#I just don't understand this specific reason

[differentnighttale]

Wait,people think this.

I always saw first person as being involved with the characters thoughts and emotions in the srory.

Not being a stand in.

I imagine the character as described but see it in thrid person.

wait do people read first person stories and think they're the ones in the story???

Saw people talking about not liking first person, which is fair, but their reasoning was like "I would not do that" and I don't understand that mindset.

First person stories are still about a character. A character making their own decisions. First person isn't about you???? At least I thought it wasn't. What am I missing? I've always seen first person as just a more in-depth look into a character's mind and stricter POV. Not as a reader stand-in.

[wizlizbelle3]

My void success story and the only post you will ever need.

Hello everyone. Before I begin, I just want to inform everyone that I will not be answering any dms moving forward. I might not even come back to the app. Not because I don't want to help people, but because I have realized that being on this app made me sink into negativity. People constantly affirming negativity and dumping it on other people, drama with who's fake and who isn't, bots spamming asks, people wanting me to tell them everything I've already written in simpler words. It's too much. I know it's hard for you to get through your situation. I know you want what you want now. So use this post and stick to it because it is the LAST thing you will ever need.

I began my void journey a while ago and did literally everything you could possibly imagine. Here are the things I tried:

affirming 10,000 times

affirming 60,000 times

lullaby method

sats

mental diet

self concept

meditation

psyche-k

silva method

monroe method

neville's method

and more

None of it worked until recently. Just to clarify, that the one thing that finally pushed me into the void was SATS but I realized that everything I had been doing was crap because I was not doing it correctly.

So I was on reddit and I saw a success story of how this woman manifested what she wanted before her specific desired date, So I gave myself 20 days or so and wrote down a specific date. I persisted, affirmed and did everything to stay positive and asked the universe to give me signs and show me things. Listened to like 17 subliminals at the same time on my computer for hours. And guess what? When that day came, I did not wake up in the void state. I cried and was really upset because there are people out here who want to hurt others and they get into the void easily. So why not me?

I finally decided on that same morning after I finished crying that I was not going to be a p*ssy and will get exactly what I want, when I want it, how I want it, and get into the void state easily. I did not affirm this to myself. I wrote it down as a letter to my higher self. I was done waiting and I told my higher self and the universe that I am done waiting. What exactly is the problem? Why can I specifically not get what I want? Am i really that bad of a person?

No, I was just weak and I victimized myself for absolutely no reason. I don't care what the 3D shows me. Why would any of that affect me? I feel so stupid for acting like the negativity and nonsense that people around me spewed was actually supposed to affect me???? NO!.

I came across this video by manifesting with missy renee and in the video she said that most people don't do sats correctly and I completely agree with it. You are supposed to wait until you're groggy and actually in a trance. I kept stressing in all my previous posts that you're supposed to do this and that and none of you got it and neither did I. We were all stupid (some of you still are for pretending you don't understand). So the correct way to do SATS is:

get into a position where you don't usually sleep

RELAXXXXXXX. Do anything to make yourself relaxed and this can very well take up to 20-30 minutes. Stop acting like that's a bad thing.

When you are in SATS, your scene should come in easy. You don't have to stress it. If you have to strain to put your scene together, you are not in SATS.

So that's what I did. I think i used a meditation by Life by Lucie. I used one where the timing was good for me. Also, in that same day I used hypnodaddy's clear negative and get rid of victim mentality subliminals. I also used high frequency guru's void state video. Not because I wanted the subliminals to take me to the void. Just because I WANTED.

I'm telling you, you have to be aggressive as hell. So I did SATS, I was confident that I will wake up in the void, and then I did. I manifested my void list and i made the list because I didn't want to affirm for every single thing.

You have to have enough. That's the key. You have to put your foot down and say WTAF is this???? randoms keep getting into the void but not me??? NO NO NO NO NO

And do not ask me how to relax. I've made so many posts on SATS and it's hurtful that you guys ignore it so hard.

You wanna cry because it didn't happen? fine cry. Then go back to being aggressive. Use your pissed off state to be confident that you'll get what you want.

And your sats scene can be what feels good to you in that moment. It WILL come to you. Period. I'll answer questions ONLY IN THE COMMENTS. don't be shy. but I cannot go through the mental torture of being trauma dumped. Everybody's got their own thing and you're not going to get into the void if you tell your sorrows to people. You're going to get into the void when you decide you will. It's that easy. Im linking some stuff below, use it if you want. I really hope you get the message I'm trying to send here.

NO tags because this will find you at the right moment in your life.

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Let's Spread Some Love, Y'all

Y'all, I've been trying to type this post out all day with something eloquent and well-spoken about this but I really have nothing better to say than it sucks.

It sucks that for a fandom who is here on this hellsite to celebrate a Latino refugee who is also beloved by everyone he meets for being a human ray of sunshine and kindness, that there are people on the world wide web of Tumblr dot gov that have no problem spreading deliberately hateful, racist content, whether it be directly targeted at BIPOC writers, or indirectly from the inability to look outside of yourself and have an ounce of empathy or understanding towards other diverse perspectives.

And who am I to even be complaining, because I'm about as white as they come, and I'm seeing this from outsiders pov!!! It shouldn't have to effect you directly for you to care about treating people with basic respect and dignity!!! It costs ZERO dollars for you to try and educate yourself, to learn from past mistakes, to make space to listen to what BIPOC have to say about their incredibly valid experiences (both online and in real fucking life!!!) It costs nothing to be kind!!! Or understanding!!! Or to be compassionate and hold yourself accountable when people tell you that something directly upsets them!!!!

And again, these are just my two cents, because I have plenty to do in the process of learning to be better and will continue to do so, and I'm glad to use this space to share my thoughts, please take the time to hear what people directly impacted by this have to say- their voices are the ones all of y'all here need to be taking into account. Please just know that if you are a BIPOC, queer, disabled, neurodivergent, an immigrant, when I say "Y'all" I really do mean ALL of y'all, I hear you, and will do my best to do my part in making this god forsaken corner of the internet a place we can all scream about That Man™️ in peace.

That being said, I have been wanting for a long time to compile a list of recs in general, so I would love to put together a rec list of your favorite BIPOC authors and fics to share, spread the love, and magnify the talent of creators who shouldn't be overlooked!!!

Either DM or inbox me authors, specific fics with POC characters/inserts, any moodboard or art, honestly anything that you want to share, please share it!!! Fluff, smut, angsty, long, short, any character, whatever!! (AND PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, SELF REC YOURSELF, DO NOT BE SCARED TO, Y'ALL ARE WAY TOO TALENTED NOT TO BE). If you are rec'd by someone else and don't feel comfortable being on the list for whatever reason, please let me know!!

Fic recs will be open until Friday, February 28th, and then after that, I'll post the full list and share so we can celebrate some of the incredible talent here!!! 🥰💕

And remember kids, just like Pedro said:

and if any of you feel differently, eat sand and get tf off my blog!!!! 🤠

[noxiatoxia]

Mikan wants to be "forgiven"...but what does that really mean?

Hello. This is something that has been quietly on my mind for a while.

It's something shown in the game in chapter 3. Mikan really focuses in on "being forgiven".

