#Like...dude's a high-functioning sociopath

[primeministerofantarctica]

actually, sherlock holmes has been in public domain for a while now. what we're celebrating is the ability to write sherlock as respecting women and NOT being a dick 🎊🎉

[imustbenuts]

Who's your Delicious in Fire Emblem dream adventurer party-- We've talked meals, but who's gonna go diving into dungeons to hunt these monsters?

oooh this is a pretty interesting spin and tough to answer. theres so many characters in FE its a difficult to pin down. anyway throught process time

for this ask im going to interpret this into the following problem. 1) be good at cooking mons, 2) and be okay with eating mons.

theres def a lot of them who are objectively good at hunting, but the mon part will trip them up.

further, my problem with the majority of the FE cast is that i trust very few of these people to be both of those things. majority of these characters are also either too aristocrat-y or not adventerous enough in terms of food... at least in my head. more under the cut bc long post ;o

like i cant expect chrom to be all 'sure lets eat some fried lizards', dude grew up on fancy feasts and field rations. even if his STR is through the roof and eats unpeeled oranges hes just not really the type to be enthusiastic on monster food. alcryst would panic at the thought of it and ill spare him from this hypothetical. culturally, takumi might not be ok with eating mons bc they could be too 'unclean' for shinto. similarly, as capable as some cooks are, non-conventional monster parts on the chopping block is probably not something they'd wanna touch.

also for the purpose of this post im sniping bunet and frederick straight out of the pool bc both are such an easy pick. bunet bc he would absolutely respect the food to cook it perfectly, and frederick bc he'd be decent but will be a pain in the ass to deal with without blackmailing chrom or something. bam bam.

so ding dong the first victims of the fire emblem dangly ronply has been found. lets move on

so here are the shortlisted canidates: lukas, nephenee, petra, byleths, nyx and shez. not necessarily a party, bc personality might not gel well together :c, but at least one of these in a party and the run should have a decent chance of succeeding.

1. lukas

lukas is choosen here bc he would not be bothered too much by the idea of eating monsters. in fact, he would be okay at prepping a slain mon for food even if he cant cook decently. his inherent lack of strong emotions or feelings towards things is also going to be a big plus for this specific scenario. some people have interpreted him being a high functioning sociopath or just someone who has very repressed emotions.

either way he isnt too bound by conventional thinking. and also he'd be the party's tank and foward. lukas the tank engine. never forget.

2. nepheene.

she would probably squick a bit here at the thought of eating monsters not bc monsters are ick but bc society thinks the act of eating monsters is ick. so itd take some time getting used to it but she would quickly adapt in a dunmeshi setting given her country bumpkin background.

mon prep, no issues. i also think she might be good at foraging. cooking hearty meals might come easy due to her growing up with multiple siblings. shes also very tough in survival, so i think she'll do okay :)

3. petra

this girl's got it. shes good at hunting, good at trapping, probably okay at recognizing and disabling traps considering her perception honed from her hunting culture and skill.

mon prep isnt going to be a big problem. generally speaking, cultures where hunters are present typically try not to waste any part of their kills, and butchering is an essential skill to have. in terms of taste it might be a little difficult for others to get used to, but im sure she'll be a massive boon to any dungeon food party.

4. byleth / byleths

oh yeah. they are DEFINITELY not going to have a problem with this. considering they're mercenaries and are on the road often, hunting and cooking would be a basic survival skill. they wouldnt be picky about food either

given how they might be very objective orientated, giving them a mission of hunting monsters for food will not go wrong. i hope. as long as sothis doesnt get in the way--

5. shez

!!UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES PUT SHEZ AND BYLETH TOGETHER IN THE SAME PARTY WITHOUT PRIOR INTERACTION!!

to prevent sothis from activating, place a face down shez in defense position and summon a byleth in attack position. then, activate Tea Time and upon the appearance of sothis, activate Swords Of Revealing Light. this will lock sothis down while the two have a chat and realize they're exactly the same except where shez is suckier at general mercenary stuff, they're infinitely better at cooking

once that gets resolved feel free to put shez either solo or together with byleth. they're a squishier byleth but def will get the job done AND feed you yum yums.

6. nyx

nyx is a very very powerful magic user who embodies the lolibaba trope. but for her case, she doesnt follow conventional thinking, and is a very powerful mage who might appreciate taking a mission of dungeon monster hunting to train and get her abilities under control

above all, bc of her curse trapping her physical age to be a young girl, shes mentally an old lady, so shes mature and kind and seems to really want to act on those feelings. her bringing a bunch of dead mons for the youngins to eat might do her good for her mental health :D

further, i think shes the type to pick up maternal-ish skills like cooking and sewing for another person or poor meowmeows if she gets attatched enough.

and bc shes good at magic she can easily disable magical traps or detect magical BS. shes definitely a learned mage by the time we run in to her in fates

thats all folks (this took hours to write hrbrhrh)

[aibuac]

intro post ig

Key: DNI: Do not interact. ATI: Ask to Interact. OTI: okay to interact names: Ollie, oliver, my current user, AIBUAC HUGE skoodge kinnie high-functioning autism and adhd possible sociopath???? idk, just really low empathy artist ig, i suck at digital diehard IZ fan i fucking suck at comforting dude do NOT come to me w/ problems relationg to emotions ! ! ! (itll be so awkward trust dude) saying im gonna kms is the norm RAH i'm not doing so hot rn DNI list: ZaDr ATI (some of you scare me) Zoophiles DNI Pedophiles DNI yk just creepos DNI ZaGr DNI DaGr (Dib-and-Gaz-romance) DNI DaGr (Dib-and-Gretchen-romance) ATI PMaZr DNI DNI DNI!!!!!! chasers DNI PRaZr ATI SodaAndSuffering(RaZr) OTI DoughnutsAndDestruction(PaZr) OTI cis+het DNI DNI!!!!! ableists DNI DNI DNI!!! Lasersmoke(RaPr) OTI! Punchbuggy(SaZr) OTI! POETRY DNI FUCK OFF SERIOUSLY Politics dni zionist dni p0rn accounts DNI (i shouldnt have to say this...) politics dni GUYS... i shouldnt have to say this but if the first thing i see on your account is your tits when i'm checking your account, i DONT wanna interact with you.. selfcest accs ATI (idk about yall)

--- ALSO if i like your stuff and you fit into this msg me!! blocking me is also fine, but i'd like a heads-up if you fit into my dni (ati and oti is fine) so i can just.. get rid of you??? idk block you or sum. yes if you msg me i will reply.(with an acc check) YES if you are one of those gaza accounts that need help i'll repost. i just don't want my fyp littered with political battles.

[mio-nika]

sorry, sherlock pilot episode is still bewitching me.

because it so much better than a finished product. and also because this tv show had a death grip on me, when i was 15.

most of the text is under the cut because SCREENSHOTS

i think the most glaring thing is that Sherlock is not an evil genius? or how he was saying in the actual episodes "high-functioning sociopath". which let me tell you. MAKES INSANE DIFFERENCE.

he still mean, he still comments on Molly's lipstick. or tells Donovan and Anderson that he knows they are fucking. but in the overarching story he more "the kid who doesn't understands why the things he's doing are wrong".

he's not purposefully mean, because he thinks that he deserves it (as the smartest person in the room). usually he just really misses the mark. he's just an infantile kid who gets to play detective all the time.

it's gonna be weird examples, but i think scene with Angelo and scene with the pink suitcase is the great examples of him being more. playful? and nice?

in the scene with Angelo. Angelo retails the story how Sherlock helped him with murder charge. this story also appearing in the fist episode, but with very specific difference. Angelo never hugs him. which gives a very different tone to the scene. look. he's holding him like he's his smarty-pants son. like he's PROUD of Sherlock. and Sherlock looks quite comfortable, not trying to get away or stop the contact. first episode Sherlock would never tolerate this type of contact.

the second is the scene with a suitcase. well for starters he's squatting on the armchair. you know. with his boots on. and he does it very accidentally? they are having a dialogue and in his brain he really goes "im gonna perch like a bird :]". but also, in the episode he asks john what should be in the case, but is not there. and almost immediately goes with "anyway you are stupid, its a phone". in pilot he tells john to look for himself? like "there's something impossible with this suitcase, look! do you see something? or not see?". he honestly trying to share his passion with a new friend!

and the last thing. i really like that Sherlock is not smart actually and John understands it.

so in pilot Sherlock get's kidnapped because he stupid and hot headed. he tries to out-trick the cabbie by playing a drunk. and the cabbie drugs him. yada-yada-yada.

John only has partial knowledge about Sherlock's genius. i mean. he actually was wrong multiple times already! with Harry and just general emotion stuff. but it helps him to think that maybe Sherlock did fuck up and he's currently getting kidnapped. AND HE IS.

and the last thing i want to point out. do you remember fucknig bunny "tell me if im right about the pill" moment at the end of the first episode? this scene actually always pissed me off. like. he can just take the pill and go to the laboratory? my dude you can check yourself, why are you shaking this poor man. he's already dying.

so. in the pilot it's missing. cabbie dies immediately from the bullet to the heart. and sherlock kinda forgots about the pills because HOLY SHIT SOMEONE FIRED THE GUN THROUGH THE WINDOW

but. we have a different scene about the pills:

... ye we still have "scratches on the phone the person is alcoholic" it was there from the start, im sorry

i actually made a video comparing the scene in angelo's between the pilot and actual first episode for a friend.

because the differences are JARRING. like they are so clearly overacting in the episode??? it feels very fake and staged in a bad way.

John saying "so, unattached like me. good" in pilot CAN be read like him implying the possibility of relationship between them. so Sherlock reaction feels reasonable

in episode he's VERY obviously saying it in a tone "okay weirdo, fuck you too". so Sherlock going WE WILL NEVER HAVE RELATIONSHIP very much feels out of left field.

anyway. wish sherlock bbc was real.

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

A lot of people say Gojo is a narcissist, faking being annoying, or incapable of feeling emotions/pretending he has emotions- it's really an incredible misinterpretation of his character to call him a sociopath/psychopath when he's actually just an ENTP. He's the most ENTP ENTP any ENTP has ever seen.

