#I'm just really circumspect after last time

[aunt-booty]

Today's mood

[dailysabinasmuts]

Yeji feels a touch of trepidation as she enters into the intimate illumination of Jihyo's bedroom. She had been dreading something like this would happen, that her senior would hear of her... excesses. But Yeji had been quite circumspect of late, keeping her burning lusts under tight control as an example for the rest of Itzy. So she is somewhat reassured when Jihyo greets her warmly as she is led to her bed. Sitting on the edge, the two leaders hold hands as they idly chatter about recent events and the struggles of being in charge of idols.

Jihyo nods in empathy as Yeji grumbles about all the trouble her girls had been causing. Just last week they had discovered that Lia was hoarding interns in a closet, raving about how "She wanted to keep the cute ones fresh". Truly Itzy was swiftly growing out of control, and Yeji was unable to stop it. Jihyo gently presses her junior, the girls closely follow Yeji's lead, had she been... slipping more often? Yeji denies it, she had been practically masocistic in denying herself lately; even leaving the cute interns hale enough to walk after she ravishes them. Jihyo lets out a sorrowful sigh, does Yeji truly not remember what happened yesterday?

Yeji responds with a blank stare.

Jihyo squeezes her friend's hand, really? Yeji had rapaciously fucked her way through most of the jnterns, plowed a decent portion of the managers, and by the time she was stopped she had been force-feeding NMIXX her sloppy seconds for over an hour. Yeji denies everything, but Jihyo is firm with her junior, its obvious her self-repression had caused her to unconciously lash out; so Jihyo is going force her to deal with her stress constructively. Yeji's attempts to protest are deftly silenced as she is spun about, her face pushed against the sheets.

Yeji snarls as her pants are pulled down and something vast and hard is pressed against her folds. A veteran of viscious non-consensual sex, she writhes and spits, but Jihyo, it could only be Jihyo, firmly holds her in place. Yeji screams in rage as her senior's massive strapon is forced into her pussy, inch after inch filling her greedy hole. Then Jihyo is thrusting, mechanically slaming her tip against Yeji's g-spot before plunging her dildo in to the hilt. Yeji lets out a hiss of frustration as Jihyo forces a hard orgasm out of her, twitching with unwilling pleasure.

But Jihyo isnt finished with her wayward pupil, relentlessly yet kindly continuing to plow Yeji. Who is steadily losing her defiant demeanor as she succumbs to her senior's attentions. Jihyo had been the one to teach Yeji about sexual matters, and so knew her every weakspot and exploited them to the fullest. Several orgasms later, and Yeji's pussy had been reduced to a churning soup of sloshing girl-cum, as Jihyo stirred her insides with determination. Yeji lies, bargains, pleas, begs, eventually sobbing for mercy from Jihyo, wailing like a baby as her voracious urges are fucked out of her.

Only when Yeji had devolved into a blubbering shell of herself does Jihyo cease her ministrations. Cooing with pride, she hugs Yeji tight against her breasts, softly stroking her hair as Yeji suckles upon her. "There there, who's Mommy's fierce little dragon? Mhmm you've been a bad girl, but Mommy has made it all better now. Thats it, just suck on Mommy's nipples, she knows how much it comforts you... Next time you get stressed out, just ask me for help okay? I'm always willing to help you work through your urges... hmmm? You want more, but more gentle this time? Of course dear! Now spread your legs for Mommy, and ask politely to get fucked like a good girl..."

Yeji made Mommy Jihyo very proud that night 😊

[ingravinoveritas]

Georgia talking about staged again and now their…… flirting? Is that what you would call putting a heart on Anna and her calling Georgia a flirt?? Radio silence from the both of them and now randomly there’s this.

Hi there! Well, I'm not sure it's really random. But let's get the visual up here first, for those who haven't seen Georgia/AL's Insta stories today:

So this seemed to start with Georgia posting the story about Staged playing on BBC iPlayer after she finished watching OFMD. The second story is the one with Georgia drawing the heart around AL, followed by the story with her drawing a heart around the glass of wine Michael is holding, and then Anna shared Georgia's story and called her a flirt.

The reason I don't believe this is random is because for the last several days, all everyone has been talking about online is Ineffable Con and Rob/Gavin's comments about the kiss between Michael/Aziraphale and David/Crowley. And as we've seen before, just when the conversation gets too focused on Michael and David, Georgia and AL post a story or photo to bring the attention back to them. It's actually fairly predictable at this point, since it's happened multiple times previously (though I would say this seems a bit more blatant than other instances, given that there isn't any reason for either of them to promote Staged right now).

My thought in regard to the "flirt" comment is that I agree with you in not understanding exactly how that reads as flirting (as it didn't come across that way to me). I do wonder if this is another attempt at Georgia and AL trying to be the female analogues to David and Michael (which we've also seen before), but it again doesn't work because they don't have that same chemistry or flirty dynamic that Michael and David have. Also, if this actually was "flirting," what was the purpose in GT circling the glass of wine? Is she flirting with the wine as much as AL? Once you look past the straightforward promotional aspect of these stories, it just seems very weird.

Weirdness is apparently the theme for the day, however, as there was also this reply from AL on Twitter earlier:

If you look at the timestamps, AL replied to this tweet/Michael's tweet exactly one minute after Michael replied. Going back to the idea of predictability, there's been nonstop discussion for the past several days about Michael and David kissing, and my first thought was that she seemed to just be looking for a reply that she could jump on and insert herself, to where I would not be surprised if she has notifications set up for his tweets for just such an occasion.

Upon further consideration, I did get the feeling that her "Where can I get one?" was not at all sincere in the way that Michael's was. It came across to me as a passive-aggressive way of reasserting her position (i.e., "I'm the only one who actually gets to love Michael Sheen"). It also makes it seem like she is fighting with the fans for Michael's attention, on top of already competing with David (although let's be honest, there is no competition there). More than that, however, I also got the feeling that AL copying his comment was her way of mocking him for wanting the t-shirt at all (i.e., "Look how stupid he is for wanting this stupid shirt"). Which of course is not something she would actually say, but the copied text along with the reply coming only one minute later makes it seem a bit circumspect. And it makes me feel sad for the fan who made the original post who may not realize what is really going on.

In any case, those are my thoughts on GT and AL's social media posts today. As I've always said before, I know I could be completely wrong in my interpretations, but the timing is just too strange for me to believe it's a coincidence. I'm happy to hear others' thoughts, though...

[thessalian]

Thess vs Transphobes' Misconceptions

It occurs to me that I have a story that can be given to every asshole who says shit like, "Kids aren't trans - they're being brainwashed and groomed by the horrible pedophiles in the media calling for so-called 'rights'!" and "Schools have no business telling kids about that LGBT stuff; they're too young to understand that!"