And while not a mistranslation per se, I think it's inaccurate to what is happening in the game.

I've talked about this extensively - the fact ENG DR team has a very bad habit of translating things literally or very directly. This leads to either clunky dialogue, missed nuances, or just incorrect interpretations sometimes.

I think this in particular falls somewhere between 2 and 3. I'll explain why.

If translated literally, the English text works just fine, but as with a lot of literal translation, it misses the "feeling" of what was trying to be conveyed. If you want my translation...

Mikan: Won't someone just tell me what I did wrong!? Why won't anyone just let it be already!?

While Mikan doesn't say "What did I do wrong", there is a subtle emphasis on her talking about herself...I feel like it's a more natural way to word what is essentially "What is it that I did differently [to warrant this]?"

Anyways, to the main point...I hope you can kind of see what I'm getting at.

"Forgive" feels like...Mikan is seeking people to "pardon" her for perceived wrong-doings. And while not untrue I would say, the way Mikan specifically uses the word and the context it is in, to me, feels much more like she is using it like "allow" or "excuse".

Let me use another example to better explain myself.

The last line to me reads like Mikan needed this person to pardon her for being born; for existing. That her existence in and of itself was a mistake or wrong-doing that needed to be forgiven.

I think that's missing the point, though.

Mikan: They allowed me to exist.

See, the point is...Mikan is a very troubled person. She admits as much in the freetime events that wherever she goes, she is horribly bullied just for existing. That she hated being bullied, but even more she hates being forgotten.

She emphasizes her beloved (Junko) did not hate her, and in fact allowed her presence...

This line was heavily misread, I think. 許して受け入れて was read as two verbs in one sentence (which it is) but as "forgive and accept" which is incorrect to what it means. It's closer to "they tolerated me" (like, accepting and moving on). Which comes to how I would translate it, and my final point:

Mikan: They accepted me for who I am.

This is why I think the "forgive" thing is not only incorrect, but actually opposite of what this scene was going for. Junko did not "forgive" Mikan for the sin of existing. Rather, she was the only person who seemed to not mind that she existed, that didn't bully or ignore her.

She didn't "forgive" Mikan, she allowed her to be herself.

Another reason DR3 totally missed the mark, but I digress...

I guess while I'm on the topic, we all know that scene where Mikan has a little back-and-forth with Nagito...that, too, was misrepresented somewhat.

Putting the English here just for comparison sake. And while not the worst translation in the world, it certainly isn't how I would go about it.

Nagito: I don't...really get what you're trying to say... Mikan: Oh, you don't? (lit: you don't understand?) Mikan: Is that because you don't have any loved ones in your life? Mikan: Is it because there's no one who will love you?* Mikan: Oh, you poor thing...I feel very sorry for you.

*Literally speaking, she says "Is it because you are a person nobody allows" but considering the context thus far, it's easy to conclude she means that there's no one who will love/accept him for who he is.

*Adding "also" to the line is a mistranslation, I believe. も means also but it is also used for emphasis, which I think it is here. Not that it's impossible Mikan is using it to say "also", but in these lines of dialogue she is intentionally contrasting how she does have someone who loves her and that she can love, so to then identify a similarity between her and Nagito, I think, wouldn't make much sense...

Mikan is one of my favorite characters, so little details like this matter a lot to me.

[tanddiscord]

I do not actually agree with this.

On some level, sure, but also... I had real trouble understanding social hierarchy, and in fact, where I recognised it, I was fairly obedient to it. It's just that hierarchy is actually really complex. Its not just "person a is above person b, who is above person c" but "Person a and b both have roles and positions of power, and while a generally is considered above b in the hierarchy, in many situations, b will effectively outrank a, (a classic example of this is an article i read once, on norse medieval law, where the wife was generally considered secondary to the husband, but where the wife was the absolute authority for anything to do with the house, and if she told the husband to go sleep in the barn, there was fuck all he could do about it. Now how accurate that article in particular was, is unclear to me, but those sorts of relations are EVERYWHERE, and many authistic people struggle to filter out those neuances, and ends up perceiving it all as noise ("if a is in charge sometimes and b sometimes, then is no one in charge?" is the sort of thinking you end can up with)) I did not understand sarcasm as a kid, at all. It took years of active training to learn it. Now I love it. My father still cannot engage with jokes based on 'lies'. A joke like "what do you call a pile of cats? A meow-tain!" just gets him to go "Actually a group of cats is called a clowder, it comes from the same root as 'clutter' and-", and it can take him for someone to say "dad, its just a joke" for him to go "oh, right, yes, sorry." Not understanding some forms of humour does not mean not having a sense of humour though, my dad loves comedy shows. Some autistic people absolutely are rude. Horribly so. And even those of us that aren't, generally do have vocational moments where, yes, we are. A momentary lack of ability to connect the social dots, leads to rude questions, rude statements, rude observations. This is not a 'actually autistic people are angels who can't lie, you just hate the truth!' thing, its a 'sometimes the brain misfires, and does not realise why something would be rude or hurtful, and they cause emotional harm to others for no good reason' thing. Meltdowns, while never about 'nothing', are not indicators that the people around them are bad people. Are you suggesting that the parents of any autistic child who has a meltdown, due to a problem they are unable to communicate, or overstimulation, or under-stimulation, or any other number of things, are bad people because they did not perfectly handle a person whom it is exceptionally hard to handle? There are people with several doctorates, specialising in this specific part of autism, and even they could not possibly prevent every meltdown if a child in their care had certain problems. There are countless reasons for why someone has a meltdown, and many of them don't make sense, just have to be learned and adapted to, especially with those unable to communicate the problems for themselves. Fuck off with this 'autistic people are perfect actually' bullshit. We're humans. Nothing less, sure, but also nothing MORE, and honestly, insinuating we're more, is MORE infantilising and patronising than the morons that dismiss us for being "retards". "Look, just because Maurice doesn't get your sarcasm jokes doesn't mean he doesn't get humour at all. Try puns, he loves those." is a billion times better a response than. "Maurice is a perfect gem! If he doesn't laugh at your jokes, it's because you suck! Maurice is the god-arbiter of all humour!" Like, what even is that? Come on. If your response to bigorty is just as polarised and factless as the bigotry, and also defines an entire group as being 'this exact way, actually'... guess what, you're also a bigot, you just hide behind "But my bigotry says you're one of the good ones!". Check yourself. Might have ended up a bit harsh here, but also fuck off anyway. I am tired of seeing this sort of stuff all the time.

One of my favourite parts about autistic people is how you can use other peoples' reflections of them like an echolocation bullshit detector. Like they personally do not need to do shit for this to work, they just passively emit their own autistic vibe that bounces off every surface around them, and you can assess another person's level of self-awareness by how they reflect it back.

"Autistic people do not understand social hierarchy" nope, they understand you're supposed to be an authority here, but they won't politely pretend to respect you if they think you're incompetent.

"Autistic people do not understand humour" nope, they just don't politely pretend to laugh to humour you, and you are simply not funny.

"Autistic people are rude" nope, they just don't think it's polite to lie to you, and don't care about trying to tell you what they think you want to hear instead of telling you what they think.

