what just happened, when it finally dawned on her she immediately followed vi. if people didn’t take notice that something was going on between the three of you, well… they’d probably notice it now. vi kneeled beside you, her hands cupped your cheek gently as she checked your head for any injury. thankfully, you only had a couple of cuts on your cheek and nothing too serious (you also may or may not have a small bump on your head that can be taken care of with some nice cold compress).

“is she okay?” cait exclaimed, she was out of breath and was ready to dial 911. before vi could answer, the medical team finally arrived. they ushered cait, vi, and your cast mates away as they loaded you on the stretcher and into the make-shift clinic tent on set.

it’s been almost an hour since vi and cait camped out of the tent. the two were practically about to explode, they were just so worried about you. the fact that it’s been an hour and still no news about you and how you’re doing concerns them. when the doctor examining you finally exited the tent (and quite literally almost bumped into them), they wasted no time bombarding the doctor about your condition.

“she’s doing fine ladies,” the doctor smiled. “just a couple of scratches, a bruise here and there, and a sprained ankle.”

vi’s face fell and cait was practically chewing nails.

“how long will it take for her to recover?’ cait asked worriedly.

the doctor gave her shoulder a pat, “it’ll take two to three weeks for the ankle to heal. then another week for her to get used to walking on it again.”

“how should we treat the ankle? does it need cold or hard compress?” vi demanded, poor girl was stressing the fuck out.

“use a cold compress for a week or until the swelling has gone down, then hot compress to help with blood flow. elevating the sprained ankle helps minimize the pain as well.” the doctor added before heading out, leaving the two girls to enter the tent.

watching the scene unfold was ekko and powder. they hung out beside a food truck next to the medical tent, fully overhearing the conversation that just unfold. “i sure hope (name)’s doing alright.” powder murmured, resting her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder. ekko nodded in response, “i sure hope so. i imagine dealing with those too will be much more painful than dealing with the sprain.”

powder let’s out a laugh and shook her head. “ekko! that’s so mean.”

“it’s true though,” ekko shrugged then rested his head on powder’s. “i swear, those three have a weird relationship.’

“we listen, we don’t judge ekko.”

when the doctor left the tent to give you some privacy, you almost burst into tears. the cuts didn’t hurt, the bruises didn’t hurt, and the sprain was bearable. it’s the fact that filming will have to be pushed back a bit due to your sprain. you wouldn’t be able to stand on that foot at all until it heals, the doctor already made a note that you need at least a month and a half to fully recover. the director and producers weren’t pleased, but they did understand and didn’t want to push you since you are one of the most hardworking actors on set.

the tent flap rustled open, pulling you away from your thoughts. caitlyn and vi entered the tent, both had worried looks on their faces. they sat on opposite sides of the stretcher where you laid.

"how are you feeling?" cait asked, taking your hand and holding it. you sighed and shrugged. you didn't want to talk, especially to vi and caitlyn. you just know that the moment you open your mouth the dam will break, you already feel sorry for yourself and crying will make it worse.

"cupcake," vi said as she cupped your face in her hand. she tilted your head to look at her. "you know you can tell us anything right?"

you closed your eyes as you leaned into vi's touch, your hand gripping caitlyn's a little bit tighter. "i just- if i talk about it i'll cry and it'll make feel worse." your voice sounded so small and hurt, it made cait and vi's heart ache.

cait pressed a kiss to your hand, "if you don't want to talk we won't force you, but you need to let it all out eventually. bottling your feelings isn't healthy at all." vi nods in agreement, she squeezed your cheeks before bending down to press a kiss on your forehead. "if you need to cry, cry. you have our shoulders to cry on, cupcake."

you closed your eyes and let the tears fall.

caitlyn and vi stayed true to their words, they comforted you and stayed in the tent until they were kicked out by the producers. when you were finally alone, a smile adorned your lips. your girlfriends were right, letting it all out did make you feel ten times better.

after today's shooting was done, caitlyn and vi took you home. cait went ahead and started cooking dinner while vi carried you to your room, making sure your foot was elevated. for the next month and a half, they barely left your side (unless they were needed for filming). they never let you do anything, you were basically confined to your room. as much as you hated being useless, your protests were ignored by cait and vi. it didn't matter though, at least you're ankle is almost healed and being babied by your girlfriends felt good anyways.

note : well that sucked LMAOOOO sorry anon

[gachagon]

Wolfgang's deceit and hypocrisy

A deconstruction and analysis of Wolfgang's behavior based on what he said and did during Chapter 1

I kept thinking about why Damon didn't exactly get along with Wolfgang because it seems obvious that he doesn't like him due to Wolfgang's somewhat pompous attitude towards the idea of Ultimates. Wolfgang contrasts Damon's view of Ultimates in that Wolfgang believes all talents are equally valuable to society, and Damon doesn't.

Wolfgang says he doesn't believe anyone there was capable of murdering their "friends" and that the killing game wouldn't even kick off because he believed in the inherent goodness of Ultimates as a whole.

Damon disagreed with this notion and believed everyone had the capacity for violence regardless of their Ultimate status or not. He also disagreed with the idea that all talents are equally valuable to society and that some are more frivolous in nature than others.

Wolfgang believed in a lot of "hopeful" ideals however, I don't think he was telling the truth when he said these things. His actions spoke louder than all of those inspiring speeches he gave to the rest of the class.

In fact, I think Wolfgang agreed with everything Damon said, but he didn't want to admit it for some reason. Wolfgang said he believed in a fair trial and letting people explain themselves, but when Eva claimed she was the Ultimate Liar he immediately resorted to turning the others against her by casting suspicion on her.

He said he believed that all talents are equal in value, but when Eva was revealed to be the Ultimate Mathlete, he didn't stop any of the others from mocking Eva over it. (I will also point out that while as hilarious as Cassidy's Bargain Bin joke is at Damon's expense, he doesn't tell her off for making said joke at all either.)

And Wolfgang said he didn't believe anyone there would kill anyone, but he was constantly taking "precautions" for the Killing Game. "Just in case" someone decided to do something. He agreed with Desmond's idea of bunking together, he at first doesn't want to investigate the pharmacy but decided it's a good idea to let everyone know what's inside anyways, and when he got the mysterious letter telling him to meet in the boiler room he brought a knife with him from the kitchen "for protection" supposedly.

Wolfgang says a lot of things that he clearly doesn't believe, him and Damon are exactly alike. But the difference is that Damon is honest in how he feels about the Killing Game and Wolfgang is not.

Where his hypocrisy comes in is how he judges Damon for his honesty, and makes it seem like he too isn't distrustful of others during the game. And I think the reason for why Damon specifically doesn't like Wolfgang is not just because he is a hypocrite but because he's purposeful about his hypocrisy. He isn't like the rest of the class in his hypocrisy in that he's not doing it by accident, he's doing it on purpose because it keeps him in control of the group.

And the funny thing about it is that it's kind of Damon's fault that the others adopted Wolfgang as their defacto leader. During the mock class trial, Damon was the one who defended Wolfgang's integrity and instinct as a lawyer to get the others to continue to believe in him so they could solve the murder.

But Damon didn't defend Wolfgang because he had some belief in the inherent goodness of Ultimates. He did it because Damon believed Wolfgang's *talent* as a lawyer is proof enough that he's well versed in situations like this. It wasn't about Wolfgang as a person, but his ability as a lawyer. And I think this is why when Damon just says what he thinks Wolfgang is confused by it because he thought Damon was like the rest of the class, hopeful and naive.

And obviously, later on Wolfgang states that he sees people, Ultimates, as more than just their talent. But I don't believe him. I think from the way he treated both Eva and Damon that he silently agreed on the idea of some talents being lesser than others. And he just puts himself in the position of not believing in what Damon says because it's unpopular with the rest of the class.

Wolfgang can subtly take all of the credit for solving Cara's murder, while Damon gets no recognition and because Damon has an unpopular opinion about Ultimates and Talents and the Killing Game, Wolfgang can become their leader very easily (which is exactly what happened)

But he doesn't truly believe in any of it, he's a biased person through and through who has his own selfish goals, and egotistical opinions just like Damon. I think he just didn't come out and be honest because being honest would've shafted him with the likes of Eva and Damon.

Wolfgang is leading them all with blind optimism, when he himself isn't that optimistic. I think this is why his Blackmail letter mentioned him having a Wolfish mind as well, because he is essentially a wolf in sheep's clothing leading a herd of sheep to their potential doom. Keeping them in the dark on purpose so he can continue to be seen as the leader and beacon of hope.

And if you think "Wolfgang wouldn't be that self centered to do this" I think he is, purely because of how he behaved during his death. Diana mentioned him saying things about being seen as great, trying to prove himself to someone, and not being able to measure up to another person.