Picture the scene: Montreal, QC, 1985 or so. Now, I specify the where and when because it does actually mean something: Quebec was super Catholic for a very long time, and while it was getting less so in the 80s, it was still pretty prevalent in the general mood of the boomers who were our parents, and whatever the fuck the generation was that were their parents. Not that there weren't gay people, bi people, trans people; gods, no. Just they were a lot more circumspect, and quite often in very deep denial. (Hell, my mother only came to terms with the fact that she's bi a few months ago, despite being head-over-heels in love and lust with one of her best friends when I was a kid. But she was raised Catholic, so I guess her denial shouldn't be a surprise, especially after Mum made her feelings known and the best friend ran for the hills. I swear I want to punch that woman in the mouth for being such a bitch about it, even if she probably is approaching seventy by now. ANYWAY.)

So I'm in elementary school, and one of my best friends is this kid named Alex. I remember him surprisingly well - very red hair, very brown eyes, lots of freckles. And we were both fans of the Jem and the Holograms cartoon. And Alex insisted that Kimber Benton had been born a boy (or, y'know, a trans woman - we were kids and didn't really have the right terminology available to us at that point, not to mention that the terminology has changed a lot over the last few decades). He had a whole lot of weight behind his headcanon too, and I wasn't about to contradict him - hell, even then, I knew not to harsh someone's squee when it didn't really matter to me either way.

But it mattered to him. It mattered desperately to him. And one day, I found out why it mattered so much to him. He didn't say it outright; it was a lot of very nervously dropped little comments over the course of a conversation about a recent episode. But it was pretty clear to me, even at, like, eight or so - he needed Kimber to be a trans woman because if she was, with her bright red hair kind of like his ... then he could be too. I don't think he ever came out and said that he felt like he was a girl, but I'm pretty sure he came close - that or I was just way more perceptive than the average eight-year-old.

Nothing really changed, outwardly. We were in elementary school, in a pretty Catholic province, in the 80s - hell, at the start of what we now call the AIDS epidemic. Preferred pronouns, style of dress, even borrowing my lip gloss ... none of that was on the table for my friend. But my friend knew, absolutely. I do remember inviting my friend over for a sleepover - I think I mentioned that maybe we could play with my makeup kit. My friend said "No, Mom won't let me have a sleepover with girls" and just ... so many reasons I couldn't understand why not, but I could understand being entirely afraid of what your mother would say if you broke the rules.

My friend went to another school the next year. We never saw each other again. I don't know what happened, and I only hope my friend stayed safe until she could get away and be who she wanted to be. And I will call her she now. Whether she's out there living her best life or ... gods, please not the victim of some conversion therapy nightmare or worse ... she deserves that at least.

And she was eight years old when she knew. So don't you go telling me that kids can't know that they're trans when they're that young. My friend was eight, and she was a girl, and she knew no one would let her be a girl because of the contents of her pants and what a doctor called out when she was born. I hope she's allowed to be that girl now. Well, I guess it'd be woman now, but you know what I mean.

(As a side note - if I had a 5p piece for every non-cishet AMAB redhead named Alex I'd had in my life, I'd have ... 10p, but it's weird that it happened more than once.)

[ravelqueen]

Since I only now finished the second season there is already quite a bit of meta available for the end and while I find a lot of it interesting and I'm not saying it's wrong (because who knows where Mr. Gaiman is hopefully taking us) I also think it's fascinating that at the core of a lot of theories seems to be the assumption that Aziraphale acted out of character in that last scene when I find he acted extremely like himself.

1) The decision to go back to heaven

Aziraphale has - different from Crowley - never been comfortable acting independently from heaven. He did it when he found it necessary (and later more comfortable along with the deal) but there's always been a very clear level of discomfort around it. Crowley was circumspect with his more virtuous actions because he was worried about the possible consequences - Aziraphale has always felt guilty, because what if he was really working against Her?

So him jumping at a chance to work with heaven presumably under his directives, under directives that would understand that you can't just e.g. exchange children, a more compassionate heaven makes total sense to me.

And sure he has to give up the comforts he's grown accustomed to - the food, the books, the variety humanity provides - but he's not selfish. He wasn't going to give them up only to make Armageddon possible, but he certainly is ready to sacrifice them for the greater good. As he tells Crowley: I can make things better.

2) Why does he believe Metatron?

Angels Don't Lie.

This season has hammered this idea home and good - sure they can obfuscate, they can leave out details, they can forget, but they don't lie.

And yes of course he himself is proof that they certainly can and nothing will happen, but I do think that he believes himself to be an abberation in this case and that the only reason he hasn't been punished is because Crowley is the only one that knows. And he's still mostly really bad at lying so I think he truly believes he'd be able to spot it - in a way even Aziraphale's first lie was extremely see-through but since angels don't lie they also don't know how to spot them in themselves.

(Plus i also think that since Aziraphale is one of the lower tier angels he's convinced that also gave him a pass.)

3) Asking Crowley to come back to heaven with him, knowing that would hurt him

Now the second part of that assumption is the crux, the most central part to why his actions are very much in character for Aziraphale, because does he know?

I don't think he does and all his actions during their flashbacks and interactions proves that at the heart of it he fully 100% believes that if he could, Crowley would jump at getting to undo his Fall.

Because to him Crowley is good and Crowley is Kind - and he's only forced to pretend he isn't because as a Demon he can't be. And he just wants Crowley to live happily, to be happy and for Aziraphale that means not being Fallen.

I don't think Aziraphale wants to change Crowley or that he spent 6000 years trying to fix him or anything toxic like that. But we see how he feels about the mere idea of Falling, how he acts when he's sure it's his time to go after Job - he's devastated, he's crying, he's desperate.

And it's not like Crowley is helping - Hell is hell and he never sugar coats that. And while Aziraphale had over the millenia gotten a few stern talking-to's, he's never been punished the way he had to watch Crowley he punished.

And on top of it all, he remembers Crowley pre-Fall, how happy, how joyful, how full of wonder and how he didn't have to hide any of this then. How he could just be this way without having to hide it away.

So i don't think he realises that Crowley's decision to be alone so he doesn't have to play along with Hell's schemes actually applies to the whole system.

And the reason he doesn't realise this is because at the heart of it, he believes in heaven. Despite everything, despite the cruelties he's seen and been done to him, he believes that there is something like the Ultimate Good, the place God's plan is truly realised and he believes that that place is Heaven. It's not the system's fault, it's the angels who made the decisions and even those aren't evil (because Angels Are Good) they are misguided or clueless or uneducated etc. Aziraphale clings to this world view and he always has done so - he's even in s2 adamant that Heaven Is Good and Hell Is Evil.

So of course he would want to be in charge, to change Heaven the way he always felt it should be.

And of course he'd want Crowley there; to an extent Crowley is his standard of who Angels/ Heaven should act/be - kinder than anyone no matter the circumstances.

So I do think his offer was heartfelt, was supposed to be their triumph as a couple, to be able to be part of a whole but also together, where they belong and where they can make things better for the humans they're both so fond of.

Even his reaction to Crowley disagreeing to go fits perfectly in what we know of him - we get pretty much the exact same reaction when Crowley refuses to help with Gabriel: a plea, an earnestly expressed desire to do it with Crowley but just as earnest obstinacy to go at it alone if Crowley doesn't want to join him.

So all in all while that last scene breaks my heart and makes me want to shake him it fits so well into the Aziraphale we've come to know that I can't find myself being mad at it.