"Autistic people sometimes have emotional meltdowns for absolutely no reason" nope, you're just insufferable to be around and the person with the lowest tolerance of your shit is simply the canary in the coal mine who breaks first.

[prettyboykatsuki]

caleb is quite literally not mcs brother and it's not in any way reductive to his character to say so. they use brotherly terms bc it's just common in some cultures to do that— including chinese, japanese and korean, where those words that might be literally translated as "brother" are just as commonly, if not more, used as regular terms of endearment that don't exist in english. mcs weird feelings about it also makes sense if she just SEES him as a really close figure, stop tryna twist ur weird ass incest agenda as if you understand the source material better when ur literally just a slow ass westerner who doesn't understand the cultures ur tryna write within 💀 you guys just need to be euthanised i think

okay so. when the game, in canon text, has caleb's companion viper in all three languages except english localization, call him a siscon what do you think that means? what kind of relationship does someone having a sister complex indicate to you?

on another note and i do mean this genuinely: you don't have to interpret the story as incest if you don't want to. just like you don't need to read my fic or be annoying in my inbox about it 💀 telling me you think i need to be euthanized because you're uncomfortable with a very overt narrative theme that i expand on is insane bc you're doing that over pixels but well.

i didn't feel like this was worth answering but you 1. accusing me of being a westerner like im not literally asian disapora is insulting to me and 2. caleb and mc quite literally are adopted by the same person, and are canonically raised under the same roof. they refer to the same woman as grandma. if this does not read to you like a familial relationship ... 💀💀. all of my characterization is based on cn since its the original language the game is written in.

i don't think there is like. any reason to argue over the logistic use of honorifics. i come from a culture that uses honorfics. i know the way older brother can be used affectionately between people. but this is still SO questionable given the actual specifics of how caleb calls mc

it is additionally questionable because caleb also uses 家人 "jia ren" during bigger scenes which explicitly means family member (thank you mao for the translations). this kind of explicitly familial dialogue is also found again the original cn version of chapter 9. the localization butchers the original meaning and completely gets rid of the tragedy aspect. caleb essentially implies in that dialogue that their entire family was a lie, that the memories they had as a family were a farce and caleb did not feel the bond at all. this is the source of her devastation. go watch the cn translation done by a native speaker if u dont want to believe me 💀💀💀

your main argument seems to be that there is some great distinctive line between older brother figure and straight up older brother. and potentially if caleb was a neighbor or someone from a different family with a different guardian then this maybe would hold water.

but they are canonically raised in the same house, by the same person, adopted together. so either - you don't view adoptive siblings as a legitimate form of incest because it's not blood-related incest and you think that's somehow less taboo.

or you're genuinely implying that a person that you view as a sibling, who is raised with you, is on paper canonically adopted together with you from the same orphanage to the same person is, who you call your older brother and all of your friends view your sibling as affirmed in several cards in the original cn... is not actually your sibling but your childhood friend?

incest between people who are step-siblings or adoptive siblings is still incest. its taboo because the nature of the relationship is familial. the story literally uses forbidden fruit? do you think someone whose merely a vaguely older brother like figure warrants that level of intensity? like im crying.

no offense but i do understand the source material better than you also. like. sdkjfjfsdkldmfnksdfksjan

[drdemonprince]

That's probably just internalized transphobia but I feel so disgusting for being a trans guy. Not even in a "I should stop identifying as a man" way, but rather in a "There's something wrong about my soul from birth, I should die" way. Every time I see a post critiquing men as a group (to be clear no shade to them), part of me feels like this is about me specifically. I know rationally I haven't done anything wrong and if I did I always apologized but I feel like a villain. Do you know what to do with this? I apologize if this is too much, you don't have to reply. I just don't know who else to ask

are you white? do you feel this way about being white? are you from an imperial core country? do you feel that way about being a part of the empire? descended from settlers? feel that way abt being descended from settlers? people critique all these groups, rightly, too. do you take it personally?

people seem to have a lot of magical thinking surrounding gender. specifically wrt evil somehow being innate to one's gender identity. do you think other groups are innately evil and bad to be a part of? are white ppl inherently more evil for example? or do they do evil for structural reasons?

i think it is imperative to really understand abuse and unjust violence as being caused by power structures. not by identity. how you operate within a power structure is a thing youre gonna have to accept and work with. but you dont gotta take it personally that some people are wary of men/white people/colonizers, they have their reasons. but like you personally are so not important in that.

[knight-a3]

Heavenbound AU

Hazbin Masterpost

Lucifer the Fallen Angel; the King of Demons; the Scapegoat

There is a lot of lore and history to go over with this one. Let me teach you a thing or two about the bible!

Notes under the cut.

--Design notes--

Between dolls, snakes, apples, circuses, ducks, etc, there were just too many motifs/thematic elements to shove onto just Lucifer. So, I streamlined and distributed. Lucifer is goat themed, Lilith is snake themed. Charlie is a mix of the two. I also use this to partly to imply that "the Devil" is not solely Lucifer. But humans mistake various different demons as one character. Lucifer is just the one who gets blamed for everything. That's part of why he's a goat; he's a scapegoat.

Goats: There was a Jewish practice during Yom Kippur to place sin onto "scapegoats" and release them into the wilderness to basically rid the people of their sin. Specifically, they were sent to "Azazel", meaning "remove from or separate from god", which refers to a desolate place.

Goats as a demonic symbol comes primarily from pagan influences rather than the Bible. I had a couple goats before settling on sheep instead, and they're just silly guys. They're not evil.

Apples- I reduced this because I think it would be more fitting for Adam and Eve. Both ate the fruit, and it didn't make them evil or anything. Also, the fruit is never stated to specifically be an apple. That only happened due to how language evolved. But I still like how his coat kinda resembles an apple core...so it can stay.

Doll- I know Charlie is meant to resemble a porcelain doll. And in canon gets it from her dad. But I don't really understand why, so I took it away from him and gave it to Lilith, since she was created and placed on earth like a doll.

King- He does not have any real authority beyond his power as a fallen seraphim. It's basically a prison, and even Lucifer is caged. Nobody bothers to respect him. So the "crown" on his hat resembles a gate or cell bars.

Ducks- I never understood the choice to associate Lucifer with ducks. And thematically, I can't really justify it. He can still like ducks, I guess. But it won't be a design motif.

Full demon: Since I'm committing to his goat theme, I figured he could have multiple horns instead of wings. He lost his wings when he fell. As an angel, his symbol was a star. As a demon, it got flipped upside down to represent a falling star. That's the pentagram. In images of the satanic goat, it often had the pentagram on its forehead, so I included that.

Angel: I want angels to look more human, so that's that.

--Wings: Seraphim are described as having 3 sets of wings. Rather than deal with all that or even try to figure out the anatomy of that, I just gave them three sets of primary feathers, which sort of imitates the 6-winged look but is easier for me to wrap my head around and draw. Also, "biblically accurate angels" aren't as biblically accurate as you think.

--Halos: I have a specific idea for how angel halos work, but I plan to get to that in a different post. For now, just know that seraphim have two halos for a reason.

--Star: A pentagram is an upside down star. It represents the fall of the morning star. So his angel symbol is a star.