I think Wolfgang is the exact type of person who would feed on other people's admiration in a situation like this. "It doesn't matter if they believe in me for a foolish and naive reason, because they believe in *me*. And as long as they have their faith in *me*, nothing else about this situation matters. Anyone who doesn't put their faith behind my ability to lead is irrelevant and isn't a part of the group."

(hence why Eva and Damon were constantly shafted by Wolfgang as outsiders)

[amphitriteswife]

Imaginary chains

Source: Lookism

Pairing: child jonggun x child reader

Warnings: forced marriage, family issues on both sides. Please do not read if it’s a sensitive topic!

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A Princess, that’s what you are. A child of one of the important clans known in Northern Japan. Well respected and surprisingly on good terms with the Yamazaki clan. The Yamazaki clan itself was quite large with multiple members and sons of the head of the Yamazaki clan at the moment: Yamazaki Shingen. It had been rumored that the head of the clan wasn’t as active when it came to fighting, hence why your father joined forces in attempts to overthrow him. Ofcourse, it was proven that all of them were foolish and the price for that was death, most of them were…the price for your father’s foolishness was casted onto you. Even after his death. In the eyes of the Yamazaki’s you were seen as a great candidate and had lots of potential to be the bride of the next succor of the Yamazaki clan. And right now the one who seemed to get that title was no other than Jonggun park.

Until now all you ever heard about him were stories, things you had never seen for yourself. The rumors said he was a lot like his dad, a prodigy and the one of the sons who would be the heir. It was rumored that even though he was in elementary school, he already defeated a whole army of gangsters. But aside from Jonggun there was also another high candidate who was his cousin, Haruto. Yet due to some tragic and unexpected reasons he was no longer considered a candidate. It sucked. It really did. Unlike Jonggun, Haruto sought you out and was a kind individual. Often telling you his opinions on various things, his different vieuwes and most importantly: how the Yamazaki clan operated. Haruto was one to not let his families expectations get to him and didn’t want the same to happen to his cousin, offering him kindness and reassurance. He truly was a great boy.

Stepping onto the wood floor, you found yourself slightly worried mixed with a hint of nervousness. Recently, the Yamazaki estate had asked for your presence in order to meet Jonggun. It wasn’t a pleasant surprise to say the least, the rumors weren’t good and the only sane person in the Yamazaki clan wasn’t here anymore. Despite your worry, there was also a hint of empathy. What did Jonggun feel upon knowing that the cousin who treated him for who he was and not as a weapon now that he was gone? The sound of wood creaking mixed the soft dim sound of the fabric of socks was the only thing heard in the estate. Everything and everyone was silent, yet no one was sure if it was tension or just peaceful silence. Stopping in front of the many rooms in the estate, you hesitated for a moment with many thought in your head. What if he gets angry? What if he doesn’t know? What if he doesn’t even want this? Is he in a position to decline? What if he’ll take advantage of the fact that he practically own you? What will happen to you if you agree to marry him? Do you actually want this? Is it stupid to run away now?

Your hand was trembling against the thin wood of the door, your fingers tips barely touching as they shook a little with the many scenarios and possibilities in your head, that’s when the door slid open and a woman who looked quite young greeted you with a polite smile. She wore a kimono with a flower pattern on it and her hair in a low bun. She invited you in and stepped out the room herself. Leaving you to look at the door for a few moments before you noticed the other figure in the room. Jonggun. He wasn’t wearing the traditional attire that most of the people in the estate wore, instead he just wore a pair of black jeans with a chain on the side as well as a black shirt. Judging by the clothes it was easy to figure out that he probably didn’t expect your arrival, or at least not so soon. The both of you just stared at each other in awkward silence, not really knowing what to say or do.

‘I apologize, if i had known sooner i would’ve changed.’ Jonggun was the first one to break the silence. Even though he apologized, it was more out of politeness than anything else or to start to the conversation. ‘It’s fine. It’s on me for coming here without your knowledge.’ You told him, not really knowing what else to say aside reassuring that it’s nothing to apologize for. There it is again…the awkward silence. Jonggun sat up straight, his hands in his lap in front of you. His eyes were uncomfortable to put it nicely, the white irises made you feel very unpleasant. But he himself didn’t seem too comfortable either. ‘What’s your name?’ Jonggun asked you out of formality. ‘Y/n L/n’ you told him, sitting opposite of him and looking a little uncomfortable to the side to avoid his eyes. He nodded slightly at your words to make give you a sign of acknowledgment for your words. ‘Why are you here?’ That question made you look back at him. He wasn’t aware that the two of you were supposed to be engaged? Especially since it had to do with his status and family. Surely one of his family members said at least something about it right? ‘We’re engaged?’ You told him slowly and slightly confused as to why he was asking such an obvious question. Jonggun on the other hand stiffened at your words and seemed to process the information he just heard. It made you feel a little sympathy for the boy. Not knowing that both of your fates had been decided by someone else, completely out of your control with a mountain of new expectations on top of the ones you already had.

In an attempt to break the mix of awkwardness and shock you tried to get to know him a little, yet there wasn’t anything Jonggun enjoyed doing. His life was almost a routine, a cycle that was dictated by everyone else except himself. He didn’t have any hobbies and only fought. Not because he wanted to but because it was thought to him that it was normal, because he was born in this family and because its his duty. During his talking, not one did he have any hint of sadness nor happiness as if the concept of emotions and feelings were foreign to him. It was strange, he was strange, this family was strange. But that’s also one of the reasons you still kept going back to him. Even though you are engaged to someone this strange, perhaps you can help him and free him from the imaginary chains that were put onto him. After all in this scenario there is no one to trust except for jonggun, and the same goes for him.

Thank y’all for reading 🙏

[givemeanaccountalready]

Same anon as before, throwing in this ramble into your asks, hope you don't mind (feel free to ignore and delete if you do tho)

Things aren't really adding up with how Milgram works.

K, so, those voted guilty at trial 2 apparently got restrained. So, again, how the fuck did Haruka die?

But also, remember the Mahiru trial 2 sprite? Standing. On a leg with a cast. And yet, during her voice drama, we literally hear her get inside with a wheelchair, and she's mentioned to be using one (until her condition worsened so much due to Shidou's "care" that she ended up bedridden). So where's the wheelchair on the sprite?

Tbh, I feel like the way sprites get drawn is more for symbolism purpose rather than them being actually restrained like that.

Ann ee ways, this trial I'll be voting everyone inno.

Yuno and Kazui didn't do anything wrong throughout the previous trials, Fuuta's case is very common (in Milgram fandom especially, ironically enough) so I feel like it's hypocritical for us to vote him guilty and to make him suffer and spiral even more, and Muu has clearly not changed at all so punishing her through voting is not gonna help and she should face the consequences for her actions outside of milgram. Kotoko and Amane are unique cases, but I feel like they should be voted inno too.

For Amane, we are to blame for how she turned out. Voting her guilty first trial, when her MV showed her helping a cat and then getting punished for practicing medicine, sent a very clear message to her that "medicine = bad, if you help people, you deserve punishment". And then when we got more detailed visual of what she went through in next trial, we voted her inno, which sent a message "things you were taught are correct and you should indeed punish the ones who go against the teaching". It's no wonder she ended up killing Shidou, especially if it turned out that Mahiru died before he did, which means Amane would consider her early death to be his fault.

Kotoko, there's not much to do about her. We first judged for her crime alone, and that is it. Based on what we saw, she killed someone who did, indeed, deserve to die (and that crime already was judged outside of milgram). Her actual reason for being in Milgram is, without a doubt, someone else's death, who's death she blames herself for (since, for Milgram, you don't actively have to commit a murder or even admit you feel guilty, you can simply believe something is considered a murder, example. Yuno case, or feel like you're responsible for their death, example. Fuuta, Mahiru and Kazui), but we haven't seen that in MV (yet). There was no way we could have known she'd start beating up people who were voted guilty if we voted her innocent. Putting her through further punishment now to try to get her to learn that what she did is bad will not work, just like with Muu. It's pointless, and she's not facing proper consequences (and she likely never will because another guilty might get her killed, which won't make up for violence she inflicted on prisoners that resulted in one eventually dying, but an inno will result in her being freed from milgram, where, again, she'll never face consequences for that violence because it happened inside milgram).

For Mikoto though, I think we should finally vote based on his crime. So far, first voting was because people thought he was faking DID (despite the fact that it was plainly explained to the audience that he definitely does have it, and the way milgram works makes it impossible to fake DID since it differentiates each alter as its own soul), and he got voted guilty for this. Second trial, we voted him inno to, well, basically "fix" his DID (and it didn't fix shit, we just forced John into going dormant, which, surprise surprise, turned out to be horrible and is making Mikoto suffer even more now). He's literally the only character we were voting based on his disorder rather than actually judging him. I'd personally want him to be voted innocent so that he could have a proper trial outside of milgram.

