#I am already seen as lesser than by some men

[teenagecriminalmastermind]

the way this language has also been used to peddle conservative ideals isn't lost on me either. fuck this "girl math" bullshit, fuck this "I'm just a silly little bimbo" nonsense.

I am not any of that crap - I'm that annoying prick ass bitch who scowls at you when you make a sexist joke and doesn't subscribe to coquette core and knows how to take care of her goddamn finances and gets an IUD

"I'm just a girl", "girl math", "girl dinner", "divine feminine energy", "bimbocore", "clean girl", "girl's girl", "girlfriend brain" SHUT UPPP!!! SHUTT THE FUCKKKK UPPPPPP !!!!

[angel-of-the-moons]

Khonshu Pregnant S/O Headcanons

Khonshu x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: SFW and NSFW Headcanons. Fluff, Pregnancy kink, lactation kink, fingering, size difference, might be some mythological inaccuracies because I can't remember if he fathered and other gods etc

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: Had an iffy day today and this just popped into my head. Have fun alshlsh

SFW:

He isn't associated with fertility for nothing. When you forget to take your birth control (as of that'd work against a god's seed anyway) and you two overindulge in one another on the peak of a crescent moon, a child was inevitable.

Protectiveness amped up to 100000%, the old man will follow you around even during the day.

Also low-key jealous. You have that beautiful glow about you, especially in the early days of your pregnancy. When the light hits you, it's as if the world around you stops to admire you.

And.... so do other men. Your breasts swelling, your figure becomes alluring to them. Perhaps an effect of the divine child growing within your womb? Either way he isn't above knocking shit off grocery store shelves and hurling them at the men who try to flirt with you.

When he feels the fools aren't getting the message... Khonshu will don his lesser-seen human form.

A hand on your back, a cold glare, and a subtle "Love" tends to intimidate them. Even if he may not look to threatening in just a plain white suit.

Finds any excuse to touch your belly. Whether you're one week into your pregnancy or well into your second trimester, he will touch your baby.

The life inside of you is precious, as this would be his firstborn. One he never thought he would attain.

Always reaches the top shelf for you, will not let you climb a step ladder, even if it is just one or two steps. Can't risk a fall.

Will run you nice baths with oils and incense to help you relax; washes your body with the most gentle touch many would assume he didn't have.

Lets you curl up in his lap to sleep, especially if your back hurts and you need to sleep sitting up.

Will massage you as best he can as your pregnancy progresses, will totally rub your swollen ankles as well.

Did I mention his big ass hands?

The old bird can and will lift your belly up to ease the strain off of you, and hold it as long as you are comfortable.

The best way, you've noticed, to get him to stop lecturing Marc, Steven and Jake is to gasp loudly, acting as if the baby has kicked you too roughly.

You wink at the boys and silently urge them to flee while Khonshu is distracted with checking your belly out for any anomalies.

NSFW UNDER THE CUT:

With pregnancy, comes changes to your body that he both anticipated and... not. This includes your raging hormones and how needy you became when they raged within you.

Is definitely down to have sex with you. However, he will not risk it in his godly form, so if you want him inside of you, he would don his human one instead and take you that way.

When he isn't in his human form, his hands will do nicely, they fill you and stretch you wonderfully and make you ache in the most pleasurable ways.

Massages the hell out of your breasts. A little too much, you'd argue, but the ease of the ache in them is too much to ignore.

And once your milk starts flowing, the man will want a taste of you. In every. Sense. Of. The word.

Him latching on to drink from you is far more relieving than him simply massaging you.

"It will help you grow accustomed to the feeling when you feed our child." He tells you.

Yeah right. Bullshit, especially with how he will either fuck you or curl and thrust his fingers inside of you as he does this.

He rarely finishes inside of you when you're pregnant. He almost always prefers to finish on your belly, as if to mark you.

As if carrying his child and the bruises he leaves on your hips didn't mark you enough already...

Cradles your belly when you are laying on your side and he is thrusting lazily into you from behind, whispering sinful words of praise into your ear until he has you coming undone with the most lurid of cries.

He won't admit it, but he does like to take you from behind while you are pregnant, his hand smoothing up the curve of your spine.

Definitely prefers it if you are on your back, looking up at him so he can admire your face and changing body.

Another thing... he loves it when you ride or grind on him. He will guide you with his hands, making sure you aren't going too fast or rough, he will roll his hips to meet you as gently as possible.

But this position in particular he likes because it allows him to touch you because he doesn't need to constantly hold you to ensure comfort.

His hands will roam you; your face, your chest, your belly, your hips; he will even stimulate your clit for you to make you cum faster, because he loves watching how your eyes roll back and the pleasure overtakes your face.

Oh... And you're crazy if you think he wants to stop at one. Even if it pisses off the other gods; your body is too delicious a temptation to resist filling with his seed again and again.

[11queensupreme11]

Hi Queen!

Okay so I was curious about, now that we are getting more anuby scenes, how women (wives, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc) were treated in Ancient Egypt. Like we already established how they were seen in Ancient Greece so I was really curious about Ancient Egypt. So I did some research (on reputable sites that actually have historical data so don’t worry✨)

Sources:

1. (https://www.ees.ac.uk/resource/women-in-ancient-egypt.html)

2. (https://www.worldhistory.org/article/623/women-in-ancient-egypt/)

And I found out that they actually had so many more rights than like anywhere else in the world at the time and even some parts of the world today.

Like basically the run down Google and these articles gave me since I don’t have the space to go deep into it like I did before (don’t judge I’m like super bored rn and am just re-reading previous Arsenic Blues chapters now😂😂) is that based on their social status and occupation most women in ancient Egypt were treated with the utmost respect.

Because Egyptians believed in ma’at, which means harmony, peace, and stability in all areas of life. It also meant equality in all aspects of life. So basically women had equal legal rights as men (so they could own property and laws that applied to men also applied to women). Also a woman’s social standing didn’t depend on her gender but rather the class she was born into and usually women of higher social standing married within their own class rather than below or above it.

Furthermore, women could have multiple jobs in Ancient Egypt and weren’t just regulated to housekeeping, mothering, or strictly domestic pursuits. They could be scribes, physicians, teachers, etc.

The only thing I did notice in similarity with Ancient Greece and other societies that seemed to be the same was that they were still considered the property of their husbands and fathers and were also judged on their ability to produce sons.

Like the more sons a woman had the more respected she was in society, while a woman with only daughters or more daughters than sons was seen as being lesser and not as respected. And if they were barren, then that was the group of women that were respected the least.

And so that got me to thinking (this is just a theory idk if u actually made this the reason or not) that maybe that’s why Anubis and Anput are no longer together?

Like I know Anubis loves his daughter and how could he not she is such a sweetheart💕🥺 but like if Anput could only give him a daughter she might have lost his (or if not his then the rest of the pantheon’s) respect.

Just a theory of course ik we’ll find out their deal later on in the story

Another thing tho, that I’m really curious about is how this might relate to his relationship w Percy. Like obviously their married now so she is, in his mind and that of the rest of the Egyptian pantheon once they find out, his property but I also feel like he respects her more than say Hades, just like, as an individual.

Not enough to tell her the truth of what’s going on or even get her permission to marry her but enough that he sees her as an individual capable of thinking for herself as is shown when he doesn’t patronize her like Hades, Apollo, and Poseidon do.

Although if barren women are looked down upon in Ancient Egypt and the amount of sons u have equals how much respect u earn, I am curious how Anubis will feel and/or take it when they start having sex but Percy doesn’t fall pregnant (cause she’s going to Aphrodite😏 each time to prevent that) or I wonder if he’ll just attribute it to her being half human and be like “wait till she ascends” for babies 😭.

Anyway sorry this was so long! Really thought it would be shorter.

YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE WAS AMAZING ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT?????

virginity didn't matter!!! there wasn't even a word for it by then! everyone in egypt was fucking each other so the concept of virginity or purity didn't matter at all

a bride didn't need to be a virgin for her wedding, they didn't care!!!

there was still of course, a lot of sexism but it was LEAGUES better than what ancient greek women were dealing with 💀

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

you should take your estrogen with your food (or the gender politics of the video game industry at large)

[id: four identical bottles of Estrogen Bio-Identical Cream, 200 mg infused with Ginseng, Green Team, Black Cohosh and Red Clover /end id]

Hello, this is the secretary with another essay.

Anyways, so this entire essay is written from the perspective of a passing trans woman. People within the 'real' world aren't aware I'm a trans woman in a material manner (doctor asks me when the last time I had my periods, etc) so I am not speaking from the lens of a visibly trans person within that aspect. Do gotta say I love my bricks and my clocky girls though. We need bricks to build homes and clocky girls to tell the time, yes ma'am.

When you work within the field video games either as trans or cis woman (or whichever you pass at), you are always seen as lesser than your cis male counterpart. It's a rather straight forward experience that your opinions will never be seen with as much value, or your skills will never be seen with the same strength. But where does that lay within the Interaction Fiction community, and especially the indie scene?