Name: Helel, Lucifer, Samael

As an angel, his name was Helel, then the elder seraphim renamed him Samael after he fell, so they could pretend they're different people. He took on the name Lucifer himself after his fall.

Helel: Helel is the Hebrew word that was translated as the latin word lucifer. Helel means "shining one", while lucifer means "light bringer" or "morning star"; lucifer can also be a verb that basically means to light a match.

Lucifer: Instead of translating the word into an English equivalent, Helel was translated as the latin term, lucifer. The word lucifer is used only once in some translations of the Bible, found in the book of Isaiah, but not as a name. Lucifer was often used as an epithet for the "star" Venus, and was used to represent pride because it rose and fell before the sun. Hence why lucifer also means "morning star". In Isaiah 14:12, The king of Babylon is being called the morning star as it falls from heaven. The capitalization of lucifer was possibly a misinterpretation by the translators.

Samael is, in some Jewish stories, the husband of Lilith. So I found a way to use all three names(Helel, Lucifer, and Samael). It means something along the lines of "severity of god" or "poison or venom of god". It is also not in the Bible.

Backstory

(Feb 21, 2025- changed the flame color to blue instead of red for lore reasons. Updated title lines.)

[velvetwyrme]

Hey, I love your jeetle and peetle content. I was curious about if bug Prowl is aware that bug Jazz isn't a Praxian enforcer too. Don't feel like you have to answer though, I just hope you have a good day, even if this ends up getting lost in your inbox :P

hiya!! i'm glad you're enjoying them :3c!! and hehe... you get two answers!

short answer is... in universe, it's not clear either! the general consensus is nope! he doesn't know.

and the longer ("word of god") answer is... a chatty informal loredump/thoughts under the cut lmao

(disclaimer: i am not an entomologist nor a biologist so if any of this sounds weird please understand im just generally enthusiastic about bugs and am drawing on my knowledge of random animal facts to loosely worldbuild for fun 👍! plus i like taking creative liberties lol)

Specific patterns and coloration varies, but Praxian Enforcers are generally characterised by colour (black/white, with a little blue and red) as well as their loud sirens and flashing lights. The combination of doorwing-elytra and chevrons is also an overall species indicator. Also, the markings on their doorwings/elytra are kind of meant to act like the eyespots that some moths have :]!

Jazz' mimicry isn't intended to hold up to intense scrutiny- it's mostly just to dissuade/scare other cybugs and predators from messing with him at a glance. He lacks the chevron and lights, which is a dead giveaway for him NOT being a Praxian Enforcer. He can however make siren like sounds, and has enough similar traits that would trip Prowl up into viewing him as an Enforcer.

Prowl probably knows that Jazz isn't a fellow Enforcer (he's a smart cookie!) but he also continues to act as if Jazz is one because of warring protocol and instincts. Logically Prowl knows this isn't true, but Jazz still FEELS like one of his cohort, yknow?

There's also a certain element of "cheetah and emotional support dog" to the way they work imo. Without a colony to defend and protect, Prowl would be a lil lost, so he kinda latched onto Jazz for that reason too. I like to imagine that usually Enforcers work in lil sets of 2-3 to defend colonies, so he was also probably a bit lonely at the time :(( I kinda imagine that he treats Jazz as another Enforcer (albeit a particularly unruly one) and ALSO as another member of the colony to look after/protect. It's a confusing time for all involved.

Now they have The Grub though :] Which... probably just complicates things further LOLOL

(Also! something I wanted to mention in the original notes was that this mimicry came about specifically to offset certain subspecies' generally easygoing/lax attitudes [which puts them at risk of predation and capture] but I ran out of room lol)

[writingastory]

Xavier:🍋-Alphabet

Warnings: Explicit (obviously lul), written for fem!reader

Genre: Canon AU; MC (including storylines) is non-existent.

A/N: Time to bring this classic back. 😏

A = Aftercare

🌟 Xavier is such a sweet soul. Before Aftercare even becomes a thought, he just wants to bask in Afterglow: steal soft kisses from your lips, plant the sweetest kisses everywhere his mouth can reach, pressing himself to you as close as he can (without suffocating you).

🌟 He just needs a few moments of snuggling like this, with him still inside you, until he's naturally slipping out ever so slowly.

🌟 Once that happened, he will ask you what you need and bring it to you. Something to clean yourself, a shirt, a nightgown, a snack, a beverage - you name it, he'll make it happen for you.

-

B = Body part

🌟 I feel like Xavier would be obsessed with your hands. They are so small and soft in comparison to his.

🌟 Remember the Nightly Rendevouz? When he held your hand so gently against the window? Yeah, he loves your hands.

🌟 Definitely making sure that your fingers stay entwined from the beginning to the end. He doesn't want to lose that connection, under no circumstances.

-

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

🌟 He loves to creampie you.

🌟 More specifically, he loves cumming deep inside you - and then watch his seed trickle out of you slowly.

🌟 Please don't be shy to spread your legs for him and let him watch.

🌟 Bonus points if you let him rub you to another high and he gets to watch your sweet pussy flutter and clench, pumping out his cum.

-

D = Dirty secret

🌟 Actually, this man doesn't really have a classic dirty secret. You basically know everything.

🌟 Except maybe that he thinks about letting you dom him completely for once. He's not quite sure yet how to articulate that wish, but he'll get there.

🌟 Please just bind this man to the bed and wear him out, okay? He needs it every now and then.

-

E = Experience

🌟 Not the most experieced, but!

🌟 This man is always very atuned to his loved ones, especially to the woman of his heart. So, he really doesn't need a lot of experience to know what he's doing. He sees and feels your reactions. Xavier quickly understands what you like and what you don't like.

-

F = Favorite position

🌟 It's either Flatiron or Missionary.

🌟 Either way, it's gonna be a very close variation. He craves close skin-to-skin contact.

-

G = Goofy

🌟 Unintentionally goofy sometimes. Just like he is in real life.

🌟 And that's also kinda the reason: This man has no separate personality for intimacy and sex. You get the same Xavier between the sheets that you get for grocery shopping on a Saturday morning.

🌟 So sometimes, even if he doesn't mean to, he's a little goofy while he's pressing inside of you.

-

H = Hair

🌟 Probably doesn't have the wildest hair growth anyway.

🌟 Still, he makes sure it's all neat. Doesn't shave clean though.

🌟 Also doesn't expect you to follow any "routine" for your body hair. You like removing your hair? Okay, sweet. You don't like removing your hair? Okay, sweet.

-

I = Intimacy

🌟 He's so focused on satisfying you....

🌟 Seriously, if there's a time he does not think of sleeping... it's this.

🌟 He's so sweet, too. Whispering soft words, greedy for kisses and for touching you...

🌟 He's a very soft dominant man. Yes, he likes calling the shots in bed - but he does so very gently. You're a treasure and you're ought to be treated as such.

🌟 Only exceptions are when you explicitely tell him to be rougher... or when he's jealous. That's another story, though.

-

J = Jack off

🌟 Not a fan, honestly. Not even before you two became a thing.

🌟 His thoughts may have derailed every now and then, but never to a point where he had to relief himself in some way.

