#Life is a pretend game to them and they're the kid who wants to control the story

[subconsciousmysteries]

Vultology is the stupidest thing ever

I've heard a lot of people argue that "vultology is the only way to realistically type yourself" "when you type without vultology you're not accountable for yourself, you're just believing what you want to believe about yourself, and you're probably not being realistic" and the narcissism in all these statements is beyond belief.

Where is the "accountability" and "realism" for the person who invents a whole system to tell other people who they deeply are inside based on how they look?

Did she or he invent their vultology system through any sort of scientific method?

Or is she or he just a professional stereotyper and dehumanizer?

Usually it's the latter.

I've never seen someone invent vultology who isn't a massive hypocrite that wants to dehumanize others, reducing them to appearence, whilst getting to keep their own self-identity story intact. Most vultology systems are always chopping and changing the rules despite claiming to have it all figured out and be objective. And most vultology systems have also twisted the rules of enneagram and/or MBTI around the cult leader's snowflake identity. To name one example, I was in a group that thinks 4 is a gutty id type and 9 is about Compliance. The leaders typed as 4 and 9.

"Nobody is a real person except for me, nobody is allowed to have their stories about their identity except for me, I reserve the right to pervert entire systems of thought to keep my identity intact but you're not even allowed to self-type" is the mantra of all these professional stereotypers. Don't believe my word, go out and see it for yourself. Vultology is a stupid tool of narcissists and it always will be.

[dredgesnails]

i know grian said he didn't know who got what powers (other than his own), but either he was lying about that or whoever did assign them knew exactly what they were doing because they feel like they've been made FOR them.

some of them are really obvious, like bdubs controlling time (both through speed and by sleeping), cleo getting to raise the dead (and grian getting to see skizz and mumbo again as a result), pearl getting to fly (arent her goggles and wings so moth-like? they are to me) and lizzie being a literal Shadow Lady. joel, bigb and scar all got powers that connect to their characters this season, like joel's affinity to parkour and bigb's whole creaking deal and scar really wanting to punch people far (and he's making a rollercoaster. what do you do with rollercoasters? you ride them...). etho "did that make you jump" slab gets to (literally) jumpscare everyone on the server and of course theatre kid rendog gets to pretend to be other people (he's also one of the few people who subbed in for another player during a prior season).

martyn's fits his lore as listener so well, grian's got the most watcher-like abilities of them all, and gem getting being able to see traps and communicate with the dead (one of whom is only there because he tried too hard to kill her) is brilliant with how she plays the game like she's got more control than anyone else (hello watcher/listener...?). finding connections with scott and impulse's powers might be more of a reach but to me they fit well because scott generally comes across as harmless and peaceful but he's also almost literally become a sacrificial lamb, and impulse switching places with other people makes me think of third life and his double crossing playing both sides schemes.

tango's might be my favourite because the frostwalker ability is so decked out deepfrost citadel to me, and he also gets to flee with extra flee (my personal favourite catchphrase of his). also (not to overanalyse) jimmy's power fits so well into his overall narrative as a canary who's broken his curse: he's never made it to a final episode, he's been grian's guardian angel (always watching, never seen) and with the canary gone from the mines there's nothing to warn the others so they're dead before they realise they're in danger.

[polyhexian]

Petrification AU - The more I think about it the more I realize you can get so much secret cruelty mileage out of Belos keeping Jasper's statue around. Like:

Belos spending a lot of time with little Hunter in the garden, sitting on a bench right by the statue telling his nephew alllllll about how they're the only family they have. How he rescued baby Hunter from his dead mother's arms.

Belos playing some kind of game with Hunter that involves throwing tomatoes or paint balls or something at Jasper's statue.

Belos simultaneously negging Hunter and building up his excitement about becoming the Golden Guard right in front of Jasper.

Belos losing control of his curse or punishing or otherwise hurting Hunter in front of the statue. Or criticizing him and telling Hunter all the ways he sucks right in front of his dad.

Belos deciding that Hunter messed up so badly this time he isn't gonna get locked up his room, nah, you don't deserve to be indoors, you can sleep outside in the garden tonight. (Assuming this is like a private courtyard garden that only the two of them can really access.)

Belos talking at Jasper's statue like an IT guy with a rubber duck. Hey, I'm brainstorming more ways to make your kid's life hell, get a load of this mission I'm thinking of sending him on. But how can I make it HARDER? Hmmmm…ooh, wait, here's an idea!

Belos wondering if maybe he's a litttttttle too obsessed with this particular Grimwalker's corpse, it's the first time he's kept one of them around and the only other corpse he's been this focused on is his brother's, does Jasper really deserve this kind of attention? Sure, it's funny, but maybe it's TOO much fun for a Puritan? Is mocking Jasper distracting him from the important things in life, like plotting bureaucratical genocide? Jasper isn't even there to feel the mockery, and Hunter isn't even aware of what he's doing, maybe he should remove the statue and… Nah, who is he kidding? This is GREAT. At the very least it keeps giving him good reason to go outside and get some fresh air!

This lunatic is always TALKIN, he's missing to himself or to the collector or his dead brother or this stupid statue corpse of one of his victims. He just can't help himself. Bet he takes a LOT of sick pleasure in talking to jasper the way he cant justify with Caleb. He can't admit to himself how much he hates him. He has to keep up the delusion that he wishes he could have saved him or it means admitting it was a selfish act, killing him. I like to imagine also that he has a kind of persistent delusion that if he can finally make a Grimwalker that doesn't betray him, one that isn't a sinner, it can save calebs soil by bringing it back to the human realm to die there. Sacrificial lamb and all. But like always, he's willfully ignorant because it allows him to keep seeing himself as a hero and saviour. The same way he tells the collector that no, he doesn't make those things just to destroy them, it always hurts him when they betray him. But he's s.ing when he says it. He's lying, but he's pretending he doesn't know that, even to himself.

JASPER though. He can lay INTO jasper. Jasper turned on him! He can be as cruel as he wants because jasper DESERVES it. Obviously. He has to pretend he likes Hunter, but he doesn't have to pretend shit with jasper. He can stand out there as long as he wants and play his little games to try and make this dead man suffer just a little more.

Hunter is going to have the MOST fun revelations about THAT in hindsight. Imagine little hunter sleeping outside and it's cold and damp and he's hungry and he's talking to the old golden guard statue about how he's gonna be the best golden guard someday, and get his own statue!

[kwamiwayzz]

angsty Jecka Headcanons Abt what her family life is like? <33

Ooh this one hmmm...

I might not have too many aside from the general idea that she would unintentionally pick up habits from her controlling and abusive parents.

As a kid, Jecka would hide in her room whenever her parents would argue and turn up the TV volume to drown out their fights.

Her dad has most likely cheated a few times, but her mom stayed just to save face. The only reason why she'd finally leave him is because the physical abuse was getting to a point she couldn't deal with anymore.