The xife and I haven't been part of it for long enough for me to really pinpoint it, but here are some observations and questions I can make:

Majority of the writers are women.

At least on Tumblr, that's what I've noticed. It's hard to know on forums what are their gender identities and what they self-identify as, but on Tumblr and from the games I've played (and most importantly: want to play) I've noticed they are all mostly women. è

2. The most successful writer are men.

Not that surprising. Again with 1. it's hard to pinpoint with gender identity on forums, but if you go on COG, you'll see the vast majority of people who post there are guys (I did polls!) and the majority of writers who are successful to any degree are guys. But... the writers I see are principally women... so what does that mean?

3. Is this a case of that pay disparity?

I mean, maybe? Again, wage gap is a very complicated (and controversial!) concept, especially within the art field. There's this conception that the better the art, the more lucrative it is, but that's absolutely false. Human biases ignore how 'good' someone art piece is. I mean, I've seen comments on various platforms about how people talk about women-led projects vs men-led projects, and none of it has to do with the strength of the writing. A lot of it is like 'women make this type of games because they wish they could fuck this type of men' vs 'oh this is a wuxia game yay' when its kinda the same game, just the latter one is made by a guy. The attitudes toward men-led project will always favor them vs women-led project

4. Have we faced any of it?

Sorta kinda. Not gonna go into details :)

5. What can you do at home with that information?

Probably examine your own biases when interacting with any sort of art. I mean, the name of our game is Drink Your Villain Juice which a lot of people assume it to be some sort of joke title, and you're still reading it knowing it's not a jokey IF, so you did examine your bias (consciously or not) so you're already half the way there!

[chuckeroo777]

Frieren Liveblog- Chapters 5-8

Welcome back! Today we continue the cute adventures of Frieren and her apprentice Fern. Let's see what painful memories of Himmel we can dredge up today.

Remember, this is a first read-through, so no spoilers please!

Nothing personal kid.

I wonder if Frieren learned this spell from somewhere, or if she devised it herself, drawing from the hundreds of lesser spells she's collected to weave together a comprehensively powerful spell.

Maybe it's a little early for me to be making such judgements, but it feels like Frieren is somewhere on the spectrum. Between her difficulty expressing emotions, difficulty with social cues, and generally detached behavior while still clearly caring, she certainly fits the part.

Ah, but what about teleportation? Is that a thing in this magic system? Or even just a haste spell of some kind. It sounds unstoppable, but it has a weakness.

Fern, I stg, I literally told you to read the book that explained it.

Ah, so it wasn't unbeatable, just not understood. And without the element of surprise, it's just another spell.

You're the one who used the cheaty magic first. Fair's fair. She was nice enough to give you a chance to surrender.

Guys, she's literally wearing pants under her skirt. Ugh, men, am I right? Reminds me of the time I was DMing, and the party finally confronted the evil goddess in her sanctum. And rather than focusing on stopping the world ending ritual, the rogue decided it would be a good idea to crawl up into her dress. I then made the mistake of describing something horrific in there instead of rejecting it outright, which only made him more determined.

And you know what that means! Loot!

God, I love her.

It's probably partially just ingrained in her, but this behavior sounds like symptoms of depression. Either way, it's probably good for her to have someone like Fern around to support her, both physically and emotionally.

Hopefully pirate ghosts don't mind you turning their ships into scrap wood.

Gosh darn it, I'm already adoring their relationship. Frieren is weird as hell, and Fern doesn't get it, but damn if she doesn't do her best to support her anyway.

But it reminded you of your friend. And perhaps that's enough.

In a setting I'm working on, an afterlife does exist, but little is known about it. Souls can be summoned from the beyond, if they're willing, but are unable to describe or remember their time there. Some say the beyond is a place of blissful rest. Others believe it to be nothing but stasis, and some extremists believe it is inhabited by parasites, who harvest souls from our world to provide the beyond with souls of its own.

I suppose this has nothing to do with Frieren. I wonder if we'll get any answers, or if this is just left an open ended question.

I've been finding her rather relatable, but this? Who the hell comes to a friend's house unannounced and declare they are hanging out. Frieren. Frieren, that's who.

Har har. I do wonder what's up with the other elves of this world. Why is Frieren alone in human territory anyway?

Glad to see she's learning. Although, when she mentions Fern getting angry, is that true? I don't think we've seen that from her yet. Maybe Frieren just doesn't want to admit how much she respects Fern.

Uh huh. Frieren, it's only been 7 chapters and I can already tell that retracing Himmel's steps is absolutely your core motivation. You can admit you miss him.

Ah, so Flamme was Frieren's master? And judging by the flashback in the next panels, she was a human. I wonder how much contact Frieren has had with other elves? A lack of other immortals might explain her trouble forming meaningful connections.

Hmm... what did she know?

Well then. I guess this is our goal for the foreseeable future. Hmm... all sorts of things could go wrong. This land supposedly existed 1000 years ago, but the Demon King lived there 80 years ago. It wouldn't surprise me if the Demon King destroyed this place, or somehow tapped into its power.

Daw...

I wonder how long Eisen with be joining us. I imagine he's too old to accompany us far.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say she probably cares about you quite a bit, but is hopeless at actually expressing it.

I do wonder what is going through her head. Is she simply afraid to form bonds that would break in no time? Was Himmel the first real friend she made in her long life? What does Frieren truly want?

Those aren't the words of someone who doesn't want to spend time with you.

And that's chapter 8! Four chapters per post seems about right. Stay tuned for the next post shortly!

[2ch3rr13s]

The one of the stars broke their contract

A pointless argument between Kaveh and Alhaitham about the scribe’s knowledge was being tested by the blond, until Y/n stepped in giving them the information they craved. Y/n just wanted to tell them a bit of home before the contact sign they were binded by burned on their skin as if testing them. It was just a little argument about some history, how did this end so terribly?

tw- angst,little to no comfort, reader dying, lots of crying, some kisses, a bit of reader being in the afterlife, not proofread

wc- 2837

Y/n had just finished all their commissions for the day, and decided to go pester their two favorite boys, the acting grand sage and the famous renowned architect of Sumeru. Just as they had used their own key to the scribe’s house, they could hear the yelling of the blonde. “Your whole little research project makes no sense!”  

They sighed as they knocked lightly before opening the door, “Hey,” they called out as the seen Alhaitham sitting on his couch a book in hand, as he rests comfortably while Kaveh was standing up and turned to the front door. “Y/n!” He called out his eyebrows furrowed, “Tell Haitham his research sound ridiculous!”  

Y/n raised their eyebrow as they glanced at the two, “And what’s his research about?” They asked confused as they slipped off some of their daily outfit to be a little more comfortable, Kaveh crossed his arms as he motioned for the scribe to talk, “Well, go on then.” 

Alhaitham sighed as he closed his book, “I think the archons... Are responsible for the fall of Khaenri’ah, that’s all I wrote on my paper,” he shrugged as Y/n stared at the two and Kaveh laughed out loudly crossing his arms and looking smug. “See how ridiculous that sounds?” Y/n shook their head, their confusion was replaced with seriousness.  

“How do you even know that information?” The two’s head snapped towards Y/n, as they spoke those words out, Kaveh let out a laugh, one that made it sound as if Y/n had gone insane, “Don’t tell me you are seriously considering playing along with this jerk’s claims?” Y/n shook their head as they sat on the sofa across from Alhaitham and motioned for Kaveh to sit next to the scribed whose eyebrows were furrowed.  

“If I tell you anything now... Then nothing leaves this room, no matter what, understood?” Y/n who was usually different than this serious face that had on sent a shiver down both men’s spine, they nodded leaning in to hear their words.  

“Okay, first things first,” they muttered as they held out their hands and small, tiny stars appeared in their palms, “I am a lesser god, I was never known, but I was never wiped out, I am the God/dess of the stars,” The two glance at Y/n with bewildered eyes, “And how come you never told us?” Alhaitham spoke up as he leaned back with his arms crossed.  

“I never thought it was necessary, but...” They bit their lip, “I will tell you of my home before I tell you about the cataclysm, okay?” The two nodded, “I come from a place called Earth, far away from here,” Alhaitham raised his eyebrows, “Isn’t that like another land outside of Teyvat?”  

Y/n shook their head with a small smile, “It is actually not of this world, this is just one of the many worlds out there,” Kaveh had been silent as he stared at them, “You’re... You’re not lying... are you?” But he already knew of their answer.  

“Back home on earth,” they started as they tried to remember of their life from so long ago, “We were so advanced; technology, architecture, culture, fashion, art, anything you could name here, we had it far more advanced,” Kaveh raised a brow a bit suspicious of their words, “ well, do you have any proof of this ‘Earth’?”   