Just a little info: people with the ENTP personality type are extremely charismatic. They are often the center of attention with their quick wit and on point humour. You can see this with Gojo's antics and in your face behavior. However, ENTPs lack emotional sensitivity and are not afraid of expressing their disdain for topics such as tradition, which they discard quickly and easily, or any loose ideas they decide to debate on, which can leave people feeling offended or offput. They are Thinkers, with an underdeveloped feeling function (they are enTp not enFp) and are more likely to use logical reasoning when facing circumstances rather than their intuition or senses.

When it comes to friendships, ENTPs often enjoy people who can match their quick-witted nature. They need someone who can hold their ground during arguments and debates against him for mental stimulation. This makes ENTPs effective communicators, but many would find them to be extremely annoying or tiring to be around, especially because they are often unself-aware of how their words affect others. It's their natural tendency to argue and rebel against set ideas, whether it be for attention or to cure their own boredom that they express such so openly. They are confident even while speaking of their natural inclination to discard existing systems in society, leaving many infatuated with an ENTP's way with words. ENTP's just can't stand willful ignorance and tradition. However, many see this as pretentious of them. However, ENTPs don't argue for pleasure- it's simply the truth and they only ever debate ideas based on facts. Many people misunderstand this as egotism. We can see this when Gojo is constantly verbalizing his distate for the higher ups- he may act high and mighty, but his goal is always to prove his point and send a message across, which is that he cannot stand their archaic, inefficient way of handling things and if pushed, he will fight back. It's not him acting superior, he's simply stating fact, even if it offends the other person. As an ENTP, he simply has an undeveloped feeling function that prevents him from understanding his and others' emotions. Therefore, even if others are annoyed at what he has said, it's fine because it's only the truth, right? That explains why when Gojo had to ask his students if they would continue the exchange event even tho people had died, he was so nonchalant. See how him and ENTPs are so similar?

That said, when it comes to emotions, ENTPs are inclined to suppress their feelings. They're not known for their sensitivity no matter how much they understand the other person's position. When put in an emotional situation, despite being able to argue both sides of a topic, they are remarkably bad at putting themselves in other people's shoes. They also often misjudge others' feelings and push situations way past others' tolerance levels. We can tell Gojo is someone that most people cannot understand and vice versa- he was raised as the strongest, with many fearing his very existence. Therefore, he is even less inclined to be able to understand the emotional needs of other people. That is why he doesn't even realize Utahime hates him. He only thinks her bad attitude towards him is a joke (as said in Gege's fanbook. Shiro on Twitter has the translation). Most ENTPs don't even realize they're annoying to other people. They're just being themselves. Most people just struggle to handle such a person. This doesn't make Gojo an emotionless person- rather, he has feelings, but his natural tendency to suppress them in order to find a logical solution rather than put himself in another's shoes- something he's inherently bad at- infringes in his ability to understand other people.

Therefore, Gojo Satoru is not some emotionless psychopath or sociopath who's manipulative and narcissistic. He simply falls under a commonly misunderstood personality type called the ENTP, an mbti personality type. ENTPs only make up 3% of the population, making them one of the rarer personalities, which is why so many people can easily create misconceptions on his character. His enthusiasm and confidence in expressing his beliefs and attitude even if it annoys people is something many people can't stand, yes. He has a hard time understanding other people's emotions because he's more rational than intuitive, sure. But that doesn't make him a bad person. He's just one of a small group people on the planet who are dominated by logical thinking and debate, along with personalities like the INTP (Albert Enstein, for example) and the INTJ (Isaac Newton).

Gojo Satoru is a regular human being just like the rest of us, and he's not some philanderer who manipulates women and would cheat on them. ENTPs definitely struggle with commitment, but that's only because most people can't keep up with their constant need for intellectual stimulation rather than emotional. While they may find people who are incredibly emotionally sensitive to be intriguing at first, those relationships usually end with the ENTP realizing they would rather have an intellectual equal, like the INTP. They want to feel understood. However, the INTP's personality type only makes up for 3-5% of the population, which makes them, like the ENTP, misunderstood and commonly left feeling alone in the world. Similarly, Geto, the person who got the closest to Gojo, has the INTJ personality type, a thinking type that gets along most with the ENTP and only makes up 2% of the population, even less than the ENTP or INTP's rarity. Just from that, the person that would match Gojo's personality type is rare even statistically. Even so, Gojo himself doesn't even have time for sleeping around. The man hardly even sleeps much himself, he's so busy.

Source: a bunch of ENTP articles, threads, experiences, and other people's experiences.

Just wanted to clear that up, got tired of this Gojo slander lol 😖 Thanks for reading! Would love to hear any thoughts on this 💙 - 🤔 anon

OH MY GOLLY MOLLY 🤔 anon you are out educating the people YES YES I ABSOLUTELY AGREE wow reading this was such a learning experience yeet the people who think gojo is a psychopath. Gojo is just a really complex character and its understandable that some people don't understand trust me even I have my moments when writing when I struggle to keep him in character. I want to explore more sides to him yes the happy bubbly gojo but also the more emotionally oppressed gojo and other sides to him. I definitely agree he drives on logical thinking the dude literally wanted to have a debate on the separation of the state for fun. I am absolutely loving this and yes I am so tired of the gojo slander people don't judge a book by its cover 😤 that goes for other characters as well ☝️ really sorry for the late reply I LOVE YOU 🤔 ANON thank you so much for taking the time to explain 💙💙💙 virtual hugs 💗

[ksbwnotes]

Chapter 9, Part 1

Ahhhh...poor son of a bitch.

1. Heyyyyy, green tape

Hmmmn, Koogi seems to use green a lot...is that just more common a color for duct tape in Korea? But thing is, her main outfit for Bum is green tones. And he likes froggies, which are green. 

Also, we never do see Sangwoo use this tape with CEO daughter girl (just ropes, a cloth for her mouth, and this weird metal thing to cover her eyes). Or with Bum, for that matter (I only saw it so far used with Koogi’s illustrations, which are a different matter altogether...I might be mistaken, I won’t skip to that part, but Sangwoo might have used it on Bum in the last chapters, which could signify how far his mentality has deteriorated). 

But this guy is different. Sangwoo has no emotional attachment to him.  The duct tape could be, in a way, signifying how worthless this person is to Sangwoo. That he’s nothing more than a box full of unsavory memories he would rather tape shut forever and throw away to rot.

2. Ooohp. Bastard’s bringing out his iconic apron

Sangwoo the butcher.

But this is something new that we haven’t seen before. Again, Sangwoo has never once wore this with Bum. So that means Sangwoo truly has no intentions of going easy on this guy. Blood is going to be pretty much spurting every-the-fuck-where. 

So even though Sangwoo doesn’t consciously plan to kill someone, he has his habits and ideas down to a pat so that once he does get into that territory, he can more or less get right down to it. Sangwoo seems to do what he can to ‘separate’ himself from his atrocious acts, but also fulfilling an ‘aesthetic’ that fits with the atrocity he has become. 

Like, that apron.  Too risky to wear regular clothes, so apron is the next best thing and can act as a barrier of some sort once the blood goes flying. It’ll reduce how much splatters onto his skin and how much of his body he has to actually clean. It’s also just keep things less gross and more sanitary that way lol.

3. I am the type to find this funny and really be amused by Sangwoo’s smartass-ness

I suck at being a smartass and I can’t do it, so I really appreciate it whenever someone else can, even if it’s mean lol. But if it’s mean, it’s a guilty pleasure for me, like right now. x’D

4. Honestly, Sangwoo, how did you get yourself into this situation...

Oh!  So he was able to get out of the blow job. Nice. The guy was actually respectful. If Sangwoo were sane, he’d understand this and just run away instead of luring this guy in to kill him. 

But, really, why did Sangwoo put himself into this position?  I don’t have anything foolproof as evidence, but I really don’t think Sangwoo is the type who actually needs to kill at specific intervals as an outlet.

If anything, Sangwoo has a more...instinctual response to sexual situations, like Bum. For Bum, he becomes hyper-aroused and zeroes in on the pleasure to a point that it overrides his more logical line of thinking. The “he’s a killer I should be scared” becomes “it feels so good and nothing else can exist but this pleasure”.

For Sangwoo, he has two modes. The first one is passive, where he’s just following his partner’s whims and saying that he’s enjoying things but he’s actually just powerless to resist. It’s his instinctual reaction after being forced to just...take his mom’s advances. He feels empty, like a doll that is just meant to be used and taken for pleasure. It’s no better than being a corpse that is fulfilling another’s necrophilic tendencies.

The second mode, I believe, came to be as a self-defense mechanism to the first mode. In order to avoid ever feeling like that, he is in control of everything. He has complete dominance over his partner. In a way, the extreme violence is the only way he can genuinely feel pleasure because he’s ‘safe’. He can literally go one way or the other, his trauma has made it impossible for him to have any other mode than ‘docile’ or ‘predator’. 

5. Well, even without the possibility of murdering someone, Sangwoo choosing an alias is no surprise

He did go into a gay bar, lol.

I also find it interesting that this is where we get a look into Bum’s thoughts. And it’s regarding Sangwoo’s alias. 

Also, now I am wondering if Sangwoo ever resorted to using aliases with his other prey. Because if he had, then this does add a whole other layer of premeditation to his serial killing. Even if he’s not purposefully scouting for prey, it would at least mean he’s always prepared in the event that he comes across prey. 

That is what makes Jieun such an outlier and also Sangwoo’s downfall in terms of getting caught. Jieun knows Sangwoo personally. There is a connection between them. And her disappearance could easily be traced back to him. Sangwoo isn’t an idiot. He knows how to pick and choose his prey and he probably makes sure to never make it so that the prey can call him by name. 

That is also what makes Bum such an interesting outlier. Because Sangwoo is risking A LOT just to keep him--someone who knows Sangwoo’s real name and actually has witnessed his personal life, both in the outside world and behind closed doors. Sangwoo chose him over the girl. Sangwoo broke his legs, not only to keep Bum from escaping, but to keep Bum with him. 

This does suggest that Sangwoo is not serial killing for the thrill of it (at least, not just for that), but because he’s in search for something that could replace the kills. Sangwoo doesn’t want a pile of dead bodies under his feet--he wants one alive body to stay by his side and love him, in spite of those dead bodies. 

6. ....cute motherfucker

Koogi, I resent you so much for making him this cute...

Honestly though, it just strikes me how Sangwoo keeps trying to keep on a carefree and happy facade even during times like these. We do later see him doing that as a habit as a child, so it fits that he does that on steroids during his adult years, especially considering the things he does. I’ll refer back to this when we get to Jieun’s death scene.