[waters-and-the-wilde]

okay scenario. somewhere mid s3 the Carte Blanche ends up working with some of Buddy's criminal contacts/acquaintances who also take something of a specific and possibly impertinent interest in the Unnatural Disaster. their guy clocks Nureyev as 1.) the shady sixth ranger with the least amount of rapport with Jet, and 2.) a gossipy bitch (bc that was the gender he put on when he left the house that day) so they get him aside and try to get him to talk

nureyev’s is like. hmm. (juno is being mouthy to try to draw attention to himself. buddy has been a very particular kind of polite and pointed, and vespa is. playing with a knife and glaring. which to be fair she Does That but she's watching this guy and only lightly heckling juno and if nureyev is starting to suspect that they're maybe playing off each other a bit? and jet seems like he's just trying to vibe but he's definitely sticking even closer to rita than usual.

and then. oh he can tell the guy's trying to get him to talk about Jet, and sure he could just dissemble without a fuss but… he could also dissemble and make the other guy feel awkward about it)

nureyev: listen. i know what you're after. and i understand, truly. you want to know if it's true what they say about him, but you're too intimidated to ask outright.

contact: *shifts nervously*

nureyev: and of course, who could blame you? he's even more compelling in person, isn't he? the gravitas, the self-possession, the shoulders.

their contact: uhh. i mean you're not wrong.

nureyev: and he can cook.

contact: ...wait really? huh. you know he seems like a really good listener too.

nureyev: oh, absolutely. but i think it's only fair to warn you that you ought not to get your hopes up. because it's entirely true - he's just not interested. in anybody. devoted in his friendships, to be sure, but when it comes to all other affairs, you'll find him completely impervious. nothing personal. you could have just asked him, there'd be no harm in it, and i'm sure he'd let you down gently -

juno (wandering over to see what's up): could go either way, really. he put me in a dumpster and threatened to crush my head with the lid.

their contact: ...

nureyev (dear i am trying to make them feel bad about their assumptions about our friend and you are undermining the bit): compared to what other people have followed through on after meeting you, i'd say that only proves that he's a very paragon of restraint and circumspection. you do have a way about you, dearest beloved.

juno: you know if i had a cred for every time I had a crush on a master thief who put me in the garbage, i'd have... two creds, i guess.

nureyev (nostalgically): we both ended up in that garbage chute, didn't we?

juno: and I hated every second of it.

nureyev: I know dear you complained about it vociferously

*smooching*

their contact: ohh well that's a shame thanks for the heads up im just gonna - i think my hovercraft is on fire

nureyev (absentminded, still gazing into juno's eyes): bye-bye now

juno: i can cook too you know

nureyev: i know dear but we mustn’t let it get around, the last thing i need is another crime ring trying to sweep you off your feet

juno: i mean. wouldn’t they look at you first?

nureyev: my love. I can’t cook.

juno: oh yeah

(their contact's boss, later: so did you find anything out about what the Unnatural Disaster's up to now that he's back on the scene?

their contact: im sorry he's never gonna go out with you. the rumors are true he's like. completely aro-ace.

boss: oh.

contact: yeah

boss: are you sure

contact: no yeah. i thought maybe aurinko's son was just talking out his ass but their hacker backed it up.

contact: she was really nice actually. gave me a coupon for her favorite ice cream place.

contact: do. uh. do you wanna get ice cream with me.

boss: ...yeah that'd be nice.

boss: (later over ice cream) wait aurinko has a son??

contact: or whatever he’s adopted idk but he's super obnoxious

[leam1983]

So, Walt wants a Framework...

I may have created a monster.

See, Mondays are slow in the morning for us, and the weekend vibes don't really end until noon sharp. So, Sarah and I are discussing potential work-related upgrades, when Walt mentions that his trusty ASUS laptop is starting to feel sluggish.

I mean - you know me. You know Sarah, too. We immediately had Linux Distro boners, and considering how Walt isn't tech-focused and really needs a turn-key solution, Linux Mint was our best choice. Still, the hardware proper was aging, so Walt did as Walt does and took to Best Buy's website to show me the first page that crops up when you type "laptop" in their Search bar.

He wasn't wrong in the sense that swapping one entry-level device for another one would've done the trick; even a basic and bare-bones platform designed to run MS Office as its most resource-intensive task could've done the job. The problem is, I'm getting sick of dealing with bi-yearly comments related to how he's "unsure" of his laptop's performance. I want something I could overspend on intentionally in order to give him a nice, sizable buffer of performance that could last at least five years.

Considering, the best option really is a Framework laptop. I showed him the company's website, explained the business model to him, and now he's hooked, envisioning a future where all he needs to run presentations for the extremely rare event of his needing to beat pavement to find us clients is a snazzy lil' pouch crammed with a few Expansion Bay modules, including USB-C. It immediately turned his Pitch Brain on, and he started selling me on the worth of using sustainable tech in our day-to-day operations, to predictably and playfully poke fun at me for daring to use a boutique laptop (from Razer) in what is likely the least-sustainable choice imaginable...

I rolled my eyes. "It's a Blade 14 from two years ago; I can't just toss that out the window! Morally, I have to take that hardware to its limits first, and then worry about revisions!"

Walt scoffed back. "Aw, come on; it'd be a business expense! We should all get a Framework!"

Followed twenty minutes of Sarah and I trying to talk our now laptop-obsessed boyfriend into letting us keep using the same portables we already have, and doing our best to convince him that he's the one who needs an upgrade.

"But you don't even game on your laptop!" notes Walt. "Don't you wish you could do that on your off-time?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, hon - I'll just use the company Visa at 41 years old and just buy myself a new toy like I'm an idiotic Sales Rep who's just been slated for a fat commission! No! I cannot do that, Walt! Besides, my laptop is for work! What does it say about me if I use company hardware to frag noobs after hours?!"

Walt drew himself up, smirking. "I don't care what it says, because I'm the boss of this company - and the boss wants us to have sustainable tech, now. It's good for the planet, good for our image, and I'll have a reliable one-stop shop for any future upgrades."

I threw my hands up. "Fine, whatever! Let's just burn twenty thou plus taxes off of our operational budget! I love you, hon, but this is the shittiest idea ever, Walt."

Walt placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll call Scrooge, get him to draw us up a budget with a few mockup bills. If it makes sense, we'll pull the plug. If he tells me I'm being delusional, then we'll just buy one for me."

Sarah gave Walt a circumspect look. "Fine. But if it turns out you just buy one for yourself, I forbid you from loading up our own Visa for Christmas gifts shaped like laptops, later on."

That knocked a few Machiavellian twinkles out of Walt's eyes - but not by much. I know the big guy; if he's convinced himself we deserve something, we'll get it, even if we issue moral objections. It might take years and he might use different excuses, but it'll happen.

Note to self: try and convert the BF to Ascetism, or at least Minimalism...

[greenandhazy]

I've got a bit of Richard meta, putting it beneath the cut for spoilers. and just fyi, while it's not meant to be anti-Richard or anti-Barris at all, it's a bit... realist? yeah, that's the word I'm going with.