Jecka's mom would often pick out her clothes for her, which is why she comes off as preppy on the surface (this might've been mentioned in the game, but I don't remember).

Jecka's dad doesn't always physically hit her, but the one time she didn't listen to his demands, he threw her against a bookshelf. She would just end up cowering in fear every time he yells at her because it's at least better than getting beaten.

Growing up, Jecka would often see/hear her parents arguing every other night, but then the next morning be all lovey-dovey like nothing happened, and she's just learned how to ignore it so that she doesn't need to deal with all that (also it's how she ends up developing a coping mechanism for dealing with conflict).

Her mom would force this life path on her (which had been ingrained in her since she was a child): go to an Ivy League, marry rich by 25, and have kids by 26. After meeting Nicole, most of her mom's life path suggestions were all bullshit.

Years later, while Jecka cuts contact with her dad once she no longer needs him financially, she still maintains a cordial relationship with her mom.

The first time Jecka got beaten by her dad, she snuck into her mom's makeup cabinet to hide the bruises.

Her grandma (on her mom's side) is more of a control freak than Jecka's mom and has sent her clothing gifts that are definitely not her style (and way worse than what her mom tells her to wear). But Jecka is forced to wear it whenever she has to visit her.

When her mom left her with her dad (Flip Side), Jecka blames her for not staying to continue shielding her from the abuse even though she knows how fucked up that sounds.

When her home life is surprisingly normal, Jecka mostly just listens to what her parents talk about and doesn't really share too much about her school life with them (especially about Nicole).

--

I'll probably add more if the brain worm gets to me again, but these were at the top of my head and I hope they weren't too melodramatic. The way I see Jecka's family is that they're the typical white suburban family where they pretend they're so perfect on the outside (her dad donates to charity, her mom is a department store manager/worker, their family is pretty well-off), while having so many problems behind closed doors (her dad is a drunk deadbeat who beats his wife and kid, her mom projects herself so much into the image she wants her daughter to be).

[princess-of-the-corner]

honestly anything TA says about Chloé and her background and motives is just like, a display of shallow understanding on how society works. People don't care if the customer service workers (from waiters to doctors and any job that serves a customer, which is pretty much all of them) do their job for money or because they genuinely like said job so long as they get good service like they were promised. Privilege is part of a whole ass System and you can't say just *this one specific person* has privilege when literally a majority of the cast has white privilege, all of them are at least middle class, and Adrien, who is one of the main characters, and Felix and Gabriel, two other big names in the show, are upper class white males. the last two are people who get off scott free from all their crimes which is probably what would happen in real life because of said privileges. And even then, the money all the rich kids supposedly have? Not even theirs. They're all broke dependent children with Adrien being the only one with a job and even then where's that money going? Does Kagami get fencing prize money? Is it hers or is it her mother's? Also anyone can be abused and have trauma and mental illnesses and whatnot, and full stop. Doesn't matter what you have or don't have.

Yeah no exactly like.

If we pretend for a hot second that having wealth cancels out any other trauma, then it should cancel out at least every traumatic experience for Gabriel, Felix, Adrien and Kagami. Not to mention you have to ask where the line is drawn because a lot of the Miracuclass is pretty well-off even though they're not quite in the 'Scrooge McDuck Money' category. (seriously we have discussed the class's financial situations before and of those whose families we've seen the only one who /might/ not be some kind of rich is Mylene.)

But these things don't exist in a vacuum.

You can have all the money in the world and still have trauma from various things! Since we were just talking about a certain AU, let's gesture over to Batman who is famously very rich but also traumatized as fuck!

Someone wealthy can have fucked up events happen to them. They can have parents that abuse them. They can have partners that abuse them. They could be born with some chemical imbalance that makes them depressed despite the fact that they 'have no reason to be depressed' because fuck man that's what depression does!

And while wealth can help, as it has access to resources to help fix your problems, it doesn't solve things.

But yes! Chloé being a child has another layer to it! Because her wealth is not her own and she /can't/ use her money to fix her problems! Even if Chloé did realize 'hey I need therapy', she'd need to get her parents' permission and have them pay for it.

At the same time, she has no way to escape her situation. She is underage and needs a legal guardian of some sort. Her parents have enough money that she can't report them for child abuse and expect to be removed from their custody. She has no access to income of her own and/or skills to get income where she could petition to be emancipated from them.

And even when she /does/ become an adult, there's the question of what will happen. Because maybe they cut her off and leave her to flounder with no skills as soon as she turns 18. On the other hand, they could keep controlling her like a child because she has no skills thanks to their shitty upbringing and can't survive without them, so it's a game of 'you'll get money as long as you do exactly what I want'.

This stuff does similarly apply to Adrien, Felix and Kagami as well. They seem a bit more ready to function in the world, but even so they're still children at the whims of their parents and can only escape through their parents fucking dying.

[hezuart]

Small question, if it was answered before then I must have missed it: What inspired giving RNK any powers? Not that it's a bad thing, especially not in the channel change story (which is great, btw! If there's more to come then I'll be excited to read it!) but I personally always liked how normal, so to speak, he was in comparison to the rest of the cast so far. So like, don't take this as critisism, more like, wondering what the thought process was? I'm trying to word what I mean right, sorry if it just comes off as if I'm repeating myself.

Glad you asked! So I explain his powers and a little bit of why I chose them in the description here and here.

I totally get where you are coming from, so here is where my thought process lies: (color coding my paragraphs to sort them by topic)

Absolutely no one in Little Nightmares is normal. The story seems like it's a supernatural post-apocalyptic meta-commentary on corruption that comes with adulthood. Nearly every highlighted character in this series has some sort of deformity or power. The Janitor has long stretchable arms. The Butler from the mobile game has telekinesis. The Doctor, despite his size and weight, can crawl along the ceiling like a bug(wall sticker?) and has successfully reanimated the dead. The Lady is a soul sucker. The Teacher has a neck that can extend indefinitely. The Granny can breathe underwater. The city folk have some kind of screaming power that can kill Mono or render him unconscious.

There are a few exceptions, like the Hunter and the Twin Chefs, but we don't see enough of them to truly determine whether they're completely powerless or not.

It's hinted that the deformities are caused by the tower. Whether or not powers come from that as well, or if people are simply born with them in this world is entirely up for debate. The Pretender was the first confirmation that some children are merely born with these powers and are unable to control them, whereas Six is portrayed as someone who gained powers from an adult later on, whereas Mono might be somewhere in between. The fact that porcelain fake children are running around like they are alive is also a highly questionable supernatural occurrence.

Most of the children we encounter are "normal" at first. But we have seen very few kids in this series before their untimely early deaths to figure out if they had powers. But most of our main characters that typically survive have major influence in the story on top of having great supernatural powers. That's one reason I gave RK the fandom's "Seven" name and powers. Because he is a main focus, no longer on death row.