Hi anon! Never apologize for entering my ask box. It’s open to all. And I love listening to rambles, because I ramble so much myself. It's nice hearing others do it too.

First thing first, holy crap that was an amazing catch by you about Amane. I didn’t even think of Amane’s verdicts like that. We have no idea what or how much of our collective thoughts the prisoners, especially the ones voted Guilty, hear/feel. Since Jackalope described their beliefs being rejected, it may be reasonable to assume they only hear the bad, while the ones voted Innocent may hear bits of everything, the good and the bad. But, even though they can hear us, for the Innocent, the decision to accept or reject our thoughts is theirs, while the Guilty seem to have to rely on their mental fortitude to reject the bad feedback.

Let me start with those voted Innocent during Trial 1. Haruka and Muu both highly value and covet validation, so it’s no surprise that they would accept our affirmations without much thought. Yuno voiced her disgust with being seen as pitiful and being forced into prostitution and corrected it. Shidou and Kazui were also voted Innocent and rejected what we thought of them. Kotoko was probably going to do her thing regardless of our vote, because she believes Es doesn’t have it in them to punish the Guilty right. I think her Innocent verdict during Trial 1 emboldened her to go as far as she did. If she was Guilty Trial 1, then someone else would have acted negatively in-between Trials 1 and 2, and she could have been an acting force against any chaos and used that to bargain for her fang position, stressing to Es that her freedom of movement needs to be maintained like Shidou had argued. Someone was going to be a bad actor in-between Trials, if only to up the stakes like Kotoko was able to.

But back to the pushback for the Guilty prisoners. Mikoto doesn’t discuss what the voices told him, and that’s probably because he doesn’t get the chance to. His second audio drama is mostly John and Es talking, rather than Mikoto. Fuuta is quick to point out that Kotoko told him that Es’s forgiveness gave her the sanction to beat him to a pulp. But his focus is more on Kotoko’s violence and Es’s hypocrisy, and so we only get a tidbit of him listing a few things the voices told him, “Countless voices, judging me with all sorts of words… just for interest, just for fun, just because they don’t like me.”

Mahiru also mentioned hearing the voices between Trials 1 and 2, “Voices saying I couldn’t be forgiven.” And like Fuuta, she does question why she can’t be forgiven. She takes it a step further and says, “To not forgive me is to take the act of loving away from me. That’s the same as not being alive,” and, “So… if this love isn’t allowed, then I don’t mind dying.”

Amane seemed to be the most resilient, because of her repeated rejections of what the voices told her. What we do hear of what the voices told her are things we know she hates: pity because she is a kid. Amane was very vocal about hating that kind of treatment back in Trial 1. I was so focused on her outside rejection of pushback on her religious beliefs, I totally neglected the idea that she may have internalized that we agreed with her punishment. Like damn… that’s a sucker punch right in my heart’s gut.

But I skipped over what you first said. Questioning how symbolic the sprites are compared to reality is a good idea. Like there is currently no way for Muu and Kotoko to independently eat, drink, or even use the toilet with how their restraints are now. That or Milgram managed to remove their need for that, but someone surely would have said something by now, right?! And seriously, how did Haruka manage to kill himself? Could he have starved himself to death in Milgram? But if Milgram could remove your ability to act or experience a biological function like menstruation, surely, it can remove the need for food and drink and restroom needs. And his hands were most likely restrained, so he must have had to get creative to do it.

Now, about voting this time around… other people have said this, and mine is probably not going to be anywhere near as elegant. I know the fandom is pretty global, but growing up, did you ever hear the phrase, “You just lost the game,” from another kid? It is a dumb game that you lose simply by remembering it exists. Basically, rage bait on the jungle gym. There was no way to actually win that game, and I bring that up because I don’t think there was ever going to be a way to win Milgram. As a fandom, we can point fingers at each other all we'd like about if or what verdict or prisoner destroyed all our attempts to do damage control, but I really think that all ten prisoners were doomed by the narrative, because Milgram is not a friendly entity. No truly friendly entity would go to the degree of the restraints we've seen on the prisoners. And not just the physical ones, but the mental restraints as well. Based on what I've mentioned earlier, the Guilty prisoners can reject our rejection of them, just like how the Innocent prisoners are free to do the same to our affirmations; but, the toll it takes to do so is much higher, so it's harder for the Guilty prisoners to resist the bombardment of awfulness they get from us. To varying degrees, the prisoners have maintained their own sense of autonomy. And they will not bend to our will just because we said so, but only if they believe we said the right thing. In that respect, the prisoners have more agency than Es--their warden--does because Es gives whatever verdict we say to and then gives themself a reason for that verdict later.

And this doesn't even include considering the meta side of things. Yamanaka and others on his team have seen our comments on the music videos and across multiple social media platforms. I believe that the stakes were going to increase across trials regardless of who was Innocent or Guilty, and if it wasn't Kotoko inflicting harm on other prisoners between Trials 1 and 2 and posing a threat to others between Trials 2 and 3, then another prisoner would have been assigned the role as the bad guy. I entered the fandom late, sometime before Purge March came out, and looking back, I think that's clear. To put it more simply, at least one prisoner would have been hurt between Trials 1 and 2, at least one prisoner would have posed a serious threat between Trials 2 and 3, with at least one prisoner dying being somewhere between a serious risk and a guaranteed threat. Our choices influenced who did what and to what extent, and that while we were meant to try to mitigate the damage done, there was a degree of inevitability that something would have happened. And that's not to say, we the audience should wipe our hands clean of this. We are as much of a player in this game as Es and Jackalope. The prisoners are our pawns, and we did not do a good job of taking care of them. I know that's a strange way to put it, since calling others pawns has a very negative connotation to it, but relative to us, but we essentially played god and now we are reaping what we've sown.

So, Trial 3 voting... for the sake of not causing further harm, I want to vote all Innocent, even if I don't think I could find it in me to forgive their original murder, and this doesn't include what I think about certain people's actions in Milgram. But, I'm wary that this is going to blow up in our faces. An amendment to "All Innocent" would be "Sacrifice One or Two of the Guiltiest to Sate Milgram's Need for Justice," but that just sounds immensely cruel and will probably also blow up in our faces. I think we're damned if we do and damned if we don't, so we might as well vote "All Innocent" and pray for the best. I think it's the kindest option, so I think I want to go for it too.

My biggest worry is what will happen when the third trial is over. My final song agenda has changed from something hopeful to something more grim. The final song will most likely include Es making a choice, and I'm hoping that it's going to be a rejection of their role in response to what Milgram plans to do with the prisoners once Trial Three finishes. I think that it will involve killing the prisoners, though I'm not know if all prisoners who have been voted Guilty at least once will be targeted, or if it will be anyone who receives a Guilty verdict during this Third Trial. I don't have any basis for this, "Milgram Death Penalty Ending," but I've been thinking about Es's role after I had finally finished my Mikoto post. I think that Yamanaka has been setting Es up to make a serious decision over whether they will side with Milgram or with the prisoners. Throughout the past two trials, the prisoners have called out Es for their role in Milgram. While Es has pushed back on their criticism, most of their denial sounds weak, and it's clearly an attempt by Es to keep their conscience clean. Es believes that someone in their position should be right and just, and like Fuuta and Kotoko, Es wants to be seen as a hero, or at the very least, the good guy in this scenario, by removing themself from the prisoners' actions. Maintaining this degree of separation will fail Es once they learn of the three prisoners' deaths, and I think that this will impact Es's upcoming choice.

Es's third trial sprite shows them discarding their warden's hat and cap, as well as their gloves and key necklace (which I thought was the cord that kept their cloak on their shoulders). This gives me hope that they will waver and align themself with the prisoners. I'd like to believe in Es, because screw it, I like to believe that individuals will do the right thing, even though humanity can be an absolute cesspool of callous viruses, so I can get up and face the day. As seen when Es interrogates Haruka, Fuuta, and Amane, Es can be a petty, hypocritical bully when they are at their worst. But Es also has a moral code, a heart, and a belief that they need to see their responsibilities through to the end, so I'm hoping the good in them motivates them to side with the prisoners if Milgram forces Es to choose a side.

Throughout Milgram, there has been an emphasis on obtaining information through direct and indirect means. Jackalope has dangled a number of questions over Es's head (and ours as well) about what will happen next, only to smugly assure Es that those worries are not for the guard to concern themself with. We should just focus on the crime at hand and the judgment we think it should receive. Except, the reveal of Trial 2 pretty much drilled into us that nothing we do is in a vacuum, and we will see ripple effects that we didn't even think would happen. As we move into the third trial, I think Kazui's words from his first voice drama will come back to haunt us, "In other words, we're divided into positions of guard and prisoner, but we're both playing roles due to our lack of information."