I think one of the reasons I’m not necessarily shocked about the Treatment of Richard in the new Downton movie is that… I was never 100% sold on who Richard was supposed to be in the first movie. We don’t get very much dialogue from him, a fair amount of what we do get is generically pleasant rather than deep, and some of the deep dialogue is, to a certain extent, contradicted or at least complicated by his actions.

I’ve seen people argue that he was very brave and open and therefore would never marry, citing especially the fact that 1) he rescued Thomas from the police when he didn’t have to, and 2) he kissed him in a room with an open door. Which both make sense! Those are brave and risky things to do. But from my perspective, the first one was him very much relying on a “boys will be boys” persona and the power of his position, and the second was a matter of a few seconds. They don’t say anything about what Richard would do if his position in the Royal Household was seriously threatened, if someone had real suspicions that couldn't be assuaged by his bravado, or if he had a significant amount of time to contemplate a decision that would have a lifelong impact.

And there were also moments in the first movie that suggested he was a more cautious figure than fanon interpretation. From my perspective:

1) the fact that Thomas didn’t seem sure that Richard was flirting with him until after the police station, even though they had an entire afternoon together—including a 20-mile drive into York.

2) “You’ll have to be more circumspect.” That’s a very different line compared to, say, “We’ve all been there,” which suggests a less careful personality, or even “Your secret’s safe with me,” which is somewhere in the middle and would still have worked with the gesture, if the writers really wanted to keep that.

3) “Well, we all do what we must. But, yeah.” (emphasis mine) This is in response to Thomas expressing frustration at having to fit in—and it’s Richard hedging. Saying “we do have to fit in sometimes, that’s just how it is.” Max Brown’s delivery of the first line is rather soft and there’s a little pause before he continues, which also reads as a bit resigned to me. Even if he agrees with Thomas that it’s nice to not have to, he’s more pragmatic about it than Thomas is.

And in terms of the cut wife from movie 1 reappearing in movie 2—we can debate about whether that’s a good or realistic idea, and I totally acknowledge people might justifiably dislike it. But I think a reasonable argument can be made that this plot point was cut because of what it did narratively (giving Thomas a downer ending with no relief, as opposed to movie 2 which gives him a downer beginning and hopeful ending), rather than in terms of character. (And narratively speaking, we could also call it a cop-out that this was tacked on to the next movie, instead of one where it might have been placed better in a character arc, but I digress.)

Looking at the last two things I cited in particular, it seems perfectly plausible that Richard was still written as The Kind of Guy Who Might Get Married in the first movie, even if they didn’t seal the deal on it. There’s also the contrast built into the narrative between Richard and Chris, in which Richard is put up as the safer, more conventional choice. Again, making it not surprising that he would choose a safer, more conventional life.

Of course, all of this is only my interpretation, and I understand if people have a different interpretation! Fanon characterization of Richard built up a lot out of relatively little, as it had to for a movie with this many characters, and people can disagree on to what extent certain things are emphasized, or should have been emphasized, or make for a good/well-written/interesting character and plot. But I’ve also seen a lot of shock and feeling that this came from out of the blue or that it is completely inconsistent with first-movie Richard and… I don’t think that’s true. I think there was a lot of ambiguity in Richard’s individual personality, as well as what his relationship with Thomas would be—it was promising, certainly, and it might have gone in a better direction, but we barely saw it. We saw Day One of their established interest in each other, Day Two if we’re being generous, and there are a lot of different ways a relationship can go off from the first two days. And whether or not it was well done or satisfying, I do think the writers gave themselves enough leeway to make this version of Richard at least credible. We are meant to assume things have happened offscreen that pushed him in this direction, sure, but it's not as shocking a development as it would have been if, say, Thomas was the one deciding to get married, which would in fact have been wildly inconsistent with a well-developed character.

[aceadmiral]

Hi, I just saw your post about asexual academia (in the field of translation), which was a really fascinating read. I’m an aroace person who just recently started my master’s in psychology, and I’m thinking about doing a research project (possibly even my master’s thesis?) on asexuality in psychology, since there’s such a huge knowledge/research gap in this field. However, I’m very closeted, and I’m worried if I do such an “obscure” topic (for lack of a better word) that it would be quite obvious what my identity is, since most allo people wouldn’t think of choosing that topic? Do you have any advice? Do I just need to be brave and try not to worry about it? Would there even be any uni professors who’d be interested in supervising a project like that?

Thanks for your time!

Hi Anon! Thank you for the ask! I think the answer to your question depends on a couple of factors, and so I'm just going to lay them all out so you can see what applies to you you.

To answer your practical question of can you do a thesis on asexuality: yes! If my advisor in translation studies (who honestly didn't like me that much) was supportive of my project in 2012, then yes, absolutely, there are faculty who would support you. There are also prominent scholars who have done asexuality research who either are not ace or have not said either way, so if that's how you wanted to play it, you wouldn't be the first. However, you would know best what the vibe is in your specific department. If you have peers you trust (and I hope you do!), you can ask for their opinions of the professors too. I also think you should seriously consider joining the Ace/Aro Scholars Support Network. They have a lot of good support, including for trying to figure out how to pitch your research project to your advisor. In order to protect people's privacy, there is a professor you have to either DM on Discord or email, and if you would message me again as yourself, I will send you back her contact info privately.

To answer your more circumspect question of how open you want to be: I think that really depends on where you see yourself going after your Master's. If you plan to continue on to a PhD or even stay in academia, then what your thesis project is is going to matter; if your career path is anything else: follow your heart!! I wasn't kidding when I said no one cares about my thesis. It doesn't have to go on your resume, or on your bookshelf, or anything if you don't want it to. If you have a research question you're passionate about, your thesis is going to be that much better for it, and after you finish, you never have to see any of these people again if you don't want to!

The other thing I would say to you is that I think we're a lot more self-conscious about how others are going to react when, in fact, most people literally do not care. Your reviewers are going to be reading your thesis to see if you can research well, not for whether or not they think asexuality is interesting per se. I still have mine next to me, and looking at it, neither of my reviewers mentioned anything of the sort. They were looking for the quality of the translation and the application of translation theory, that's it. (I actually have a classmate who used a technical manual for hers, so like, seriously.)

And then, the last thing I want to say is this: I have been an ace in the workforce for many years now, and I spent most of those years fully or semi-closeted, but my life changed a lot when I stopped accepting homophobic and transphobic environments and instead came to work in a place that lets me be who I am. We spend so much of our lives in our workplaces, and whether that's a university or a company or what have you, you deserve to have a work environment that is not throwing harassment on you on top of all the rest the demands of a job. If you end up in that situation, I beg you not to try and stick it out; make a plan for as swift an exit as you can. Even at the university, if you have a bad advisor, there might be a way to switch, if not on paper then at least practically. I have never thought to myself after leaving a bad job, "I'm glad I stuck it out," but rather, "why didn't I leave sooner?" You asked if you should be brave and just not worry about it, and I would not advise that. Your safety and your ability to support yourself is important, and you're right to worry about it. But be brave and demand an accepting, supportive environment for yourself, even and especially if that means moving on? Yeah, I think you should do that.