In this post, I describe Seven's many connections to water before his death, and why, if he had canon powers, these would work best. Seven having powers isn't something common in the fandom. I wanted to contribute to that.

The main bigger reason, however, is that giving Seven powers balances his friendship with Mono. I didn't show it in my comic properly at all, but at the very least, you can tell Seven is nervous whenever Mono uses his powers. Seven witnesses him create a shockwave scream at the fearsome Lady. He witnesses Mono travel through television. He sees him open a metal can without touching it. I'd imagine some other things happened offscreen that Seven picked up on. Regardless, he was aware of Mono's powers. He didn't know exactly how powerful, but he had a feeling. Seven felt... weak? In comparison. He felt vulnerable. He still wouldn't give up on trying to help, nor was he willing to give up his trust in a friend who saved his life, but it still made him very uneasy and unequal. Mono is oblivious to this.

Seven gaining powers, powers that Mono can't wield, is important to their friendship and their dynamic in the future. Mono's powers are frightening and intense, but can only be used on land, otherwise, he'll short-circuit and burn his hands with water. Mono controls the land, while Seven controls the sea. There are many dangers in the water that surrounds them, so even though they escaped to this "Island" they're still, in many ways, trapped. For Seven to gain control over the sea, means they are also finally, truly free. (Well... not completely, just yet, but still more free than they were before.)

I wanted them to feel like they were on top of the world, that they could do anything. That no one could stop them. A calm before the storm. A win before sadness.

I will be doing one final edition of my comic, but I'm stuck on it at the moment because it involves the time loop. (Which is really difficult to solve) I plan to take this comic in a controversial direction of a popular, highly debated, and unconfirmed theory. There's a possibility people may be unsatisfied and confused with this ending, and I worry about that. I want to make it in a way that would feel like a good send-off to this AU. I don't know if I will succeed or not, but I'd like to try. I'm used to Little Nightmares typically ending badly. In a way, for the threequel finale, that will still ring true, but also may be a good ending. But I want it to be more significant and I just haven't figured it out yet. It may be a long while before I can even start drawing it.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Villains - Part 1

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

My dad used to read Snow White to me as a bedtime story when I was a kid, so I asked him this:

Kate: "Why does the Queen want to kill Snow White?"

Dad: "Hm? I think it's about pride, vanity, and wanting to be number one."

I remember that his answer didn't add up.

I had a feeling that the root of her desire was something darker and heavier, something that made her want to take her life no matter the cost.

But I still have no idea what it was all about.

Alfons: "I apologize for interrupting your lover's time."

Alfons: "Please don't mind me. Go ahead and flirt to your heart's content."

Kate: "I've said it many times, but we're just "pretending" to be lovers!"

That night I learned a secret I shouldn't have known, and Victor, the queen's aide, offered me to become a fairy tale writer for one month.

------------Flashback------------

Victor: "The fairy tale writer's job is to document them. That means you need to understand them better."

Victor: "So, Kate. Here is my first task for you."

Victor: "Choose one of the crown members and spend a day as their lover. Yay!"

---------Flashback Ends---------

It was Alfons who reached out to me when I was having trouble deciding who to choose.

(He asked me to pick Elbert.)

I glanced at Elbert, sitting next to me.

Elbert, a man of few words and the most passive member of the crown, seemed far removed from any malice or sin.

I agreed to Alfons' proposal, thinking I'd be safe with Elbert.

Alfons: "Pretending or not, you guys are still lovers. El, make sure you escort her, okay?"

Elbert: "Yeah, I know."

(Alfons said he was like a servant to Elbert.)

(But from an outsider's perspective, they look like close friends.)

Elbert: "Rest assured, I won't make you feel uncomfortable."

Kate: "I really hope you don't mind. I apologize for intruding on your schedule."

The two were scheduled to attend a party hosted by a certain noble family today and are now on their way to the mansion.

Alfons: "Well, it's not a mission, so let's take it easy."

Alfons: "The only thing I'm worried about is that El's greed might get out of control again."

Kate: "Out of control?"

Alfons: "El has a nasty habit of wanting anything others deem beautiful."

Alfons: "Since we're going to a party where glamorous aristocrats dressed up in their finery and pride, you'll have to take the reins today, Kate."

(I have a bad feeling about this, but...)

Kate: "I'll do my best to understand Elbert better."

Alfons: "Oh dear, how brave."

Elbert: "............"

Elbert has been looking out the window wistfully the whole time.

(The word “fairest” really fits him.)

(But why does he look so sad?)

His usual melancholy eyes seemed to be even cloudier today.

(Elbert is a man of few words and doesn't seem to express much emotion.)

(I should keep an eye on him to understand what his feelings and thoughts are.)

Host Nobleman: "Hey, hey. I didn't expect you to bring a woman, Count Greetia!"

Elbert: "..........."

Alfons: "Thank you for the invitation, Graham."

Graham, the host aristocrat, greeted us, looking gobsmacked.

(Judging from Elbert and Alfons' attitude, they aren't close.)

(Maybe they're just acquaintances.)

Graham: "I bet today's party will be a blast."

Elbert: "I'm not gonna do anything. I'll behave."

Graham: "You don't understand. You sure will stand out by just standing there. You, what's your name?"

Kate: "Nice to meet you. My name is Kate."

Graham: "Hold on, I've seen you in the theater before. You know, last month's Love Potion."

Kate: "Huh? Yes, I saw that play last month."

Graham: "I knew it! You like to go to the theater? Then we have a lot to talk about."

(Whoa there, Mister.)

Graham suddenly leaned closer.

Elbert: "Could you please not get too close to her?"

(Huh?)

For some reason, Elbert stepped in front of me protectively.

(Elbert?)

Graham: "Oh, come on. It's not like she's your lover."

Elbert: "She is."

Elbert: "She's my lover, so please leave her alone."

Kate: "!?"

Interrupting to protect me from Graham, Elbert abruptly declared.

(You don't have to go that far in pretending to be my lover.)

Stunned, I stared at Elbert's profile as he protected me.

Elbert: "..........."

His expression was so serious, even hostile, that my heart skipped a beat.

Alfons: "Well, well."

Graham: "I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to look so uncomfortable."

Elbert's hand gently held my shoulder to shield me from his curious gaze.

(He's so close.)

Elbert: "Let's go, Kate."

Kate: "O-Okay."

I curtsied to Graham and stepped toward the entrance as he urged me to.

(Maybe he did that because Alfons told him to escort me properly.)

We made our way down the hallway, still a little nervous about being hugged on the shoulder.

When we arrived, Alfons suddenly stopped.

Alfons: "As much as I'd love to see this interesting development, I have to go and see a friend."

Alfons: "We'll split up from here. El, take this with you, just in case.