Y/n had to this for a moment as they held out their hand; small glowing lights appeared in their hand, a little dark haze floated around the light, before something appeared in their hand, “Well, I have this, but it never really worked here since it’s practically useless in this world,” a small device, rectangular shaped, they held it out to the two, Alhaitham reaching for it to inspect it. “What is it?” 

Y/n smiled, “It’s a phone; communication, easy access to information, socialization, and entertainment,” the scribe raised his eyebrows as Kaveh leaned over his shoulder to look equally curious and amazed. “All that with this little thing?” They nodded as Alhaitham handed it over, and it disappeared once it was in Y/n’s hand.  

“Are devices like this common? Where you're from?” Kaveh asked as the god nodded their head with a smile, “Everything in my time is more advanced that Teyvat, but back home, there was no such thing as vision, or elemental energy,” Alhaitham nodded slowly tyring to process the information.  

“Do you... ever miss home?” Kaveh’s question took them off guard, they had to stop to think for a minute, “I miss the scenery of something familiar, but no,” Kaveh frowned at their answer, “Why not?” Y/n didn’t really need to tell them why, but they knew the two wanted to know. “Humanity is in shambles back home.” 

Alhaitham’s eyebrows furrowed, “How... How is it in shambles if it's so advanced?” Y/n shook their head, “People don’t have any reason to do what they do; robbery, mass shootings, pointless bickering that led to the start of wars. Humans are greedy everyone knows that, but back home they are far worse.” 

The two men frowned at their words, “Such a shame, they have so much potential, yet they destroy was it going for them,” Kaveh muttered with a small scowl upon his face. “Do you think it could get better for your people?” Y/n shook their head, “There is no telling if it could or couldn’t.” 

The two seemed surprised at their bluntness, “How... How so?” Y/n felt their hands ball up into fist in their lap, “Society... They try to make you a slave to humanity; work a job for shit pay only to have such high expenses to live. And they would shape you up into dolls; if you aren’t one thing, you're doing life wrong, or if you aren’t pretty you need to fix it, because it’s your fault... People are just cruel.” 

 “Surely life isn’t like that for everyone... Someone must have enjoyed their lives right?” Y/n nodded as they could feel their throat tightening, “Yeah... Those people had jobs they loved, people who loved them, families who care, and had a very comfortable life... I envied them,” they could feel tears start to prick their eyes.  

Kaveh smiled at them sympathetically, “I can start to see why you don’t miss home now,” he mumbled as Alhaitham looked over at him, nodding. “It such a shame too,” Y/n’s tears had begun to fall from their face as Kaveh got up a bit panicked and wrapped his arms around them. “Gods... I’m sorry, this is so pathic of me...”  

The blond shook his head, “It’s not you just miss home a bit, it’s normal to be homesick from time-to-time Y/n, not everyone is tough enough to not miss home,” they nodded as they lightly pushed Kaveh back and he went back to his seat next to Alhaitham waiting for them to continue talking. 

They could feel their palms start to sweat, a lump forming in their throat, and the heat of a geo symbol that tied them into a contract started to burn as if knowing what they were about to do, “So... About Khaenri’ah... Uhm, where do I even begin...” They muttered and Alhaitham and Kaveh looked at them expectantly, “Well, first things first, yes, the archons were indeed behind the fall of the nation.”  

Alhaitham crossed his arms, glad that his information was right, but why is the actual question. “Mind further explaining, Y/n?” They nodded trying to gather their words while ignoring the burning symbol, “Khaenri’ah was too advanced for Teyvat; a civilization without a need for a god.” 

“The archons felt threaten and wiped it out; no one speaks of it because they made a promise to each other to not speak of it...” Kaveh pointed at them as his finger at them, “But you were there... weren’t you...?” His words died on his tongue as he looked up at them only for them to not be able to meet his eyes. “You’re... You’re in on the promise, aren’t you?” Alhaitham spoke up, his eyes not bothering to leave their shaking figure as a small nod came from them.  

“After the cataclysm, Rex Lapis had decided it was best if no one talk about it, everyone agreed and I was the odd one out by disagreeing,” they slipped their shirt of their shoulder a bit to show of the glowing geo symbol on their skin to the two who stared at them wide eyed. “And... Why is it glowing now?” 

Y/n bit their lip as they could feel tears burning their eyes, “Since I wasn’t an archon, I was forced into a contract with Rex Lapis. The terms stated if I were to ever talk about what had happened on that day... He would know and would hunt me down,” their words had hit the two hard, but Kaveh stood up shaking head. “And what happens when he finds you Y/n?” 

They tried to swallow the lump in their throat, but it was no use as tears fell from their eyes, “Please... I don’t want to,” they sobbed as they leaned to cover their face with their hands, “The contract... If you stated any information, Rex Lapis would know... And you’d die... is that it Y/n?”  

Alhaitham’s words made them cry louder, so the two boy knew the wieght of their words, “Why? Why would you tell us then know that you could die by telling us the information?” Kaveh yelled as Y/n looked up; tears falling down their face, and their lips quivering. “Someone deserves to know! I can’t keep doing this!” 

Alhaitham shook his head, “But isn’t Rex Lapis dead?” Y/n shook their head, “If he was indeed dead, this symbol would have disappeared,” they choked out through their cries, and Kaveh engulfed them into his arms trying to soothe them the best he could. “So that’s it? You gave up valuable information just to satify our curiosity at the cost of your life? Y/n that sounds so ridiculous!”  

Alhaitham shouted over their cries, and Kaveh glared up at him, “Will you give it a rest now? They lnow what they did just be glad they did it!” Alhaitham scoffed, “How could I be glad knowing that my knowledge is proven right by the cost of Y/n’s life? You think I wanted this? If I would’ve known, I would have never asked in the first place!”  

“Hey, you’re not the only one losing someone you idiot! I am too,” Kaveh yelled at he felt Y/n shaking more in his arms, “I don’t want them to die either, why don’t you see that? I love them!” Everything in that moment seemed to stop as the two began to process the blonds' words “You... You can’t...” 

He heard them mumble into his chest, and his own tears gathered into his eyes, “I can’t help it... Y/n I love you... And I’m too late with saying my feelings,” he muttered as Alhaitham sunk onto the floor in front of the two resting his head onto the god’s lap. “I do too... how much... how much time do you have Y/n?”  

Althought he didn’t want to ask, he knew Kaveh wouldn’t have, and they both want to spend whatever little time the two had left with their beloved, “I can sense him approaching fast.... I don’t have long now...”  

“I wish I told you sooner,” Kaveh whispered against their hair as he placed a kiss on top of their head, “I love you Y/n,” Alhaitham looked up, tears threatening to spill form his eyes as he closed them burying his face into their lap, “We both do.”  

A knock at the door made the three break apart, Kaveh looked up, and Alhaitham glanced up at them, “Is it time...?” Y/n nodded as they moved out of the two’s grasp, the two followed after them as they opened the door; a man in white robes, his arms glowing and his eyes cold and intense.  

“You know why I am here, right?” His voice held authority, and was oppressive, Y/n nodded as they kneeled before the archon; Alhaitham and Kaveh watched as they couldn’t move; the blond was sobbing as Alhaitham grasped his hand in his, his own tears falling from his eyes silently. “I broke the one rule under our contract; therefore, I will pay the price.” 

The archon’s eyes were glowing, they held absolute power, and for a brief second you would be able to see the pity in his eyes as he held out his hand. “You will pay the price now,” but before they could feel their life slip from their grasp, they stood up quickly. “Can... Can I at least say goodbye?” 

Rex Lapis’ eyes softened for a moment as he turned his back, “You have only a minute, hurry now,” they nodded as they turned to their two boys’ a bittersweet smile upon their face as their arms reached for them, the two not wasting time to engulf them into their arms. Kaveh sobbed heavily into their shoulder as Alhaitham pressed a kiss to their forehead, his own tears dripping down onto their messy hair.  

“I love you two,” Y/n managed to choke out through their own sobs, but it only seemed to tighten the two men’s hold on their figure. They pressed a kiss to both of their cheeks before reluctantly pulling away from their hold. “Remember to look up in the night sky, in the stars you will find me once more.” The door opened as they walked back to Rex Lapis, “Please, let’s do this elsewhere, I don’t want them to see...” 

His eyes narrowed at the command, but nodded after a few seconds, “As a last wish, I will grant you your request,” and then the two were no longer standing in Alhaitham's home, “It was rather foolish of you to ask to die elsewhere, no you will die alone, is that what you want God of stars?” Y/n shook their head, “I didn’t want to leave them, but I don’t want their last moments of me being brutally killed before their eyes Rex Lapis.” 

The archon nodded as his polearm was at his side, “I wish to remember you as a person, I am not the man I was 500 years ago, so now God of stars, what is you name now?” His steps to them were slow and calculated as Y/n wiped their face of their tears. “My name is Y/n...” 