7. Shows of weakness

Ah damn I’m going to have to revisit this part. I have a lot of thoughts on it, but I’m too sleep deprived to actually make sense of it. But this part is important in understanding Sangwoo’s mentality and the ways he tries to train Bum to fit a certain image.

Aaaaaand today is a new day!!  So going forth:

During the times Bum showed fear and was trembling, I do think a major part of why Sangwoo hates it so much is because it reminds him of how much of a monster he is. But I also think it’s because it reminds him of his mom, which he does say about Bum’s trembling. Because no matter what happened to his mom, she never learned her lesson. If she were able to change, then Sangwoo’s childhood would be less painful. 

But Bum being quiet and looking scared, but still able to meet Sangwoo’s eyes...that reminds Sangwoo of what he was while with his parents. And even though Sangwoo does hate himself--to a point where he doesn’t want to change because he has no belief he can be better--I do think he’s grieving for that child who had no clue that things will just get worse and worse from there. 

Especially since, from what I’m assuming, he knew how to manipulate his image so that he could avoid being beaten and locked up like his mother. So he would hold more respect towards his conditioned response versus his mother’s conditioned response. He probably refused to admit to himself how he felt back then, because obviously that’s a cruel thought to have and Sangwoo’s level of empathy was still average to high at the time. But it still doesn’t erase his resentment towards her inability to be better (I think this also contributed to why Sangwoo presumably felt ‘free’ after his first kill).

I think I’ll have a better grasp over my thoughts once we get to Jieun’s death >_< 

8. *opens mouth, then silently closes it*

That first sentence probably is not meant to sound the way Sangwoo makes it sound. xD  Which is a bit too gay for someone who firmly claims he is wholly hetero.

Oh actually this is funny. Since the only other person in the basement is a guy, the card dude probably thinks Sangwoo really is gay or internalized-antigay or something. But the truth is a lot more complex and sinister than what it appears to be on the surface.

9. Ooooooh, high stakes indeed

Lol, this does drive home the idea to me that Sangwoo is really pissed at Bum. Because, again, he would’ve never went to that gay bar had it not been for Bum. So, in a way, even though Sangwoo internally knows Bum isn’t the one going out in a body bag, this instillation of fear is a punishment for making him question his sexuality in a way that triggered Sangwoo’s trauma. Because there is literally no safe way for Sangwoo to explore his sexuality considering his past and his current lifestyle.

On the other end of the spectrum, I wonder how Bum is feeling about this. He probably genuinely believes that Sangwoo is genuinely putting Bum’s life on the line, in a way that if he fails the card game, he’ll die. Like. I definitely would. No matter what past form of affection Sangwoo showed, if he says he’ll kill me, I would full-heartedly be like “Yeah. Yeah, I don’t doubt you, hun.”

And, still, Bum knows better now than to complain or beg. Because unlike his mother, despite his own mental issues, Bum can be trained and that is why Sangwoo keeps him around.

10. Where do you come up with these things, you bastard

I mean, seriously, he has so many ideas on how to break a person. These are more psychopathic than sociopathic tendencies, I think, so that’s why Sangwoo right now, is a high-functioning sociopath.

11. Oh my fkkn god tho, this smart boi XD

Or maybe I’m just dumb and have no clue how to play cards. 

Or maybe Sangwoo has been spending time with Bum playing cards.

Or maybe Bum is just good at cards and has spent his time practicing them.

Either way, the fact that Bum is able to fkkn pay attention during these times shows that his own trauma and mental issues have no bearing on how smart he actually is. He doesn’t have strong observation skills and is slow to understand people, but that’s more of a natural character trait, even if it is more emphasized by his mental disorders...mmmn, I do kinda wonder if Bum could have some traits shared with autism but I’m too neruotypical and untrained to say whether or not he does.

12. No seriously, we have creative Sangwoo here with this card game from hell...

...Then we have Bum here able to pull out logical conclusions like his mind is clear despite the immense anxiety and pressure of the situation. There’s a reason why Bum is still alive. For some reason, the longer Bum is stuck in his situation, the more 

13. Seriously, I could stab him in the eye for being so cute despite being revolting, it’s not RIGHT KOOGI

Stab stab stab stab

14. It probably doesn’t mean much, but I still can’t help but point out how Sangwoo is making sure to be close to Card!dude and facing Bum

This would be the most logical choice since it will ensure his victim doesn’t try to escape. And even if he does, he can quickly do shit like pulling back his hair if he tries to be ‘bratty’. Also, being behind someone like this is meant to represent a menacing appearance and being the ‘controller’ behind the scenes. Sangwoo has the upperhand since card!dude can’t see him and Sangwoo can do whatever he wants to the guy. 

But this also puts Sangwoo and Bum on more equal ground. Sort of like “partners in crime” because they can face each other and communicate via body language. In a way, Sangwoo can help Bum or make Bum do things, influencing his next move. While, at the same time, keeping a literal eye on Bum but without the upperhand he has on card!dude--because Bum can also keep an eye out on him. 

15. I’d probably laugh if I were Sangwoo too lol

I bet you Sangwoo didn’t expect Bum to actually get the goddamn ace. The fact that Bum is this fkkn lucky is indicative of how Bum is lucky enough to even be alive at this point. Bum has been able to avoid his ‘fate of death’ over and over again that, honestly, the sheer disbelief of it is ridiculous. But it’s also like Sangwoo is saying ‘Of course you’d get the goddamn ace. Of course you would, you little shit, why am I even still surprised by you at this point’.

In a way, Sangwoo might also be thinking that ‘Huh, it’s like I meant to mess with the cards so that’d they be in your favor.’ But of course, he can’t have that because Bum being ‘too’ happy about things means he won’t be able to control Bum. So, for Bum’s case, he’s doing a second round to train Bum further, rather than to fuck with him before he kills him (like what he’s doing with card!dude).

Other than that, this is also indicative of just how well Bum is dealing with the anxiety of this moment. Card!dude might have done better (though he can’t have that much control over the cards) under normal circumstances, but between the both of them, Bum is actually calm enough to think things through. It says a lot about his capabilities lol. It makes me wonder what kind of person he could’ve been had he been raised well.

ALSO, AGAIN WITH YOU BEING CUTE SANGWOO. NO. ESPECIALLY NOT UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES YOU ASSHOLE. STOP IT.

16. Lol, even though this is a throwaway line, I think this is indicative of who Sangwoo has already chosen

This is really like a “come on, partner in crime, get up to my level here and let’s fuck with this fucker together”. But the thing is, Bum is just as much a victim as this guy. There is literally no way for Bum to think any other way but Sangwoo fucking with both of them, not just card!dude. 

Because the thing is, if Bum forgot himself and reacted the same way as card!dude, Sangwoo would kill him, along with card!dude.

But yeah, it does make me think of how Sangwoo would’ve reacted if card!dude actually won. How would his script go? Would he still do a practice round? Or would that have been enough for Sangwoo, and he would’ve skipped to the next part of his plan?

I don’t think this second round was something Sangwoo expected. And that really drove home to him how Bum keeps surpassing his expectations again and again. 

17. *wince* Oohp.

The trembling and slight protest. Definitely not what Sangwoo wants to see. I can’t blame Bum for responding like this, BECAUSE A FKKN SERIAL KILLER IS PRETTY MUCH TRYING TO SCREW HIM OVER, but at the same time, he should know better than to respond this way. 

I also do think, other than the threat to his life, Bum is perceiving this as Sangwoo ‘choosing’ card!dude over Bum. It’s like a rejection and that probably hits Bum’s rejection sensitivity. If it was just a threat to his life, Bum would probably be able to still stay silent at this point (uh, most likely not because again, life is on the line, but still maybe). However, there’s also this sense that Sangwoo doesn’t actually want him to live--that the card game is just an excuse to kill Bum.

18.  think it says a lot that Sangwoo still responds to Bum’s protest via ‘patting’ him on the head rather than pulling on his hair. 

If card!dude was more intuitive, then he probably would’ve noticed that something was off in the way Sangwoo was treating Bum. More leniently. Because any small variation in treatment is not a promising outlook for card!dude.

But the thing is--now that I know how the ending is--Sangwoo is just doing this as a way to fuck with the other dude.  Actually he was probably proud of Bum winning so that he could further fuck with card!dude and make him taste the bitterness of false hope. Sort of like a “heh, you did better than I thought you would”. 

Sangwoo does want him to live because this card game is not about ‘who’ to choose. Sangwoo has already chosen Bum. This is just a matter of how much satisfaction Sangwoo can get against his revenge on the other guy.

Though, Bum is genuinely worried because why would he think that lol. There is also this thing where Sangwoo chose to kill a pretty girl and keep him, a skinny male loser, alive. So from his stand point, Sangwoo’s choices are difficult to pinpoint. Bum also won’t see himself as more ‘attractive’ than card!dude, so he most likely was scared that Sangwoo’s choices has changed once again and he would be thrown away like CEO daughter.

19. Hmmmn...

Now that card!dude has been given a second chance and can see Sangwoo’s willingness as a show of ‘favorability’, he has more control over his anxiety (which I do think is different from Bum, who has this sort of ‘on-off’ button for his anxiety, versus card!dude who seems to have more of a ‘reduction-enlargement’ slider). He probably feels more confident. 

And this is probably exactly what Sangwoo wanted, because then that will make the fall so much sweeter, the look of horror that much more gratifying.

20. Really, and there were people who wanted Sangwoo and Bum to have a happily ever after

The psychological warfare Sangwoo is putting onto Bum is so brutal that it’s really difficult to keep reading. Again, Koogi making it so that Sangwoo got better, then got worse when he realized he couldn’t handle what it means to ‘improve’, and then die...it made me respect this work so much, because nothing about this is romanticized.  And furthermore, Bum didn’t die, but at the same time, he was scars that will never be able to heal. His mentality was worse in the end than it was in the beginning, which is a goddamn feat because there wasn’t much left for him to fall.

Another alternative that I saw float around was Bum and Sangwoo dying together and...no. No no no. That’s too romanticized as well. And Bum being left alive while Sangwoo dies has this very...god I don’t even know how to explain. It’s not a happy ending. For me, there’s no vindication for it because I got to see just how deeply Sangwoo was suffering, which made it impossible for me to enjoy his death despite every incredibly shitty thing he has done. It was literally just...a masterpiece. One that showed just how, really, there are places on earth that truly have no hope and the suffering only ends with death. 