Elbert: "Yeah."

Alfons handed Elbert something and quickly walked away.

(I wonder what it is. It looks like a key.)

Elbert: "I'm sorry if what I said was offensive."

Kate: "-----!"

A sad murmur brought my attention back to my partner, and Elbert's hand, which had been holding my shoulder, gently pulled away.

Kate: "It's fine. I was a little surprised, but why did you do that?"

Elbert: "Because you're my lover."

(I feel like there's another reason for it.)

(But I should probably pretend to agree with that reason.)

Kate: "You take the word "lover" very seriously."

Elbert: "..........."

Elbert: "..........."

(Oh, he smiled.)

The faint smile made my heart flutter for a moment.

Elbert: "That's right. So tonight, please don't eat or drink anything except what I hand you."

Kate: "Huh?"

Elbert: "And don't walk away from me. Make sure you're by my side."

Elbert: "You're allowed to go somewhere, but don't go anywhere other than where I tell you."

(Wait, what?)

I couldn't hide my confusion as he threw one restriction after another.

Elbert: "Can my lover please do as I say?"

Kate: “Um… Okay.”

Pressured, I nodded involuntarily.

(He's acting like there's danger, but Alfons said it's not a mission.)

Kate: "Um, what am I supposed to do?"

Elbert: "Our goal is just to attend, so nothing special."

Elbert: "Don't worry about the others. Just be there for me as my lover."

People gazed at us as we proceeded through the doorway and into the hall.

(Elbert's beauty stands out even more when he's surrounded by posh people.)

It was clear from the gathered gazes and whispers that I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Gorgeous Lady: "His dazzling golden hair and blue eyes! He looks like he came out of a painting."

Jewel-clad lady: "Oh, he's looking at me!"

Gentleman with a cigar: "Even the gorgeous decorations fade away when he's in the room."

(He's really popular.)

I watched Elbert as people approached to greet him.

(Everyone is praising him.)

Elbert: "............."

The more they praised him, the sadder his expression became.

(Also...)

Noble lady: “Lord Elbert, you look beautiful today.”

Elbert: “Yeah.”

For some reason, some of the people who approached him wanted to touch his body.

They would touch his shoulder, arm, and chest for a split second as if to mark him, making him so vulnerable.

(Why doesn’t he reject it, brush it off, or step away?)

Every time they touched him, his expression darkened.

(He looks hurt, but why don’t the people who touch him notice?)

Elbert: “...........”

(I’m pretending to be his lover, so I guess I’m allowed to do this.)

Kate: “Elbert. I could use some air.”

Elbert: “What?”

Kate: “Will you accompany me?”

Part 1╏Part 2╏Premium End╏Epilogue

[crumb]

the NO-SKIP albums: a tag game 🎶💖

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

This was so hard!! There are so so so many albums not included but I think 15 albums is enough to where I look crazy but not tooooo crazy (doubtful) and I wanted to make it somewhat varied genre-wise. A lot of these artists have like multiple no-skip albums as well so picking between them was extra difficult—on some I went with the underrated favourite of mine to mix it up. I don't know! It's kinda all over the place. Thank you so much to @ventiswampwater, @visceravalentines, @avrilsboy, & @actualfucking for tagging me!!! 🥹 I think there were a few others who tagged me but then removed my tag, probably because they saw I was tagged by others lol, so thank you to those ppl too!!<333

Tagging: @xoxo-gossipghoul (& anyone else! I think most people have done this at this point? But if you’re reading this and haven’t been tagged yet then this is me tagging you!!! lol) Album List & Track Rec:

🏴 Damaged — Black Flag (1981)

track rec: Police Story

↳ This fucking city / Is run by pigs / They take the rights away / From all the kids

🪑 Songs from The Big Chair — Tears for Fears (1985)

track rec: Mothers Talk

↳ It's not that you're not good enough / It's just that we can make you better / Given that you pay the price / We can keep you young and tender / Following the footsteps of a funeral pyre / You were paid not to listen now your house is on fire

💀 Collection I & II — Misfits (1986/1995)

track rec: Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?

↳ Rip the veins from human necks until they're wet with life / Razor-blades love teenage flesh, an epidermoty / I'll bring back a souvenir, for it's my mommy's dream

🍊 No Doubt — No Doubt (1992)

track rec: Trapped in a Box

↳ Ah trapped in a box my life becomes void / And all of the thought for myself's now destroyed / Controlling my mind, what to eat, what to buy / Subliminal rules: how to live, how to die / Trapped in a box

🌙 Dreaming of You — Selena (1995)

track rec: God’s Child (Baila Conmigo) (Ft. David Byrne)

↳ God makes us dream / But won't set us free / Hey, hey, hey, hey / God calls us dance to songs we can't hear / Hey, hey, hey, hey

🌊 Tidal — Fiona Apple (1996)

track rec: Sullen Girl

↳ And there's too much going on / But it's calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion / Under the waves in the blue of my oblivion

🦷 The Distillers — The Distillers (2000)

track rec: Red Carpet & Rebellion

↳ The palace dialed in the streets were burning / The red horizon came crashing through the morning / There was no contentment, only bloodshed / Red blood and social discontent / Bruised by puritan, oh, puritan exempt / It's like a peasant uprising

🦋 Greatest Hits — Mariah Carey (2001)

track rec: When You Believe (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston)

↳ They don't always happen when you ask / And it's easy to give in to your fears / But when you're blinded by your pain / Can't see your way clear through the rain / A small but still, resilient voice / Says hope is very near

😈 Antics — Interpol (2004)

track rec: Not Even Jail

↳ I pretend like no one else to try control myself / I'm subtle like a lion's cage / Such a cautious display / Remember take hold of your time here / Give some meanings to the means / To your end / Not even jail

🌆 The City Sleeps in Flames — Scary Kids Scaring Kids (2005)

track rec: The World as We Know It

↳ A virus known as rage / Is brutal in destroying / And spreading all over the place / Bleeding culture / The dying nation / When the money controls the tide / We won't get another chance this time / We won't get a second chance this time

🎺 Back to Black — Amy Winehouse (2006)

track rec: Some Unholy War

↳ If my man was fightin' some unholy war / I would be behind him / Straight shook up beside him with strength / He didn't know, it's you I'm fightin' for / He can't lose with me in tow (With me in tow) / I refuse to let him go (To let him go) / At his side and drunk on pride / We wait for the blow

🎸 Favourite Worst Nightmare — Arctic Monkeys (2007)

track rec: Teddy Picker

↳ And it's the thousandth time that it's even bolder / Don't be surprised when you get bent over / They told you, but you were gaggin' for it

3️⃣ Three Vol. 1 — Joel Plaskett (2009)

track rec: Gone, Gone, Gone

↳ In the middle of a lonely night / Got caught in the hallway light / For a minute you were gettin' close / I suspect I've seen a ghost / In the middle of a highway dream / You got caught in the headlight beam / Down the road with your tired eyes / Good old boys with your old goodbyes

🫙 Ignore the Ignorant — The Cribs (2009)

track rec: Emasculate Me

↳ Spent all this time chasing happy / But happy is boring to me / So put walls around our misery / And gently emasculate me

🧱 Brutalism — IDLES (2018)

track rec: Exeter

↳ It seems like no-one cares / I think I'll take the stairs / 'Cause nothing ever / He punched himself in the face / To prove he wasn't gay / 'Cause nothing ever happens

[all-pacas]

more chase md and stacy!cameron hcs. more chase md and stacy!cameron hcs. more chase md and stacy!cameron hcs.