And with that, they could feel a breeze lightly tickling their cheek, and they found themselves on the ground looking up at the night sky. They could feel the pain all over their body as they could hear the faint sound of dripping. A hand brushed some hair out of their face, “It’s such a shame you had to go like this God/Goddess, you were one of the few after the archon war,” they heard the man say, before the last moments of their life was filled with the image of the night sky. 

The world around them felt warm, as if embracing them in a hug, they felt like they were floating in water as they struggled to open their eyes, a faint voice calling for them. When they opened their eyes, it was pitch black, the warmness around them no longer felt as welcoming. “Y/n...” The same voice repeated, and they looked around, “Who... Who’s there?” 

A small light allowed them to finally see them self in this abyss, the light wrapped around them like a hug, that because it was a hug, they turned only to see the person they hoped to never see here and now, in the afterlife.  

His body glowed as if he was made from the sun, his features looked more heavenly as his eyes still glowed their brilliant ruby red as they did before, but now, he looked translucent, “Kaveh...” they muttered as they reached out for him before stopping. “How are you here... this is... this is death, why are you here?” 

A frown graced his features, as he reached for them, his touch was warm against them, comforting and the feeling of safety blossoming, “I... I died...” They nodded sadly, “I died during a trip to Liyue,” he muttered, “It was about a few years after you had passed,” Y/n furrowed their eyebrows. “Does time work differently here?” 

Kaveh nods as he gulfs them into a hug, “And Haitham?” A feather like kiss upon their head made them melt in his embrace, “Living out his life as the grand sage now.” At least they had one, now they had to wait a little longer for the next one, but now they didn't mind as they would be reunited with their loved ones here. 

If only they actually never said anything in Khaenri’ah, maybe all three of them could’ve lived happily together, but Y/n was a god, so maybe, just maybe, this was actually for the best. 

definitely wasn't using character.ai and got this idea, god no lmao. thanks for all the support so far, just know the second most voted will also be written, so thats the next project after this one <3

[beautifulmorningstar]

Ladies. I think it's important to remember that since radical feminism- and frankly, other forms of milder but at least REAL feminism (that isn't imperialist/white libfeminism)- is now taking off as an actual option for more women, especially bec they're connected online and open to information exchange on the subject (Korean feminists spreading 4B, women's oppression in some countries radicalizing new feminists, legal insanity in several countries waking up some women, major hate crimes against women being publicly played out in courts, treatment of women during war etc)... and there is definitely a more vocal and visible lashback against CERTAIN MRA MOVEMENTS around here (yes the barefaced MRA movements and incels etc but ALSO the veiled ones like gender "activism"), we are probably gonna see an uptick of:

1. Blatant harassment towards feminists, esp rfs

2. A reattempt at covert isolating of feminists

3. Covert personal attempts to "befriend" feminists in order to endanger them

And, I deeply suspect,

4. People suddenly trying to ENGAGE with feminists with the intent of bad faith reading AND political conversion

Points 1 and 2 are old and well-known, and frankly has become the reason that these evil narcissistic bullies are no longer being listened to or supported by the general and (important distinction:) well-meaning public. Point 3 is something I should hope everyone is already taking precautions against.

Point 4, however, I do believe will be their fallback during this period (more than before). Suddenly, attempts will be made to dissuade you from investing in women's rights (hard as it already is in this world and with so many different alignments of women's concerns) and I think we're going to see "feminist blogs" popping up (or even just regular blogs or full-out TRE blogs) trying to engage "in good faith" (/sarcasm). They might make posts that genuinely seem harmless, ask innocuous questions, or challenge feminist concepts in an innocently critical way - all of which can be easily mistaken for actual curiosity and genuine intention. I'm not saying to disengage , those who are actively doing amazing work on here... I am saying, though, be aware of intentions.

Many women are on here just watching feminist spaces, without actively engaging. They are just as much the political conversion goal as the feminists that get approached. Anything and everything can be used to achieve their end - for example, using current politically-charged events to twist your perception of women's rights, or to dismiss feminism as a lesser concern; demanding to know why so many feminists believe in the inherent worth of women but refusing to engage in good faith; trying to convince rfs that non-females deserve a space inside feminism for whatever banal reason but framing it in new and less brash ways.

Of course, to non-feminist populations they'll be actively calling feminists "fascists and nazis" and whatever as per usual. I just think it's important to note that, as we've seen with western leftist spaces, the best way to dismantle progressivism is to "covertly" do it from the inside while still appealing in some way to the people inside that movement.

I don't need to remind anyone that there will always be men who understand the most basic structure of societal oppression (slavery and sexual slavery/coercion of women), and men who have too much time on their hands. One of the first things boys learn is class consciousness as an oppressor class - and half the battle (esp in the western world, but increasingly everywhere) of overcoming subjugation is psychological.

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here!

On the topic of MC's gender. I don't think this is one of the IFs where it was clear the author had an specific gender for the MC while writing the story. I have read some where it was clear the protagonist was written as female/male, and it clashes when you play as anything else.

I say this because I always have played as male. And there wasn't any instance in which I said: "Hmm, this would make more sense if MC was a woman". Now, I do recognize that a female MC can make some themes more evident, powerful, or adds something that otherwise wouldn't be present. For example, Sally's infantilization of MC, his condescension and overprotectiveness gains a different aspect. It can be read as misogynistic, since it would conflate the way Sally conceives and dehumanizes MC with the way women are seen as lesser, and less capable than men. Not that Sally is purposely being misogynistic, but rather than it gets involved with the other issues his relationship with MC has.

It also makes the Orla parallels more obvious, since both her and MC would be the daughters. It would he expected MC was like Orla, that she followed her steps. It makes sense that Prudence tries to mold MC into Orla 2 Electric Boogaloo.

However, that is not to say there isn't things that are interesting or exclusive for male MCs. For instance, it makes Prudence need to make MC a second Orla significantly more abusive and delusional. She is just so disappointed by MC, so disgusted, that she strives to change him into her favorite daughter.

Or, for example, it makes MC more of an anti-Orla. Because now MC is everything Orla isn't. Orla is popular, conventionally beautiful girl, beloved by all, the favorite of her mother, the ideal. While MC is an unsettling boy, hated by most, despised by Prudence, the kind of boy no one wants as a son.

There is also the relationship with Nia. Either a friendship or romantic. Nia's way of understanding feminism, in my opinion (so I may be wrong), holds a very bad overall evaluation of men, and expects them to fail at the bare minimum when it comes to behavior and their actions regarding gender issues. I ignore if Nia believes men can change and evolve from this sorry state (I hope so, otherwise feminism is in a losing battle and it would absolve us men from our wrongdoing). But this belief does provide an interesting conflict to be solved, that adds over the intrigue any relationship MC and Nia already have. Could Nia believe less on a male MC than on a female one? That is an interesting question to ask ourselves.

Now, both male and female MC seem to fail at conforming with the traditional ideals of either gender. Female MC is too detached, too unpolished, too uncaring. While Male MC is not muscular, is not strong (the right way), is stoic for the wrong reasons, doesn't care nor understand sports, etc. So, both also have to confront society by the simple fact they aren't what society demands them to be. Which goes in line with the other present issues MC has, as their mental health and declining social standing (both personal and of their family).

I apologize to non binary folks and their NB MCs. For I cannot think of anything that it isn't obviously unique to them that could be applied to the discussion. Which may come from my own ignorance, as I'm very much a cisgender male (I did explore my identity at one point, and I confirmed it). My redeeming feature is just how gay I am, lol.

Also, unrelated: I have to thank Selfie. I didn't expect the praise and the kind words, and it's appreciated. I think you are cool too, since you usually provide a nice positive energy with your asks. I'm glad you enjoy reading my asks, since I sometimes feel I'm just obnoxious by writing such long ramblings. Or worse, that I'm writing too much but saying too little. Which may be just insecurity from my own part, even if it does not stop me. As long as Jude enjoys it, I'll try to continue. Since I do really love this IF.

Etymology nonnie you really decided to talk to me today huh? 😌

Yeah people have said to me that mc doesn’t really feel like they have a gander in the way think and I feel that’s great. It falls in line in how detached they are to society and thus societal creations. They don’t act like a man nor a woman because they don’t see a reason to and wouldn’t understand why the should to. I’ve read many IFs where I’m like “yeah the MC is clearly a woman”

One of my fears is one day writing an MC that leans too far to one gender despite the reader choosing another gender as apart from flavour text I want all my mcs to have universal thoughts that we all have. I think it has to do with me, as a person while a feminist woman I don’t think like a man nor a woman so it helps to create a protagonist who is gender selectable for their thoughts that don’t pertain to gender but other topics

Speaking of flavour gender text, in one of the routes for who you choose to go talk to that will come up especially sexual harassment women face

It would be interesting to see what Nia thinks of a male mc when you are allowed to talk to her further 😌

[scarlet--wiccan]

Perhaps you’ve seen the solicit for avengers 21. The whole AvX angle feels like it’s probably exaggerated (since it’s not an event or anything, knock on wood) and it does seem like objectively a good line up for a drama between the teams, however temporary it is

The mention of Magneto and Wanda “finally confronting their history” seems a bit… odd. I feel like they do that a lot. Is there anything along those lines you’d like to see there? However unlikely. I’ve always been kind of curious about Astra’s time with the brotherhood and if they dynamics were different for Wanda when there was another woman present (considering how much Wanda’s gender informed her treatment by toad, mags, mastermind, and Pietro (to a lesser extent))

I'm not at all surprised that there's going to be a crossover between X-Men and Avengers, since they're both written by the same author, and Ororo being on the Avengers team already creates a bit of overlap. I agree that whatever conflict occurs between them will probably be short-lived. We've seen this before.