The third trial songs are probably going to feature the most violent, selfish, and/or cruelest versions of the prisoners. Using our responses to what happened between Trials 1 and 2, Yamanaka and his team know about the fandom's attachment to their characters, and they are probably going to try to override the desire to shield the prisoners from further harm with the idea of, "Are these really the people you want to save? Do they even deserve it?" We are in for hell, and I am ready.

Innocent for all, I think. Sorry, this turned into a bit of an Es ramble. But it was awesome to hear your thoughts, anon!

[cherrirui-official]

Friendlocke Violet Gijinkas (Part 4/7)

Hell yeah we're over halfway done! Isn't that crazy? I don't have too much to say here sooooooo onto the usual stuff

I plan on posting them in order by groups of three, so there's gonna be seven parts in total, all of which I'll be linking here when done vvv

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Five) (Part Six) (Part Seven)

!! These will contain personal headcanons I have for the cast, little fun facts, and also spoilers for Friendlocke Violet (for both the edited vids and the streams) !!

@saltydkart-reblogs

Designs under the cut!

VRISKA:

Vriska has an extra set of arms that they can retract and extract whenever they please. However, they usually keep those arms hidden.

The long needle she's holding is her trusty sword that she's used since her pirate days. She doesn't use it as much as she used too, but it's good to keep it on her for self defense in case of an emergency.

The marks on thier neck and shoulders aren't tattoos, they're birthmarks.

Good at sewing, as she often would have to fix her coat after getting into epic pirate sword fights. Sara and Vriska are sewing buddies!

It is unknown why they're unable to sleep, but while the rest of the team sleeps they often find themselves wandering around and doing whatever they want.

Artist's note: I based Vriska's design off the fact that I wanted to make her look like a bootleg version of the og Vriska. As in "Hey that's Vriska" but also "That's not VRISKA" if you get what I mean

MALL BINGO:

Trained herself to become resistant to poison (and by "trained" I mean she just ate a bunch of poison until her body became almost immune to it... please don't try this at home.)

Often goes scavenging for items when she's doesn't feel like robbing someone. If she's lucky enough she'll find some good items scattered around because "stupid trainers often leave good shit on the ground for some reason" (due to all the items you can pick up from the ground ingame lmao)

Mal lost her leg in one of her first heists, after she and another pawmi tried stealing from the wrong person at the worst possible time.

The gun she keeps with her wasn't originally hers, it belongs to someone else.

On a more positive note, Mal has plenty of stories and tall tales to share. She learned them from the eldest in her little pawmi group, as they would often tell her stories before going to sleep. Mal will often share those same stories with Peppy Jr and Mykyie Jr.

Can and will bite you. You won't be expecting it. Be warned.

GRUNPILO:

Due to his abundantly long hair, Grunpilo often lets Mal play around with it and style it however she wants.

It is unknown how or why he picked up on puppetry specifically, but it makes him happy so who are we to judge?

Speaking of which, he creates his own puppets by hand, from simple sock puppets to marionettes on strings. The two hand puppets shown are his favorite ones though.

Sometimes he'll be found speaking to them as if they're real.

Not good in social situations or confrontation, so Mal will sometimes have to speak for him. ("EXCUSE ME! He asked for no pickles!" /ref)

EXTREMELY light, very easy to pick up.

And that's all! Only three more batches left woo, hopefully I can finish them by the end of the year lol.

[artisticgirl19]

Five Hargreeves and the expectations that comes with being the "favorite character".

S4 is the season that we got the most holes in the storyline, lack of explanation and even the erasure of existence of all Hargreeves, but definetly what shocked the audience the most was Five behaviour and his, until now, unknow tendencies of homewrecking.

I am not here to judge him, neither to defend, but to say what i have been seeing of the fans reactions and I got to say... Some of y'all claim to be his fans, but wish him a miserable life.

"BUT IT WAS SO OOC, S1 FIVE WOULD NEVER DO THIS!"

Yes, he would not, but a If there is something the show it's trying to show since s3 it's how tired Five it's from apocalypses, failed tentatives to save the world, having to save his siblings asses all the time, getting blamed about every bad thing that happend and never getting showed any appreciation with honorable exceptions of Klaus and Diego.

Five changed, pretty much like everyone, due to all his emotional baggage, which happens to be a bit bigger than the others cause of his age and the fact the his entire life was just chaos and loneliness.

The thing is, yes, Five would do anything for his family and that's what he has been doing for the last 45 years, even with little to no recognition. Unfortunately, all this loyalty placed him into a pedastal that it's dificult to keep up.

I even saw some people saying that "normal Five" would have gone to the train station by himself to not put anyone in danger. So that's what you want for him? To get stucked AGAIN completly alone for another 7 years of his life?

I saw people saying "How could he do that with Dolores?" Like, seriously? As much as i liked that whole mannequin- human romance, it's time for y'all to accept that Dolores is to Five what that volleyball ball was to Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Just a coping mechanism to not get crazy in a devasted world by himself, but that was not love.

You guys really think that his entire life it's suppost to just be there for his siblings and holding a mannequin when times get lonely, and that's it? How fucking depressing is that?

And not that being there for his siblings it's a bad thing, but then again, why it gotta be his responsability, always? Besides, when Will someone else be there for him too? I guess that's why he fell for Lila in that moment. She was febre for him as much as he was there for her.

And to be honest, a big part of me it's glad, that even for once, he decided to be selfish. For once he choose to allow himself to be in a calm and peaceful place not constantly worring about his siblings or the future of earth. He loved a real person and was loved back by them. He finally had the opportunity of trying to live as fully normal person, what he never had the chance before. It was a breath of fresh air that he deserved.

I know that Lila was definetly not the right person to have these amazing last moments with, but i am sure that If they had more seasons, they would come up with some new character to fill that up.

And even being Lila, It still made sense. In that moment, with that conection and after all they lived together, It still made all the sense.

The only thing that hurts me about this whole situation, it's that It literally costed his relationship with Diego and they stop existing without talking It out, cause there was no time for It (Steve Blackman, i hate you for this).

It's bittersweet, indeed, and just shows that he can't really have it all, but at least he got some moments of peace in this earth before getting ceased forever.

.

[askhezureviews]

Okay so judging by these screenshots for Episode 10. It looks the episode was thankfully rewritten, so that would mean the Millie S-Word scene was scrapped, what do you think?

I held off on answering this yet, and FYI I have not watched this episode yet. However, from my understand and Viv’s confirmation, they have indeed changed this episode. THANK GOD. Like seriously THANK YOU. When I first read those leaks I actually felt sick. I’m so glad someone on the team realized this wasn’t a good idea. I’d say my respect had risen, I am genuinely, genuinely relieved at this. However, it does feel like I’m giving credit for them doing the bare minimum morally correct thing to really do in this situation.

Anyone who tried to defend millie trying to kill herself because she’s a bad wife to moxie - sorry there is no such thing as being a bad wife. (Unless you cheat I guess)

You’re married to someone, you share assets and live together. Any preconceived notions about not being a good “wife” to your husband ? You’re not soft or sweet enough, you don’t clean or cook enough? That’s not an insecurity. That’s internalized misogyny, people.

What’s unusual is Viv’s manipulative way of confirming the leaks are no longer viable, she claimed the leaks were for an “episode that they weren’t making anymore” but what she means to say is that , those leaks were an old draft they decided to change/fix for this current episode. Acting as Vivziepop’s PR manager here to fix this blunder:

“Those leaks are no longer canon. They were early rough drafts for the episode and we decided to change them.”

Or better yet: “Those leaks were early rough drafts, and we decided to change them for several reasons. In the early concept, millie, along with the rest of the cast, is manipulated into almost killing themselves due to their insecurities overwhelming them. We realized that Millie’s insecurity did not make sense due to the fact that her backstory episode has yet to release, on top of it lacking any context or sense based off what was shown of her character thus far. It left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, so we knew we needed to rewrite this.”

I feel like I’m a teacher grading papers everytime I see one of Viv’s catty twitter posts asdfghjkl again if she had a PR that she’d listen to that would help her convey her words in the right way, she would not have so many haters and would save so much face in terms of her reputation!!!

Again, have not watched this episode yet but from what I hear, it’s possible really good things. Like Millie’s backstory maybe.

Brandon Rogers apparently came back to write this episode. There was an Instagram post where he said it was an “honor” to write this episode, when he was involved in writing most of season 1. That just implies he was indeed kicked off the writing team by Viv. I’m telling you guys, if I watch this episode and it’s actually good like I’m hearing, it’s because of Brandon.

This is Brandon’s show, he was the one carrying it until Viv flicked him off, and that’s one of the reasons why season 2 is in shambles as it is.

