#TDLR at the bottom

[rou-luxe]

the alfons measurement calculations.

SUGGESTIVE

you asked for it. I was literally the only person that said no (as a joke)

fear my doctor's handwriting. calculators are not allowed in this household or no rice ☹ I actually only used calculator for the last part for unit conversion

I'm making CLAVIS proud with my shitty handwriting (it's better on paper)

the unreadable verdict

note that this is the pelvis.

Alfons' pelvis is 22.12909875 cm / 8.7122436 in long, from roughly the bottom of his waist to between his legs (how did I find it? I upped the brightness of the image to find it). I can't find the actual length of it but based on this information... well have fun everyone 😇😇

His pelvis is about the same height as his entire head but I gotta do the math yk 🤪 I accidentally wrote cm instead of px for the pelvis and the green lines there are actually incorrect - because the waist typiacally starts HIGHER than that part of the vest. dear god his legs are long. but I'm too lazy to change it and my brain just did the correct math anyway 💀 <- tdlr; I fucked up but got the correct answer anyway

teacher... I showed my work... ☹☹

do you want the equation... it's still goofy asf

[argentimybeloved]

Can we as a fandom of like ANY kind actually treat LGBTQ+ ships as normal??

Almost everytime I see an mlm ship in a fandom, it’s almost always treated as

Big alpha man top 😡😡 x soft uwu boy bottom 🥺🥺

STOP THAT.

The characters are WAY more than a ship. They’re characters with backstory, a personality, OTHER REALATIONSHIPS OTHER THEN UR SHIP.

You’re pretty much mischaracterising these characters soley for a ship and I’m growing tired of seeing a copy and paste dynamic with mlm ships when they act NOTHING like that.

Not only that, a ship doesn’t need to be SEXUAL. I’ve seen this a lot with ship names. Personally, I don’t see the point in having whoever’s name is “first” as the “top”

It’s the same ship, nothing changes about the ship other than what goes on under the covers. I don’t wanna see things like

“Haikaveh better”

Or

“Kavetham better”

IT’S THE SAME?? If you HC one as “top” or “bottom” fine, but don’t comment it under a video of them just because the tags differs. ESPECIALLY if the video was just a simple kiss on the cheek.

Wlw have it better in terms of the fact from what I’ve seen the characters don’t get as mischaracterised (doesn’t mean it isn’t there) so the fact this is mainly happening to mlm ships make me feel like people are infantilising the ship and/or fetishing it. Neither are good in any case.

When it comes to wlw ships tho, despite it having It doesn’t help wlw ships gets almost no attention at all (*cough* chaggie *cough cough*)

But really, why do we give so much attention to a mlm ship but give no attention to a wlw ship?? Ofc not everyone does it but from my experience, no one cares for wlw ships.

It’s getting annoying honestly

TDLR; Stop mischaracterising mlm couples and actually READ their lore, and stop ignoring/forgetting wlw ships

Please and thank you

[macaroniv]

On Imu, Ancient weapons, Blackbeard and Nika. (MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR ALL OF ONE PIECE)

(TDLR at the bottom. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes I type too fast)

This sounds like somewhat of a stretch, however just humor me for a bit. (Credit to @hollowgears for helping brainstorm this and helping me get some of the sources. And my two mythology friends for fact checking this. And one piece reddit and tiktokers for the blackbeard cerberus theory.)

The ancient weapons are Luffy (Uranus), Blackbeard (Pluton not exactly but I'll dwelve into that), and Shirahoshi (Poseidon)

The ancient weapons were named after three Greco-Roman gods. Pluto - the underworld, Uranus - the sky, and Poseidon - the sea. Now, it's already established that Shirahoshi is Poseidon, the mermaid princess who can summon sea kings.

And all we know about Pluton, is that it's a ship under the sea in Wano. Now, if Pluton is a ship, then how the hell can Blackbeard also be Pluton? Well it's simple, who else to use the ship named after the ruler of the underworld, then the gatekeeper of hell himself, Cerberus.

There have been a lot of theories and evidence about Blackbeard having three personalities, and having the zoan fruit of Cerberus, and that's why he can have three devil fruits. However this theory is pointless when he himself states he's been hunting for a third devil fruit. However, if he was simply born that way like Shirahoshi, it could explain why he has those abilities without being a devil fruit user.