I am truly, genuinely, sick to death of talking about Magneto's relationship with Wanda and Pietro. I don't think I've seen, or participated in, a single fandom conversation about it that didn't feel like beating the dry, sun-bleached remains of a horse that died years and years ago. I don't give a fuck. The Magnus family is one of those subjects where everyone feels like they need to have their own take, and at this point it seems like authors bring it up because they just can't help giving their two cents. I really hope that's not what's happening here.

I have no real qualms with the current status quo-- they're being written as people who've treated each other as family for years, regardless of their blood ties or who raised who, and they've been going back and forth between allyship and opposition with varying levels of toxicity for most of the twins' lives. That is not functionally any different from how it was before the retcon, at least in terms of relationship dynamics. And while the writing and pacing in their most recent storylines (Trial, SW&Q) has been kind of a mess, I thought that the character's motives and actions made sense.

So there's nothing, in my mind, that needs to be revised or confronted, and honestly, at this point, I think that messing around with the past will only do more harm than good. The only thing I want right now is a better resolution to the finale of SW&Q, or maybe for Wanda and Max to own up to the fact that they totally threw Toad under the bus in Trial. For Wanda's sake, I do not want them to bring up the Decimation any more. I think their connection to each other could be used to spark interesting dialogues about whatever Magneto and/or the X-Men's next big political move is, but that's not the same as "confronting their history."

I can't recall if Astra's time with the Brotherhood overlaps significantly with Wanda's-- even in modern comics, you never see them together in flashbacks. But the bonus page from X-Men #1 teased that she might be making a comeback soon-- having Wanda and Max on-page together and making them talk about the Brotherhood would be a great way to reveal some new info about Astra's past, or at least tease her return. That is a great example of how to take advantage of their history to actually advance the plot and introduce new ideas. Bravo for making that connection-- it's smarter than what most writers have done.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

ok ok of u wont talk abt them on ur official analysis post HERE 🎫 i am handing u a free pass to go OFF about passive/active class and also muse of life/lord of doom >:] ooooo infecting you with classpect brain worms....

*visibly trembling like a chihuahua out of excitement* WELLLLLLLL. I SUPPOSE. IF U INSIST

OK. OK. Tristamp Vash. guy who's got feminine characteristics in his story, narrative foil to his twin brother who's got a lot of masculine characteristics. We got that down we're all caught up!! classpect time :3 (putting this under a read more because this got LONG)

Obviously classpects vary wildly between different people's perspectives, and even within the text of Homestuck itself, but there are some heavily implied roles that each class/aspect has. Time is generally an aspect associated with masculinity, Witches are typically girls, etc. Ofc Vash and Knives can have different classpects than these, but making them a Muse of Life and Lord of Doom respectively just FITS. SO WELL.

Since there's only one Muse and one Lord in Homestuck, there's not much to draw from when analyzing these classes, but there are some insinuations to be made! Muses likely a class more common in women, and Lords are likely more often men. The Life aspect is one that in text, we have only seen in female players, and only male players have had the Doom aspect (not that those aspects are gender-exclusive, but it is a PATTERN).

Life is a nurturing, motherly aspect. Jane Crocker is often treated/seen as a mother (despite being 16, which is a whole other can of worms), and her older self, Nanna Egbert, is one of the few Homestuck characters to canonically be a mother!!! Feferi is the heiress to an entire planet, and her Beforan self is a coddling motherly figure to her empire. Vash is the silent guardian of No-Man's Land, protecting people and being kind and gentle to everyone ESPECIALLY KIDS! We've seen how he is with kids, in Tristamp and every other version! Also in Tristamp, Vash is. a fucking parent now. Knives used Vash to make all these Plants get pregnant. Very violating, but it fits with the maternal themes already associated with him.

Knives and Doom. The only two Doom players we have are the Captors (and I am by no means an expert on Mituna so we're mostly working with Sollux here). However, both are shown to have powers that have extremely destructive potential. Sollux is also a Dave parallel, which means he's also a Masculine Cool Kid, just to a lesser extent. Doom isn't an inherently masculine aspect but there are bits and pieces of it reflected in the people who hold that aspect.

It's also... an extremely lonely aspect. There are only two people who hold it, one of which is a joke character, and the other of which isn't even present for the kids' victory. It's not a needed aspect for a successful session. Neither is Life, but it's still a good one to have in many sessions! Doom is more so an extra, something more directly helpful when it's paired with a negative class (Bard, Prince, Rogue, Thief, etc.). It's not needed to balance anything out except for the Aspect Wheel itself in the coding of Sburb. Knives is a very lonely character. He's not needed. Not in the lives of Plants and humans, and not in the life of his brother.

Now for Classes! Muses are passive; things happen to them, they rarely make things happen. Calliope sat around and waited for someone to come rescue her with a ring of life, doing nothing but telling her story to the poor dead souls who crossed her path. Alt!Calliope finally took action in the end, but how long did that take? How long was she stuck in the bubbles, searching for very specific souls to guide them to the right paths? Aimless and wandering with no one and nothing to keep her grounded, HMMM DOESN'T THAT SOUND LIKE A HUMANOID TYPHOON WE KNOW??? HMMMMMMM

In contrast, Lords are very active. Caliborn takes charge, makes decisions, and works off of a myriad of terrible instincts and loose guidance. He's also an incredibly masculine character (or so he wants us to think). He takes control over his sister's life, he takes control over the lives of others when he's part of Doc Scratch and then Lord English. He is the puppeteer! Everyone else is just an object for his own gain, HMMMM DOESN'T THAT SOUND LIKE A GENOCIDAL PLANT THAT WE KNOW?? HMMMMM

Maybe if Knives chose a different path, he could have been a Prince, or a Thief, but he's a Lord of Doom. This is the path he's chosen, much like Caliborn and how he chose to kill his sister and enter a dead session. This is what Knives has chosen to do. Both are forcing the world and their siblings into whatever roles they see fit.

The Lord of Time shatters the universe- Space itself, the realm of his sister. The Lord of Doom shatters the Life of his brother. This is not the inherent role of a Lord, but these are the paths they have chosen. The narrative parallels are there. The Lord kills the Muse, he takes choice away from the universe, he breaks it for his own gain.

[hurlumerlu]

Okay so, Playboyy episode 1, the bad first :

the acting is so rough in parts. And in some scenes it's fine cause that cannot be easy to play, but in others I'm just like. what the fuck are you doing. As often in those cases I'm left wondering if it's a "we didn't have the money for enough takes" issue, an actors direction issue, or if I'm missing something.

the show flip-flops between visually intriguing and/or visually funny and absolute & total blandness in a way I cannot make sense of.

The good :

Love how deliberately not sexy most of the sex scenes/kinks are. The terrible "cop" outfit ? the cringy flirting ? the standard porn lines in japanese ? incredible. it's funny, it's an interesting change of pace from the usual BL sex scenes and getting rid of the glamour feels relevant in an episode which has for whole thesis that everyone has to contend with sex one way or another

Like i said, the show is really visually fun sometimes. Not beautiful, I wouldn't say beautiful, but I'm enjoying seeing sets that have had a lot of thoughts put into their design. The choice to go for the #aesthetic rather than realism is great imo, especially when you compare how "normally' the playboyys are filmed during their little get together with the lush, absurd environment the rich boys evolve in. it's fully two different worlds and I love that.

speaking of #aesthetics I want to kiss whoever was responsible for costume design on the mouth. Those characters are dressed the way you'd draw them if you wanted them to stand out in a reader's mind. Real manga charadesign vibes. I fucking love it.

Nont (or is it Nant ? why do they have such similar names T-T) was on screen for so little time and still managed to have real impact on me. I'm invested in him, I'm invested in his quest, and his smug "you wouldn't know, you don't have a mother" was so mean - I love him already.

Probably controversial but I really liked the tense music/almost scare chords over Zouey trying to masturbate like. the guy's complicated relationship with his own pleasure is interesting and i. idk, I'm sure it broke immersion for a lot of viewers but it worked on me, I felt real unease both times.