I usually never like nihilistic stories like these. Like seriously, there’s a reason why I avoided Killing Stalking like the plague. But after so many stories where things have a happy ending just because they MUST, it doesn’t only get tiring, but destructive for me. 

And Killing Stalking is special to me because instead of showing that everything was hopeless in the beginning just BECAUSE life is hopeless, period...it shows that things could’ve gone differently because Sangwoo and Bum were never truly without hope in the beginning. Sangwoo wasn’t a classic serial killer. Bum just needed better guidance. They just needed to be given a goddamn chance, like so many people in the world in general.

Instead of outright nihilism, it’s more in line with existentialism and that things reach the point of no return if nothing is changed. Or that if there are changes, it’s the type of change that makes things worse and doesn’t allow for healing.

Anyways, I don’t quite have all my thoughts on this together, so this is something I have to revisit once I’m done reading KS.

[thespermicidaljellies]

Hi

I'm going to shout into the void and tag this post properly because I feel so emotionally heavy the words can't come out in real life outside of doctor's visits.

This is how many pills I take a day, some of them twice. My doctors have told me that I've tried just about everything I can, nothing has worked. I have been a fighter my whole life, but I'm running on the last dregs of fumes.

I recently turned 25 years old. I have nothing to show after a third of my lifetime, besides who I have grown to be as a person. I try to recognize the many external factors beyond my control that have caused this, and how I've managed to fight keep going through adversity, but even thinking positively is beginning to hurt because I feel like a victim of chance, time and time again. It is hard when you finally realize that you've been in a serious, persistent depressive state since you were a young child--much too young.

Recently, I was accepted for experimental treatment at one of the top neuropsychiatric institutes in the United States. The head the program decided to take me as his patient after reading my case file, and his sense of urgency has finally put to rest the guilt and negative skepticism that I had been exaggerating my health concerns due to mental weakness.

They are going to try a relatively new form of electroshock therapy on me. It's highly effective but it's likely to have some effects on my personality. I've made peace with that, medications have already kept me alive but changed my temperament in ways where I no longer recognize some of my emotions and behaviors. I've lost a lot of friends because of it, but it's the price to pay for giving it all you got to try to get better. If you're reading this and you resonate with any of these things in some way, please do not interpret this as something to instill fear and caution you against trying these things.

Above all, know this: they are worth it. You are worth it to keep trying, and you can make it through even if there are parts of you that you can't feel or recognize. You can relearn those parts, and make something new from them once you have the room to breath. Those that care most for you will stand by you, and will place patience and empathy over any resentment they may feel. I am trying to forgive myself for my inactions and neglectfulness, and my erratic behavior since I started serious treatment the past half year. I'd be lying if I didnt say that trying to separate my behavior and thoughts from myself has been easy due to empowerment. I can barely feel a 'me' inside of my flesh anymore.

Grappling with my struggles to function and the disrespect and judgement I've received as a byproduct of it all has ruined my self worth. I need to get off my chest that for the first time in my life, I do not like myself. I've been told to kill myself, I've been called a sociopath and manipulative, and a liar. when you are expected as a young man to be steadfast, strong, and self-sufficient. A friend pointed out to me that I was experiencing gender discrimination and it blew my mind. Being a white dude is like a lottery ticket to typically get what you want when you want it. Young men aren't supposed to be sick, fearful, or emotionally overwhelmed. I see why the suicide rate of males is so high now. Neither men nor women respect you when you are a young man in that position. You are dismissed and given no respect (a statement my roommates have enjoyed reminding me they have none of for me). I'm so sorry to anyone of any gender that's experienced the power dynamics of sexism.

I'm having trouble piecing together sentences and I'm sure this is way too long, but I need to get the last thing off my chest, even though I don't have the energy to elaborate on it.

Every day I wake up and fear for my future

I am too sick to be poor

I am too sick to be poor

[funkymbtifiction]

Hey would you consider typing main characters from the movie A Perfect Getaway?(the main 2 couples). The movie is great and characters are complex

Okay, I saw this last weekend on your recommendation and... dang, one couple in particular would be hard to type. I mean, most of what they show and tell the audience is a total lie. I’m also not sure I could type them ‘officially’ without giving away a huge plot twist by being specific. I will think about typing them, and if I can come up with enough evidence to sell it, I will. But I will say this.

SPOILERS below the cut.

The murderer is an STP and a 3. He fakes being something else, but it’s all a con. He’s quite logical and detached, he solves problems on the fly, he likes to be physical in how he kills people and is opportunistic in the things he does, even a bit reckless. His girlfriend gets on him for not being ‘careful’ enough. She is far more risk-adverse. He models himself into whatever he has to be, to sell his con and get away with it. He takes on and off his real skin, like a deeply unhealthy sociopathic 3 who is just living for the high of getting away with it.

She is a bit trickier, because to be honest, she could be SFP or SFJ. She’s a feeler for sure, because she’s always begging him for attention, affirmation, and to be told he loves her. I get the feeling the sick story she told about her ‘first time’ and the corpse hanging from the tree was with this dude, and she has been with him ever since, in a twisted relationship. But she’s able to lie her ass off and get out of trouble by implicating him and seeing him die (both because she’s another sociopath and because she’s detached enough to know when to cut loose), which suggests her thinking function isn’t inferior. She seems adaptable and hands-on more than nostalgic, which could suggest ESFP if she’s a 6w7 to account for her cautiousness. And I think she is a 6w7. There’s a palpable current of fear that runs beneath all her exchanges. She is more cautious and suspicious (though how much of it is an act, I don’t know), and doesn’t like deviating from their plan (if you want to re-interpret her earlier dialogue of picking up hitchhikers -- the audience thinks they just don’t do it, but what she means is, “Why are we picking up our next victims instead of stalking them as usual?”). She seems to cling to him for a “high” (7 wing).

The other couple, I think, are both ESTPs. They are outdoorsy, opportunistic, and able to survive with sheer jungle skills. Quick to react, improvise, and act. The girl finds cutting open a goat “interesting” rather than having any moral reservations about hunting illegally. Her boyfriend is a boastful 3. She doesn’t have a clear Enneagram type, unless it’s 7. She seems a bit adventurous, earthy, and defensive of her territory. Then again, she’s been chasing him to settle down for years instead of enjoying their “whatever this is” relationship, which isn’t very commitment-shy 7. I’ll watch it again sometime. With a certain knowledge how it turns out, I’d probably be more able to pay attention to types.

- ENFP Mod

[pennswoodsman]

It’s like coming out of the closet.

As a cannabis user for the past 2 decades, the last 2 years have been revolutionary. I got high for the first time with my friend Bill back in 1992. I got drunk for the first time with my friend John around the same time. I got violently ill with alcohol but I had a blast with cannabis. I knew almost right away that cannabis was going to be my intoxicant of choice. This left me with a major stigma, of course. I had to spend the next 24 years not sure how people would react to my choice of getting intoxicated to relax at night. I got a lot of shit from a whole lot of people. People who said I “did drugs”. Effectively putting me on the same level as a heroin or Crystal meth abuser. In college, being a cannabis user meant that I sometimes ended up meeting actual junkies. I had absolutely nothing in common with these people other than we enjoyed a schedule 1 drug. Mine was less dangerous than alcohol while theirs was the worst of the worst. Yet, we ended up in the same circle due to me not being able to purchase it any other way. I hated that. I resented that. 

Things like making friends always had the possibility of being judged, scoffed at and looked at with total scorn. At West Chester and Ferrum, I used to attend parties full of drunken idiots, but often got dirty looks from people for being the one smoking a bowl instead of drinking. I was generally banned from smoking in someone’s house, which I totally get. It is illegal and they don’t want to get in trouble. Ferrum also had a “zero tolerance drug policy”. Which meant you would get in just as much trouble for a joint than you would for heroin.  At least on paper. Drinking, of course, was totally normal and could take place right in the open. 

On many occasions, I have been made to feel shame by someone who loves to drink by the implication that their way of getting intoxicated was better than mine, theirs was fun and harmless, where as mine was evil and dangerous. a few examples come to mind. One was my best friend’s brother in law’s ex wife.  She was a major drinker and all her stories on Facebook revolved around her getting totally trashed at pubs every night  or being so hung over the following day she could barely function. One time I suggested switching to cannabis and she got ridiculously offended with a “I don’t do that shit.  I might like to drink, but I don’t touch drugs!!” This is a typical response (not to mention ironic as she is now a crystal meth addict). Another time I was at a pub with 2 friends of Bill’s near his old apartment. Bill had left to do something so I was hanging out with these other 2.  One of them was a single woman named Erin. She was really attractive and I was really doing my best to work up the nerve to try to engage her in conversation. The problem was she and the guy were both big drinkers and all of their stories were about drinking. Literally. I was waiting for the subject to change to a topic I could add something too.  But it never presented itself. So, even though I knew it could backfire, I brought up stories of mine about cannabis. I stopped telling stories revolving around it’s use alone ages ago, but I wanted to fit in, and get her attention. They both seemed less than impressed but didn’t say anything. The following day I was talking to Bill on the phone and he told me his buddy said I was “totally sweating Erin” which was true. But, she was really turned off by my use of cannabis and how I “kept bringing it up”. Meanwhile I was all “Say whaaaa?!” When I say all of their stories that night were about drinking, I mean there was literally not a single story they told that wasn’t about drinking, yet I was the weirdo druggie who wouldn’t stop telling boring stories about getting the reefer madness. 