For context, Cerberus is a three-headed dog the gatekeeper of hell in Greek mythology. The Blackbeard Cerberus theory states that Blackbeard ate the Cerberus mythical zoan. Marco states in Marineford that Blackbeard has an abnormal body, as well as the three skulls on his jolly roger compared to most jolly rogers of the series, which only have one. There's also Blackbeard's three pronged weapon, the one that gave Shanks his scar that resembles a claw.

Now for the theory behind that theory, the Blackbeard with three personalities theory. Blackbeard in his introduction in Skypeia, Luffy and Zoro calls Blackbeard "they" when Nami says uses he pronouns on him. Now either Blackbeard is non-binary or is multiple people in one body (the latter being more likely let's be honest). Blackbeard has been depicted with varying personalities, sometimes he's cowardly, sometimes he's extremely intelligent (an aspect most likely taken from his real life inspiration), and optimistic and brave. He switches between these aspects from appearance, and whilst character's are capable of having multiple personality traits, the variation of these traits inspires this theory. There is also the fact that is stated that he never sleeps, he could switch between personalities while the others ones sleep, so he never has a need to.

Another aspect to the Cerberus theory, more of a stretch, when asked about the flower Blackbeard is represented by, Oda says Spider Lilies. Spider Lilies can be viewed as omens of death, and Blackbeard himself has caused two of the major character deaths in the series (Ace and Whitebeard). Death? Underworld? You get the connection.

How Blackbeard has a connection with Pluton other than vague mythology? Trust me bro.

Now for Luffy, Uranus is the god of the sky in mythology. You can probably see where I'm going with this. Luffy has the hito-hito no mi: model Nika. A mythical zoan fruit of the sun god Nika. The sun god Nika is a god that's been worshipped in the one piece world for centuries (Uranus in mythology being a primordial god, one of the first and the father of the titans), and there's an obvious connection between the sun and the sky. The sky itself is often used to symbolize freedom in media, as well as animals associated with it, along with wind.

Now, why exactly does the world government want to hide the Nika fruit so badly? Of course, Nika represents freedom. A user of the Nika fruit could hinder their plans, even possibly destroy them. That's what's implied. Could this fruit be an Ancient weapon as well, one that imu knew they could never control?

We know almost nothing about Uranus other then the fact that well.. it's a weapon. And it exists. It's strange how we've learnt about almost every weapon, and it could just be a coincidence but only now are we learning about the true nature of Luffy's fruit. Now, Luffy's fruit being the weapon contrasts Shirahoshi and Blackbeard in this theory, both being born with their connection/being the weapon. But with mythical zoan devil fruits having their own free wills, would the god of freedom not be able to choose it's own user? Someone born with the exact same ideals that it has? Maybe luffy was born to wield the fruit, or maybe it just saw him and chose him.

Now why the would I come up with this anyway? (or well, Hollow did come up with this originally I just happen to be adding more evidence)

In the Levely arc, Imu's throne room has four bounty posters. Vivi, Blackbeard, Shirahoshi, and Luffy. One could argue that it's because all four pose a danger to the government. Vivi as the descendant of the first known member of the D clan, who had something to do with the poneglyphs, Shirahoshi being an Ancient weapon, Luffy being Nika who we established the world government really did not want to exist, and Blackbeard, who's into history, kinda dangerous, and probably has some sort of connection to Rocks D Xebec (His ship name being the saber of Xebec.)

However, Shira's, Blackbeard's, and Luffy's bounty posters are all slashed by the same knife. And one eye has been cut from each.

That could be a coincidence, but as we know, Oda loves foreshadowing. This panel implies a connection between the three with Imu's hatred of them. Now, for Vivi, her ancestor if she had written or at least was able to read them, knew of the locations of the weapons. So that's her connection with them.

There are various holes, like the fact that Blackbeard has no established connection with Pluton. But hey, it's just a theory.