OK, tangent about cameron's 3rd husband aside:

To really drive home the parallels, Stac—Cameron comes to Princeton in season tw—Chase's second year on the job. So a year after House's 'death.'

She's just gotten divorced, she's running out of places to run, Foreman offers her a job. And that's humiliating, but also. She has a kid — let's say a boy — to worry about, she can't do her usual run to a new part of the country thing, she doesn't want to stay in Chicago.

Chase has nooooooo interest in talking to her. He's not showing up at her house to pretend to catch rats, he's not trying to prove she secretly loves him and came back for him. Nope. Not even close. She got remarried less than a year after they divorced, he's not that kind of pain.

Cameron is the one who is doing the insane House stalking thing. Because. Excuse you. Chase is ignoring her? They are colleagues and they are friends and he's avoiding her? She just got divorced again and is trying to prove to herself that she doesn't ruin everything she touches, that she is capable of relationships, that, okay, third husband was a rebound and a mistake but! Her second marriage was fine, right? Her exes don't all hate her, right? And, well, she's lonely. She did fuck up her life. She's giving Chase a bit of the Dead Husband Rose-Colored Glasses, looking back on a time that was better than this. And for real. It bugs the hell out of her that he's freezing her out. She keeps scrounging up consults for him, or offering to help him get the paperwork and diagnostics under control, or go out for drinks to celebrate his case/new job/whatever, and Chase is like [thumbs up] nah

He won't even play with her baby. Like not in a "alas! The child of another man!" way, he's just uninterested in engaging and Cameron is going fucking nuts about it.

Actually, Chase is also going nuts he's just. He knows this game, and its name is daddy issues playbook. If you admit you care, you get hurt and disappointed. Better to not care at all. About anything. Or anyone. Because if they get close again, it'll suck more when she leaves again, and actually he does feel a little "the child of another man" about the baby, like, yeah, this kind of does hit all his insecurities, better to just ignore it and freeze her out!

On the outside they're both very polite to one another, exchange "how-do-you-dos" in the halls, have very civil professional conversations, but you can feel the chill, the psychic waves are just. Insane.

Park and Adams are like owo and Taub, who has quit but is always happy to share the gossip, fills them both in on (what he knows) of the marriage and divorce (obviously sans-Dibala). I think Adams is probably a little :/ about it, she had a little baby crush on Chase, but Park is absolutely torn between a) beating the shit out of Cameron or b) getting them back together. She announces both these options to Chase's face, of course. Foreman, to his own surprise and dismay, also finds himself on team "maybe this will be less annoying for me if they do hook back up," like, never did he think he'd long for a day Cameron and Chase were together, but time makes fools of us all!!!

[bg3fandomcritical-active]

The gur are not racist to Astarion. Racism is not when you're mean to someone let's just start there lol.

The gurs are absolutely racist to Astarion lol. They blame him for being under mind control, they treat him like a subhuman when he is in their camp, they call him a monster to dehumanize him, they use stereotypes and biases to judge him by "all vampires are evil" and they also straight up tell you that all vampires including spawn should be dead just because they're vampires - and they say it when he is there completely ignoring him. You can't get more racist than that. To tell somebody that you know about their traumatic past but you think they are a subhuman trash who should die only because they belong to a group you hate - in Astarion's case vampires. If the gurs are not racist to Astarion and vampires than Astarion is not racist to the gurs too. He is only mean and "being mean is not racism"

Second, Astarion is lying when he says the Gur are working for Cazador. Gandrel can tell you straight up he's looking for the missing kids and that's why they're hunting him. The idea that his initial death was set up by Cazador is just speculation and headcanon.

I'm not talking about Gandrel. The player can point out that Astarion's death looks like a typical trap and had to be organized, which means some group of gurs worked for Cazador. It's not even Astarion who says that. It's a logical observation made by a player. Every other logical observation like that is always turn out to be true. The dialogue is there for a reason.

He was killed for passing a law that affected a group of people negatively and calls them all cutthroats.

First of all he calls them cutthroats after they had murdered him. Secondly there is no information about what the case was even about. Saying he did it because of their race is a headcanon with no evidence. Those particular group of people may have really been cutthroats for all we know. Lastly, the fact that it impacted them negatively says nothing. We don't get any information about the case at all.

Also Ulma doesn't blame him for being brainwashed she just doesn't absolve him of all responsibility for his actions. Clearly she does not attempt to kill him on sight especially after realizing he's freed from compulsion; she tries to reason with him.

After finding out that he somehow broke free of compulsion and mind control their original plan was to find him, torture him and either kill or give him to Cazador. She says that they wanted to kill him herself, and if you don't recruit him or give him to Gandrel you find his corpse at Cazador's. The only reason that she doesn't kill him on spot later in game is that she wants to use him. She also blame him for being brainwashed. She knows about mind control and yet she talks as if it was Astarion's fault, saying all those lines about him needing to redeem himself and having sins. She is obviously talking about the things he was forced to do while being under a freaking compulsion that he couldn't resist since she has no way of knowing what he did later, what he thinks, what he plans and she can't remember his previous life.

Him being forced to steal the children under Cazador's commands is one thing, pretending it's not his problem and he doesn't owe it to the Gur to right that wrong now that he DOES have the choice is another.

He was kidnapped by mindflayers... he couldn't do anything and he thought they were dead anyway. He may still help them but I would prefer him to be angry and defend himself from their constant attempts to dehumanize him and treat him like a perpetrator instead of a victim of mind control.

The other side of freedom is accountability. That's the whole point of his personal quest.

The guilty one here is Cazador and only Cazador. Not Astarion and not his siblings. In act 3 it's said it was Cazador's order. In act 1 Astarion explains that they can't disobey because their bodies react automatically, just like his siblings can't not attack the camp in act 3 even if you successfully convince them. They were all used as tools by Cazador. There was no free will and according to modern law if there is no free will there is no crime. Yes they attacked the gurs and kidnapped the children but being used like that and forced to fight against their will was also abuse. Similarly with other victims. Yes, Astarion and his siblings doomed them but in the process they were also forced to sleep with those people against their will, which is just rape. The one to blame should be Cazador, the one held accountable should be Cazador, yet the gurs seem to blame Astarion even more.