Regardless, I’m excited and grateful to see him come back. My opinion on the recent episode will be pending until I have the time to watch it.

[relentlessconqueror]

black butler/sylus myth comparison

because i CANNOT stop seeing parallels (long post and there are spoilers under the read more)

i'm having so many feelings again about o!ciel believing the only way he deserves to be alive is if he takes real!ciel's place. so he feels that he HAS to take sebastian's deal in order to be worthy of being spared from death — it's his sole path for continuing on

i already mentioned before that sylus and sebastian are both food connoisseurs, but then we find out that sylus also likes his souls delicious with greed too 😳

MC and ciel are both blindsided by their demons about the definition of "alive" in their negotiations (obviously sylusMC's negotiations were more brief though). with ciel he's underhandedly offered the illusion of his brother being alive, while MC didn't know her soul would be involved

THE CINEMATIC RECORD OF EVERY EVENT IN A PERSON'S LIFE THAT APPEARS WHEN THE PERSON IS ABOUT TO DIE!!!!

o!ciel was the one to give him the name "sebastian" 😭 on the day they met, they both took on new names. due to sebastian being a demon and ciel's identity fraud, they can never let anyone else know that they're not who they claim to be. i'm very fond of how someone else phrased it: they were both reborn that day, cast into new roles, and when their contract is over and sebastian takes ciel's soul, the butler called "sebastian" will "die" with him.

which is so unbelievably sylusMC given that she ties his life and death to her will, and only they know of each other's innocence. they have nowhere else to go, they can only trust each other (though i'll admit ciel is obviously more dependent on sebastian than MC is on sylus, but the fact remains that sebastian is not allowed to serve anyone other than him and cannot lie to him. they are each other's co-conspirators so i say it counts).

it's all very much "the two of them against the world" sort of deal — the nature of who they are seals them off from the world, makes their relationship as insular as any relationship can be

and that second manga panel sounds so bad out of context but aside from the obvious comic relief, o!ciel named him after sebastian the dog because it was the real ciel's best friend, and it also tried to protect o!ciel within its last minutes of being alive

AND CIEL GRABS SEBASTIAN BY HIS COATTAIL WHILE MC GRABS SYLUS BY THE TAIL. LIKE COME ON!!!!

also in-game name reveal 🫣 yes i've always been ciel from the moment i started the game 😭 i'm uncreative so i named my MC after my darling. which turned out to be soooooo funny because of the sylus-seb parallels

real ciel's soul was literally the offering for a demon like 😂😂😂 ik it's a common trope but the fact that they both include an altar along with the rest of this post, i just can't help laughing

ALSO i can't fit in more images into the post, but ciel is very particular about his revenge: he wants to find out for himself who killed his family, and why. MC almost parallels this by pinpointing the oracle who judged her ("my revenge is far from over") but sylus gives her the oracle's pecked-out eyes so mehhhh. but it's still interesting to me

[riddles-n-games]

For those that want to commit to making a fic but have no creative ideas (no shame, we all get that way sometimes), I got you. Here's a list of AUs I came up with while avoiding my draft (that I still want to write, mind you) that mostly can apply to long fics, if you're willing to:

Avery and Jameson as a stunt woman and actor. Avery is stunt double to snobby up and coming starlet Emily Laughlin who has been cast to star alongside new heartthrob, Jameson Hawthorne as the lead and his brother Grayson. Optional detail, Libby has a catering service which is chosen for the duration of filming in part due to Avery's recommendations. Anyways, of course, Emily is quite possessive of the two and has been somewhat hostile to other female coworkers but still relatively lowkey about (at least for now). Anyways, mild interactions happen at first as everyone is getting to know everyone, who they are, what they've done before this movie, etc. Cue Avery and Jameson's first meeting. Avery thinks he's somewhat attractive but he's at least friendlier than his counterpart. Over the course of the course of filming, they interact some more, they joke around and become decent friends. He also definitely flirts with her (just a little) but Avery dismisses it as she knows Emily already gives her a hard time when Jameson spends time with her at all between sequences. Well, Jameson clearly doesn't take at all to that and after one especially big action scene, he commends Avery's efforts. Let's say that after this, he asks her on a date and she shyly accepts. They end up secretly dating and keeping on the downlow. Now, there is still more drama with Emily and people tease Avery about Jameson but she just shakes it off. That is, until one day they are doing another scene where the stunt doubles are needed and unfortunately, she gets hurt. Jameson rushes for her and kisses her relievedly. But all Avery can think about is the fact they just exposed their relationship. You take it from here what happens next.

Going off the idea that Libby has a catering service, maybe set in the same universe or not, what you're feeling up to; Nash is a celebrity chef and yes, he's been able to stick it to Gordon Ramsey. He's particularly popular for his beef meals and legendary barbeque techniques. Anyways, say they meet at a culinary event and he's a guest while she's serving. They bump into each other and a mess happen but he apologizes and helps her clean up. Of course, there's a spark. He definitely is interested. He personally sends an invite for a cooking comp where he'll be a judge; one because he sees Libby has potential and two, he gets to see HER around. She accepts; you come up with the rest.

Coffee shop AU for Libby and Nash. They literally SCREAM this AU; it's so them and Libby needs to have a cat that absolutely adores Nash. And also, like my previous headcanon; he has the occasionally over sugary latte that makes Libby's eyebrows raise in concern. But he sticks to a simple tea most days.

Also, here's an underused one; equestrian AU. Equestrians can get really competitive and snobby. Plus, our fave boys come from a rich family, this could easily fit them to a T. And instead of academic rivals, you can totally have a standoffish Avery and Grayson in this with a playful Xander and Jameson added in the mix. Not that I'm promoting Averygrayson here, I'm just saying that the way he acted towards her in TIG could be mimicked here in that way.

That's what I got for now. Buh-bye!

[annislittleshopofhorrors]

I love your graph girl 🤣

But the fact that 🐟 had to post a welcome card for a movie that finished filming a year ago (and is now doing reshoots) tells me she really is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

This isn’t to be mean/judgemental - but it’s funny how this time last year she was so busy vacationing after however long she was filming - and it seemed like her focus was on her travels with her besties.

A year later. This is what she posts. To let people know she’s still in this film. IDEK if any of the other women who worked on the film posted about reshoots 🤣

She didn’t post about working when the film was actually in production (but maybe that’s because it was during the strike and this film was exempt and allowed to keep filming but the actors couldn’t promote?) so that’s fair.

But no matter how you look at it, this girl’s priorities are always out of whack.

Your biggest claim to fame (WN) has a season two premiere and you decline to be interviewed while your costar is left alone to promote the show.

Instead, you do a walk in Central Park with your “bf” who is the only reason anyone even pays attention to you, and you take some yoga classes and photoshop your way to becoming an instructor. I’m unsure why anyone including your show’s show runner would really be willing to defend you? But again, I’m only seeing it from the outside.

WN fans went on twitter asking a reporter who interviewed your costar if you were doing one too and the reporter says you weren’t available. 🤣 Your costar does a buzzfeed interview alone. Your costars get together to do a save the show campaign and even got together to due a cast table read during the holidays but you were MIA for all of this.

Twitter fans asked if you would attend a comic con for the show in London and you also declined. Which, is your prerogative, but I do wonder what you DO think is worthy of your attention?

…

The ghosted movie premiere because your BF is famous and so is his female costar and there were other actual celebrities in attendance. Wow, Hugh jackman even showed up to the premiere - not for you, of course, and you didn’t even get to walk the red carpet but at least you got your one photo that you could photoshop and post your dress!

Paris fashion week with miumiu.

GQ man of the year.

Scarlett and Colin’s Christmas party.

Dinner with Edward Cullen and his gf/wife Suki.

GG after party for UTA.

CAA preOscars party.

VF after party.

—

Your priorities are always for things that have nothing to do with you (literally) but gets you free press, comped outfits, and media attention.

You didn’t show up to your small PT’s film showing at the Lisbon film festival when your husband was in town touring restaurants, but you do show up to a GQ event two weeks later that has nothing to do with you and you refused to talk to reporters.

I’d be hard pressed to believe an industry as unforgiving as Hollywood would be willing to overlook these things.

I guess your IMDB resume agrees with me though.

Just my two cents, I think her career ended the day she did the speedwalk in NYC. And I can only judge her work ethic and her social media behavior. We don't know how many auditions she did. I think she went to some auditions but I doubt she was so busy and had to travel between NYC and LA the whole time. In my opinion, she thought the title girlfriend/wife is the door opener and she doesn't need to do anything, she would get job offers. She was so wrong. In one of her last Portuguese interviews she said she's selective when it comes to new roles. That's just a nicer excuse why she's unemployed at the moment. There are no job offers.