🌟 Even less since you two became a couple. Why would he use his hands when yours are so much more talented...?

-

K = Kink

🌟 Voyeurism.

🌟 Need I say more?

🌟 Check "C" in this post. 😭

🌟 He totally would have you touch yourself while he watches, just saying.

-

L = Location

🌟 Everywhere it happens. Except in public. He's not a fan of public sex. That would always be an unpleasant thrill, and he'd have to rush... and he doesn't want that.

🌟 His favorite would be the bed though. Mainly because he can just snooze off once you're both satisfied.

-

M = Motivation

🌟 Huge on physical motivation.

🌟 Yes, seeing you in cute or sexy lingerie is awesome... but if you want to get him going, you need to get physical with him.

🌟 Scratch his scalp gently, kiss his neck, nibble on his collarbone - or just boldy squeeze him through his pants. He'll be mush and putty in your hands.

-

N = No

🌟 He will not do anything that hurts you.

🌟 He'd probably not even choke you, even if you asked him.

🌟 Harming you is not on his agenda.

-

O = Oral

🌟 Loves giving and receiving equally.

🌟 He would not want to finish like this, though. He'd much rather finish deep inside of your perfect pussy. But he loves when you get on your knees for him.

🌟 On the other hand, he loves burying his head between your thighs. This man will take his sweet time with you, spread you open gently and lap at your entrance and your sensitive pearl carefully. He revels in the quivers he feels around his tongue.

🌟 Please pull his hair when he goes down on you, it'll make him moan against you. :)

-

P = Pace

🌟 Depends on his mood. If it's a good day, he will take his time. It'll be sensual, passionate, a slow build up to the crashing waves of your orgasms.

🌟 If it's a bad day (or you riled him up, you bad girl), he's gonna be a lot more demanding and fast. He'll pound into you with more vigor and purpose.

🌟 Same happens when you ask him to be a little rougher with you. No matter the occasion: if he happens to fuck you a little harder and faster than usual, he'll make sure to press you down, so that you have no other choice than to take what he gives you.

-

Q = Quickie

🌟 Loves shower quickies. I don't make the rules.

🌟 If his morning shower contains washing your hair and filling you up... who is he to complain?

-

R = Risk

🌟 The riskiest thing during sex this man will do... is to try out new positions.

🌟 He's not a huge fan of taking risks. He wants intimacy to be enjoyable and not nerve-wrecking.

-

S = Stamina

🌟 Lots of Stamina on this one, he's fit as hell.

🌟 Still, he can only go one round - but that round will be worth it. Don't worry, he'll make you finish several times before he even thinks of finishing himself.

🌟 When he finishes, it's like a switch was flipped in his brain. He's satisfied, he doesn't need more than one round.

🌟 That's also why he makes sure you're thoroughly satisfied before him. He knows that once he's done, he can't go on any longer - so he takes care of you first.

-

T = Toys

🌟 No.

🌟 Would probably be confused by a lot of them?

🌟 Also, why would you need those? You have him? 🤨

-

U = Unfair

🌟 Unintentionally unfair and teasing.

🌟 He's rubbing you so good and you're close? He'd pull away, confused why you're annoyed suddenly? He was just repositioning himself to eat you out. He knows you prefer finishing on his tongue, so why the long face...?

🌟 Also, this man says the lewdest things with the straightest face. "This is welcoming me back so warmly. Can you feel it?" he'd whisper, not understanding why you're embarrassed? He was just stating a fact? :(

-

V = Volume

🌟 Noisy, but not loud.

🌟 Definitely a breather and groaner, not necessarily a moaner.

🌟 He'll make sure to breathe and groan right into your ear though, so you can hear him, no worries.

-

W = Wild card

🌟 Xavier is so obsessed with your body, but in a non-sexual way. He could spend hours just tracing your form with his fingers, finding all the little imperfections that make you you - and he'd love it.

🌟 So, don't be surprised that you find him watching you getting dressed or undressed or taking a shower. He's not trying to be creepy. He's just in awe of your beauty.

-

X = X-ray

🌟 5 inches / 12.7 cm

🌟 Pretty straight, and girthier towards the base. A few veins here and there.

🌟 His tip is slightly pink.

-

Y = Yearning

🌟 Surprisingly high. This man could go at any time during the day.

🌟 After your first time of making love, you did it daily - sometimes several times a day - because he simply could not keep his hands to himself.

🌟 You two are still very active, but mostly during "set" times and not just at any time during the day.

-

Z = Zzz...

🌟 Okay, we know this man can sleep anywhere, anytime. After sex is no exception. Once you're both clean and comfy, snuggled up under the blankets... he's out. Just like that.

🌟 He'll wrap himself around you btw, so there's no escape. You're sleeping, too. :)

[ooooo-mcyt]

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely detest DDVAU!Scar's behaviour towards Grian and think that it's completely inexcusable but it certainly couldn't have helped his misconceptions that the first thing Grian does upon seeing him is growl

It's understandable from Grian's perspective: he thinks he's about to be arrested and have even more of his agency stripped away at the hands of a guy he really doesn't get on with

But from Scar's perspective it's more of a threat, and one that just confirms his prejudices about mutants being dangerous and his thoughts that Grian should now be treated as a threat

On one hand, I understand it but on the other I want to punch him in the face... That's how you know you've done a good job writing your morally grey character I guess

This is fascinating to me because you're absolutely correct but I never actually thought about Grian's behavior from this perspective (and it honestly infuriates me to think about but you're so right)

I mean, Grian's aggression toward Hot Guy is incredibly natural. He didn't really like Hot Guy or the Emerald Soldiers to begin with, Grian is already (for good reason) primed to resent and distrust cops (and it couldn't have helped that hot guy personally shot him recently). But even beyond his dislike and distrust of Hot Guy generally, Grian is also actively in a very vulnerable position here. Grian experienced a- frankly traumatic- attack and only just woke up in the hospital only to have a cop immediately burst into his room and fully isolate him.

This is a very afraid and vulnerable person, and I never read his responses here as anything other than that.

But for Scar, it's hostility. He's just come to talk to Grian, and immediately Grian is acting with hostility toward him. Scar may not have read Grian's hostility toward and distrust of cops so negatively in their previous interactions, but now Grian's a mutant. One who broke the law to lie about what he is. Scar's entire job is to deal with "fantastic" threats, and specifically mutant related threats. Whether or not Scar realizes the extent of it, he's primed to read and react to 'mutant hostility'.

It's very possible that a big part of the reason Scar could so easily resort to the tactics he did with Grian- the way he so easily justified it to himself- was because Grian is a "dangerous" mutant who broke the law and is now acting with "hostility" toward him. Because he could so easily categorize Grian as other and criminal and threatening, even if we can easily see that Grian is in an immensely vulnerable position here and is acting out of (rightful) fear of Hot Guy from the beginning.

Hot Guy's functionally trained to act dehumanizingly- to see mutants as a threat rather than people to be empathized with or protected- at the sight of anything he views as "mutant hostility". So as soon as he found out Grian was a mutant, and as soon as Grian showed signs of hostility toward him, Grian wasn't just a civilian or the victim of an attack, Grian was (ludicrously, unfairly, cruelly) a threat, and that probably made it a lot easier for Hot Guy to bring himself to treat Grian the way he did.