.

[syncrgistic]

(freida pinto. cis woman. she / her.) ⸺ 🦬 greetings, buffalos ! walking around campus, sporting her hair in a braid with flowers weaved in it, we’ve spotted ANUSHKA “ANU” RAI, a thirty - seven years old who contributes to our thriving community as a PHARMACIST / CHEMIST. according to our intel, she’s been around the sanctuary for a year and what we know about her, aside from the fact that she doesn’t agree with the decision to close the gates, is that she carries the weight of being the protective older sister of her 5 siblings and constantly feels like she’s not done enough to protect them, she’s a city girl at heart and misses her old life dearly ⎯ even that shitty apartment that grew mould and had leaky taps but this was her life now and there was no use dwelling in the past, and despite everything, she still remains optimistic for the future, though she’s not sure if it’s truly how she feels or if she’s just so used to pretending like everything will be alright that she doesn’t know how to not pretend anymore. doesn’t that make her fantastic ? we think it does, and that’s why we appreciate her so much, grateful for what she gives to our community.

stats

full name: anushka rai ⎯ अनुष्का, a ray of light; राय, king

nicknames: anu

date of birth: october 10th 1986

age: thirty seven

gender & pronouns: cis woman & she/her

education: high school diploma, undergraduate degree in biochemistry at stanford university, phd in molecular pharmacology and therapeutics at columbia university (never completed)

occupation: pharmacist/chemist

hometown: san jose, california

language(s): english, hindi, basic spanish

faceclaim: freida pinto

personality

positive traits: compassionate, intelligent, forgiving, optimistic, protective

negative traits: perfectionist, controlling, hypocritical, subservient, gullible

mbti: esfj ⎯ the consul

enneagram: 2w1 ⎯ the companion

moral alignment: lawful good

temperament: phlegmatic

zodiac sign: libra sun, cancer moon, libra rising

character parallels: katara (atla), monica geller (friends), aerith gainsborough (final fantasy vii), peeta mellark (the hunger games), annie january (the boys), ravi chakrabarti (izombie)

bio

// TW: allusions to child neglect, mentions of death and grief //

you're the eldest daughter first, your own person second. it's been your identity since you were three years old, before you had really known anything else. the years that you were an only child are years that you cannot remember, but it doesn't matter because they're irrelevant. you can't remember the first time your mom told you were going to be a big sister but the photos show that you wear that title on your chest with honour. but with age, you slowly begin to resent the title, the responsibility that your parents have put on you. you love your siblings and would do anything for them, but you're just a kid too, not a surrogate parent.

being eldest meant you were overlooked, always the good child that no one had to worry about but that was because you had no choice. the supervisor couldn't be irresponsible now. but god, you wished someone would worry about you, that you could hang that title just for a little while and be a normal teenager for once instead of picking your siblings up from school and fixing their after school snack. the worst of it all was having to see your parents be the parents you wished you had to your younger siblings. you were the test subject, the one that they could afford to mess up on, but in their eyes, you were perfect so they must have done something right.

so in an attempt to rebel, you apply to the colleges furthest away from home just so you can get away. you love your family, but it's time to find out who you are outside of these four walls, outside of your family home. you don't want to be eldest sibling first, you want to be anu first, eldest sister second. but you can't bring yourself to do it when your youngest sibling is looking at you with their sad eyes and you stay. but you have to rip that band aid off sooner or later and apply for graduate school in nyc. it's only there that you realise that maybe you like being the eldest sister when it's something you can choose to be. maybe you were born with a maternal instinct and warm, comforting hands. you find your siblings in reuven's kids, making up for all the times you dismissed your siblings, making up for lost time, and in some way, healing your own childhood. you miss them, but at the same time, you think for the best.

that's until the outbreak and her first instinct to go back home, protect your family but by the time you get there it's probably too late. she had three children here that she had to protect now. in the end, you failed them. and failing them, served as a reminder how you had failed your siblings. how they ⎯ your siblings and reuven's kids ⎯ had looked at you as their caregiver, their protector but you couldn't even do the one job you were given. if you weren't the eldest sister, then what were you anymore?

grief destroyed you, destroyed you both to the point of no return and you left on a mission to find your family. your purpose had been destroyed and you needed hope to hold onto otherwise you'd collapse; that hope was believing at least one of your family members was still alive. it's a shot in the dark, especially since they could be anywhere but it's something you're willing to die trying. it takes years but you find one of your siblings. you realise you've missed so much, that you're sorry that they had to deal with losing your family by themselves. but you have a purpose again, an identity, and you spend it trying to shield them from the horrors that they've already experienced, tell them that you believe there's a cure out there. you never let them see that you're scared or worried for the future. only smiles and promises to safety. you're gotten so good at lying about the cure and stability of the future that you're not sure what you think anymore. it's second nature to you and before you know it the words come out.

your second wind of hope comes in the form of colorado university where you hear talks of a sanctuary. you no longer have to force yourself to lie to your sibling about safety when you believe you're safe. you still can't figure out whether you believe there's a cure out there or not, despite spending your time at the sanctuary researching the virus. in the end, you always come to the same conclusion, you have to believe in it because then what is all this for?

tdlr: a traumatised eldest sibling, carrying the weight and guilt of not being able to protect her siblings from the virus, who has made it her purpose to try to find/create a cure for the virus, even though some days she doesn't believe it exists, because she needs some hope to live for

© template by anasbobashop

[inquisitorgaywarden]

weird fun facts about you oc(s)

Rules: share some fun facts about your oc(s). They don't have to be relevant to their story, perhaps even better if they aren't. The weirdest ones are the best!

Tagged by @ndostairlyrium - Thank you so, so much!! <3 I love talking about my kids :D

She can't cook for life. Morrigan and Alistair tried their best to teach her the basics... but she just can't,

She steals as a hobby. When she was younger, she stole from her family and staff around the Cousland's castle, only to give it back later and watch their bafflement as they realized something of theirs was missing. It became a bad habit. She gives back the stuff she stole (usually),

She loves being in control and making tough calls, even if they're stressing her out. She was raised as a ruler and she enjoys leading,

She loves politics and scheming. She finds it fascinating and she wants to find out more about people, their motives - it's the game, and she thrives in it,

She loves to draw; her sketchbook is filled with sketches of her friends and gryffins (there's a lot of sketches of gryffins and Alistair with hearts around them).