TDLR: Blackbeard is cerberus the gatekeeper of hell and thus was born to use the ship Pluton, named after the king of the underworld. Luffy/Nika is uranus, and the fruit either chose luffy because he seemed to match nika's personality, or he was born to use the fruit. Imu has the bounty posters of Shira, Blackbeard, and Luffy and has a knife in each.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

I did say I would write metas for Inky Mystery and I am delivering on that promise lol

Copy & Pasted from discord gc

TDLR @ bottom

-------------------------------------------------------

rethinking my stance on Cuphead's character arc after that last chapter dropped. And, now that Fanny and Cuphead are definitely no longer friends after...*that* I'm gonna rethink everything I said here about this whole "Fanny 'likes' Cuphead" situation

so Cuphead's character arc is leaning towards personhood...or individuality I guess is a better way to put it. And I might be a fucking idiot for just now noticing that but whatever lol. I think after thinking through last chapter it really dawned on me how much of Cuphead's...idk existence? Is predicated on what role he thinks he needs to play at any moment. Sometimes he's Cuphead the Thug and other times he's Cuphead the Assassin and other times he's Cuphead the Protector. And he's constantly switching between these three roles at any given moment because Cuphead doesn't really *have* a sense of self any more. Like, it's gone. If his identity is no longer solely revolving around "the mission" or "assignment" he was given by Hat or the Devil, then it's the Quest or rather, the Questers that his identity revolves around. Looking at Cuphead's character arc now, in comparison to Mugman's I think this is why it feels as if Cuphead is almost regressing/ improving at times. Because his central internal conflict is going to be more focused on who is Cuphead? As an individual. What are his goals, ambitions, and desires? What does he want from life, what will be Cuphead's reason for living?

The biggest issue Cuphead is having is resorting to escapism to stave off whatever is bothering him and his need to connect his self worth towards playing a role in someone else's story. For Holly, he's playing the role of Cuphead the Protector and that means keeping her as far from him as he can because if he's to protect her that's what he needs to do. He'll, even back during the gala chapters when Cuphead was envisioning a future with him and Holly, it was still about *Holly* achieving success, making her dreams come true, and following her ambitions. What was Cuphead in this future? Cuphead the Supporter of course, someone who sits on the sidelines watching others succeed while he stagnates. With Fanny, the role he plays is being her detective sidekick; sure, he's just as interested to a degree in Vicious's past but that's not the main reason he joined Fanny on her side quest was it? With the Questers as a whole, it's a mixture of both Cuphead the Thug, the Friend, and the Protector. There is something to be said about how dehumanizing the whole thing is. How seeing yourself as labels holds someone back from their greater potential. In Cuphead's case I don't know what that potential is but it exist within him and it's only gonna come out if starts to see himself as a whole individual rather than just the role he thinks he needs to fulfill at any given moment.

We see this kind of get called out more than a few times, though sparsely. The Labyrinth chapter just happened to bring all of this to a head, showing the extent of which placing these labels upon Cuphead have affected him while also showing from Mugman's perspective how Cuphead has slowly over time lost his sense of self. His hobbies, his interests, his goals, his dreams, his ambitions. So consumed with guilt for the past, and no hope for himself and his future outside of keeping Mugman safe he doesn't really know what he wants. He doesn't know what to do with himself anymore, where he wants to go. Who he wants to be. Cuphead hasn't thought about these things in such a long time since he was a child, back when he knew who he was and who he wanted to be. He had ambitions back then, things he wanted to do. He wanted to move up in the world. Be something.

That talk with Lily is the step towards him fully realizing how he's given up so much of himself including his personhood and individuality that he has nothing left, all because of the mission; of his regrets and guilt keeping him from moving forward. And how he continues to deny himself the ability to be a whole person because of his guilt and self-sacrificial nature. To allow himself to feel comfort, safety...love. The biggest thing that could happen with Cuphead's character arc in relation to Colly is coming to the realization that he's hurting himself as much as he's hurting Holly, denying himself the joys of life not just because of his work, but because deep down a part of him believes he isn't allowed to have those things. Because he's only Cuphead the Thug, Cuphead the Assassin, Cuphead the Protector, and there's no room for anything else when you play those roles. He needs to learn to strip himself of those roles if he wants any chance to move forward in the same way Mugman has. To find his individuality. His purpose, his ambition, his drive.

Obviously I'm talking about Holly. But not in a way where she personally helps him discover this. It's more indirect than that. Especially with Holly's character arc being in direct conflict with Cuphead's goals, but in a good way cause it's what he needs.

Holly feels like a burden on the group and doesn't like being on the sidelines unable to help in any significant way. She wants to learn to fight to fend for herself and help others in the process without feeling like collateral. Holly is also starting to grow into her confidence once again *without* Cuphead being present for it which is great because that's what's needed for both of them. To grow separately rather than having a heavy influence on the others arc.