In my experience, it was usually women who judged me the most about it. Or at least their judgement is the one I heard about the most (maybe because I didn’t give a fuck what the dudes thought, as I wasn’t trying to date them). Even Tammy said back in the early 2000s that it was something that was fine to “experiment” with when you’re a teen, but once you “grow up” you give it up. I asked her what was that based on, she just shrugged and said it’s just how she feels.  Fair enough, but it still struck me as illogical as the thing you do as a “grown up” is far more dangerous, and tends to make you act way more childish when intoxicated.  But, again, there was no arguing with “marra-jah-wanna is an illegal drug and alcohol is a time honored way to socialize”.  The worst of those arguments for me was with my buddy Anthony’s wife Colleen. She has open contempt for cannabis users and had no problem getting in my face about it at every opportunity (in addition to getting in my face about Israel and how Jews are criminals, then flipping out if you respond by bringing up Northern Ireland. But that’s a rant for another day). Her contempt reached a whole new level at a Halloween party at my house back in 2004. I was talking to someone else about growing my own cannabis. She started to get in my face about being a “drug user” and how it’s destroying society. I asked her how was I hurting anyone by smoking it on my back porch at night after work? She started to say that it hurts children because when I buy it from the dealer, I’ll smoke up with him right in front of his children (which I sure as fuck have never done), that it changes people’s personality for the worse (but alcohol did not, according to her) it destroys families and in order to get my drugs, it has to be smuggled by evil drug cartels who murder innocent people “because of people like YOU”. When I tried to say that’s why cannabis should be legal, taking the power out of the hands of the evil cartels, she laughed and said “that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard”. She has a brother who is a criminal. Among many other things he did illegally, he sold weed.  His adolescent daughters ended up in foster care with her and Anthony due to him being in prison at the time. To me, this was the worst of anecdotal evidence. She seemed to think all cannabis users are guilty this happened. Not that her brother was a total sociopath. That was 15 years ago and she is one of those people that I’m willing to bet you would still double down on this sentiment, as she pretty much will never admit to being wrong. Even once various states began to legalize it’s use and almost everything I said would happen happened (drug cartels losing huge amounts of money, tax revenue going to help social programs, victimless crimes not wasting the police’s time, and no, it’s not going to result in everyone getting stoned 24/7, for a few examples) it all didn’t matter. She sure as hell doesn’t have to listen to anything a stupid druggie says. As we’re all a bunch of doped up liars who only care about our own pleasure. All that being said, there have been plenty of men who have judged me harshly too.  I always suspected my old buddy Mike and I drifted apart due to his attitude about cannabis (among other things). Although it’s kind of funny that his wife enjoys it, gave it up after college because it’s illegal. Then he was shocked when she said she would resume using it when it’s fully legal. 

This is all not to mention the shit my mother used to give me about it. She was the only one who was worse than Colleen...at least towards me. 

Other examples:

My ex-GF Nina one time was openly showing contempt when I made some remark about still smoking in my 50s.  She said “wait, you are planning to still be smoking weed in your 50s?!” I was all “Yea.  Why not? Why does that matter?!” She responded with something to the extent of “You never plan to grow up?!” This was at the end of our relationship and she started off the relationship with not caring about cannabis use but by the end she was always giving me shit about it. To a point where I was uncomfortable even bringing it up, because it would result in a long boring holier than thou rant about how bad it is, grow ups don’t use it, etc. I was not upset when we broke up.

My Ex-GF Lisa wasn’t too bad about it in that she didn’t bring it up very often. I just promised I would never be high when we were together, a promise I always kept. Her late father had spent time in prison on Moonshining charges and she admitted that there wasn’t that much of a difference.  But alas, it’s a “drug” and alcohol is legal. Therefore one is immoral and one is just fine. Very cut and dry.

When my soon to be ex-wife was having an affair with he who shall not be named, he used my cannabis usage as another way to show my inferiority to him.  He was a dysfunctional alcoholic, but what I did was only for hippie idiots so therefore it was only logical to have open contempt for me.

My late mother used to referred to my father’s cannabis use as our family’s “dirty little secret”. Very effectively attaching shame and guilt to it’s use...which was totally her intention. She also always referred to it as “dope” and “drugs”. She would always accuse me of being high even when I wasn’t. She would go out of her way to try to catch me (if I was coming home late, she would wait up, even if my friends were with me, so she could tell me my “eyes look funny” or “I’m acting funny”. I’ll leave it at that, as I have a lot of issues with my late mother and the way she treated me like a criminal for cannabis use.

But, it’s dramatic policy change in our country has led to a dramatic attitude change. Last week, I got attitude from a woman who was a drinker who acted like I was a druggie for owning a medical card but didn’t drink, but this attitude is becoming the exception rather than the rule. Before, I couldn’t even add it to my online dating profile because I had to always assume it was an instant turn off...even though it would be something that they would find out about eventually.  Thank freakin’ god.

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

“Another Life” Review: Another Hour of Mine I Won’t Get Back

One of the good things about Netlix (particularly compared to traditional TV channels) is that its ability to deliver a wide variety of content simultaneously allows it to experiment with things that might not have wider appeal. This is particularly important where genre fiction is concerned, because you can’t rely on formula to develop something genuinely good in that area. Who’d have thought that a ‘cursed object’ story set exclusively in the art world where everyone talks like they’re delivering a devastating Gustav Klimt review would turn out to be one of the best horror movies of recent years? And yet Velvet Buzzsaw blew me away and gave me a reason not to give up on western culture completely. Likewise, who expected a revenge saga about classical music with (at most) one or two truly graphic scenes to be the most gut-wrenching and powerful psychological thrillers of recent years? Yet The Perfection was one of the only truly transcendent films I’ve ever had the privilege of watching. The same goes for series- it’s hard to imagine that an overwhelming blend of surreal and dystopian imagery, hard-to-grasp technological concepts, semi-obscure literary references, needlessly brutal violence, gleeful depravity, whip-smart humour and a borderline-sociopath with a Hello Kitty rucksack would ever be aired on a proper channel. Altered Carbon, however, turned out to be one of the best sci-fi series of the last decade, missing the top spot only thanks to the existence of Rick and Morty.

The reason I’ve started with all this gushing praise, however, is merely to provide context and a necessary counterbalance to the excoriating review that follows. For you see, an ability to deliver niche or experimental content can lead to abject failures as well as shining successes. For every underrated gem, there must be a meticulously-polished turd waiting to ambush the unsuspecting connoisseur. Ladies and gentlemen, Another Life is that turd.

On paper, Another Life sounds like good, solid sci-fi. A starship captain has to travel across the universe to ascertain whether an alien race that recently dropped probes on Earth is hostile or just curious. Along the way, her journey will be complicated by a crew who’s used to working under a different captain with a radically different style of leadership and all the usual, real-life-plausible dangers of travel through uncharted space (along with a few blatantly made-up ones). It’s not a terrible idea, but every bad creative decision that could be made is made and so the whole things collapses like a poorly-made soufle before the end of episode one.

For a start, let’s talk about the show’s aesthetics and visual decisions. the CG budget clearly wasn’t huge (which is fine), but the show tries to realise as many of its effects as possible using CG anyway, which stretches that minimal budget far too thin and draws attention to how artificial and contrived everything looks. For example, the decision to make the alien probes on Earth giant shimmering walls of crystal that can only be realised through CG is particularly baffling, given that they could just have been big fuck-off metal things that could have been physically built as a set. Meanwhile, the show‘s overall look is... well, bland. If you’ve seen literally any space sci-fi before, you’ve seen the individual elements of the tech in Another Life. I think it’s aiming for Archetypal, but it just looks lazy. It doesn’t help that they liberally borrow terminology from other sci-fi. I know that ‘Impulse Engine’ is technically (probably) the correct name for a slower-than-light engine that works in a particular way, but calling your space engines that just invites comparisons to Star Trek, which won’t be favourable. Back to the point, though: in addition to cribbing heavily from superior shows, Another Life also makes everything look far too smooth and clean. A spaceship is a working vehicle filled with people doing dangerous, difficult, often dirty jobs. Its interior shouldn’t look like an iPhone fucked a trendy west-end bar. Seriously, the ‘future’ set in fucking Crystal Maze looks more convincing.

The problem of everything seeming too smooth and clean extends beyond the visuals and into the casting. Practically everyone in the core cast is in their early twenties. They’re not bad actors, necessarily, but they clearly need older, more experienced hands around them to guide their performances and the absence of these more seasoned actors is felt acutely. There’s a reason why mature sci-fi shows usually cast across a broad age range- you’re asking your cast to deal with conceptual and scientific abstractions that can be challenging for people who don’t have a few performances under their belt. It also feels wildly implausible that a dangerous space-mission would feature a bunch of hormonal twenty-somethings who’s personal drama might get in the way of them making clever decisions. The main lass (whose name I’ve already forgotten), is played by a noticeably older woman. Indeed, that age difference is a big part of her character: can she win the trust and respect of the young hotheads? Unfortunately, one older actress does not a seasoned cast make. Besides, the character she’s playing just isn’t worth rooting for. It’s not that she’s a terrible person- she’s coldly aloof, but so was Picard and everyone loves that dude. It’s just that she has no depth. She has a family back on Earth, and we’re told that she’s missing them and trying to ensure the mission’s success so she can see them again, but the supposed internal conflict has no effect on her behaviour. She just goes about robotically calculating and minimising risk, even though doing so ensures that she’s going to be in space, away from her loved ones, for much, much longer. Within the narrative of the show, she’s making the correct, mature decisions, but shouldn’t they be causing her some introspective strife? No? Yes? Does this fucking show care one way or the other?

Of course, janky characters and budget set designs are kind of par for the cause with sci-fi of a certain type. Sometimes it can be endearing (the fact that the sets literally wobbled sometimes in early Doctor Who was part of its charm, for example). A much bigger problem is Another Life’s total lack of narrative logic. The main character (no I still can’t remember her name, nor be bothered to check) managed to get ten people killed the last time she was in charge of a starship. Surely that’s the point at which you politely ask someone to retire? Even if there were mitigating circumstances (which there probably were because showing fallibility in its lead is not something this show feels comfortable with), why on Earth would anyone put her in charge of a crew of emotional 20-somethings she’s never met before while their previous, trusted captain is still on the fucking ship and clearly feeling mutinous? That’s just bad management on behalf of planet Earth’s top brass. I can only hope that someone in HR got the sack for that one. Or, better yet, that a giant hammer will spontaneously fall out of the sky and hit this show’s script-writer so hard in the head that he loses control of his motor functions and bowels and is forced to retire to a convalescent home for the incontinent.

The captain’s own decision making processes are just as baffling as her bosses. There’s a bit where the crew figures out that they can get back on course and cut down on journey time by slingshotting around a slightly temperamental star using the same shielding they use when traveling at FTL (yeah- FTL space travel is a common thing in this universe, yet humans have somehow never met another alien race before- make of that what you will). They already tried to slingshot round the star once and were forced to abort and break orbit because of the strain on the ship. The plan has an 89% chance of success. The 11% chance of failure doesn’t equate to instant death or anything- logically, it just means the shield would fail and they’d have to break orbit again (because that’s what happened before: remember that we’ve already established that slingshotting around the star doesn’t do anything worse than rattle the ship and give everyone plenty of time to back off). For some reason, Captain Caution decides that the high chance of success, negligible risk of serious repercussions and massive potential benefits just aren’t good enough and vetoes the plan, thereby adding months to the voyage. Isn’t establishing whether the new, technologically superior alien neighbours are friendly or not something of a time-critical op, by the way? Naturally, the crew mutiny (under the leadership of the previous captain), try their plan and it fails miserable.