(*there's also probably a parallel to be drawn between this scene and the way tango was treated in chapter ten- how in both cases, the mutant characters were put in positions where they were vulnerable and where they were hurt, but had the burden of civility placed on them, because an expression of- rightful- anger from them would reinforce the idea that they're dangerous)

Thank you for this perspective, anon, because yeah.

[ftmtftm]

I understand this is a hyperbolic radfem argument with no real legitimacy because said radfem in question hasn't actually thought about what she's saying beyond trying to craft a debate bro level conservative rage bait straw man — HOWEVER I'm an autistic little freak with a special interest in rhetoric as well as in moral and ethical philosophy, so let's take a look at the rhetoric and moral / ethical standards actually shown here.

First, let's just restate what Leslie Feinberg said so it's fresh in our minds.

"I believe that people who don't identify as transsexual also have a right to hormones and surgery. There are many of us who have wanted to shape our bodies without changing our sex."

When Feinberg mentions "want[ing] to shape our bodies without changing our sex" it is very clear that zie is discussing bodily autonomy, specifically as it relates to body modification.

To desire to shape one's own body is to desire to modify it autonomously.

HRT and surgery are, ultimately, body modifications. If you truly believe in informed consent and ownership of one's own bodily / bodily autonomy, then in many ways HRT and surgery are no different from any other body modification or plastic surgery on an functional level. They are procedures made with informed consent to alter one's body for any number of reasons, with generally overwhelmingly positive outcomes.

So to respond to that with:

"yes i believe everyone should have access to everything."

in order to craft a straw man argument shows such an interesting and hyperbolic leap in rhetorical logic being made.

"okay so i am not in pain therefore i shouldnt get all the oxycontin i want???

Now, I won't derail this with too long of a tangent about harm reduction and the ethics of safe and informed drug use, because that is deserving of its own post, but I do want to highlight the unspoken, pejorative comparison being made here between those seeking body modifications and those who use drugs recreationally.

The choice to use Oxycontin — a brand name for oxycodone, an opioid known for it's addictive properties and recreational usage — is a strong one. It tells me both that our radfem here doesn't have the strongest moral or ethical compass when it comes to the subject of addicts/addiction and harm reduction AND that she doesn't know the difference between an addictive substance and hormones, nor what they actually do to the body.

The reason why it tells me that, is because the implied framework here is irrationality. The false line of logic here functions as follows:

It is irrational to freely seek Oxy when one is not in pain, presumably for its addictive, recreational usage -> Addicts are irrational -> Oxy and hormones are both medical substances used for medical treatment -> Anyone who would seek HRT freely, regardless of transsexuality, is irrational like an addict.

Now, hormone replacement therapy is a non-addictive treatment whose effects on the body effectively replicate puberty as well as its known, well documented, lifelong effects (also known as "common adulthood medical risks associated with a testosterone or estrogen based endocrine system").

Medically speaking, HRT and oxycodone are used to treat very different things in very different contexts and are generally sought out by patients for very different reasons. When discussing the ethics of bodily autonomy, there is actually a good faith conversation to be had surrounding addiction — especially one that humanizes addicts and emphasizes harm reduction — but that's not what is happening here.

wtf. okay because im not diabetic i dont "deserve" insulin?"

Again, the implication here is irrationality. I truly don't think I need to linger on this one much. I'm sure there is someone out there in the world using insulin recreationally, but that's genuinely not of concern here.

The point of it's inclusion is to further establish that our straw man is detached from reality. It is truly on par with conservative rage bait rhetoric in a way that just makes me sad for our radfem. It's giving "paint any good faith attempt at accepting others as entitled on prime time Fox News, brought to you by Tucker Carlson".

"umm excuse you. i should be able to fuck up my body in every way possible with all the hormones and medication possible and if even one person tries to keep me from doing so for "ethical reasons" or some "hippocratic oath" they should be fired"

The implication here is, again, irrationality — hysteria even.

Under this framework - our straw man here wants to fuck up and ruin their body with drugs like an addict and thinks that anyone who tries to stop them out of concern or duty should be removed from their positions as medical professionals.

It is being argued that, if someone is allowed to choose to go on HRT or obtain surgery when they don't identify as transsexual, then there is a moral and ethical harm being caused to that person because they must be irrational and therefore absolutely can't actually make an informed decision about their body.

Ultimately this straw man argument is structurally no different from homophobic "Gay people? What's next, people fucking their dogs and children?" rhetoric.

You take something that is said in good faith like:

"people should be allowed to marry and/or have sex with whoever they want of any gender"

or

"people should be allowed to make informed decisions regarding how they modify their bodies"

and then you twist it into the most bad faith, irrational framework that you possibly can.

Generally this is done by comparing the action in question to another morally "undesirable" action. In the '00's it was pedophilia and beastiality, in this instance it's addiction and unreality. Mental illness and hysteria is also implied in both.

None of it is sound logically, ethically, or morally as it is literally based in morally motivated self righteousness, fear based disgust, and willing ignorance. Generally speaking some kind of insecurity as well.

Ethically speaking, if you don't like something that someone else is doing within their own life in a way that is otherwise in good faith and consensual to all the people who immediately matter and it also doesn't actually have any direct impact on your life besides the fact that you're made uncomfortable or are disgusted by it? Truly one of the most ethically sound things to do is say "not my problem" and move on. Lest you become Jesus in the myth of consent meme or start sounding like a right wing talking head.

Way ahead of hir time. Hopefully, one day, everyone will have full autonomy over their bodies, making arguments restricting hormones a thing of the past. Get your copy here.

[gayaest]

Hey, so I mean this entirely in good faith and just want to see where you're coming from.

When you draw pictures of people (OC), why do you only list their name, age, disabilities, and race (and some other stuff sometimes)? not likes or interests or hobbies or a look into their life? Is there somewhere else for me to find out more?

Personally, I don't find those to be the most interesting things about a character or a person or an object or anything like that, and I don't typically base characters around it (not saying you do, just not sure why else they take precidence over other aspects of their character)

I love your art and hope youu have a nice day!

I’ll try to answer this in the best way possible, but my wording might be off because I am more ill than usual, so bare with me.

1. Experiences with creating Original Characters is not a monolith — what you like to do with characters may not be what another creator likes to do with them. Some people never make backstories for their characters and keep them mainly for designs. Some people like to create backstories, and both of these things can exist and are okay. What you personally find interesting isn’t the same for everyone.

Even if I do have backstories for many of my characters, not all of them are even close to finished yet or even fully fleshed out, I often start with basics and go from there. If you are interested in the backstories of my characters, I have a toyhouse in which I post them.

2. Race, Culture, Age and Disability is a huge part of a lot of people’s lives, I can attest to that for myself. A lot of what I put down as “descriptors” for my characters are for people to get the absolute “bare bones” of who this character is, kind of like a bio on social media. It may not personally interest you, but Culture is a huge aspect on how people develop and think, the way people grow up and who they are around influence their thoughts, likes, dislikes, career, life choices and more. I find that many people from different cultures are often very happy at the representation of their culture being present if done respectfully, and causes a lot of happiness to feel seen.