TDLR; Cuphead's character arc is about individuality and finding his purpose again in life. Some Colly is briefly thrown in there but that is the gist of what I'm talking about.

Was gonna include some stuff about Fanny's character arc where that was going given how she just accidentally ruined her friendship with Cup. And previously in my discord gc I had speculated that her arc would be forwarded by Cuphead, or at least that he'd play a role in it, but obviously that's not the case anymore. I'll have to make a separate post about it I think when more Fanny chapters come out-

[raikkonens]

serious situation involving misogyny and possible future violence against women. looking for advice!!!!

there’s this guy at my work (let’s call him gary) around my age that is exhibiting what I would crassly call “school shooter vibes”. my coworker (let’s call her annie) and I just started this year, while he’s been here since 2021 or 2022. while there’s no real hierarchy at my workplace, annie and I both have master’s degrees (sadly that matters in my profession) and therefore have more responsibility than him. we’re leading this new groundbreaking project that will likely take us to conferences around the world. he’s also expressed feeling left out of the work that annie and I are doing, not explicitly but subtly. annie and I went to a business dinner with our boss and another guy whose business we want to partner with on this groundbreaking project. gary heard about this dinner and like….sad walked over to our desk and was like “so you’re going out to dinner tonight? 😞 I’ll probably be eating an entire pizza by myself 😞”. like, trying to make us feel bad for him/possibly angling for an invite?? gary buddy you aren’t involved in this project therefore why the fuck would you be included, you know??

he has also expressed resentment towards others in the workplace, mainly women. I was alone with him recently and he asked if another one of my coworkers (female, but not annie) was being weird/mean towards him. she’s not, btw, she’s just serious about her work and frankly, I don’t think she likes gary that much so she tries to limit interaction with him (not hard as they do separate jobs in separate areas). she’s also on the spectrum so she’s very straightforward. bottom line: he just seems to think everyone has it out for him.

last thing is that gary was talking to annie once about women and mentioned how this girl once wronged him somehow (can’t remember, could’ve just rejected him?) but he called her a cunt. like out loud. which like, I feel like it’s once thing to say something’s cunt on the internet (eg. charles leclerc holding a lil dachshund like a purse) but I would NEVER describe someone as a cunt, especially in the workplace to a colleague. like???? no wonder you’re single!! he’s always very gentlemanly (open doors, carry heavy items) but then he describes women like that. scary.

ok LAST last thing is that gary has, on multiple occasions, mentioned that he owns guns. yeah.

this has become more of a ramble than I wanted but TDLR my male coworker is expressing concerning resentment towards women who are….idk maybe more successful/have more responsibility/are getting more attention from higher-ups than he is. he also holds resentment towards women in general for rejecting him. I’m worried that he’ll act out violently towards us (his female coworkers) - is this justified? am I blowing this out of proportion? what should I do? any advice is welcome, especially if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. thank youuuuuu <3

[angelinatoybox]

Please help me keep my apartment!

Hello!! My name is Jaszmine and I am asking for help so that I do not lose my apartment this month. I have another account on here but I am unfortunately too shy to ask for help but since I am in an emergency situation I can't afford to feel that way right now.

TLDR and gofundme link on the bottom:

To start, I was finally able to leave an abusive home that I lived in for the past 24 years. I got my first apartment in June and it was the first major thing I had ever done for myself. But unfortunately, a few days before I was about to move in, my big sister passed away. My life had been going further downhill since then. Two months prior to all of this, at my then new job, they had started extreme budget cuts which largely effected our hours. I am supposed to be full-time and worked 36 hours a week. Very shortly after I had gotten hired, my hours went down to 21 hours per week. (more below)

At first this was somewhat manageable, then coincidentally, two weeks after I had moved into my apartment and my sister had died, I had received an email telling me that my wages were soon to be garnished for student loans… STUDENT LOANS. They had informed me that they would be taking 25% from my already short paychecks- my checks that were already small due to them cutting hours. I had the organization that was garnishing me, under their advising, to send them my paystubs and expenses so that they can lower the percentage that were taking and/or completely stop- but they denied twice. Despite seeing how little my checks were compared to my rent, on top of my other utilities.

My account has been in overdraft for months. I am not able to get food for myself at all. I have applied for food stamps and have been denied twice. They said I make too much which is insane to me, because I have absolutely zero spending money. I don’t even have spare change.