Oh and let's assume she couldn't post anything about MM due to the strike. Why didn't she interact with the choreographer or other cast members or the crew? Interactions on social media were allowed. But interesting that she's now kissing asses and showing that people like her.

[sarcophagid]

ithaqua backstory related headcanons/analysis

THE PLATEAU OF LENG:

Ithaqua's 5th deduction refers to the area where he lives as a 'barbaric land'. 

'Plateau of Leng'/'Leng' is also a place name in the Lovecraft mythos.

I think we can infer that the Plateau is very geographically and socially isolated from the rest of 'civilization'. They are likely behind on understanding of major world events and technological advances. It is also difficult to travel in and out of the area due to environmental conditions and/or social, economic, and legal limitations. This isolation results in the cultural bubble we see in Ithaqua's story. 

While Ithaqua's weibo intro post describes the area as the 'far north', I think it's still located somewhere in the UK, similar to the origins of most of the IDV cast (if only for the practical reason that Nightwatch would be going to the manor on foot). The surname 'Norwell' is also English/Scottish in origin. 

addendum: It's been mentioned to me that Leng is also possibly located somewhere in the mountain ranges near lakeside village!

RELIGION:

While there are many references to christianity in the game, I don't think the dominant religion in the Plateau of Leng is a 1:1 adaptation of christianity irl, although it may reference it or be inspired by it.

Given the mentions of 'lies' and 'barbarism', as well as the mention that the practices in Leng are now archaic, I also think the religion could be an offshoot from whatever dominant religions and cultures are seen in the mainland, similar (but probably not the same) to some insular cults. 

note: an example of this 'original' religious culture would be the one associated with Gravekeeper's backstory, since he presumably lives in the mainland. (also apparently Ann isn't actually a nun she just dresses like that 🤔)

Ithaqua's trailer refers to 'gods' plural, so it's also possible they don't have a monotheistic religion at all. But this could also refer to the fact there were multiple aggressors during the night of the attack, and he's conflating 'gods' with 'holy people'. 

Regardless, I think there are still a lot of undeniable similarities to christianity in Ithaqua's backstory, and even direct references in essence lore like Morningstar. 

WITCH HUNTS: 

I think it's possible that the magistrate's persecution of Ithaqua's mother and the 'hunt' in general was more to secure social power than born out of actual religious belief. The other townspeople may truly think there are demons, but I doubt the Norwell family was genuine. If the magistrate truly believed stillborn babies were caused by the devil, and/or truly thought he was doing this for the 'good of the people', then he wouldn't quietly cover the case up and pretend nothing happened.

Creating an atmosphere of suspicion and fear of punishment based on arbitrary rules would benefit those responsible for 'justice'. Since anyone could be accused, everyone would have to tread carefully - except for the judge, who decides who is or isn't condemned. 

The resulting chaos would be a good opportunity to seize a leadership role. Leng was already superstitious, and these beliefs could be leveraged and amplified to bring the people to the state it is today. 

This practice of manipulating the townspeople with fear also parallels how Ithaqua later creates a persona of a 'monster' and feeds these rumours with violence in order to scare away intruders and protect his mother - although they have different motivations and goals, they're playing a similar game. 

Leveraging false beliefs is also referenced in Ithaqua and Nathaniel's roles in both Morningstar lore and the Truth & Inference lore (although T&I wasn't as accurate to their characters)

[buffyspeak]

the big book of craig manning meta, part 2: pre-series background.

trigger warnings: discussions of emotional, psychological, physical, and potential financial abuse, as well as brief references to classist attitudes.

albert: what's your interest in my son? joey: just... albert: he's my son, right? joey: yes, but he's also angela's brother. albert: half-brother.

though craig's introduction is quite memorable and the show is quite good at letting us get to know his life circumstances right away, because certain things happened pre-series (or at least pre-craig's introduction) there are a couple of things that are left ambiguous and up to interpretation. i've seen different perspectives, for instance, on how julia leaving albert went down, whether albert was abusive to julia as well, or whether craig used to live with joey and julia before she died. a lot of this is going to be based on speculation/my interpretation of what's talked about.

a couple of things we know to be textual in canon by when doves cry:

joey and julia's wedding was five years ago, so craig would have been about 9 at the time.

angie is six in season 2, so julia and joey had her before they got married.

craig went to a different middle school as most of the rest of the main cast, which is why he wasn't in season 1. (i mean, realistically, i don't know if the writers had come up with his character at the start of the show. but this is the in-universe reason.) he starts at degrassi because the nearby high school closed down due to budget cuts. this also seems to be the the high school the other grade-nines would have gone to, so he likely would have met them, but he would not have gotten to know emma more or met sean, who are both in grade eight. (and both of whom are pretty instrumental in helping to get him out of his situation.)

albert is a rich surgeon, and at least since julia died, seems to have full custody of craig.

julia died two years ago, given that at the start of season 1, joey says she's been dead for a year, and it's now a year later. so i believe craig would have been 11 or 12, depending on what time of year it happened.

at some point, when angie was a baby, craig was with angie (and presumably joey and julia) on a trip to british columbia.

joey is unaware of the abuse until the events of when doves cry. while he seems generally concerned for craig's well-being due to his mom's death and his clearly missing angie, he doesn't seem concerned for craig's literal safety until sean and emma inform him that albert is hurting craig and angie unwittingly tells him about the bruises she saw.

a couple of things i feel can be intuited from the aforementioned facts:

albert frames the separation between him and julia as her leaving him for a used car salesman. while he is not the most reliable source and we have little perspective about what their marriage was like, the timeline seems to indicate that julia either divorced albert in order to get together with joey very quickly, or that she cheated on him with joey, and that getting pregnant with angie was possibly the final push to leave albert. i've always kind of assumed the latter to be true since i first saw these eps, given exactly how much resentment albert seems to hold for both julia and joey.

(note: i am 1000% not blaming julia or joey for albert's abuse of his son. his actions are his own, and whatever reasons he has or feels he has do not excuse those actions. we also know very little about the relationship between albert and julia, making it difficult to judge her actions, as elaborated on below.)

i think it is unlikely that albert was physically abusive to julia, because i think if that was the case, joey would likely know about it and would be much more concerned about craig's safety. while it's clear joey and albert don't like each other, and that joey thinks albert is not a very nice person, i think it's fairly logical to chalk that up to the relationship drama in their history. i do think it's possible that albert was emotionally/verbally/pyschologically abusive to her, as he also is with craig. but even now, some people don't recognize these things as abuse, and at the time period this would have been happening, i think there was much less understanding of the kind of toll these forms of abuse can take. i think for joey's part, if julia did confide in him about any potential problems with her relationship with albert, he likely thought albert was a dick and a bad husband, but may not have the language or the knowledge to recognize him as an abuser. julia herself may not have at the time, either.

these notes are even more speculation based, but this is how i tend to interpret the events before craig's intro on the show, based on what we do know:

i pretty strongly believe that even when julia was alive, at the absolute most, the time craig spent with joey, angela, and julia was on weekends, maybe holidays, and at least one trip to british columbia.

i know people are often confused by the idea that albert might have gotten full custody, but honestly, it is not that much of a stretch to me. if julia initiated the divorce, and especially if she and joey had an affair, putting my own feelings about it aside (because again, i really do not want or think it's fair to judge her for this, given how little we know about the relationship), i think any court likely would have seen julia as the one 'at fault' for the divorce. we also don't know anything about her own background or what she might have done for work: it is possible that she did not have the financial means to either start or win a custody battle, and albert is established to be a rich surgeon with a good reputation. so it's possible that julia did fight for custody, but it's also possible that she wasn't able to and that they worked something out for whenever albert oh-so-graciously (note the sarcasm) decided to let craig see her.

i've seen it implied that joey, julia, and angela might have lived in british columbia, or that albert and craig moved there for a while, but i don't see this as viable, given that we know joey has a long-standing used car dealership and that albert is a well-regarded and well-known surgeon at his hospital. while it's not impossible, it seem seems unlikely and is not confirmed.

what we do know is that at some point, craig and angie were there together, though angie was too young to remember it and craig says she was "just a baby". my best guess would be that maybe joey and julia had a little honeymoon there and brought both kids along with them. angie would have been about 1, then, making it a lot more feasible that they would have taken her on this trip. with her being so young, i doubt they'd want to leave her, even with another family member, like joey's mom. and hey, if angie's coming, craig can come along, too!

it might seem counterintuitive, when i'm sitting here saying that i don't think albert usually let craig see them, that he would then allow him to go on this trip, but for one thing, it's clear that craig did spend at least some time with them, given the bond he and angie have developed. i also think the show does a pretty good job at showing the complexities of abusers: they're not always these complete monsters, doing one bad thing after another. we see 'nice' moments between craig and albert, couched as they are in manipulation, but realistically, he probably wasn't always this 100% unreasonable guy all of the time. and honestly, that's one of the really dangerous things about abusers: they can seem nice in front of other people and even to their victims, and they may even mean it some of the time, but that 'niceness' is often what keeps people from seeing the truth. someone could see one of act of kindness albert might do for his son and think, there's no way that guy hurts his kid.