The "could go either way" :

I have no idea how they're going to deal with Zouey's reticence toward sex in the future and I'm a little wary. So far I have no complaints but. you know.

Listen I am fully team playboyy and I don't think we're meant to take their "scamming those poor, fragile men" scene completely at face value given that it's their ass on the line if things go wrong but at the same time i don't trust tvshows to be fair to sex workers so. we'll see. I have hopes though.

Random thoughts :

I went from "Zouey what are you hiding ?" to "oooh noooo sweety" real fast, only to go back to "what the fuck are you hiding" toward the end, so at least the show is commited to keeping me guessing, which I appreciate

wow, Zouey's friends are dicks. also I get hat guy's annoyance at rich client's antics but like. not Zouey's fault, and I'm pretty sure anyone would refuse a blowjob if they had to lie on that coffee table with their hand behind their back for it. that shit looked terribly uncomfy even for someone experienced and you already know Zouey isn't. I know I said I was team playboyys but give that guy a break

how many kinks does First have ? put some back on the shelf honey you can't carry them all.

Nont (Nant ?) recording his investigation seems risky as hell but given the number of time we see the boys filming stuff/recording stuff/watching vids (and to a lesser extent Zouey's painting and all the shots through windows/glassdoors etc) I don't mind. I assume they're going somewhere with it and if they don't it contributes to the Vibes (also known as themes, probably).

I don't even think I've met all the characters in the opening and I've already seen three blowjobs. Not complaining, I'm impressed.

speaking of that, who is that scholarship student with the camo pants and white tank top ? he said like one sentence but I've already imprited on him.

kinda wish i could take an "east asian gay porn 101" class because I know I'm missing stuff ! I can feel it !

OBSESSED with that "play with me" tattoo. it's in such poor taste i could cry of joy.

[transsexualhamlet]

the debate opens. is sauron woman coded

please be normal im not being serious here

I must state I am insane and transgender but this is a valid and well known lens of critical analysis, and purposefully choosing to examine how a piece's themes can be interpreted to the issues of sex and gender despite them Definitely not originally being intended that way is literally a core function of the teaching and study of literature. HOWEVER this is all just fun and games obviously I'm not trying to do anything but entertain a hypothetical here

As all the Valar and Maiar choose their physical forms and are not inherently gendered, what their actual bodies are shaped like is not super important, though most of them are seen to have pretty consistent gender representations. And it must also be considered that the gender norms of Elves (whose forms the Maiar and Valar are based off of) are not those of the 21st century west or even Men(the species, not the gender). Elves do not have facial hair, tend to have softer and sharper features than humans, they do not cut their hair to short lengths, and delicacy, embroidery, style and length of clothes is more indicative of profession and situation than of gender. I.E., Galadriel and Celeborn in the movies are very similar in clothing and appearance, both wearing long loose robes and having similar facial structure and hair. But social roles and facets of misogyny still play a major part in society in the Silmarillion- though some women who take on masculine roles are praised, those who remain in the feminine are still largely seen as objects.

I see both Melkor and Mairon as more of a Loki type, body wise- whether they have boobs or not that day is pretty irrelevant. But despite that, Melkor most often takes a traditionally masculine role, and Mairon a traditionally feminine. Melkor is always seen as very strong, tall, and muscular, commanding, willful, physically imposing. His movements are bold and overt and blunt. Mairon is a servant and a homemaker, loyal, physically beautiful and desired, always trying to please. His own plans are executed through quiet control of other people through his beauty and submission.

That compounded with his immutable hierarchical role (Mairon having been delegated as a lesser being than the Valar from the start) builds up to the reality that Mairon has both the experience of a cis woman (one who was designated by their physical abilities to a lesser role and is punished for wishing for power outside of that station, as well as discredited for still being feminine) and of a transfeminine person (one who leaves their designated role in the status quo to an inherently transgressive creativity of expression, is punished for daring to question how they were made by god, and is seen as inherently 'tricking' people by the right of being beautiful.)

So, irrelevant of generally having a male body (seen as feminine to Numenorean Men already, because their definition of masculinity is different) Mairon can be seen to take a feminine role in society, mostly of his own choice. In this respect I think it is a large part of why Melkor was depicted as, although evil, a respectable leader, a powerful enemy to be feared, whereas Mairon, especially judged on his own methods after Melkor, was largely written as a jealous "seducer" with little power or will of his own, an often-used archetype, a Lady Macbeth. Did they both definitely suck? Yes! But were they women about it? Absolutely.

Of course, I am intentionally pulling these elements together to create this interpretation, and I am in no way trying to insinuate that it is actually true or to be taken seriously in any sense. It's a thought exercise. Sauron is in no way genuinely oppressed, people hate Sauron because he fucking sucks. But I do not see any harm in messing around with people's genders to explore social issues, nor in the act of enjoying villains as characters and understanding what made them become such. I'm under no delusion that the giant eye was actually a good guy. You would have to be living under a fucking rock not to realize that.

One might say, well, Rowan, representing Literally Sauron Pretty Much The Second Worst Person Ever as a hashtag misunderstood woman is maybe not the best representation. And to that I would say god forbid women do anything

[singingbun]

So when I found out about the show 'The Glory' everything about it, from premise to the nature of its bullying got me thinking back to another manga title: "LIFE"

Trigger Warning: Anecdotes of Bullying, mentions of assault, SA and SI.

How many people remembered this manga when Tokyopop was at its hayday?

Back when manga was still new to me at 14, I remembered borrowing Fruits Basket volumes and would sometimes see this image as a manga advertisement. All the while, it gave a clear warning it was rated r18+ due to its violence and heavily mature themes. It took me 3 years later to finally get access into reading it. and what I saw both horrified me, and opened up wounds I never thought I had until I read it.

This panel specifically. The moment I realised I was bullied was when the heroine Ayumu had bravely said to her bullies that she would rather be alone than to suffer under these girls' torments.

The story of LIFE contrary to The Glory, was about a girl Ayumu who was estranged from her friend in middle school and went through a point of her grief that led her to self-harming herself. After the estrangement, she had found herself starting anew in her high school, and found herself befriending another girl Manami and hoped to live through her high school years without failure. That was until Manami's crush assaulted Ayumu, creating a horrifying misunderstanding which led Manami brutally bullying Ayumu with every opportunity she gets. From drugs to assault, from self-harm to brutal violence; everything about this manga felt like a survivor's story of how someone who lived through it all.

Everything about this manga, from its beginning to end was one of the hardest stories I've ever read. down to the finish line, some plot threads presented didn't feel as conclusive as any reader may have hoped. But, that was the point of the manga. The title itself, 'LIFE' was intentional, as it felt like the author's cry to the readers to see life in its cruelty, just as she tries her best to aspire hope to those who fell victim to bullying.

I must confess, that now that I am older, the memories of my own psychological scars feels more painful now than it did almost an entire decade ago. Even just the first 20 minutes of the Glory's first episode was already reopening those wounds for me that I couldn't bring myself to even continue it. From the physical scars to the scars unseen, a part of me felt angry to hear the opinion that bullying depicted in these stories are an exaggeration.

Stories like 'the glory' and 'LIFE' are far from an exaggeration when it came to bullying in East Asia or even South East Asia. There was a reason I've come to hate the memories I had from my birth country. And much of the cultures that exhibit such violent behaviours are just the tip of the iceberg. I've seen my brother held down as he was getting kicked by boys who were twice his height. My sister was bullied by boys as a child to the point she hated men for almost all of her entire primary years. I've seen the girl whom I once 'idolized' as my friend corner another girl just because she didn't like her habit of apologising. Throw her bag to the ground and scatter her notes just to prove a point that the girl needed to 'fix' herself. And like an idiot that I was, I earnestly believed I was the one in the wrong for being rejected by my bullying friend just because I kept saying sorry. That girl was the start to my suicidal ideation and to this day, I could never forget the day she mocked my tears as she continued to torment me.

Everything about what is depicted in both the Glory and LIFE may be seen as an exaggeration. Now to be fair, I'll give these perspectives the benefit of the doubt, because all who make such light claims must've come from a place where they haven't experienced the same horrors that the characters depicted have gone through. But that's not to say their struggles are lesser. It's only that it does bite at me when people make this matter lighter than what it actually is.

After I had discovered the real-life counterpart that inspired 'the glory' in the first place, my heart breaks at the confirmation. And it is true that more times, life imitates art, its stories like LIFE and the Glory that proves that art truly does imitate life.

All of this now said, to those who had suffered under such scrutiny, harm and violence altogether. To those who had endured such cruel experiences of being bullied. Hold onto hope. As harsh and as cruel as it is, for as long as you live, you can still find it. You can still find the strength to hold on. Maybe these words come off as hollow, but as I write this, I'm telling myself the same words everyday. There is always a way to get back on your feet for as long as you live. It's just the matter of building up the courage to find strength to stem that tide.