I have a particular interest in researching humans, cultures, disabilities and diversity. You don’t have to have those interests, the same way I don’t particularly have to have an interest in “likes vs dislikes” of a character.

It would concern me if someone doesn’t care about peoples race or ethnicity, the same way it concerns me when a white person says “well, I don’t see color”, it erases the diverse experience of being human. It erases culture, experience, struggle and more. A lot of POC, myself included, find solace in knowing someone may understand a specific experience of what it’s like growing up a certain way. That we are not alone in our struggles.

And this all relates to Disability as well. Able-bodied people are not going to understand the life of a disabled person they haven’t lived in. Growing up disabled, becoming disabled later in life, in general /being/ disabled is a different way of life than the average person. We have struggles and experiences not everyone can relate to — which means by sharing this in a description of a character — it can actually tell a lot about what they’ve been through and understand.

Other disabled people may not understand what life is like for another disabled person — I have had numerous asks and messages by other disabled people and able-bodied people alike telling me they are happy to see representation of a specific disability, or that they discovered a disability through my artwork and they were able to research it or even apply it to their medical training. This is a huge reason for why I do what I do.

I’m glad this is a question in good faith — Thank you for liking my art, and i hope you have a good day as well.

If you have anymore questions, I have an FAQ:

[innerchorus]

are there differences between shapul and esfan? theyre the same character to me.

It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to respond to this mainly because it sounds like something my partner would say to antagonise me but let me give it my best shot.

I do think there are some differences between them (and I will of course mention those in this post) but I think it's more interesting to answer this question by looking at why these two characters are so alike, and specifically why the fact that they are so alike doesn't mean they are merely cardboard cutouts of each other and is vital to understanding them as characters.

First, while Shapur created a strong impression and is an important character to myself and many others, it's worth noting that he appears in relatively few scenes in the manga. That's enough to glean some info about what he's like as a character, but we don't get to spend as much time with him as we do with the main cast. Maybe that's part of why you feel this way.

We do, however, get to see a bit more of his younger brother, Isfan.

When you say that Shapur and Isfan are so alike they seem the same to you, my first response is pretty much "well, what did you expect, given the circumstances?". It's clear from the outset that Isfan wishes to follow in his brother's footsteps.

Here he is in Chapter 59, freshly arrived in Peshawar.

Straight away we learn he wants to avenge his brother's death and offer his service to Prince Arslan in his brother's stead.

From Chapter 64, right before his fight with Gieve.

Here we learn that not only did Shapur save Isfan, he actually taught him. The novels even mention that 'while his brother served as a military general in the royal capital, Isfan became an agent of the royal capital and stayed in his hometown to guard it,' so even before we meet him in the manga, Isfan was stepping into a role that had previously been occupied by his brother, a role that Shapur had trained him for.

It's very clear that Isfan looks up to his brother, idealises him and aspires to be the kind of person he was, not just in a military sense but also sharing his morals, viewing loyalty to one's country and protecting the weak as far more important than riches (as stated in Book 12 of the novels, this is something Shapur said that Isfan adheres to as well). Is it such a surprise that after being so closely taught by Shapur and clearly modelling himself on him, Isfan seems so like his older brother?

That's really why I think saying they're 'the same character' feels reductive, because the reasons why they are so similar tell you so much about them.

And despite Shapur appearing in only a few scenes before his death, the same thing works in reverse. When we meet Isfan, we also learn more about Shapur. I don't think there's any need to list it all as that's not really what your question was aimed at, but I hope you understand my point.

The two brothers do seem to share character traits (they can be hotheaded/rash, as seen with Isfan's fight against Gieve, him rushing hastily to attack Chassum Fortress, and in Shapur throwing down his helmet at Atropatene after learning the king had fled, and particularly in his rescue of Isfan where he rushed alone into the snowy mountains to save him) but again, they're related, sharing the same father. So it's not really a surprise. This does, however, also highlight a difference between them, one that comes down to age and experience.

When we meet Shapur, he's in his mid 30s, and a Marzban, one of the highest military positions possible in Pars.

When we meet Isfan, he's around 20, and although he's clearly got some combat experience he's not at his brother's level just yet. And while they share some traits like I outlined above, while Shapur likely had the age and experience to moderate his reactions a little bit (see how he backtracks after his initial outburst at Atropatene, and defers his conflict with Kubard for another day which never comes), Isfan doesn't, and on certain occasions (like rushing ahead at Chassum) his inexperience shows.

I also want to cover character design, because I think it's a deliberate choice by Arakawa to have there be some resemblance between the two but not have them appear totally identical. One, it highlights that Isfan has a different mother (the manga appears to give him her lighter hair colour), and two, I think it indicates that Isfan isn't just Shapur v2, he's not meant to be just a carbon copy of his brother. Maybe that's also why we haven't seen Isfan wield a spear, Shapur's weapon of choice.

That those visual differences highlight the difference in their birth circumstances feels important. Shapur was born into high status as his family's heir. Isfan was born to a enslaved mother and if not for Shapur's actions his father would have allowed him to die simply to pacify his wife. While Isfan now occupies the same privileged position that his brother grew up in, it could easily have been different.

Those circumstances (Isfan and his mother's abandonment in the mountains) also lead to a distinct difference between the two, which is fighting style. Okay, we don't see much of Shapur in combat but he's clearly a classically trained Parsian warrior. This is likely the nature of the training he gave Isfan, too. But Isfan has an element that is unique to him, something that wasn't influenced by his brother but relates to wolves.

In his fight with Gieve, Tanaka describes Isfan's movements as 'wolf-like' and in both the novel scene and Arakawa's manga adaptation, Gieve is surprised by Isfan's movements (specifically the kick seen below) which depart from orthodox swordsmanship with the unpredictability of the wild.

I don't think we would've seen Shapur pull a move like that!

Yes, I know it makes no sense for Isfan to have these wolf-like traits when the actual contact he had with them was very limited, but I'll forgive Tanaka this conceit because it's fucking cool okay?

Anyway I hope this satisfactorily answers the question. I'm aware I am very (very) into these two characters and not everyone will be as interested in them as I am, but I hope some of the the points in this post were of interest. Hopefully I didn't forget anything, I didn't get a chance to proofread!

[midnightshindig]

You write the Cecil’s kid hc’s so well! Could we see him assigning his kid who’s already friends with Mark to try and get more info on him after the events of season 3 (basically betray his trust and spy on him a little)? Bonus points if Mark didn’t know the reader was related to Cecil when they became friends :)

Idk how to title this just read the ask

This is such a cool idea!! I've been kind of frustrated with Mark this season, but he's also a teenager just trying to navigate the world in a way that makes the most sense to him.

SEASON THREE SPOILERS!!

Hcs below the cut!

After Nolan goes insane and abandons Earth, Cecil decides he needs a constant feed of information on Mark's mental state

Enter stage right: his teenage child

Who, up till now, was a secret from all but the highest ranking government officials.

but now he's transferred you to Reginald Vel Johnson High School, rigging the system just enough so that you have three classes plus lunch with Mark.