I hope that's helpful! Join the Ace/Aro Scholar Support Discord, and join ASPeN too while you're at it! You deserve support!

[essektheylyss]

wait! be wordy! what's your line of thinking for the assembly coup i'm so curious

okay you sent this a few days ago and I was like, you know what they asked, so here is my entire research project on the subject of why not only is the assembly in a perfect place to stage a coup and take over the empire, but also why ludinus da’leth in particular seems rather motivated to do so:

fjord and caleb discussed this specific topic during their chat on the balleater in 98, and this line just sums it up:

fjord: what are they waiting for? caleb: the moment where they can ascend.

according to the lore we’ve gotten, from canon as well as the egtw, the assembly has existed since a war between mage houses that culminated in an event that nearly destroyed rexxentrum, referred to as the eve of crimson midnight—after which the members of those houses agreed to work for the dwendalian crown (and helped conquer the julous dominion). they occupy a very comfortable place in the empire obviously, but it’s unclear how much allegiance they actually have to the crown, but when caleb talks to the martinet in episode 97 at the party, they have this pointed interaction:

caleb: the empire, we all love the empire. da’leth: to an extent.

this is in part in reference to caleb’s past, but also... is admittedly, a strange thing for someone who’s meant to serve the king to say. much of their conversation at the party reads as da’leth putting the two of them on the same page—rather circumspect in their interests, and outside of the surface level realm of the empire’s interests. it’s worth noting that da’leth is not only the oldest member of the assembly, he has also been there since its inception, and therefore was almost certainly involved in the war that created it.

now, just before this, they have this exchange:

caleb: It will be good to finish this war. da’leth: Indeed it will be. caleb: I commend you on seeing the reason in cooperation and negotiation. da’leth: I believe it is important to stem the tide of lives lost and to instead focus on the livelihood of those within the Empire and for us to pursue more important things than base conflict and disagreements.

now, like essek, da’leth is likely looking forward to the end of the war because it means uninhibited time to spend researching the beacon they do have, but based on much of what essek has said, he is far more in over his head than da’leth is. of course, that’s in part because he’s not backed by a very powerful organization. but this is important, because arguably... da’leth isn’t backed by the assembly. he is the assembly. there has never been a cerberus assembly without him. additionally, his title (“archmage of domestic protections”) literally puts him in charge of all warfare and conflict in the empire and, as mentioned, this means he’s been involved in:

the eve of crimson midnight

the conquest of the julous dominion

the last century of tension with the dynasty (by the end of which, he found a way to escalate that tension and thereby instigate a war—which really makes him either great or shitty at his job, honestly)

the war with the dynasty itself

unlike essek, who has probably had his position for 20-30 years at most, da’leth has witnessed every part of these conflicts from a place of organizing warfare. (yet again it vexes me: we still have no idea what essek does. but he’s not really important here, I’m just using him to juxtapose. but it seems safe to say, based on his reaction, that he did not have any experience with it, and does not seem to be in anyway a military leader.) he knows when to expect war, and he... probably does not care about the human toll of it, based on the ones he’s lived through. so I’m looking more at the phrase “pursue more important things”—which is where we start getting into military coup territory.

and it’s important to point out that the assembly, based on their discussion in the throne room with the king and the examination of the beacon at the sanatorium, is almost certainly keeping both their research into the beacon’s power as well as the fact that they’ve had two beacons for three years secret from the king.

additionally, the assembly’s power seems to be growing at the moment, as evidenced by cobalt soul concerns that it may need to be curbed, while at the same time, the monarch is becoming increasingly paranoid (which translates to, closed off), as well as (and this is crucial) not having an heir. as mentioned in the egtw, his son and daughter in law have not produced a child, and all three of them are seeking different ways to maintain power. king dwendal, supposedly, is currently looking for ways to become immortal. da’leth, who is functionally immortal compared to the king, probably doesn’t love that (and I have no doubt that he knows).

so we have a military leader who has external interests, secret arcane research into an unknown, fairly deadly system of magic that the crown is unaware of (and therefore doesn’t have defenses against), and a rapidly encroaching potential power vacuum. but that’s still not enough, right? to actually take the throne, who has an entire army at its disposal, you’d need some kind of paramilitary force loyal to the assembly, not to the crown.

which brings us to the scourgers.

we know that trent ikithon created and designed the scourger program, also from caleb’s conversation with da’leth, which means it is relatively new (less than 50 years old, but probably less than that—trent is in his 70s, and he would’ve had to work up into his role, so let’s give him a generous estimate of being worthy of assembly membership around 40—which only puts the scourger program at 30 years old). da’leth does have a... really interesting comment about the program:

da’leth: Although the extent of these things were not entirely part of the initial presentation, I understand that sometimes, desperate requirements might call for unsavory methods.

there’s really no explanation of what these ‘desperate requirements’ are that called for, you know, that bullshit, and the program would’ve been implemented sometime within this cold war they’ve got going with the dynasty. while those desperate requirements may have been involved in that (which is likely), it’s also possible that there are other uses for them, especially now that there is some kind of treaty between the empire and dynasty.

of course, the other thing that I looked at is how astrid discusses the empire—she suggests that what the scourgers do, the “hard choices” they make, are so that the rest of the empire can sleep safely at night, which is interesting, considering the general sentiment of the empire’s populace is that the empire has become less safe (a sentiment that is likely even more heightened now with a war on their soil) as well as less prosperous, due to the growing paranoia and neglect of the king. the scourgers are specifically loyal to the empire itself, not the king—if they can be swayed to believe that disposing the king is in the nation’s best interest, it would not be difficult to turn the assembly’s personal assassins toward the crown.

which brings me back to the earlier conversation mentioned at the party, and the phrase “focus on the livelihood of those within the Empire and for us to pursue more important things.” the martinet has been, essentially, waiting in the wings of the empire for several centuries.

within the last, say, fifty years, the following things have happened:

the quality of life within the empire has gone down

its monarch has grown closed off and scared, potentially leaving a power vacuum which will likely throw the assembly’s power into question

the assembly has created its own paramilitary assassin force

the assembly has instigated a war via the theft of foreign arcane objects

the assembly has done fully secret research on the application of that arcane power

the assembly has then ended the war very quickly, retaining control of one of these objects, and sent everyone very speedily on their way.

furthermore, with peace only just brokered, the righteous brand is likely still on the border, and will have to be mobilized over the next month or more to return them to the inner parts of the empire.

this means the assembly is unoccupied by a war, has its own forces, probably has some unheard of weaponized dunamancy, and doesn’t have to contend with the military that is wholly loyal to the king.

time for a coup, y’all.

addendum: this is a theory/analysis, and it’s only one potential thing that might happen in the next few arcs. however, a counterpoint: the assembly has enjoyed unprecedented power, a small amount of responsibility, and very little oversight during its existence. I could see the point that there isn’t much motivation to change that, especially for da’leth—except for the fact that the empire still does not have an heir. the potential of a power vacuum will likely leave the assembly in a tough spot and without a puppet to control, and a coup to take power now may be the answer to that. that really is the key: before dwendal can actually do something nuts, like beat da’leth to creating himself a phylactery lol, they may intend to grab power to maintain control over the situation in the long run.

additional reading: I wrote up this post a few months ago about why, in conjunction with this, the assembly wants to keep their involvement with the beacon theft quiet—any conflict with the king will get started on their own terms. (which is the main point of my thoughts that the assembly will also likely try to have essek killed—while he’s alive, he’s a loose end, and even if it’s his word against theirs, it’s still possible he could sow doubt with the king. luckily for the nein, the assembly doesn’t seem to know that they’re aware of that!)