And there’s the final nail in the coffin for Another Life. It doesn’t play by its own rules. Its established that the FTL shields can’t use much power, because they’re on all the fucking time during FTL. It’s established that nothing particularly terrible happens when you try to slingshot round a star and have to abort. It’s established that combining those two facts to get a speed boost has an 89% chance of success. And yet, when the crew try it without the Captain’s express permission, bits of the ship start to explode, everything goes to shit and the vessel ends up in a decaying orbit around the sun, somehow drained of power. The show’s in such a hurry to show that it’s main character is right and correct and noble in everything she does that it forgets rules it laid down literally five minutes earlier.

The whole shoddy shebang has a weirdly patronising and conservative ethos. “Listen to your elders and official superiors”, it whispers smugly. “They always know best, even when they’re responsible for the deaths of ten or more people in the quite recent past. Don’t think for yourself. Don’t try to improve your situation. The old, safe ways of doing things are always best, even when they seem neurotic or unworkable.” It’s weird, because it’s the exact opposite problem that sci-fi normally has. Normally, sci-fi tries so hard to be forward-looking that you end up with a bunch of wide-eyed fuckwits trusting the power of friendship and love over a more measured, carefully-planned approach. Both sides of the coin are equally annoying since they involve sacrificing the internal logic of the fictional universe on the alter of Some Hack’s personal ethos. However, Another Life earns my full, unmitigated disapprobation, not just a mild slap on the wrist, because it doesn’t even bother to be a good sci-fi show before jumping into the message-mongering bullshit. Remember, all this shit is from episode one. My advice to those of you craving some hard space sci-fi is to re-watch Nightflyers instead. It’s weird as balls, well-scripted, has a properly-established set of hard sci-fi rules and there’s even a romantic subplot involving the hologramatic projection of a hideous mutant. Yeah. Go watch that instead. I think I might, too, come to think of it.

[emptywithout]

5 hours

Words: 423

A/N: Yes, we skipped hour 6. But remember his watch beeped twice at the casino, meaning another hour had passed.

How on earth Sam got into the casino, Dean wants to know. How was a fucking sixteen year old allowed to sit at a table and play poker? How did anyone not notice? He pointed to the screens, yelling at the security guy who just shrugged, agreeing that that should not have happened at all. But no one – No one in the casino seems to even notice Sam at all.

Dean still doesn’t know why Sam’s at the casino at all, after the stop with the witch at the hardware store. Why here? And where’s the witch? But he figures the motel might have answers. He takes a few screenshots of the videos, thanks the security officers and then leaves.

The motel is completely on the other side of town and will take almost twenty minutes to get there, so Dean has time to think.

Sam in a casino. Sam playing poker. Sam fucking winning a shit ton of money. Cashing it out but keeping a $500 chip. Worthless outside the casino. He can’t quite figure it out. What was Sam up to? What was the witch up to? Sam’s not injured in the video, so Dean thinks it happened today. None of it makes any sense.

There’s no traffic and Dean gets to the motel in fifteen minutes. He goes into the office and asks the night clerk if they know about a tall boy and a short, red-headed woman. He gives a better description of Sam, and that’s when the guys’ eyes widen.

“Yeah dude, Weird as shit. They come in here last night, like super late. This woman was practically crazy – she desperately needed a room and was babbling about the moon and running out of time. And the kid looked like he was stoned or something. Yeah, I put ‘em in room 237. Saw them carrying bags of stuff in there, too.”

Dean clenched his teeth as he pictured his little brother, drugged or under a spell, and he shivered.

“I gotta get in that room, man”

“Oh, I’m sorry sir, I can’t allow that.”

“Why not?” Dean grabbed the boy’s shirt and practically pulled him across the counter.

“B-be-because they’re still in there, sir.”

Dean dropped the scared night clerk and swallowed, closing his eyes. He put his hand on his gun.

“Stay here. Get down.”

The boy nodded and disappeared from view behind the counter.

Dean put his hand on the door, quickly coming up with a plan in his head.

Dean’s watch beeped. 3:37

SQUEE’S SUPPORTERS TAG LIST:

On the forever list: @karategirl80 @ravenangel33  @sabath68 @hannahindie  @jessikared97 @jessyackles @yo-high-functioning-sociopath  @oneshoeshort  @bunnybaby121115 @sageclover61  @charliebradbury1104 @rideandwritethings @sammyimpala-67 @thatonetuesdaywhensam @depressed-moose-78  @flirtswithdanger  @ronja-uebrick @imgetting2old4diss  @internationalmusicteacher @avocadobandana   @impala-dreamer @mishasorangeundies   @bohowitch @pretty-fortune  @crazyismyownreality  @mrswhozeewhatsis @samuletkeeper @dreaminblue67  @ultimatefandomtrash61 @deathtonormalcy56 @bellarium @sea040561 @winchesterlovinspn @adoptdontshoppets @melbelle45 @mirandaaustin93 @kunnigr @impandagrl @wendibird @closetspngirl @tatertot1097

Everything but wincest @schizonephilim @crossroadsangelcastiel @paigums

Everything but wincest and destiel  @emoryhemsworth  @deansgirl215 @hidinginmybochard   @ellen-reincarnated1967

No dean x reader, wincest, or destiel @charlie-bradburyss

Everything but destiel: @nanzm @super-hannah-natural @dean-winchesters-bacon

Samwena and Destiel. No Wincest or reader insert @shadowpaintedrose

[confidentweirdo]

How to find out if a person is fandom-obsessed

Attention: This post is dealing with #REAL OUT-OF-TUMBLR LIFE. If you are uncomfortable with vivid description of boring reality, better stop reading now.

Step 0. You meet a person. Maybe it was at work/school/party or it is just a friend of a friend of a friend. The thing is, you know very little of this person.

‘Linda from marketing that wears violet blouses all the time’ will do.

’Tim from your calc class that gets drunk every Friday and has the most ridiculous hairstyle ever invented’ will also do.

You get the idea.

And everything goes fine, until one day something like this pops up in the conversation:

‘My boss is like a dementor. Real creepy dude.’

‘My kid is too small to pick up their own costume on Halloween, so I have to do this on my own. I was thinking about Lord of the Rings themed outfits? What do you say?’

’I’ve seen my sister’s kids this weekend. These little monsters are worse than an army of tiny Hulks, believe me!’

‘You’re a bloody psychopath!’ ’I am a high-functioning sociopath, do your research/I am not crazy, my mother had me tested’

‘What have you been up to this weekend.’ ‘Not much. Binge-watched Game of Thrones. *adds quietly* Again.’

‘I named my son Luke just so I could go around telling him in a deep voice ‘I am your father, Luke.’

‘I just found out that Mary speaks elfish. Weird, right?’ (Me *sweating profusely* ‘yeah, right. Weeeird.’)

Those references may give you hope, but please don’t repeat my mistakes and immediately start asking the person about their favorite NSFW M-preg omegaverse. It turns out, these are not generally-acceptable topics (who knew, right?). You have to be a little more creative.

Step 1. Take a deep breath while a person (preferably) is not looking. You will need your oxygen. As casually as you can, ask someone ‘Are you a fan of ___(the thing)_____?’

If the answer is ‘not really’, leave them be.

If the answer is ‘Yeah, I’m a huge fan’, suppress your screams and proceed to the next step.

Step 2. Don’t get too excited. Sometimes people have… let’s just call it ‘different gradations’ of what ‘huge fan’ means. Remember: if you don’t want to seem like a freak you are (’cos let’s admit it with no further ado - you are one), you have to be careful.

Test the person with ‘Really? What’s your favorite character/scene/moment/episode/season?’

If they are into Harry Potter, but have no idea who Dobby or Sirius Black is, chances are these are not your people and there is no need to traumatize them with the latest Hentai Au (is this even a thing? well it is now) you’ve read. Just sayin’.

Step 3. If they passed Step 2, there are still different stages of fandom they could be in. Attention and possible spoiler alert: there are adequate people in fandoms! Yeah, I know, doesn’t seem right, but I swear they exist. For example, people who read 2-3 fanfics a year about their canonical pairing and family-friendly adventures of hobbits in Middle-earth. These are innocent people, don’t ruin their lives. If you have reached the bottom of the fandom life - don’t drug them with you. Just watch them swimming happily at the surface with no real knowledge of what is waiting for them in the darkness beneath. Pray they will never know.

Step 4. Ask leading questions.

‘Do you read fanfiction?’ is a good start.

If they cautiously answer ‘yeah?’, proceed to the next step.

If they say ‘I am also writing it’, that’s a full-on green light, proceed to Step 6.

If they answer with ‘not really’ or ‘I don’t know what that is’, come back to the safety of canon discussion. After all, you two can still share a common interest, even if you are crying yourself to sleep at 3 AM because you’ve finished reading an amazing AU and now you have no idea what to do with your life a little bit more invested in the topic.

Step 5. Ask about what kind of fanfiction they read. Reminder: it is possible that they are into gen with G-rated light topics, be careful.

Step 5 is the hardest one. You have to hint that you like reading stuff that not everyone finds acceptable, but at the same time make it seem like you are a competent member of society not an obsessed young adult who spends their time talking to even more obsessed individuals online.

Example:

Friend: ’Supernatural is awesome, it has so many good characters!’

Me: ‘Oh yeah! What about Dean Winchester?’

Friend: ‘He is my absolute favorite, I love how he cares about his brother, those moments are the best.’

Me: ‘That’s nice. What kind of person you think Dean should be dating?’

Friend and I share an intense eye-contact. The world around falls silent. There is tumbleweed rolling at the background.

Friend: ‘Well, it should be someone he could be taking care of—’

Me: ‘Right. Someone clueless enough—’

Friend: ‘—but who would always drop everything when Winchesters need help—’

Me: ‘—someone Dean could accept in his family and protect—’

Friend: ‘— someone who would in return love Dean and his brother enough to risk their life for them—’

Me: ‘—multiple times—’

Friend: ‘—someone in a trench coat?’