I have applied for so many jobs ever since they have been cutting hours. I have been turned down by each and every one. I have two more job interviews coming up that I am PRAYING goes through because my whole situation literally depends on it. I have asked for more hours at work and they always respond that there are none to give and that there are absolutely no shifts to pick up. I have tried food pantries and I am unable to get transportation to go out there. I cannot even afford a bus pass.

In the past two weeks, I have already received an eviction notice on my door- and mind you, I JUST moved into this apartment. I have finally been able to get a court date to file for hardship for my wage garnishment case, and I am extremely anxious about how I am going to be able to make it there. I have no friends or family who live around me who are able to take me.

My next paycheck comes on the 31st of this month, and I already know that the very little that I am going to get with this check will be going entirely towards my rent. My electric, phone and water bill are going to be cut off and this will be another month that I have very little to no food in my fridge. I am just praying that its at least enough to cover my rent. I absolutely cannot afford to lose this apartment. Shelters are unfortunately not an option for me and I absolutely do not wish to go back to my previous residence. I'm hoping that this job I am interviewing for comes through because it really make all of the difference with how my current situation is going.

TDLR: I moved into a new apt in June, my work hours have been cut since April and my wages are getting garnished for student loans. I have little to no food and I am needing enough to cover the rest of my rent for the month of August.

Anything helps! And I am deeply grateful for everyone who donates and/or took the time to read this. Thank you!!

I can also take:

Chime and cashapp: $jpjpow

Paypal: @jaszminepowell

[hanasnx]

Which bruce wayne is ur favourite? (ex. Christian Bale, Robert Patterson) and follow up question why? -🐰

bunny, im so glad you asked. how much time do you have

i don't care about robert pattinson, i did not care about the batman (2022). i'm sure i'll do a full analysis once i'm able to establish my credentials as a lifelong batman fan, but there was a lot that fell so short for me.

christian bale was an exceptional bruce wayne, which is arguably as impossible a role to fill as the role of batman is. i loved bale's aloof and smug nature as bruce, his confidence and faults, but i can not stand his portrayal of batman. not only is the suit design egregious and unflattering, whoever helped him develop his bat-voice was a terrible guide. bale did his best, don't get me wrong, truly i can hear him giving his all and shredding his vocal chords in the process, but it was simply awful to listen to. the dark knight (2008) is still a rewatch-worthy movie of course, but batman begins (2005) & the dark knight rises (2012) was not memorable nor revolutionary. they pale in comparison to the middle of the trilogy.

more (and a TDLR at the bottom) under the cut:

i thought michael keaton's portrayal of both bruce and batman in batman (1989) and batman returns (1992) was boring. any personality he may have tried to bring to batman was washed out by tim burton trying to fit so much of... well... tim burton into something that didn't need any more of that injection. don't get me wrong, stylistically it's appealing, but if you told me that keaton just showed up and started acting as michael keaton instead of bruce wayne i'd believe you because there is no clear distinction between the two. the second movie was way more enjoyable to watch but it was because of elements that had... virtually nothing to do with bruce/batman. it was devito's penguin, and pfieffer's catwoman (and her subplot) that held my attention. i think it's definitely a burton movie, which is fine, and his morbid takes on those characters are interesting, but it was not a defining movie for bruce/batman. it honestly could've been better without batman entirely or benched as a side character / the antagonist.

batman forever (1995) is my secret favorite live action portrayal. val kilmer had bale's charisma when it came to bruce wayne, and gave batman a unique personality that i adored. he didn't shred his vocal chords to give batman a deeper voice either, instead gave himself an elegant yet commanding edge that reminded me of what i admired about kevin conroy's batman voice. as campy as it is, i love so much of what they did with this movie. i often think of it as a standalone vs it being actually a part of the "burtonverse." especially because batman & robin (1997) is supposed to be part of that franchise and i cannot tell you a single thing that happened in that movie besides maybe uma thurman.

another secret live-action favorite of mine was the foundational movie of adam west's portrayal in batman: the movie (1966) and i will elaborate on that another time either by someone's solicitation or my own hyperfixation driven wills.

now that the live-action shit is out of the way, let's get to the real winners.