[thelioncourts]

I'm gonna join the people asking for Capri fic recs! Any you've got from 2019?

oh boy do i! 2019 was the year i read the most capri fanfiction (since i didn’t read the series until 2018, kind of makes sense) so some of these or even a lot might not be from 2019, but i read them in 2019.

kimihia by thewriterofperfectdisasters

Laurent frowned and drummed his fingers against his laptop as he considered what to say. In theory, nothing was stopping him from going to Greece. Nothing was stopping him from maybe running into someone he met over Tinder. The only thing standing in his way was his own apprehension and mistrust about the whole situation.

Rating: Mature; Word Count: 22876; Warning(s): None

Receipts and Reciprocity by itallends (and its sequel

Damen has a thing for buying Laurent stuff.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 49948; Warning(s): None

The Tall Kingdom I Surround by yekoc

The first time it happened, in the midst of battle preparations at Karthas, Damen had dismissed it as a momentary lapse. Laurent’s voice, issuing curt orders, and his own involuntary reaction: nothing more than force of habit, the instincts he had trained into himself, deliberately, in order to survive.

Nikandros had noticed then, and had let it go with the circumspect silence of a kyroi to his king. That was as it should be, Damen thought. It was not worth discussing. It was not even worth thinking about.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 3719; Warning(s): Power Dynamics

to taste your beating heart by onekingdomonce

It had been Laurent’s idea.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 10531; Warning(s): Aphrodisiac 

Homeward Bound by Seek_The_Mist

In Vere, a Récurrence marks the five year anniversary of every married couple, from humble commoners to Kings and Queens. The Kingdom hasn't seen royal celebration for two decades when Laurent decides to hold one.In the distance, the bells of Arles chimed up, marking the eleventh hour of Laurent and Damen’s fifth anniversary, one ring at the time.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 12382; Warning(s): READ TAGS!

got we walkin’ side to side by sweetricebuns

They're both really sweaty. It shouldn't be hot, but somehow, it is.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 1830; Warning(s): None

Felled by You, Held by You by okhotnik

Laurent has some hang ups that are worsened by Nikandros's inability to knock. Damen is just glad to no longer be bedridden.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 5423; Warning(s): None

Kiss Me on the Mouth (Set Me Free) by tasteofink

Breathlessly, Laurent spoke. “I’m not sure we are playing this courting game anymore.” “I graciously accept the loss if you’ll have me in spite of it."

Rating: Teen; Word Count: 6474; Warning(s): None

Only Human by exyking *Laurent/Nikandros*

He hopes against hope, for a brief and whimsical moment, that perhaps Damen hadn’t left. That it is him taking the shower that Nik has just walked right in on. But of course, Nik isn’t so lucky.

It’s blue eyes he meets when he turns his head, not brown; golden hair turned a nutty colour under the spray of water, not black.

Ok, this is fucking awkward.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 5622; Warning(s): Infidelity, Degrading Praise

Paradigm Shift by Just_Another_Day

After years of coming to terms with how misplaced his unrequited teenage crush on Damen probably was, Laurent finds that Damen starts actually paying attention to him after all. Laurent's not very good at dealing with the change. (Nor is Damen, for that matter.)

Rating: Teen; Word Count: 4181; Warning(s): None

Since When? by MimiJae (2016 story)

Eventually he understood clearly he was soon to witness the two most powerful people on the continent make love, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 3793; Warning(s): Voyeurism 

Take Me Down in White by covertius (and its sequel!)

The staff at Charls’s bridal salon is no stranger to a difficult entourage.  But when accommodating bride Lykaios brings along her opinionated mother, her fashion-conscious sister, her ex-boyfriend, her sister’s ex-boyfriend, a close friend of the groom, and the brother of her sister’s current boyfriend, it could prove a recipe for more drama than dresses - especially when those last four?  Are the same person. It’s up to fashion-director Laurent to get this appointment back on track, this week on Say Yes to the Dress.

Rating: General; Word Count: 11463; Warning(s): None

Mine Again by FanaticeIllabantur

After Damen spends a month in Ios, Laurent intends to make up that lost time in a single night.

Rating: Explicit; Word Count: 12666; Warning(s): None

there are, no doubt, so many more, but here are some! they are all kinds of wonderful and deserve all the love

[bigskydreaming]

I'm not the anon from last night, about Ionaperidot's story, but no offense I kind of feel it shows how you are pretty quick to judge stuff. And that's maybe why people have such strong reactions to your posts about Ao3. Nobody likes seeing the stuff they like criticized and you're no exception so I would hope it'd be understandable that when people do respect your opinions on stuff & they see you shutting down things they like without giving it a full chance, it does seem kind of hypocritical.

LOL. Quick question.

Are you freaking KIDDING me?

Okay, see this is EXACTLY what I was trying to avoid and why I was doing my best to be vague and circumspect last night and shift the topic away from just that story in particular, because I’m actually not out here trying to start things about other writer’s work just because they did something that bugged me. I’m blunt as hell. If I want to say something, I say it. If I want to condemn something, I condemn it. If I want to criticize something, I criticize it.

I don’t play games about this shit and so I was legitimately TRYING to refrain from going into specific issues I had with a specific piece of fanfic. But what I’m not gonna do, is sit here and be told I’m a hypocrite who doesn’t give things enough of a chance before forming my admittedly strong opinions, because LMFAO.

You want the truth? I actually read a LOT of that particular story, AND even checked back in on its sequel in the hopes it’d addressed the specific issue that killed my enjoyment for it, because I WANTED to enjoy it, I enjoyed a LOT about it and how the other characters’ stories were played out.

My specific issue with that story ONLY arose at the point when Bruce stopped his research into trying to find a way to undo the Talon changes to Dick...on TIM AND JASON’S RECOMMENDATION. One of the things I actually really loved about the fic before that was how much it prioritized the personal agency of the kids as they coped with their various traumas, such as when Bruce made a conscious effort to let J’onzz ONLY use his telepathy enough to let JASON make the choice if he wanted a ‘quick/sci-fi fix’ to his brain damage related issues, or if he wanted to heal from it naturally and organically and in his own time. 

But all of that went out the window with Dick and Dick’s character alone, as the good Batdad who prioritized letting every one of his other kids heal naturally in their own time and on their own ways....listened to his two teenagers’ take that it would be too damaging for Bruce to undo the Talon changes to Dick, as they and the ways it had changed his brain were in THEIR OPINION the only things that made him able to cope with what he’d done as a Talon. Let me reiterate. Two teenagers with acknowledged mental health issues AND their own personal skews to how they viewed Dick that were born entirely of the version of him THEY’D known in their alternate universes....were given the deciding vote on how Dick was allowed - or rather not allowed - a full range of options in whether or not he got to heal from his trauma naturally and organically - the way they were allowed to.