Her magic abilities showed up when she was around 5 years old, scaring the shit out of pregnant Leandra who went into labor shortly after. Hawke froze Malcolm's hands as he tried to tickle her,

She hates being alone. She needs someone at close proximity at all times; the more the merrier! After all, she need an audience for all the jokes she cracks (lmao),

Often she casually strolls into Anders' clinic to watch him work - healing magic is not her forte, and she finds it mesmerizing how Anders wields it,

She can sing - she loves singing. She used to sing lullabies for the twins when they were younger,

She doesn't really sleep at night, but she often takes naps. She can nap anywhere, there's no position that's uncomfortable for a nap. She especially enjoys those naps when the sun is shining right at her, warming her up. Anders says it reminds him of a cat.

In the Ostwick Circle, she and her friends created a competition of 'who's going to make the funniest prank on the Templars.' It went on for years, but finally, she was declared the winner when, at her Harrowing, she decided to prank them with a bunny pretending to be a demon of greed,

Due to her rebellious nature, she often wasn't allowed to leave the Tower. Thanks to that, she's quite pale. After leading the Inquisition, she got sunburned really bad, lol

Her attitude is surprisingly very un-ladylike - despite being a Trevelyan. This was something Josephine was concerned about when they went to Halamshiral, but Evelyn put on such a good mask - remembering all those talks she had with her mother and all the books she read about Orlesian customs, her behavior was perfect,

She's got a big sweet tooth. She loves tiny Orlesian desserts, cakes, chocolate, sugar, and fruit. Instead of eating meals, she tends to snack throughout the day, taking a little pouch filled with dried fruit, cheese, bread, and nuts.

Her magic abilities presented when she was 13; she made her fingers sparkle with electricity when one of her cousins stole her piece of cake. Her cousin's hair stood up, and the entire family dinner went silent. Then, chaos erupted.

_________________

I'm tagging @rh-ood @plisuu and @thatonedalish

No pressure tho! :]

[kabillieu]

I think our kid's former best friend, who were our neighbors, have moved. There are different cars in the driveway, and I used to see the siblings outside playing fairly frequently, but I haven't recently.

I am not sad to see them go. I think part of the friendship falling apart was because the mom didn't like my kid and restricted her son's access to my son. Former best friend was constantly playing outside, but when I would send my kid over to his house, he would almost always come back saying that his friend's mom said he couldn't play.

I feel a couple ways about it. It's her right as a mom to decide who her kid has access to. But also I think this was a clear case of a grown woman not liking a child and deciding that her kid wasn't going to play with my kid. My kid is weird, and he can be controlling in his play. He's also autistic, something this woman was aware of. He's an intense friend but a good friend. And the boys seemed happy playing with each other. It's also true that I think former best friend was probably naturally beginning to grow out of the kinds of imaginative play my kid likes to do. The friendship was probably always going to fall apart.

But I can't get over this woman not liking my kid and punishing him for it. I also can't deal with her very Midwestern affect of being extremely pleasant to me while also very obviously not liking my kid or probably even me. I find the culture of bland Midwestern politeness and passive pleasantness to be harder and harder to digest the longer I live in the Midwest. There's a similar fake-friendliness in the South, but because I'm from there I recognize the cues better and understand where I stand socially with people. Here people are just nice to you to death all while actively hating your guts. It's maddening!

Anyway, I'm glad they're gone. I'm glad I don't have to see her or her kids anymore. And to be clear, I like her kids. They are good kids. I wish them well. But I don't want people in my life who are actively disdainful of a little autistic kid who just wants to play pretend and jump on a trampoline and talk about video games.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

If Daniel and Terry really got married, do you think Daniel could actually be happy? Would he still have autonomy? I feel like he would have to put on a front to keep Terry happy. Terry controls everything and kind of takes things over? But he makes it sound like he's making things better? Kind of scary actually. You'd have to be a stepford wife to be with him. And he'd probably keep tabs on Daniel wherever he goes. Like how do they fix both of their trust issues

There is a version of Terry that he would be happily married to but it isn't canon Terry. Maybe if he went back in time and never started doing drugs. Maybe if he never met Kreese. Maybe if he was never put in the cage. If Twig had gotten himself into therapy earlier and worked out his issues. If he didn't let himself develop such an identity crisis. I feel like Terry is unmoored within himself. He doesn't quite know who he is without attaching himself wholly to someone else. He finds his identity in others. And I feel like that's because he grew up not fully understanding his own expansive, overwhelming emotions. It was probably considered improper, looked down upon, and so he repressed himself until he lost himself a bit.

(lol. I get so many headcanons from that one short tattoo shop scene.)

I think Terry expects to be with someone who is just as obsessed with him as he is with them. The few relationships he has are very intense, and unstable. All of the rest seem like a role to play.

So, I do think there's a universe where Terry meets Daniel on better terms, and Terry becomes determined to show Daniel he can be a good partner. But there would be an element of shadow puppetry even in that.

Terry would know not to come on too strong. That's not normal. He doesn't plan on actually giving Daniel that much space, but he can pretend to be a normal, well adjusted boyfriend until Daniel rightfully figures out he doesn't need anyone else in his life.

I do think he has an obsessive streak in any reality, but I think with the right person that could work. With someone as devoted to him as he is to them, they could be their own little army against the world.

And Daniel is very loyal to those he loves, but he also wouldn't want to feel pinned down. He has a rebellious streak and loves meeting people. He's sweet but he also has that temper. He would feel stifled.

I think it's possible for Daniel to be happy in such a devoted, closed off relationship, but only if he's socialized in a certain way. One of the reasons many men date women younger than them is because they're much more malleable. They're still learning what works for them and trying stuff out. And this can work, if both people are smart and respectful of one another. The reason it doesn't is because certain types of men specifically seek out unsure, growing women because they're easier to control, because they're gross and don't want a partner, but want a pet.

I can see it working if Terry met Daniel when he was young, like in canon, but then didn't okay those sick mind games. If Terry was in a better, more stable place mentally, and Daniel didn't have Miyagi or Jessica, or someone else to share himself with.

Nothing is impossible, but I do feel like even in a nice!au where Terry is more hinged and Daniel is a sweet, love struck kid, that eventually after a certain number of years the possessive nature of Terry would become a problem, and that is something they'd have to come back to deal with every once in a while.

Of course that's in a situation where this is a normal relationship. Because logically, most versions of Terry wouldn't care about boundaries or unhealthy codependency. Because if he had his way Daniel wouldn't want to spend time with anyone else, and it wouldn't be an issue because Daniel wouldn't even know what he was missing.

But I do think that their personalities are complementary to one another. Terry genuinely enjoyed his time with Daniel and Daniel actually liked spending time with Terry until Terry revealed he had been lying to him. They do bring out one another's dark side though, I think even in a healthier setting. It's possible that Daniel could bring out some of the better parts of Terry though. That Terry would want to be better to make Daniel stick around.

Tldr: it's possible but they're naturally messy.

And I think that's what we're all here for anyway tbh.

I could fix them but I like them broken.