the dcau or "timmverse" (bruce timm) or "diniverse" (paul dini) is the name for the dc animated universe franchise during 1992 - 2006 which includes loads of favorite shows/movies of mine. which leads me to say: my favorite portrayals of bruce wayne and batman of all time, is kevin conroy's from justice league (2001 - 2004) and justice league unlimited (2004 - 2006). those two might not be as solid as a legend like batman: the animated series (1992 - 1995) where conroy made his debut, but they were one of my introductory pieces to his portrayal and are a source of a lot of love and nostalgia that still hold up today as a twenty-one year old vs elementary school when i first discovered them. i stayed up til the AM watching them which i had never done before that (it was 7am). i would rewatch my favorite episodes over and over again which i have never done for any other show.

as many have already agreed, conroy was the definitive voice of batman for decades. his beginnings in the legendary batman: the animated series (1991 - 1995) put him on the map as bruce's most recognizable VA, and he went on to voice him in many adaptations that i also adore. a few examples are batman beyond (1999 - 2001) and the rocksteady arkham video game series (2009 - 2015). not only did he form a dynamic duo with mark hamill's joker (who is also so important for the joker's character, but i can't elaborate on that here without a terrific tangent) which employed one of the most potent examples of chemistry i've ever seen in media, but i would've trusted conroy's expertise on bruce/batman to the ends of the earth. he cared about that character, and he showed it in every faithful adaptation he performed. trustworthy and admirable, conroy is hands down the best batman by far, and did justice to his characterization that defined my love for the character. without conroy who brought him alive, i doubt i'd be into batman as much as i am or for as long as i have.

i knew that writing this post i'd get emotional. it's been a year since conroy's death in november 2022. i still remember the night before the news and how i had coincidentally imagined a world without him, come to find out the very next day that he had passed away. i remember exactly where i was when i found out, i remember exactly what i did after. he had honestly been a part of life through batman for almost the entirety of it. he was the celebrity i always wanted to meet, no one was important enough to me to go through that trouble. but conroy was worth it to me, and i missed out on the chance before he passed away. i heard he was always so personable and so kind, and who could ask for better from batman, you know? god there's so much more i could say, but i dont want to be disrespectful to his family who i'm sure miss him terribly, and are the ones that experienced that loss. in the grand scheme of things, i was nothing to him and that's fine, but i'm just very proud of him.

TDLR the character bruce wayne / batman portrayals in any live action adaptations fell short when it comes to animated adaptations of his character. batman forever (1995) is my favorite live-action movie, but it's nothing compared to my love for the voice acting of kevin conroy's bruce wayne / batman in justice league (2001 - 2004) / justice league unlimited (2004 - 2006).

[mrmsprotagonist]

FNAF HOT TAKE: I hate what the SL did to fnaf4. TDLR at the bottom

Really most of this comes down to mike being the protag of 4. I've accepted it by now, but it still pisses me off. Mostly because all of the separate parts feel off now. Why are we so tiny? Why are the robots grotesquely morbid? The cutscenes/minigames? THE HOSPITAL PROPERTY?? It made since being a child's nightmares leading up to their death. BUT NOOO, Now it's all just "OOOoOOoOOh Williamn did all this cuz Mikey killed his baby who he could hypothetically bring back but doesn't OOOooOooOoo-" Like bro. Now it's 100% Canon in my mind that William just chloroformed mike, dragged him to the sister location, didn't elaborate to ANY of the workers and robots, and progressively stole hospital equipment to gaslight his son ,who lets be reasonable for once, Already felt like shit because of that.

TLDR: Scottcon made fnaf 4 off the walls crazy to explain, and this cannon:

[doctor-of-war-and-heartache]

Hey all! I need some advice from fellow polyamorous folks.

Here's the situation (tdlr at the bottom): my partner and I are both poly but in different ways. I find myself desiring relationships with others where my partner is also involved, like a throuple. My partner desires relationships with others where I am not involved at all.

We've tried dating other people as well as each other but separate (my partners way) and it was extremely detrimental to my mental health. So I decided that I was going to only date my partner and not even look for or entertain anything or anyone else, but my partner was still going to date others.

This hasn't been working for me either. I find myself getting jealous and bitter about these other people, two emotions that I do not want to be having in the slightest. I have voiced these opinions to my partner and we're going to talk more about it but I wanted to see if anyone had any advice for me for this conversation.

Tdlr: I know that theyre my person and i want to stay with them but i also want my partner to be able to love others the way that they do but am having negative emotions about it. Does anyone have any advice for other ideas for compromise or how else we can approach this in order to get what we both desire out of our other relationships?