That was what I was not okay with. That wasn’t their call to make, it wasn’t their opinion Bruce should have sought - especially not when he’s got alternate reality tech that gave him access to multiple other versions of DICK to ask HIS OWN ACTUAL OPINION on what he could or could not cope with. His own reality had a grown up version of Dick Bruce could have consulted. He could have asked the Dick from Tim’s universe when he visited. He could have asked the Red Hood version of Jason to ask his Dick. He could have kept searching through universes until he found a version of Dick who HAD been a Talon, and who found a way to undo the Talon changes...and ask HIM if he was glad he’d done so or if he regretted it and should have stayed the way he was.

But none of those things happened, or were even considered or raised as potential avenues of exploration, and even though I gave the fic a good long while after that before calling it quits in the hopes that it was leading up to somebody pointing out that there was a clear double standard underlying the logic used there....eventually it just seemed more and more like the reason Dick’s storyline was treated differently was because it allowed for keeping him as ‘cute and little and kinda broken’ and thus made it unlikely that he was ever going to grow up to be much like other versions of Dick...and thus unlikely to ever take any kind of lead in the family dynamics, which here would potentially ‘take away’ from say, Tim’s position in the family. THAT is what bothered me enough to quit the story. That a fic that was so fundamentally about mental health and recovery and allowing traumatized children the courtesy of applying their own damn agency to their methods of recovery....didn’t blink about doing the exact opposite to one specific character who’s noted for more usually occupying the position in the family ‘hierarchy’ that others were now able to occupy instead....and that seemed to me like the kind of character preference - that while totally understandable - is a mistake to allow to play out in a story with these SPECIFIC themes.

(Also, I’ve been pretty damn regular about expressing that I personally have a huge problem with the trope that Dick is ‘too good/too pure/too filled with light’ to ever kill, and that being made fully aware of what he’d done in the past would have broken him in the story...like, obviously falls into all my issues with that particular trope. 

I hate that it off-handedly implies that every character that HAS killed as a child, like Damian or Cass or even Jason whose first kills happened while he was a teenager....like, it basically suggests that they’re fundamentally LESS good, LESS pure, LESS filled with light....or else they would never have been able to kill in the first place, or else would have somehow been damaged or broken or irreparably LESSENED by doing so. And I think that throws all of THEM under the bus, rather than actually doing anything to uplift Dick’s character or express anything positive. 

Honestly, its just another form of infantilizing him. Especially when you consider that per Last Laugh, he has killed in canon and he ALREADY WORKED THROUGH having killed someone...like, it literally happened. On panel. It wasn’t easy, it did affect him, he did angst about it, but it didn’t fundamentally CHANGE him as a person or make him any LESS of who he’d been before.....and all of that is just further reason why I push back against the idea that Dick ‘just couldn’t kill someone ever’ or the tendency to sweep Last Laugh and what happened with the Joker under the rug. 

Because it doesn’t actually do Dick or his character any favors. Actually, its more that while nominally its said to be in defense of him and his character....its really more like people are saying ‘Dick can’t HANDLE killing someone’ - especially when you consider how much fandom as a whole celebrates and glorifies the characters who are able to kill in the name of victims and obviously doesn’t see it as a slight against Jason and others).

So yeah, THAT was my real issue with the story and why I dropped it and what I was trying to refrain from spelling out because I’m actually NOT out here trying to tell everyone what to think and DIDN’T have any interest in trying to turn people off the story or give them reason not to read it and form their own opinions about it, without mine clouding the issue.

But fuck that, if its gonna just lead to people giving me shit about how I don’t give things enough of a chance before making a judgment call against them, because lol actually, the last time I peeked in on that series was just two weeks ago, where I skimmed the latest updates to the sequel in the hopes that maybe the introduction of Roy had brought that issue to light, like he compared this Dick to the one he’d known and disagreed with their assessment of what Dick could or couldn’t handle, or else at least just flat out said no version of Dick he knew would ever be okay with his brothers deciding for him what he was capable of overcoming and what he needed to be protected from. Especially not if the end result was going to leave him permanently altered by what his abusers had done to him.

So...is THAT having given the story enough of a chance before forming a ‘snap judgment’? Did I do it right, per your official overview of the situation? Or should I still be reading it and waiting to form an opinion, same as I apparently should be still waiting for SOMETHING before deciding that....I don’t like how people react to criticism of Ao3?

Idk, I mean, maybe I actually AM pretty consistent about the things I do and say and post about and believe. And maybe the problem ISN’T that I’m kinda hypocritical.

Maybe its just that like you said, nobody likes seeing stuff they like criticized, and rather than working through that for yourself, you’ve decided to make it MY problem, SPECIFICALLY.

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

(have an odd bunch) Muffet, Grillby, Burgerpants, and Nicecream Guy one day found a human baby in a hollowed out tree with nothing but a note reading "If you are reading this, I have no doubt you're most likely a monster, but either way, I pray that you're kind enough to listen to me. I don't have much time, so please, all I ask is that you take care of my child and let them live. The royal guard is after me, and it's not safe to keep them with me. P.s. please let them know that I'm sorry."

{ Oh, well-!I assume you mean the Tale! Versions of the characters, since you have not specified anything.I had the need to add also Gaster because I truly love writing of Wingding so he is the bonus this time, maybe I will add him very often~ }

❧ Tale! Muffet ;

She was already a mom since she got so many spider children she adored so much. They were her joy and pride and every one of them loved so much their spider mother as well. While she was taking a walk, she noticed a strange sound coming from the woods, so Muffet, moving her pretty eight arms, decided to take a look, finding a creature in a hollowed out tree. It was a kid, a man cub. She could not find the reason why a baby like this was here. It was strange seeing a human in the Underground because they usually were founded by Toriel or the skeleton brothers and not by normal citizens. This was so weird.The spider lady did not know what to do with this child because she was not sure if she could keep them. Maybe she would have given them to Asgore because human’s souls were so precious but she wouldn’t have delivered them for free, he had to pay a high price to have them because it was so expensive and she was still a businesswoman. After a while of thinking, Muffet took the baby with her, she was still unsure because she could have used them to feed her baby spiders too, human’s meat was so delicious and full of vitamins. Her kids would have been so happy to eat it. So many possibilities and she was still hesitant.Muffet had noticed the notes after she came back home, because it was so dark. Then, she read it and her five eyes got wet because it was the last message of the mother of this child. Muffet, like a mother herself, could perfectly understand those feelings and she felt so bad and guilty for the thoughts she had before. Muffet could have never imagined her life without her precious babies and this little human was alone in this awful world. It was horrible. At the end, the lady spider decided to keep the baby, her strong maternal instinct won over everything and she had a heart, she was not cruel and selfish. She noticed her little spiders adored the human and the little arachnids became like siblings for them, Muffet was so happy and she decided to protect the little human with her life because now they were part of her family and no one could have changed this reality.