maybe craig really wanted to go, and the day he asked, albert was feeling charitable. because again: the show is actually pretty good about showing the cycles and complexity of abuse. albert, while awful to craig in general, probably did not always seem awful 100% of the time.

or maybe julia insisted and threatened, regardless of her circumstances, to take him to a court. for one reason or another, i think it's feasible that this happened without necessarily being indicative of albert agreeing for craig to spend a lot of time with them in general.

however, based on what we know, i do not believe craig lived with joey long-term prior to the show for a couple of different reasons. this is fairly subjective, and they obviously know and are decently familiar with each other in when doves cry, but it does not seem like they know each other particularly well. i don't know exactly why i say this, it could be totally off-base but... the way they talk to each other just does not strike me as two people who have spent tons of time with each other.

to be fair, you could chalk this up to the fact that julia has now been dead for two years, and albert obviously isn't letting craig see joey in any signifcant capacity. 12-14 are also pretty formative years where a lot can change for a kid. but still, it doesn't seem like, up to this point, they are more than somewhat acquainted to each other. i imagine that trip to british columbia was probably the most significant length of time they spent together.

however, my especially big reason for believing this is the case is what happens after craig moves in with joey and angela. in the next especially craig-focused episode we get, drive, something subtle is happening in otherwise overall pretty lighthearted episode: craig and joey are both learning the boundaries with each other. craig doesn't know where he'll go if joey goes away for the weekend, but joey says he's old enough to stay at their home. joey establishes ground rules for having friends over during the weekend. craig gets into trouble at joey's for the first time and it is clear it is the first time joey is disciplining him as his dependent. i think that, had joey and craig lived together in any significant capacity prior to this, their boundaries and dynamic would be more firmly established. the underlying conflict here might be "i do not know how to raise craig now that julia's gone and i can't coparent with her" rather than "i don't know how to raise this new teenager in my life." but instead, a lot of what we see between them this season is learning how to live together, what the roles are, and how to be a family unit.

this sort of leads to my next point, as convoluted as all of this problem seems (i swear the structure makes sense in my head): because i believe that albert had full custody pretty much from the moment julia left, i think it logically follows that the abuse toward craig either started or ramped up/became physical once julia was no longer in the household.

i've seen other people say that it doesn't make sense for albert to be abusive to craig but not julia, and while i can understand that to a degree, i don't know how much i agree. as i said, i think it's more than possible he was emotionally abusive to her, and that may have contributed to her leaving, but it's clear that her leaving triggered a lot of albert's behavior, as he let that resentment fester and began projecting it onto his son. i think the abuse toward craig likely started or significantly ramped-up and became physical once she left because albert could get away with it, being his primary guardian and given his ability to isolate craig the way he does.

albert is an esteemed surgeon who clearly cares a lot about what people think of him and about his prestige, and he is very used to being in control. yet, with his wife leaving him for someone he considers so low beneath him (because classism), his pride is wounded, he feels his sense of worth, tied up in ego and masculinity as it is, slip, and i think his abuse of craig is pretty undeniably him grasping for the one 'thing' that still is under control: his son, who he sees as his to parent how he pleases.

which tracks, because albert often frames his abuse of craig as punishments for craig 'misbehaving', such as lashing out and throwing a dinner plate when craig is home late for dinner, or saying "because you always screw up" when craig reminds his dad that he always says it will never happen again and it always does. it obviously goes past what any reasonable person would deem appropriate discipline for a child and is instead abusive, but i truly do think that's how he justifies it in his mind. it may have even started out - i don't want to say more normally, but there are more socially accepted (especially at the time, though to some degree, even today) physical punishments, like spanking, and it's possible albert's assertion of his extreme control over craig started somewhere there, and escalated as he began projecting all of his issues onto craig and realized the degree of control he had over craig as his primary guardian. which i think is why he can stand there at the end of when doves cry and say he doesn't beat craig, and some part of himself probably genuinely believes it, because cognitive dissonance. (it is still gaslighting, though.)

anyway. this was long. it realistically should have been the first part, but oh, well. i think that a lot of this is subjective and up to a viewer's own interpretation, as i think they left some of this purposefully ambiguous because trying to establish the prior events when craig's story is supposed to be about what's happening now would have been confusing. regardless, this is my two (or three, or five million) cents.

[daemour]

Pairing: bae jinyoung x tutor! f! yn

Word Count: 1976

Warnings: cursing, mentions of alcohol consumption and drugs, mentions of sex, kissing

Genre: Angst, fluff, f2l au, college au, m for mature

Summary: You're popular, pretty, top of your class. It's no surprise you've ended up tutoring Bae Jinyoung, your opposite in many ways. But your feelings for him grew out of your control and you try to find him at the biggest end of year party

-

this is for the jackson wang party fic collab finished with @mingsolo (hella good), @flurrys-creativity (Pygalgia, Effervescent, and Abience), and @sanjoongie (trouble) ^^ this was supposed to have smut but i couldn't get it out im sorry :') you can just imagine it in ur head pls

and ignore the difference in wc from this and my san one :') i did not have the energy to write another 10k so this ones short and sweet lol

Also the banner was made like 2 username changes ago lol

You can read the San one here (No Hesitation)

-

It’s late…at least for you. Judging from the people milling about with ease, they’re a lot more accustomed to being awake at unholy hours of the night. A couple of them even cast curious glances at you, unused to seeing you at a party. And you can’t blame them either. You’re the college’s well-known “good girl”, volleyball captain and top of your college batch. You’ve been to exactly one party your entire four years here and it was because your roommate, Yeseul, threw it without telling you.

She’s not at this party, too embarrassed to show her face after being dumped by the school playboy, San. You’d feel bad but she kinda deserved it after bragging to everyone how she bagged him. And if she went with you, she’d make it such a huge deal when you want to lay low. You came to this party for one reason after all…to find Bae Jinyoung.

Once again, something you never thought you’d be doing. Jinyoung is the complete opposite of you in every way. Always partying, and getting high, his list of cons goes on and on. But when you were paired up with him to tutor in a last-ditch effort to not get expelled, you didn’t expect to grow so close to him. And maybe you’ve grown to have a soft spot for him.

He had to retake his final exam due to a stomach bug (he was hungover, but you decided not to let his professor know that fact) and you were told his test results early. He had passed after months of hard work, and you were too excited to keep it from him. 

You called him first, and he picked up, but he was clearly drunk, living it up at what you heard was the last party of the year. And against your better judgement, you decided to go tell him the good news in person, perhaps after getting him a little more sober. And you’re maybe a little stupid, hoping he would come sweep you off your feet and kiss you senseless, but a girl can dream. Maybe when you tell him the good news, he’ll lift you and swing you around just like in all your romance books and fall in love.

You’re once again reminded of just how out of place you are as you weave through the crowd. As you look around, you can’t help but be amused at how you must look so lost. You’re not looking where you’re going properly and you bump into a broad chest.

When you look up, you’re met with the furrowed brows of the other Jinyoung of the college, Park Jinyoung, recognisable from his stone-cold features and his signature turtleneck. The only thing he shares with your Jinyoung is the name. Whereas your Jinyoung was mixed up in all sorts of trouble, ranging from drugs to drinking to sex, Park Jinyoung kept to himself, except for this one girl he seemed to have conflicted feelings for. You’ve seen him look at her like she made the stars, only to push her away when she turns her attention towards him. And case in point, when you mutter out a sorry he barely pays attention to you, muttering her name under his breath. Looks like you’re not the only one looking for someone tonight.

You try and ask around a bit, and while some classmates do their best to narrow down Bae Jinyoung’s location for you despite their inebriated state, most of them are just too shell-shocked to see you here and they can’t mask their confusion.

“YN? I didn’t expect to see you here.” A familiar voice catches your attention and you turn to see Choi San standing before you, his hair ruffled and his signature smile on his face. There’s a hint of sadness in his eyes, but you don’t know him well enough to enquire about it.

“Ah, hello, San. I hope you’re doing well after…all that’s happened.” It’s no secret that San broke up with Yeseul because of his roommate. To your credit, you manage to hold back your curiosity and instead just ask him a question pertaining a bit more to your own dilemma. “Have you seen Jinyoung? Bae, not Park.”

San shrugs. “I’m doing well, yes. I can’t stay long, but I think I saw Jinyoung near the living room. It’s through there, you can’t miss it. Lots of couches…and lots of people kissing.”