[notafunkiller]

How a man speaks about women when he’s around other men will either tell you how he feels about women, what he’s willing to say to be “accepted” by the men around him, or both. In this case, I think Sebastian has grown to see women as, for lack of better phrasing, useful idiots whom he finds to be mere blips on his radar. And the proof is right in front of our faces. Start with his “relationship.” Real or fake, he treats her like dirt. Trots her out when he needs the attention and/or she’s been nagging extra.

Next, I’m sorry, but look at TA. That was a project made by men for men. It was a boys club endeavor. Those MEN used a woman’s pain and embarrassment to try and prove a point that had already been made by others before them (fuck, by the man they were making the point about. Trump has always been bold about being an ass). Someone pointed out to me that them ignoring Ivana retracting her statement had nothing to do with “her truth” like they claimed but everything to do with what they (vicious, hypocritical men) WANTED to be true. And that…that’s foul. To want a woman to have been violated by the father of her children so you can wave the fact of it around in the air and say, “SEE? He’s BAD! WE WERE RIGHT!” And not to mention that Ivana Trump is deceased. So she can’t even speak on the matter and lay down what her truth really was, once and for all. It was never about Ivana. Or women. Or the people Trump has screwed. It was ALWAYS about making themselves feel better about their own sins by pointing fingers at another man that many already dislike.

Look at how little he’s worked with female directors since Fresh.

Pam and Tommy. His foot living in his mouth on the topic of Pam. The pat he gave Tommy on the back (literally and figuratively).

Look at his views on marriage and commitment. That’s not just a personal thing. I think the above clues in his behavior point to that having a lot to do with some level of his own misogyny. Because a parter—a woman—is work. Loving her, putting her first, listening to her, is work. In his mind, at least. Women are a “headache”. I hate to say this but I speak from personal experience when I say that European men (mainly Balkan and Mediterranean men) are taught that women are and always will be lesser. You may be able to speak to this, as well, Mod. You may disagree because we’re from different parts of Europe and much of the family I noticed this thinking from are of the older generation (but have passed it onto their sons). But it’s the idea that no woman will be as good as your mother. Women who dare to have a personality are “trouble.” It’s really a very sad and ancient way of regarding women but I still see it in my family and Sebastian happens to remind me a lot of the men I’ve seen it from.

There’s more I could point out but then this would get more complicated than it already is. I am saddened to believe that the man we all may have fallen in love with may not exist anymore, if he ever even did. He has been replaced by someone who is thoughtless, selfish, and desperate for approval. Heck, he may even be cruel. I hope that one day he will find himself again, but this dark path he’s on goes back much further than we realized.

Hii, you made very good points here, so I'll answer one by one.

I do not think he thinks women are useful idiots, but I do not think he is a feminist king either and I think he has many bones that scream mysogyny in his body.

And yes, real or fake, he still treats Annabelle, who is a woman (problematic or not, it doesn't matter) like shit. He chose to associate himself with her... and even if, let's say he hadn't, be decent!!! It's not hard to be a decent person. I always said that is a huge red flag to me.

About TA... it's really unwatchable to me (strictly me). I understand your point about Ivana, but taking back your statements can mean you got a looot of pressure too (and we know how Trump is)

I always thought he is hypocrite for his whole female directions praising thing when he works sooo much and wants to work with some really problematic/meh/with weird perspectives on women male directors.

For me, P & T is really 🥲. Especially after the comment he made about Pamela's success in that interview. Pam & Tommy shouldn't have existed or at least do not include nudity.

I can't judge his perspective on marriage because I know it's something deeply rooted in his childhood and tbh his lifestyle. It's better for some people not to get married than not respect their vows.

(I really admire Pierce Brosnan for the way he handles things, for example.)

Yes, balkan, meditteranean, and middle eastern men (now things are changing in some balkan countries hopefully for babies who will get born) are taught they value more than women directly and indirectly. They are excused more, liked more, admired more, helped more, even loved more in many cases. Their opinions matter, and people listen to them.

Women with personality are seen as problematic and trouble and tiring. That's why women are taught to be quiet a lot.

And yes, many are like: mom is the best and they expect their partner to be their new mom because their own mom taught them this is normal and a partner is her extension and they do not care or bother to educate themselves, to listen to their partners etc. The way many moms acted/act towards their daughter in law is disgusting. My mom went through this and yeah...

It's really sad how it's rooted in men since forever that they are superior and they owe women 0 respect.

I was always taught to speak my mind no matter what (I only have a sister, so no brothers), and not to kiss men's shoes, but there is still not enough. We live in a world dominated by men.

I grew up hearing around me (society, extended family etc) how I should be clean and organized because I am a girl. How I should learn how to cook because I am a girl. How I am the best in school because I am a girl. How I am supposed to get married and want children because I am a girl. How I am supposed to wish this, do that.

Women in these countries go to work and comr home and continue to work because 90% of the husbands do nothing around the house. It's "beneath" them, they are "tired" as if their partner isn't. Women are seen as these robots who have to do some things.

I can talk sooo much about this.

I think the more we hear him talk about certain topics, the more we discover and he destroys the image we've had in our mind for years because he hasn't been clear on certain topics. I also think awards hunger is a huge flaw and a red flag and he is so blinded by it (he tries all the cards: immigrant card, i'm very american card, i'm a workaholic card, i am chill card) he doesn't have any filter.

It's funny to me how he is "very american" on emoment, then the next he is a guy from Romania and he speaks in Romanian on TV, but when it comes to actually speaking to the Romanian audience, he speaks in English completely.

I think he still runs away form his origins and until he heals that more, he will always be looking for a lot of external validation.

I do not think he is a bad person, obviously, but he is so stuck on his rich white man's issues he doesn't even realize how weird he sounds or how many crazy things he says. If he thinks like that for real, though, then it's really ickyyyy.

That's why I always call out celebrities. It's healthy and normal. They are not gods and I won't act like they are just because fandoms act like cults.

[dzthenerd490]

Addendum X-88

The following is a recording of the initial interaction and eventual battle between Captain Charlie Wells and SCP-AKO-1 and unfortunately SCP-AKO-3. The recording device is on the vest of Captain Charlie’s armor. 

Begin Recording

Captain Charlie is in the air and saw both SCP-AKO individuals fighting until the fell down hard onto the ground. Charlie then noticed in the distance that Amnestic bombs were already being launched into the air to quickly erase the memories of all who had witnessed the incident. Thankfully she and the MTF units were immune after taking a Foundation drug that temporarily nullifies the effects of the gas form of amnestics. At the same time MTF units were quickly surrounding SCP-AKO-1 and SCP-AKO-3 only to be pushed back by their powers. 

Captain Charlie: tch, idiots! You're supposed to leave this one to me!

Captain Charlie then noticed SCP-AKO-1 screaming while slowly crushing everything around him. She quickly used her magnetic powers to push him and SCP-AKO-3 to the ground. She then descended and waved her hands at the MTF units as they were getting up. The Captain nodded and ordered his men to back off. 

Captain Charlie: Hm, alright you two brats, what the hell is even going on here? Why the sudden rampage?

SCP-AKO-1: Shut up and let me go you bitch! I am an Apex Predator!

Captain Charlie: Apex? Pfft! Kid I’ve seen Apex and your not it.

SCP-AKO-1 yelled in anger and released a shockwave that broke him out of her magnetic hold.

Captain Charlie: … Woah, that’s a first. 

SCP-AKO-1: Lesser beings cannot comprehend my power, blame your death on your stupidity!

SCP-AKO-3: Andrew, don't hurt her!

SCP-AKO-1 then pushed SCP-AKO-3 into a building wall, knocking him out. He then faced Captain Charlie and was foaming at the mouth in anger. 

Captain Charlie: Hmph, not counting those creepy ass faceless bastards and that administrator freak, I think I’m the second strongest person in the Foundation only second to Sigurrós and that’s just because she can turn people into cats and make chocolate cake manifest anytime she wants. As for you… well you got these powers thanks to some weird crystal right? That means it's not natural which means you're basically weaker than even that creep Wicked. Hah! You're weaker than Dr. Wicked!

SCP-AKO-1: I’m weaker than no one!

SCP-AKO-1 charged at Captain Charlie, she looked at him unimpressed and raised her hand, coating it in flame. She read a few field reports, especially the most recent one made on SCP-AKO-1 and saw that he got into the hospital through an explosion. She felt bad for using trauma to get the edge over this kid but sure enough it worked. Once he shielded himself in fear she covered him in a magnetic bubble and closed it on him to keep him in there. However to her shock he quickly retaliated and used his telekinetic powers to make it expand even as she forced it to shrink again. He soon broke it and started blasting her with telekinetic sonic boom shots, badly hurting her and nearly breaking her bones. She spat a little blood but still stood tall and glared at SCP-AKO-3 in anger.

Captain Charlie: Alright… My turn! 