❧ Tale! Grillby ;

Rarely, he walked away from his bar in Snowdin because he was a fireman and he could be dangerous without he could realize, setting fires by mistake. This day was different from other days because he had to do some committees for his job, even if he hated crossing the woods because all those trees made him uncomfortable, he was afraid to put everything on fire destroying the forest. Grillby walked with circumspection and carefully, he was really concentrated until he heard a crying. Someone was crying in this forest and it seemed a baby’s lament so he thought a kid was in danger so he had to help them. After he searched for the voice, he found a little human inside a tree. This child was trembling because of the cold and it seemed they were alone and abandoned. Getting closer to them, he noticed there was a notes near the baby, Grillby has not had the time to read the words written there that the paper burnt under his touch so he lost most of the message. He understood  that a mother left here her child to save them from some hunters but he could not see who this person was and how she reached this place since adult humans rarely came here. In any case, the fireman decided to take the baby because it was too cold here and they needed something to eat, their state was miserable. He did not know how to take care of a little human but Grillby was not heartless so he gave mercy to the child who was unable to protect themselves alone. After a while, the fireman got affectionate to the little kid and he chose to keep them because this baby has been too much unlucky in their life and they deserved a little peace of mind. Even if he was a fire monster, he did not hurt them because he could control his flames well and the kid was so happy with him. They always laughed seeing his red blazes, they played with his glasses, and Grillby has never thought a little child like it could bring to him so much joy. The thought to give them to Asgore has never crossed his mind. This little baby was like his son now.

❧ Tale! Burgerpants ;

It was a warm night and Burgerpants was coming back home after a long and exhausting day of  job. He truly hated that job because he felt like a poor slave and this was not his ambition. He should have been on the stage singing songs, not Mettaton. He was just a robot, an artificial creature. Even his voice was fake and artificial and it did not matter how much the current technologic was evolved. Burgerpants was surely more talented than MTT even if he gave up his dream so long ago and now he was lost in the oblivion. Hotland was a place too much hot for his tastes and he was sweating like a runner who just crossed the desert after a marathon. The poor cat was going to faint when, suddenly, a voice brought him to reality and it seemed someone was crying and he did not care to know what it was since it was not his business. That crying became louder than before and his ears were exploding so Burgerpants decided to see what was happening. Then, his sight was captured by a weird tree and he did not know there were trees here but it was an isolated tree with a ruined bark and that sound came from there.  In the moment he looked inside the tree’s hole, he noticed a little baby covered by blankets. They were so small but the thing that surprised him was the fact that they were a human and it was too strange. How could a baby human be in a place like this? Then, his questions received the proper answers since he read the text left by the mother and the monster cat was shocked. This baby was an orphan, he felt so sad for them but he did not know what to do and he did not have any experiences with children. It was a miracle if he was able to take care of himself. How could he handle a little kid? And it was a human so it was a problem since humans were seen with suspicions in the Underground. He decided to take it anyway because he could not leave this creature alone in the middle of nowhere.The baby was very friendly with Burgerpants and he felt his heart full of joy like he has found a new reason to live, and he was back to life again. He was so touched when the baby held his paw with their little fingers and Burgerpants cuddled him crying because it was like a miracle. They were his little buddy and he did not want to leave them anymore. It was a gift from up above and now this poor man had discovered a new sense of life.

❧ Tale! Nice Cream Guy ;

The days proceeded as usual for the ice-cream man of the Underground, he was gentle and friendly and his ice creams were so nice. Nothing could go wrong today even if some people could ask what was the sense of selling ice creams in a city like Snowdin, since here the snow was everywhere and the cold was enough, it seemed. The Nice Cream Guy did not care about these little things because he was ready to welcome his clients with the most beautiful smile and they would have bought his ice creams only for seeing his cute face. His name was a guaranty and maybe the real purpose of his customers was admiring the fascinating rabbit of the ice creams. Today was calm and ordinary but he was not bored because he was sure something new would happen. He had this strange feeling, like it was a sixth sense. After a while, these feelings revealed itself to be true but it was something the Nice Cream Guy could have never expected. A sound so similar to a crying echoed in the woods of Snowdin and it was becoming more intense, so he decided to investigate leaving for some minutes his ice creams stand. His portentous rabbit ears followed the sound until he reached the place where it came from. There was a child in a tree and this was a human kid. The Nice Cream Guy was confused because it was rare finding a baby in a tree. It has never happened so he did not know what to do. Maybe he should have contacted the royal guards because humans here were most wanted. Then, he noticed the notes the baby was carrying with them, it contained a message from their mother who asked for help. She wanted that their baby survived and anyone who had found them took care of them because they were so little and vulnerable. The rabbit man brought the baby with him because a creature like this could not stay in the middle of a cold forest and he was still a nice guy so he had to help them!The baby found his fur so soft and comfortable and they slept there like The Nice Guy was a duvet and he feel in love with this baby instantly because they were so sweet. He decided that they would have become his heir because he wanted to teach the profession of the ice-cream man to them, and it was so wonderful. He was already proud of his child.

BONUS:

☛ Tale! Gaster ;

Wingding had no time to dedicate to himself or others, since he was so busy with his job at the Lab to pay attention to life in general. One day or another it could happen that even the loneliest persons like him were forced to leave their house, exploring the wild world. Not that he was afraid of something but it was a nuisance. He had to go to Asgore because the King wanted to know how his experiments about human’s souls were proceeding and Gaster was a little pissed because this pressure made him nervous and those experiments were going nowhere because this was a hard research but the king wanted everything now but he needed to be a little more patient. The most important scientific discovers often came by mistakes, so you could never predict anything. Just think about to the Newton’s apple, so Gaster was waiting for the right moment until that apple would have fallen from the sky. No apple has fallen from the sky actually, since it was an artificial sky. It was absurd anyway because apples did not rain from the sky so he got confused.The visit to the king was a little boring because Gaster did not have nothing to say to him since he was still experimenting and he still did not possess any sample of a determinate soul so he could not do anything until he found it. The scientist was directed home when suddenly a mysterious sound brought him to reality, it was a loud voice of someone who was crying. He could not understand but he was curious, so he decided to check until he reached the forest where he found a hollowed out tree but the most disorienting thing was the thing inside it: a human. It was a baby human and Gaster thought he was dreaming. He found something better than an apple, this was the illumination he needed. He acted calm and circumspect anyway because it could be dangerous and nobody had to see him bringing a baby at home. In a second time, after he came back at his Lab, he read the letter and this was so sad because now he understood this baby was an orphan and the royal guards wanted to catch him like a prize. His real duty was to give them to Asgore because it was an another soul useful to break the barrier. On the other hand, he did not want to give this baby to him because he would have killed them and maybe this creature should have helped him with his studies. Then, he found out what kind of soul this little child got and Gaster felt luckier than Newton because they had a determinate soul even if it was not so bright because they were still a baby but it was all he needed. Wingding decided to take care of the baby and he was full of hope because this baby would have permitted him to resolve the mysteries of souls.The time passed, and Gaster became more attached to the baby since he considered them like his child and he had taught to them all his awareness as if they were his assistant. It’s been a while from the last time he felt so relaxed and not alone anymore.