Me: ‘oh my go yes.’

And this, kids, is the story of how I met my future co-author in crime.

Step 6. Congratulations, you’ve reached the bottom. Once you’ve established that you are both possess at least some degree of trashiness, there is no coming back. This is the moment you should be asking their tumbler username, talking about RP experience, AU recs, etc, etc.

Step 7. Kinky stuff.

I personally know people who are pretty deep into fandoms and slash/femslash pairings, but still don’t read anything R-rated. This is the matter of personal taste in fanfiction, and after Step 6 you should just ask straight ahead. Even is the person is not into smut, they are most probably very okay with you asking about it.

Remember: stay safe folks and do not traumatize someone who has not done it by themselves yet.

P. S. Should have called this ‘A guide to find out how twisted are the people around you’

[davidmann95]

Top 10 batman writers?

With particularly honorable mentions to Steve Englehart (his Batman wasn’t itself up my alley - though his Joker is another story altogether - but his significance is undeniable), Greg Rucka, Jeph Loeb (Hush was fun, dangit! Or at least it was fun to young entry-level DC reader me, which I understand has been its general underappreciated function over the years among fans), Peter Milligan, and Matt Wagner, as well as Dwayne McDuffie and Christopher Nolan outside of comics:

10. Scott Snyder

This’ll be a controversial one, no doubt about that. Look, Scott Snyder is easily one of my favorite superhero writers out there, and his Batman run is a favorite of mine. But judged as a Batman run specifically as opposed to a rip-roaring superhero book in general, his take is rather…specific. As he develops his voice on the character, his Bruce Wayne moves further and further into the territory of beleaguered 80s action hero, constantly freaking out and in over his head but always ready with a fast quip and a solid fist. His grasp of Batman’s thematic underpinnings is second to none, but while his execution of those ideas is just about always a blast, it’s surprisingly rare it feels on-point for the character as he’s existed elsewhere over 78 years. But I still can’t exclude the dude who wrote Court of Owls and Zero Year.

9. Bill Finger

Finger makes it by default; while I’m surprised myself that I’m putting him so low, that in and of itself is only a testament to the versatility and enduring power of the world and themes he built. But make no mistake, he’s not just here as a matter of being grandfathered in: aside from being one of the best done-and-one adventure writers Batman ever had, stories like The Origin Of Batman and Robin Dies At Dawn pack an emotional punch that resonate to this day.

8. Denny O’Neil

About as close as you can get to the founder of Batman as we know him today, aside from maybe my next pick. O’Neil hasn’t batted a hundred over the years, but when he’s on-point he’s as good as it gets, swinging between giddy pulp adventure and pitch-black noir that set the definitive template for what it is we expect out of Batman, and his interactions with several of his most important loved ones and enemies.

7. Frank Miller

In terms of characterization, Miller’s Batman is maybe best thought of in the same terms as the Golden Age comics - instrumental to Bruce Wayne as we understand him today, but recognizably not quite that guy yet. But Miller energized, mythologized, or outright invented a truly staggering degree of the fundamentals of Batman’s world, punctuated by moments of pure, distilled Batman-as-unstoppable-vengeance, whether hauling two hundred and twenty pounds of sociopath to the top of the highest tower in Gotham, bursting in on an upper-class mob meeting to deliver his statement of intent, or recalling what it takes to make the world make sense as he drives his best friends’ face into the Crime Alley pavement, with just enough humanity in there (accepting and nurturing Carrie Kelly as Robin, telling the kid not to swear, saving the cat in Year One and stopping a punk from falling off a fire escape and catching a beating for it) to keep it palatable.

6. Alan Brennert

If Miller defined the myth of Batman as we know it today, Brennert was the unsung hero who gave him his heart. While his work was minimal, the weight it carries in certain circles can’t be overstated - his Batman was emotionally raw like none before and few after, confronted with his traumas and the walls he had built around himself, and forced to confront himself and his relationships or lose everything. For The Autobiography Of Bruce Wayne alone, Brennert handily secures his place among the greats.

5. Darwyn Cooke

Cooke didn’t do a tremendous amount with Batman before his passing in terms of writing, but what there is is work for the ages. With his recreation of Night of the Stalker! he captures Batman at his brutal, haunting noir best, but it’s with Ego that his seizes his position in the top five with a comprehensive, insightful, and truly spooky look at the center of Bruce Wayne’s mind that says more about Batman with a single one-shot that most of his writers do in their entire careers.

4. Paul Dini

If you’re talking about drawing the straightest line between a writers work towards Batman as we know him today, perhaps no one has more of a claim to fame than Paul Dini. One of the braintrust behind Batman: The Animated Series and later a writer on the main books, he’s been behind armfuls of iconic, fan-favorite Batman stories of every genre permutation that solidified the caped crusader as we know him today: stoic, determined, brilliant, compassionate, and possessed of a jet-black wit that while sparsely deployed perfectly offset the horror surrounding him on all sides. Kevin Conroy is the Batman we all hear in our heads, and Dini put some of his best lines in his mouth before taking that skill to an underrated run on Detective Comics that deserves a spot among the greats.

3. Warren Ellis

EDIT: This was written prior to allegations against Ellis. While I’m not changing the list as this is a reflection of how I felt as I was making it, and the actions of the author don’t change the quality of the material now that it’s out in the universe, that qualification feels necessary.

I’ll be upfront with all of you: I am as surprised as anyone that Ellis is placing so high here. Hell, his first Batman story, a two-parter in Legends of the Dark Knight early in his career, was notably lackluster by his usual standards, and it makes up a significant percentage of his output (even if you count his Moon Knight run with Declan Shalvey as de facto Batman comics, which I absolutely do). But I thought about his other Batman stories - the first-ever Black and White feature with Jim Lee, and the Planetary crossover - and asked myself one by one, “are you better than X writer’s entire cumulative, often revolutionary Batman output?” And dammit if the answer didn’t keep being “yes”. What it comes down to is that he is to Batman as Garth Ennis is to Superman: a writer without much love for the superhero genre (though Ellis seems to have come to terms with it as a perfectly acceptable storytelling delivery system, as opposed to Ennis’s more pronounced disdain) who in a couple fits and spurts found the one character they seem capable of genuinely investing in, and whether people noticed it or not absolutely rocked it beyond comprehension in their time with them. Ellis found through Batman a perfect conduit for his righteous anger with the cruelties of the world, nailing his cunning, his cool demeanor, his vicious humor, his anger, his sympathy, his ability to inspire fear and awe in equal measure, and in the best Batman scene of all time, he articulated better than any writer before or after him why Bruce Wayne fights, and what for. Combined with his Moon Knight as a window as to how he might handle the character on a month-by-month basis that became an all-time great run unto itself, plus his excellent showing in Ellis’s arc of JLA Classified, and I just can’t make myself rank him any lower than this.

2. Tom King

The newest entry to the list, Tom King already had plenty of love when he came onboard thanks to Grayson, Omega Men, and Vision, but he was stepping into some of the most titanic shoes in the industry in Scott Snyder’s wake. But not only did he live up to that standard, he’s soared far beyond, with a thoroughly human and determinedly unconventional look at the degree to which Bruce has hindered himself emotionally for the sake of his mission and the toll of a neverending war on his mind. Ranging from fist-pumpingly cool to unrelentingly grim, profound to self-consciously silly, and managing to be soul-curdlingly cold and shamelessly tender in equal measure, Tom King not only finds the heart of Batman as few others have, but does so through one of the characters’ boldest, most technically spectacular, and refreshingly honest runs.

1. Grant Morrison

Just as much as he is with Superman, Grant Morrison simply is The Batman Writer. I’ve written at extensive length on his work here before, so in short: Morrison’s Batman is the best run a major Big Two character has ever received by miles and one of the best in comics period. He writes Batman as a mystery, as a thriller, as a pulp action romp, as sci-fi, as psychedelic spy warfare, as pure superheroics, as lurid horror, and as one man’s attempt to transcend himself through the ideal his symbol embodies and its ability to inspire others. He played with the symbols and themes underpinning Bruce Wayne like none other, he not only perfectly nailed Batman’s character but imposed a character arc over the whole of his publishing history, he touched on every corner of his world while carving out entirely new and unique spaces, and he left behind an honest-to-god epic that’s visibly influenced every major comics take since. There is simply no comparison of his work to anyone else’s, and I sincerely question if there ever will be - even more than his work defined Superman for me (and his Superman work includes my absolute favorite work of fiction period), his Batman is the Batman that lives in my head.

[ranpoismyblorbo]

I have never seen someone compare Mori and Fukuchi to the First King and if i ever do THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S COMING FOR THEM.

Honestly you know what. I like Mori ngl just. I just aggressively ignore the p*dophilia just. No.

I like him as a character, dude is a literal high functioning psychopath (sociopath??) who has little to no emotions AT ALL. CANONCIALLY the only things he cares about is the Port Mafia and Yokohama (and Elise but in all fairness that's his ability so.) I find him interesting as a character so yeah.

Back to the point. The first king had no good reason except ego for anything and we despise him.

the difference between the first king (aot) and mori and fukuchi (bsd) is that mori and fukuchi have some sort of valid reasoning (obviously not morally valid but still valid objectively) for the evil that they did

meanwhile, the first king doesn't have any. he only wants his empire to live on and rule the world with the titans. and he passed on this desire to his children and descendants. he didn't do this bc he wants to protect them or see that it will be good for anyone in the future. he did this because for absolutely no sensical reason at all (or maybe for an awfully narcissistic reason that has no benefit for anyone but his ego), he wants the world to see how powerful his titans and empire is.

[chuchureview]

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Book Review

This was really fun! I bought this back in my BBC Sherlock days when that show was still decent. I figured it was high time to experience the real deal. As far as "classic literature" goes, this one definitely holds up and is very easy to get through with not-so-dense language and even some humor thrown in (mostly from Sherlock's sass). The mysteries made every short story feel like a game. I didn't really do a good job at guessing what would happen because I've always kind of sucked at predicting plot twists. On the bright side, things are more entertaining when you don't see them coming a mile away.