Even if you don't have anything, could you consider reblogging so that it gets to the right audience? Thank you!!!

[nebula-award]

When you want to read good analysis of the Olympics opening depicting the Feast of the Gods without Christians just completely misunderstanding it, but that’s all Tumblr is showing you: 😭

Disclaimer: this is mostly a rant and a very barebones outline of an argument. I also have yet to watch the entire opening clip discussed here. Once I do, I think I’ll write a better analysis. I am Christian. Not entirely religious, but I do spiritually align with some values. I am also a queer woman. I also was a Classics major before changing to Anthropology with an intermediate understanding of Ancient Greek culture.

If you have anything to add, please do! I ask for proper additions and criticism without insults to anyone or any groups, maintain respect to myself and others.

Ok, now rant/“analysis” (TDLR at the bottom)

I genuinely enjoyed it! I understand that modern French art takes extreme artistic choices, and there’s something so fun about watching how they push the boundaries of avant garde. This is no exception. The idea of honoring Ancient Greek culture through diversity of people is very sweet since we live in a world where those ancient people are often white washed. I’d love to hear the opinions of Greek people today and how they recieved the depiction of their culture.

I think the push back and the avant garde-ness demonstrates the cycles of art. How people feel this depiction feels disconnected from the Olympics possibly could be the same for those experiencing major changes to the Olympics decades before this one.

As for the Last Supper, I see why people would see it that way. Long table, people with halos. But I ask, why is this an offensive depiction? How is this mocking Christianity? If this were a depiction of the Last Supper, is not unfair to Queer Christians for them to be seen as offensive to their very religion? If Queer Christians saw this as the Last Supper, would they enjoy it? Would they see themselves represented in their own religion? Why would they be the mockery of their own religion? Wouldn’t it be better to represent Christianity by loving diversity, isn’t that what being Christian is? ‘Love thy neighbor?’

I think the more important people to ask in this situation are Greeks and Queer Christians. Greeks because this poem is intended to display their culture. Queer Christians who are potentially under fire by others demeaning their existence in a religion they are in as a mockery to said religion. Christians who immediately condemn and wish to censor this art should not be talking without viewing these sides and certainty not without fully understanding the intention of this display.

TLDR: I enjoyed the very French avant garde style of the opening and how it pushes boundaries. I think honoring the Ancient Greeks through diversity is very sweet when pop culture white washes them. Greek and Queer Christians opinions are important in this conversation. Christians who immediately condemn a censor this display need to fully understand the artist’s intention before talking.

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/28/sports/olympics-opening-ceremony-last-supper-paris.html ; https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna163927

[hypnoneghoul]

Hi I’m new to ghost and your blog so I don’t know if you’ve covered this yet but I noticed you talked about playing styles of the bass and guitar players and I’ve seen other people talk about how mountain’s playing style is aggressive and causes him to wear down his pants on it think his left upper thigh. I know next to nothing about percussion so would you be able to explain it? (Sorry if this is worded weird but TDLR: how does mountain keep fucking up his pants when he plays)

-🍁

hi! I did talk a out it some time ago but I can't find that post now. I wouldn't say his style is aggressive but it is very energetic and includes more movement than it really needs to lmao the worn out hole on his thigh (yes left) is there because of the way he plays the snare drum, the bottom of his drumstick hits and rubs on his leg. that's pretty much it!

[sneeg-snag]

what happened in riptide 97 again.. its been so long....

OHHH MY GOD OKAY (tdlr is at the bottom if u want a quick sum lmao i just like long summaries its like enrichment for me) so thats the episode i think right after the pull up to zero and beat the shit out of the ghost house, chip and gilly have a convo with ollies mom and she smacks one of em i forget who and is like whyd you keep my son away. theyre both like yeah thats fair! and they return to the house and gillion and chip make an underground pool in there- chip offers the mind reading braclets to gilly and is like hopefully maybe thisll help with the nightmares? and they all go 2 bed!