[the-white-soul]

Flowey laughs sadistically, enjoying each vivid death he gives to Clover. The more he proceeded, the more satisfied he felt watching the fear grow in their eyes, only encouraging him to keep going until they finally gave in. A sense of power fills him knowing he's the one who provoked such a pathetic reaction out of the usual strong, threatening character Clover has. They're practically coming apart, and yet still pretend to act tough. How funny.*

*Once Clover resets, Flowey finally settles, grinning with delight.* Mmm~ Feels good to let go once in a while! I outta thank Clover for the opportunity. *he giggles, ending it with a sigh.* I suppose we should hope this doesn't happen again even so. The less trouble the better.

*he climbs onto Kara's shoulder to rest comfortably.* Don't listen to that idiot. You were also part of resolving that little fiasco. We both know the talent and qualities you hold! There's a reason I like to hang around you. And Noelle, and any other friends you might have.

Speaking of them, they don't have determination, do they? Monsters won't be able to remember resets because they have no determination, so Noelle won't be mad at you anymore. Convenient, huh? *Thinking to himself in the parentheses* (At least for Kara. But in my opinion that's such a shame.) Funny how Clover's power only ended up advantaging us in the end! Now, it's up to you if you want to announce our win to the others or not mention the reset.

(Kara) "No, unfortunately, she'll remember. She left this universe right before it reset. But hey, we'll remember it."

Arak shows up from a door that leads to the omega dimension. (All do just wanted to specify where it came from. If determined enough at least.)

(Arak) "Determination. Great job. *Claps slowly.* I guess some people can change, except did they? You know something let me show you."

*Arak brings Flowey and Kara into the omega dimension.*

(Arak)"Now do it 7 million more times."

(Kara) "What?"

(Arak) "You and that little flower know that it wasn't just one random universe that had that problem. Genocide infects us all from the creatures known as players. In fact, I might prove a point. You saw that one universe might actually achieve peace. You're wrong. Players, they don't deserve peace. In fact, you think they want us to beg for mercy. NO, YOU IDIOT!!! They want us to fight for eons so they can have games. We must kill all..."

(Kara) "Enough!!! Stop talking your stupid mouth, you and I both know that players are evil. It's rule number one, but that is no excuse for you to harass others who have no part in it. 'Oh here's my long boring reason that players should all die at all cost' You know what I'd rather be controlled by Merg my entire life picking every bad option besides killing than to EVER commit genocide. I learned that very late in my life, and for that I feel bad but if I can learn it so can you."

*Noelle shows up*

(Noelle) "You meant that? *Runs over and hugs Kara*. I thought you were a ruthless person for a second but now I've learned you've changed and if you can change, *Looks at Flowey* Flowey changed too. I forgive you Flowey."

*Arak trembles for a second, realizing that they're backed into a corner they run off. Just then Merg shows up.*

(Merg) "Well, that's the last time I'm letting a loser do my job for me. I'm just going to say this, Toby knows where you are, and so does Temmie."

(Noelle) "Get away from Kara now, or I swear to god I'll rip off all your arms and put them into a spider donut."

(Merg) "Well, that's not too bad..."

(Noelle) "Then rip off your legs put salt in your eyes, *This continues for an hour I kid you not AN HOUR* and then sell your soul to satan."

Everyone's just in shock.

(Noelle) "Sorry was I too violent?"

(Kara) "That was the coolest thing I've heard."

(Noelle) "*blushes* Thanks, what about you Flowey?"

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Are your children unsafe? Why not just lie to them?

Quoth the article:

Recently, Morgan Hook's nine-year-old daughter Elise came home from school and took her family by surprise when she said the drills would not be much use if the gunman just shot down the door.

Mr Hook tried to reassure his daughter that wouldn't happen, but he thought back to a recent shooting at a private school in Nashville when the suspect did exactly that.

"Sometimes when you try to comfort your kids, that means you're lying to them," says Mr Hook, who lives in Saratoga County, New York.

Yeah. Don't have all the details there, but I'm not hearing a kid came home from school crying and screaming and needing emotional support. I'm hearing a nine-year-old correctly assessed she was being asked to participate in security theatre, and YOU tried to gaslight her into feeling safer, Mr. Hook. Do you feel better now? Does she feel better? Is anyone any safer? Does it even matter?

Sometimes, when you lie to your kids, they stop trusting you, and you lose any ability to comfort them at all. And sometimes, when you lie to yourself, you send your kids somewhere unsafe and they die. Odds are they won't, but sometimes they do. So who's lying to whom here?

What's the truth?

"Elise, honey, sit down. Mommy and Daddy and the school are playing a numbers game with your life, okay? You're basically like a bicycle we lock outside everyday. Probably someone won't try to steal you away from us, but if a bicycle thief/murderer finds you, we just want to make sure he kills some other bike, not you. So we want you to have the best U-lock we can afford! Someone could beat it with bolt cutters, easy, but maybe they'll go after another kid who's not lucky enough to be in a locked classroom instead. That's all Mommy and Daddy want, for someone to kill someone else's daughter, and not you."

"Do you not have anywhere to put me where I won't get stolen/killed, Mom and Dad? Could I go learn somewhere safe? Or stay home?"

"Well... It's complicated, but no. The only way we know how to socialize you and teach you while we do our jobs and take care of the house is to send you somewhere you might die. And it's too hard and expensive to make that place safer for real. Like, we would actually have to address systemic injustice, poverty, disinformation and mental healthcare - oh, and gun control! - but not enough people want to. Or maybe they do, but it doesn't matter because the people in power don't listen. So please just take a few minutes out of your day to practice these things that don't actually help. Mommy and Daddy will feel so scared if you don't."

"Sure, I'm happy to help you regulate your emotions and absolve you of your feelings of guilt, Mom and Dad. No problem. You don't even hafta ask!"

"...You're very sarcastic for an imaginary nine-year-old, Elise."

"Just tryin' to articulate the feeling of utter pointlessness that must be in the real Elise's soul, Mom and Dad!"

We've got households where the school is the only daycare they're gonna get and all the caregivers have to go to work - it is not fair to make these folks choose the form of their destroyer, poverty or gun violence. However, if you actually are afraid your child is going to die in school, you should be making noise about how unfair that is. For everyone. Not buying a bulletproof backpack and lying to your daughter's face with an equivocating smile.

At least validate their emotions and admit something is wrong. "You're right, Elise. I'm sorry. We're trying to fix this, but in the meantime, you're going to have to help the school and the teacher play pretend. The real thing is that sometimes bad things happen, but they usually don't, so we're able to be brave and keep going. If you're feeling sad or scared, we're always here to talk about it, and we'll keep you as safe as we can. And if something bad happens, all we can do is keep trying to be as safe as we can, and get through it. Are you okay with that?"

"Pretty much how I live my life every day, Mom and Dad. I'm a kid, that's my job."