Charlie threw several fireballs at SCP-AKO-1 to which he barely deflected them with his powers. Charlie didn’t stop until he fell on his but, in which case she crushed him deeper into the concrete with her magnetic gravity control. He noticed the spear on the statue nearby and made it fly towards her only for it to melt into plasma and the plasma flowing all around her into a ring. She glared at him in disappointment filling his heart with fear, fear that quickly transformed into unyielding rage. He yelled in anger as the windows of the buildings all shattered, the shards now floating in the air and aimed right towards Charlie. She again was not phased and just melted the glass as it came at her making it form into a giant dome of molten glass. 

SCP-AKO-1 couldn’t stand the heat and backed off while shielding himself, meanwhile Charlie started condensing the molten glass until a majority of it formed above her into a large sphere while the rest she coated onto her body.

Captain Charlie: Cool right? Nothing hot will ever be able to hurt me. So tell me, who’s the real Apex?

Before SCP-AKO-1 could retaliate Charlie surrounded him in a dome of molten glass to further subdue him. Her plan was to knock him out with the intense heat and then bring him and his friend into containment. However though it is working at first, Charlie feels a forcing grabbing at her throat. Suddenly an opening was made in the molten glass dome, SCP-AKO-1 was revealed in the opening, holding his hand out directly towards Charlie’s neck. She figured out quickly what he was doing and condensed the molten glass around him further while turning up the temperature. 

However he wasn’t giving up either and persisted in using his powers to grab her neck and slowly crush it. He was even getting closer to succeed even as Charlie increased the heat even more. Finally it was getting to the point that she was actually dying, so out of fear she overcharged the neurons in his brain, frying it and killing him instantly. He fell to the ground and Charlie was able to breathe again. She caught her breath and made all the glass float back into the windows of the buildings and cool down back into normal glass. She then did the same for the metal spear of the statue and finally walked to SCP-AKO-1’s corpse. 

Captain Charlie: … God damn it, I didn’t want to kill you… Fuck… Sorry dad. I still have a long way to go.

SCP-AKO-3: No! Andrew no!

Charlie then noticed that SCP-AKO-3 regained consciousness and ran to the corpse of SCP-AKO-1 and started crying. 

Captain Charlie: Sorry kid, no time for grieving. 

Charlie was about to use her powers to knock out SCP-AKO-3 but suddenly her vision was blurred and her head started to hurt. She claimed she heard a loud and distributive hiss in her head that made everything around her difficult to comprehend. SCP-AKO-3 used this opportunity to escape into the sky afterwards. When Charlie came too SCP-AKO-3 was nowhere in sight, Foundation satellites lost track of him about 4 hours afterwards. 

Recording Ends

***

The following is a recording of Captain Charlie's interrogation with the O5 after the mission was declared over. The interrogation takes place in an dark room located in [Data Expunged by Order of the O5 Council]. The O5 Council are not physically present but instead show themselves through TV screens with the SCP Logo covering their identities.

For obvious reasons none of the O5 Council members have been given any identification to separate them from one another. Just to identify themselves as O5. The recording was added to this addendum as the O5 felt it would help give context to the situation afterwards. 

Begin Recording

O5: So in the end not only did you kill one instance but the other managed to escape.

Captain Charlie: … I don’t know what happened but something got into my head making me let him go. I think it was the Serpent's Hand. Those bastards have been a pain in my side for a while now. 

O5: That sounds like an excuse Captain

Captain Charlie: Really? Cause I call it a fact! I thought you faceless bastards liked getting all the facts. 

Suddenly a small slash mark manifested on Charlie’s cheek making her grunt in pain as a result. It ended up healing rather quickly, but she still glared at the screens of the O5 Council in anger.

O5: Insolence will get you nowhere Captain, especially considering your failure.

Captain Charlie: So what now then? You faceless Bastards going to kill me? Cause you know that’s not going to be easy, even for you!

Charlie ignited powerful and scorching flames in her hands as she stood ready to fight the O5. Granted the only thing in front of her was just TV screens but she wasn’t going to show cowardice to them.

O5: … No, on the contrary Ms. Wells… We want to promote you.

Captain Charlie: As if I… Wait what?

O5: Congratulations Charlie Wells, you are now Commander of Mobile Task Force Alpha-9, your the first ever anomaly form the AED who has reached such a high rank, consider it an honor.

Captain Charlie: … What the hell is this shit? You think you can by my loyalty or something?

O5: We have not forgotten our agreement Commander, nor do we intend to rewrite it in our own favor. We merely understand that despite your loss today you have proven your capabilities.

O5: You can also consider this a punishment with extra steps. As a Commander you are expected to guide and lead those who were once the same rank as you. This includes Captain Iris, and Captain Alexei; you are their superiors now. It's no exaggeration this will forever change whatever dynamic you had with them before.

O5: You can also see it this way. It was quite obvious you hate how things are run here at the Foundation as well as your authority issues in regards with us… We are not blind to the fact that many share your sentiment. 

O5: Now you, who are one of them, can be their voice and use your new influence to shape things more to your liking, Granted you're not a High Commander… yet. But I believe you’ll grow to like your position. 

Charlie: … What if I say no. 

O5: You're free to, but I see no reason why you would. Better accommodations for you and your husband as well as better security. Also, as we said you get the final say on all members of MTF Alpha-9 as well as more influence over the treatment of other anomalous humanoids. 

Charlie: What about Daniels?

O5: Commander Daniels will be moved into a different MTF unit, while maintaining his position as a Commander. This whole proposal was actually his idea, so take his position without worry of retaliation.

Charlie: … Fine I’ll do it, but like you all said, I get the final say, over everything. 

O5: But of course, granted you still can’t refute our orders, but as a Commander we will have the absolute faith that the chances of us disagreeing with you are slim… don’t let us down, Commander Wells.

Charlie: Hmph, this is going to be a pain.

Recording Ends

.

Return to SCP-AKO

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[thegravityblog]

My alter ego: This is what I hate. Idk what happens some nights, I am like “Why?”. Cheer up boy, sleep. She never lost sleep for you. And whatever she did was just an act. It was all fake. You’re just around the corner one step away. A couple of steps more and you’re there. You’ve already started feeling a sense of relief, don’t destroy it. Fuck her! She doesn’t deserve a soul like you. What the fuck in this world do you think, a woman who in her delusional world thinks she’s strong and a girl boss but when the times were really tough, got somebody to fill the void and just escaped? You think this person deserves to be in your late night thoughts? Cmon dude. Now you being deluded. Some people are fabulous actors, it was just an act. Now sleep, you have things to tackle. Who will take care of the employees, the product, the market, the clients and the associates? The whole fucking company? You put fires off everyday. Its normal, the difference is here you are completely being human. You’re doing absolutely fine. That bitch never deserved you, she was a mistake. You would had recovered by now, but she knowingly chose to fuck you for her own happiness. Her own stupid ass self centeredness. She could had ended things peacefully, but how would she feel better about herself if she couldn’t break you and confuse you? Keep you as a low-hanging fruit? But you won. You’re still around and you have achieved more than her in lesser time. And you’re rocking. There are so many more beautiful woman out there, what are her standards? You deserve someone who is internally beautiful, but not some fake ass girl boss. Girl bosses are accountable for their shit, your own elder sister is an example. That’s what a girl boss is. She owns her stuff and is not afraid to take responsibility. That’s the truth you needed to hear. Cool? I am surprised with all that cash in the bank you still think about a worthless fake human being! Sleep my boy. Winners don’t lose sleep for losers. Reserve this mental space for something meaningful. That chick took seconds to slip into someone’s bed, what makes her a strong woman? 0 self control when things were wrong. And did she win? Leaving you? Have you seen who is she with? Is he even a man? And the lifestyle? Cmon dude, you should treat yourself a single malt next evening that she left you for a loser. Just because someone is always with a person doesn’t mean that person is a man of values. If he was, really, do you think they would had been coupling on a porn site? That’s there side hustle. So you think this man, who also takes the easy route to get rich is a man of values? High value men aren’t fiddling on a chicks tail and following her orders. They make her life better in an unimaginable way. They move their lady to do better in conventional ways. A proper side hustle, in reality that guy is just being her pimp. How much of a reality check do you need more? Which civilized guy would record videos of her girl and post them online for money? Is that a gentleman’s definition? That guy is allowing thousands of guys to jerk off seeing her girls ass. Is this enough for tonight? Reality check. Don’t be them. Don’t be deluded. Being in solitude needs courage which you have been showing, these people are weak. Ask them to be alone for just a month and they’ll get mad, because in reality they can’t be with themselves. They don’t have the time to reflect on who they are! just don’t waste time on thinking why. Why is because she is this way. Not a gentleman’s possession but a pimps public property. Sorry, online pimp sounds accurate.

Yep, my alter ego is right. Sorry dude. 😂🥲

*These convo’s are very interesting between me and my alter ego*