You absolutely miss the warning tone in his voice, but your heart is already beating a little too fast for your own good at the idea of seeing Jinyoung again. “All right, thanks San!” You start walking the other way, but something nags at you and you spin around, calling out his name before he steps away. “And San…I want to apologise for Yeseul. You should go for your friend. She looks at you the same way.”

There’s a moment’s pause, then San quirks his lips at you. “Thanks, YN. I think I will. Good luck with Jinyoung.”

You laugh and salute him before turning back to continue on your way. With each step, you can feel excitement rush past your ears. You know it’s a horrible idea, but you’ve grown fond of Jinyoung. Maybe it was how all the rumours surrounding him were less than satisfactory, but he never showed you anything but kindness and quietness when you tutored him. Maybe it was the way he leapt at any chance to talk about football to you, and how his smile would light up any room.

And maybe it was when he finally convinced you to let loose and take a study break with him, you found out he kisses gently, large hands cupping your face as his breath puffs over your lips. His touches are soft, ghosting over your waist as you sit beside him, and you feel special.

“Jinyoung–” you call out, entering the room San had pointed out to you, but you stop dead in your tracks. You’ve found him. Bae Jinyoung, sitting on the couch, a girl in his lap and his tongue deep in her mouth. It’s not nearly as sweetly as he kissed you, and yet your stomach drops. It’s stupid to be hurt, you remind yourself. You stare for a moment longer, eyes glued to how the girl is grinding on him so well and you feel a tightness in your throat you can’t seem to dislodge.

And it’s almost like slow motion when Jinyoung turns his head and makes direct eye contact with you. His mouth drops open, more than it was before and like the coward, you turn tail and run right back out of the room.

You push through the people crowding you and out one of the back doors. In the distance, you can see a figure floundering in the lake, soaking wet, but you can’t be bothered to be curious about the sight. You should’ve known this was going to happen. You catch feelings, and Jinyoung doesn’t, and you make a fool of yourself. How could you be so dumb? It’s clear what happened. You were just another conquest, another prize for him to win.

“YN!” You can hear Jinyoung’s familiar cadence float from the house and you glance back, seeing him try and get to you through the people milling about. “YN wait!”

There’s desperation in his voice, but your brain does not register it and you just turn away, heading towards the line of cars parked far into the grass. You didn’t park there, but it should give you enough cover as you make your way to the next street over where your car actually is.

Your eyes are trained forward, and you refuse to look back even as Jinyoung’s panicked footsteps get closer and closer to you. “YN, please!” You hesitate just for a moment, but it’s long enough for him to catch up to you and grab your arm gently. “Please look at me, YN.”

You turn around, but keep your eyes trained on the ground lest you cry, especially after seeing his face. “What’s up?” It’s almost sick how sweetly your voice sounds as it breaks.

“YN, I’m sorry.” The desperation has not left Jinyoung’s voice, and his hands move to your shoulders, gripping them tightly as if that would convince you he meant no harm. And maybe he didn’t. But it’s not his fault you’ve fallen in love with an unobtainable thought.

“Why are you sorry?” you respond, trying your hardest to keep your voice level, although it tremours just a bit when Jinyoung sucks in a breath. “I can’t stop you from…parties, and kissing. I’m just a nobody.”

Jinyoung shakes his head, his long hair falling in his eyes but he makes no move to brush it away. “You’re anything but a nobody, YN. You’re pretty and perfect, and you have so much going for you. You have a job already lined up, you have plans for your future. I’m the one who’s a nobody.”

You laugh. “We could go around in circles, Jinyoung. You’re not a nobody, not to me. And not to that girl. It’s okay that I’m not who you want me to be. I can only kiss you sweetly, I can’t desire you in the same carnal way she does, no matter how much I want to. And there’s no way you want to waste time teaching me how to not be dumb and innocent.”

Jinyoung frowns, just as pretty as his smile is. “I do, YN. I do, more than you can know. I want to take you on dates and kiss you on the beach. I want to have coffee in the morning with you. I just want to hold you. And I love it when you’re innocent and sweet.”

“But that girl–”

“Screw that girl!” You flinch a little at his volume and Jinyoung pauses, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “We were drunk, and I was just missing you a little too much. It was a mistake. I should’ve have tried to run from my problems. I– when you called me, I should’ve dropped everything and gone to find you, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to let myself want you. But I do.”

You breathe in sharply through your nose. “I don’t want to make you change…” you start to protest carefully, although your resolve is breaking by the second.

Jinyoung shakes his head, leaning in so his face is mere breaths away from yours. “I want to change, YN. So please, let me.”

“I–” Against your better judgement, you look him in the eyes, noticing the shaking wateriness of them. “Okay.”

The tension in Jinyoung’s face pinches before finally dissipating, easing the lines in the skin. “Okay,” he copies you. “Okay. YN, can I kiss you?”

His question comes so suddenly, you swear your heart stopped beating for a moment. You barely get a yes out before Jinyoung’s lips capture yours again. And if you thought your first kiss was sweet, this is a million times sweeter. His hands find their way to the small of your back this time and push you closer to him, your arms naturally finding their way around his lithe shoulders. The movement makes the kiss deepen as his mouth presses eagerly against yours.

“I missed you,” he hums against your lips and you sigh happily.

“Must’ve been hard, benign away from me for a whole five days,” you can’t help but tease and Jinyoung groans good-naturedly.

“Man, you’re so mean to me. What happened to being all nice and innocent?” With a smile, you shove your face into Jinyoung’s neck. Jinyoung bends down to press a kiss to your temple. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I think we’re long overdue a talk.”

You sigh. “We are.”

[systemschemistry]

3hrs late but

Tell me about your ocs !! /nf

Dw, we're even more late on answering this ask. Okay, let's do this:

1. Apotheosis ocs:

Their story is actually written and public! It's over at @apotheosis-part-1 and @apotheosis-part-2. It's a story about coming to terms with yourself. Also have general summaries of each character:

Part 1:

The Angel (he/him) - the POV character and the narrator for the first part. He spends this part single-mindedly chasing his goal: cleanse. Cleanse this world of the people whose actions the characters are trying to come to terms with

The Alchemist (they/them) - the one that committed the unforgivable action in the first place. They are the Angel's sibling. Up until the end of part 1 they solemnly wait at the top of the Tower

The Shadelord (he/him) - their father. He created the Angel in response to the Alchemist committing the sin, but after the creation was complete he, too, was judged unworthy by the Angel, then cleansed

The Scientist and the Seer (both they/them) - they aren't really that fleshed out. They are the second and the first rulers of Trey respectively. They both fight the Angel and lose

Part 2:

The Angel - he appears again here, having succeeded in the cleansing, mostly. He did not clease himself, only cast aside the parts he hated, being

The Sinner (they/them) - the cast aside parts of the Angel, separated at first, then coming back together. The Sinner is initially not informed of the fact that they and the Angel are supposed to be one

Aspects of the Sinner (all they/them):

Skeptic (oh hey that's the one you drew for us on halloween) - the POV character and the narrator of part 2. Responsible for skepticism and rational thought

Ruler - responsible for authority. Kinda dumb

Paranoid - responsible for fear and emotional thought

Joyous (or Joy) - responsible for impulsivity and emotional thought. Especially hated by the Angel

Hunter - responsible for skill and creativity

Mechanic - responsible for machines and creativity

Aisha (she/her) - she isn't a well developed character due to appearing only in one chapter. She's akin to Mari from Omori in terms of the role she plays in this story

2. Tide Lock:

It isn't as developed as Apotheosis. And by not as developed we mean not developed at all. There are still debates within the system for the list of people to be included in Tide Lock (also note that they're all bird people)

Adanna Light (she/her) - main character of Tide Lock. She is a middle-aged archeologist. She still cannot let go the death of her little brother, who now haunts her as a ghost due to the events of the story. She cares deeply, but doesn't show it. She is looked up to by the people of her settlement

Kariuki Wata (he/him) - the youngest member of the archeological team. He's very happy to finally work with Adanna. She's conflicted, at first, he reminds her too much of her brother, but later she sees how they're fundamentally different people. He's energetic and excitable

Ebere Ling (she/her) - an another member of the team. She's a natural linguist, which practically guaranteed her a spot on the team, considering that the language they're working with isn't deciphered yet. She's very kind and caring, and is loved by other members of the team. She's also somewhat shy and was kept inside for most of her childhood

3. Don't look up:

This project has been barely thought about, but a vision for the main (and only) character has been somewhat thought out

The Astronomer (placeholder name) (he/it) - a young astronomer, only recently joining the field after a face-heel turn away from marine biology. He is prone to losing existential crises and that was why it abandoned its previous field of study. Currently he's awaiting nighttime to witness a great astronomical event, but while stationed at his cabin in the woods, away from cities and people, who output too much light to see anything, it starts getting existential thoughts and terrifying visions