The best part of the anthology was definitely Sherlock himself and his partnership with John. Having only a knowledge of the BBC, Robert Downey Jr, and Disney Sherlocks, I was kind of comparing how successful each adaptation was along the way. I felt like ACD's Sherlock was far more suave and courteous than BBC's Sherlock but that might have to do with the Victorian setting. He definitely came off as more of a lovable eccentric than a "high functioning sociopath" but there were a few savage moments. It's pretty hilarious how he's constantly praising Watson and then making jabs about how he's completely oblivious to all the clues. He's also pretty blunt and cold to people when they're boring or no longer interest him because they're mystery's been solved. He had some line about hating invites to "social" events and I could relate lol.

I wouldn't really say any of the mysteries stood out as a "favorite," I feel like were all at about the same level entertainment-wise. I was pretty alarmed by how gory the final one was (The Adventure of the Copper Beeches). It was even weirder when I picked up The Hound of the Baskervilles immediately after this and they both had giant dogs tearing open dude's throats. That's very specific, Arthur!

4 out of 5 stars

[killerqueen-18]

Chapter One| Little Bit Of Both

San Francisco, 1987

“May I ask why we were requested in your office armed?” Julietta ask Master Lin. She and her twin Alexander were sat in front of the man’s desk. It was late at night when the man sent monks to the twins separate rooms. “We are getting a new student. I wish for you to take him under your wing, and join La Familia.” Lin says sitting back in his seat.

“People don’t just join La Familia. We see if they’re worthy of being in La Familia.” Alexander almost growls at the man. He never liked the man in front of them, but his sister seemed to have liked the mans morals. At least some of them.

Julietta puts her hand on her brother’s shoulder to calm him. “Let’s hear him out, Xander.”

“Thank you, Juliet.” Lin nods to the girl. He grew up with there father and mother, but only liked there father and respected the man. So, when Daniel asked for his kids to join King’s, Lin agreed wholeheartedly.

“Marcus Lopez-Arguello, recently burnt down the boy’s home he was staying in.” Lin continues. “The one from the news?” Julie questions.

“Yes, and I had a few students and Griffin - with your permission - to watch the boy.” Lin says standing with his cane. “Why La Familia? Why not the others?” Xander asks also standing to meet the man’s eyes.

“Because I know you have no discrimination. You only care about morals.” Lin says looking at Juliet, knowing he’d have to please her to get her brother and the others on board. “I can’t bend our rules for this boy, Lin. I won’t. I made these rules, so that the people that join won’t screw me over later. But you have my word that I will give him a chance to prove himself worth.” Julie says standing next to her brother.

“That is all I ask, Juliet.” Lin nods, knowing that is the best answer he will get at that moment. “Would you two like to meet him?”

“Not really.” Xander says with a roll of his eyes. Julie smiles at her brother, hitting softly. “Yes, we would.”

Juliette fixed the hoodie of her black cloak over her head, then looped her arm around her brother’s who wore a black leather jacket that had the words La Familia on his shoulder blades. The two followed the man out to there cars, and drove to the butcher shop where the others were waiting.

The three walk towards the back of the butcher shop, silently listening to the others in the room. “Don't look like no psychopath to me.” Willie says looking the boy up and down.

“Can't judge a book by its cover.” Saya says from beside him.

“But you can judge one by its smell.” Billy says nodding to himself. Willie takes of the bag from the boy’s head. “He's cute.” Maria says smiling at the boy.

“Yeah. Total ‘Hobo Fancy’ cover boy material.” Billy says in the same girly voice Maria had.

There were at least one person from five groups in the school, Sato Vatos, Kuroki Syndicate, Final World Order, The Rats, and La Familia had Griffin Cody chosen by Julietta to follow Lin’s orders for the the night.

“What you say, mad dog? You the psycho that did the boys' home massacre?” Willie says crossing his arms. “We’ve all killed. Aren’t we all a little psychotic? Or at least some of us are high functioning sociopaths.” Griffin says the words Julie has told the others and himself countless times.

“Pretty tough barking at a dude tied to a chair.” A new voice says sarcastically. Julie smiles knowing it is the new kid. “I like him already, Xander.”

“Of course, you do.” Xander shakes his head. “Untie this punk-ass bitch.” Willie says in response to the boy.

“All right, but my money's on Hepatitis Harry.” Billy says getting out his butterfly knife. Just then the three walk into the room, making themselves known. “Forgive my students. They forget that viciousness serves only to make them look weak.” Lin says as Saya gets the man a chair.

The five students - and Marcus - notice the clicking of heels behind the man then see it was the Valentine twins, and Maria glares at the girl. “What is she doing here?”

“Watch your tone, Sato Vatos.” Griffin says walking to stand beside Julie, his deep english accent being shown to the boy that was tied up. Julie just ignores the girl, she never got along with. Julie learned long ago that asking for help is not a weakness, having other do your dirty work is considered weak. Julie has tried before to get the girl to join La Familia after seeing the abuse, but Maria faught against the help and Julie which earned them detention.

“Untie him would you, Billy?” Julie says softly. The boy does as told, and they watch the boy rub him wrist and look around the room for an escape.

“Are you satisfied with your life?” Lin asks the boy. “Me? Yeah. I eat trash and I sleep in piss. Everything according to plan.” The boy says sarcastically. Even the two boy’s behind Julie almost broke into a smile. Julie nudges the two knowing the new kid will fit in great with them.

“Speak to Master Lin with respect.” Saya says stepping forward, only to be stopped by Willie.

“Master Lin can eat my shit.” The boy says to the girl then looks around the room at everyone, stopping at Julie seeing the two glaring boy’s behind her. “Who the hell are you people?”

“What's important is that we know who you are, Marcus. And that we know what you've done. You're a killer. Few value this particular proficiency, but I do. What if I told you there's a home for people like you? A school where you'd be surrounded by your peers.” Lin says to the boy.

“Only what? I dress up like a Viking so you can take tasteful pictures?” The boy says shaking his head. “I'm offering you a chance to harness that fire inside you. To master the deadly arts.” Lin says.

“The deadly arts, yeah. That, uh that sounds great. You know, this all seems really sane and normal, and y'all look like a fun bunch, but, uh whatever this is-” The boy says standing, bumping into Willie on the way out. “Later, days.”

“That son of a bitch stole my wallet.” Willie says patting down his jacket. Saya walks towards the door knowing Lin would have wanted her to follow him. “No.” Lin says to the girl.

“What?” Saya turns to the man confused. “Juliet, would you follow him?” Lin turns to the girl in the black cloak.

Julie’s nods, since she was curious about the boy. “Just Juliet.” Lin says making the two boy’s behind her stop from following her.

“What?” Griffin says. “No.” Xander adds with a shake of his head.

“I want Marcus to join our school willingly. And he won’t do that with you two trailing her.” Lin says standing. Xander was about to protest, but was stopped by his sister. “I’ll survive without you for a hour or two, Xander. Don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust.” Xander says to his sister that was a couple inches shorter that him even in five inch heels. “What’s the worst he come do. Besides it’s me that’s armed.” Julie says showing them the knives that were strapped on her belt.

“Fine. You have one hour before I send a search party.” Xander says crossing his arms. Julie smiles and kisses his cheek, hugging him then holding her hand out. “Keys, please.”

The drive was that long since the traffic was low and Julie remembered the file Lin showed her a few days before. She remembered seeing the location where his parents were killed in front of.

Julie was quick to make it to the top of the building seeing Marcus about to jump off. “Don’t jump.” The girl says scaring the boy.

“Jesus Christ! What the hell?” Marcus jumps away from the girl.

“I’m sorry.” The girl says in walks closer to the boy. “Hear me out. Lin can protect you from the cops, and once he's done teaching you, you'll be able to protect yourself from anyone.”

Marcus shakes his head about to jump again, but is grabbed by the girl. “Don’t! Death isn’t always the answer, Marcus.”

Julie breathes in deeply. “Okay, I’m not going to stand here and tell you I know what it’s like to not have anyone because that would be a lie. I’ve always had my brother. But I can tell you I’ve seen it destroy people from the inside out. Lin is giving you a chance at a fresh start. And I’m also not going to watch you jump off this building. That would go against my morals.”

Marcus finally turns to the girl, and looks into her blue eyes. “How do you know my name?”

“I happen to know a lot of things about you, Marcus.” Julie says smirking playfully up at the boy. Everyone was taller that her every Saya by an inch or two. “Do I get to know your name?” Marcus leans towards the girl, and she notices this.

“Julietta, but everyone calls me Julie.” The girl says looking into the boy’s caramel eyes. He leans in closer but is stopped by her finger being up on his lips. “I’m not that easy, darling. And me kissing you would be taking advantage of your vulnerability. Maybe when you’re cleaned up and we get to know each other better. Them maybe, just maybe you can kiss me.”

Marcus looks at the girl with a look she couldn’t understand but nods to the girl. “I’ll go.”

“Is that because you want to kiss me or because you want a place to live?” Julie says smiling amusedly, as the boy picked up his bookbag. “A little bit of both.” Marcus says smirking, making the girl gasp.

“He jokes!” Julie says laughing. “I was starting to get worried for a second there.”

The two walk towards the 1969 black Chevrolet camaro. “This is your car?” Marcus says looking at the car surprised.

“My brother and I share the car, but yes. It’s mine.” The girl nods. The drive was a comfortable silence. No one spoke until they were walking towards the butcher shop. Julie had the hood of her cloak to cover her hair from the rain.

“Lin has a basic code of conduct. There is one thing you cannot do. Give up our location, and we will kill you.” Julie says walking passed Billy, who stood waiting for them at the entrance. “Like, full-on ‘Conan the Barbarian’ style. Like, you will be eviscerated. Lin's family has been eviscerating people for centuries.”

“They really love it.” Griffin says smirking at the boy, as he and Xander walked up to the two already dress in there uniform. “Lin don't flex. Got a worldwide rep to maintain.” Willie says as they all follow the shorter girl to the back of the shop.

“The rest of the rules are simple.” Xander says as his sister loops her arm with him. “No disobedience, no drugs, and no sex.” Saya says hearing what Xander said as the six walk into the room where the two girls were sitting in there uniform.

“We find ways around the last one.” Maria says fixing her hair. “Well, hopefully not in here.” Griffin says looking around the room in disgust.

“And not with you.” Marcus mumbles looking at Julie and the boy’s that stuck to her side the moment she was in there line of vision. “What is this?”

A door opens up from behind Julie, and she smiles. “Welcome to King's Dominion, Marcus.”