He gently suggested it might be a good idea to make friends, and send you on your way.

and much to his chagrin, you and Mark hit it off immediately!

You only find out why your dad made you change schools when Mark reveals his secret identity to you

but luckily for Cecil, you know your dad well

He has reasons for things

"Y/n... I'm... Invincible."

"oh? OH-! Cool- thats- amazing, Mark, really! I'm gonna be right back!" And you crash into the hallway, running down the stairs out to your car and calling your dad

"Y/n I told you not to call this line at wo-"

"YOU SET ME UP WITH INVINCIBLE?!"

"Woahhhh, no. No, not like that I just- I need to keep an eye on him. I'm not asking you to spy or betray anybody, just make sure he's level-headed and not an evil Viltrumite. Okay, kiddo?"

So you begrudgingly start reporting to your dad on Mark's mental state

And this goes fine, for a while

You and Mark get into college together, staying in contact even when Mark goes rogue

All until Mark threatens Cecil, and Cecil reveals he basically has an audio bomb implanted into Mark

Mark comes home to tell you and William about it, not understanding when you choked on your drink at the news

"He did WHAT?" You yelled, slamming your mug down onto William's dorm table and pulling yourself to your feet "That fucking- I can't believe-" You mumbled incoherently, trying to keep your cover

Would Mark still be your friend if he knew?

Would your dad blow this for you?

You didn't know what to expect at all

Mark's right across from you, talking about how he threatened your father, and you don't know if he would do the same to you

I mean, of course he wouldn't

You've known Mark almost two years by now, you're practically family

You go on like this, nervously keeping your fathers secret

and it's fine until he starts asking more and more of you

Ask deeper questions, get more specifics, figure out what he's planning, try and convince him Cecil is right

and how can you say no when his throat is purple and bruised

you loved your dad

and so you start digging deeper into Mark

"Say, Mark," you pop a fry into your mouth, him, you, and William at a drive through parking lot "Why don't you believe in rehabilitation? I mean, like, you were pretty anti prison in highschool, remember that whole presentation we had to do?"

Mark tenses, and he can't give you a better answer than "It's just not right. Y/n, it just.... it isn't okay."

There isn't a lot you can do with that.

Mark, in secret, is growing suspicious

He's paranoid, though, and can't take his suspicious seriously

What if though? What if you're an alien or a spy or someone who could get someone really hurt?

He asks Rudy to run a background check on you

"I'm surprised Mark, what do you want to know?" He seems candid, like this is an unusual request but nothing he can't do

"I want to know- uhg- everything! Where they come from, are they evil? A criminal past? Wh-"

Rudy cuts off Mark, with a curious voice "Where they come from? Mark of course they're human, just as human as Cecil is, and he swears the mother was human as well"

"What does Cecil have to do with this?"

"Oh. Oh you don't know."

Mark is growing impatient "Don't know what, Rudy?"

"Y/n is Cecil's child. How else would I know them?"

"I didn't know you knew them! I- what???" Mark is furious, his chest starts heaving and he crouches down on the floor of teen teams hideout

He has to talk to you.

Tensions are high when you meet

in the woods

behind your university

alone.

He knows, he has to know, there's not way he doesn't know and he's not going to totally murder you oh noooooo

So when Mark arrives, and you're shaking like a leaf, it only reaffirms your guilt in his eyes

"Y/n- You're working for Cecil? Why?!"

"Why? Mark- he's my dad!" You're on the verge of crying, a state of hysteria Mark has never seen you reach

But he's relentless, and continues "Our whole friendship was a lie?! You've been, what? Spying on me? Poisoning me slowly in my sleep? What- are you just waiting to strike?!"

He approaches you, and you duck to the ground, covering your head with your hands

"Please don't hurt me!!"

Mark pauses, watching his friend- who never felt scared of him before- cower beneath him, flinching when he raises his voice

He felt his soles hit the ground, unaware he'd even begun flying

"Y/n.... I'm not going to hurt you."

He patted the top of your head as you looked up at him, bleary-eyed

"But... I can't let you hurt me either."

and with that, Mark was gone, the fallen leaves flying everywhere as he left

and you were left alone in the woods, still shaking like a leaf

Mark was hurt and betrayed, and he couldn't hurt you

but he could definitely hurt Cecil

and he just might.

[planar-river-road]

I feel like there's a pretty big disconnect in this thread about what "humanizing" and "dehumanizing" mean both by themselves and in relation to each other and I think a large part of it really is semantics. I think that quote "you could be that person and you have to decide in yourself not to be" is a good central point here because the core of the argument in this thread is the difference between "the person you could be" and "the person you are".

One side thinks that saying "you could be this person" means the same as "treat this person as if they're just like you"; meanwhile the other side thinks that "don't treat this person like you would other humans" means "treat this person like they are a foreign concept completely disconnected from other people". Both sides more or less come from the same point of "this is a type of person I never want to become", but for one side saying it a certain way is understood as "I think they're basically the same as you" and for the other side saying it a certain way is understood as "I think they have absolutely no relation to me and never will". One side thinks "humanizing" someone means ascribing to them the same virtues that are contained in the philosophical concept of humanity and for the other side "dehumanizing" means denying them any connection with the biological concept of homo sapiens.

I do think that the second viewpoint is perhaps not as fitting for the context of this discussion. Yes, it's important to understand where people like Trump and Musk have come from, but that should be in some way differentiated from where they are now. Yes, there is a banality of evil that needs to be acknowledged, but I think for some people it also needs to be acknowledged that there is very little banal about their evil anymore. Framing the actions of people like Trump and Musk as rooted in banality and "something all too human" implies on some level that they can be reasoned or compromised with at the point they're currently at. Their actions are exceptional if only for the power they wield, and in my opinion as long as they wield that power they shouldn't be equated with a simple human, whether you call them monstrous or presidential(derogatory) instead. For people who don't have that power or who don't use the power they have that way, it's important to acknowledge that they could one day become like them and how such a thing might happen. And once that power has been taken away from them again, they deserve to be humanized and treated with a base amount of dignity. But until that happens, I think there needs to be a distinction between "things that humans are capable of doing" and "things that these people, specifically, in the positions of wealth and power they're in, are capable of doing".

Also I'm pretty sure what turned this into an argument to begin with was that someone didn't know the difference between "empathy" and "sympathy", but we're way past that point.

I thought it was fairly normal to feel empathy for bad people.

I thought it was common, even.

But after my Elon/Grimes post... now I'm wondering if I was mistaken about that.

I wrote a post about Trump being traumatized after his assassination attempt and a post about his poor adaptation to aging. I expressed sympathy for him in both cases. But I still maintain my white hot hatred of him and wish for him to face consequences.

Elon was abused by his father. Some of the stories are incredibly tragic. Hearing those stories triggers an involuntary response in my emotional systems that I can't stop no matter how much I despise present-day Elon. I also wonder if that abuse never occurred maybe we wouldn't be dealing with this current clusterfuck.

I have never held so much anger towards a single person as I do my brother. But I also see him as a victim of abuse. I know he was once a really good person and he was slowly corrupted. I feel sorry for him. I mourn the amazing person he used to be. And I still love him.

But that doesn't make me any less angry.