Gillion wakes uo and hes feeling refreshed!!! (he still has the kuba kenta curse at this point) but he actually got whole night sleep and its looking like its not like. enflamed or hurting anymore! they make jokes about it being healed with the power of friendship and all and then gryffon knocks on the door of the house.

gryffon tells em that he tailed the leader of the gang that was threatening ollies mom and he found their hideout, so the trio race off i fucking forget if like gryffon comes or not??????? they get to the hideout and fight a couple bitches in masks and they tell one of the guys to lead them to the "boss" but i forget so bad who but one of the albitrio puts the braclet on the goon and hes like "heh, if they pull the blue lever theyll get sent to the pit but if they pull the red lever theyll meet the boss and hell have my head!"

so the four of them pullup to this bar thing and chip of course pants a guy (rememver when they were fucking obsessed with pants cause i completely forgot) and the other guy pantses chip and the bar laughs or whatever and. SOMETHING HAPPENS I THINK IYS LIKE AN ENCOUNYTER OR SMTH OR ONE OF THE THREE MAKES A WRONG JOKE but charlies like "no worries! ill pull the blue lever!"

and everyones like charlie. and hes like what its gonna get us to the boss! and condi while laughing cause its condi is like THATS THE LEAVER TO THE PIT and charlies like. i legit fucking forgot what one was what one. so the albatrio falls down this fucking PIT and once again i fucking forget but some interaction happens here (iu think feather fall was cast these guys plummet so much) and gillion casts vortex warp on the other 2 so they land at the top! gillion im pretty sure lands at the bottom and something happens to where he passes out.

charlie is asked to leave and then grizzlys like :3 audience you dont get to know eitherrrr! and gilly boy wakes up in a cage with the boss in the middle of the room. chip and jay are described as looking "so fucking bad dude" and charlies like i thought yall had it!!!!! and bizly is like nah dude it was so fuckinh rough we do not have it. im pretty sure jays chained to the wall via her foot and chip is busted up in the middle of the room with the boss.

the boss laugjs and i forget but i think he pulls off his face and is revealed to be price! and he laughs and says some stuff about giving chip a fair fight in this like. lava arena and kicks him his swords! chip tries to fight him a little bit but after a moment he runs to jay to try and cut her chains, and price taunts him a little before saying smth like "i wantr you. to die" and chip just. drops dead in front of jay. no rolls nothin nada.

Gillion was fading in and out and at this point gillion does that and jay is right in front of him, her foot is so fucking mangled like she broke it to get out and she looks sooooo fucking fucked up. price also taunts them and jays like "fuck you" and price blasts her and she disintegrates. imto dust. just like that.

gillion is so distraught and hes like "NO THEY WOULDNY GO OUT LIKE THAT" and gillion tries to fight price but he gets bested and WAKES UP IN THE UNDERGROUND GHOST HOUSE POOOLLLLLL

so it was all a curse dream made worse by the bracelet and how much later stages it is. gillion throws jay across the room because he dosent believe this is real and is like YOURE DEAD YOURE ALL DEAD!!!!! the other two try to comfort him and im blanking so fucking hard on the rest but this is uaually what people refrence/mean then they say 97 :3

TLDR: ollies mom scolds chip and gill, they make underground pool in ghost house, go to sleepy, gill wakes up refreshed, they go to the mob boss of zeros hideout, gillion pulls the wrong lever and they all fall in a pit, gill vortex warps the other two and they get seperated, when gillion wakes up everyone looks incredibly fucked up, price is there and straight up kills chip and jay and then taunts gillion and "kills" him, gillion wakes up back in the ghost house pool because it was all a nightmare of the kuba kenta variety, and he then doubts everythinh around him and if anythings actually real! :D

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Hello friends,

TDLR at the bottom

I'm not sure if I should even be making this post but things aren't the best for me now and I'd rather deal with it in one go than sending a whole bunch on DMs.

My home life has become very difficult, and I've been dealing with a lot that I haven't been talking about because I don't want to dump on anyone or spread negativity. My mental health has been severely affected by events that have taken place over the last eighteen months and I'm struggling with a lot of intrusive and irrational thoughts.

I know have spoken with many people about upcoming writing projects for various fandom, however, after months of feelings like a total failure as a writer, these feelings have spilled over. I sat down today to do more on a project I was really excited about and was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was wasting my time and that the only reason people would read was it was because they felt obligated to which is a thought I was already struggling to keep a bay.

Writing has been my escape for more than a year, however, I have allowed the extreme self-criticism and perfectionism that I use so well academically to creep into my writing, the result of this is that I feel overwhelmed by the slightest problem and my confidence is so terrible that I think that any encouragement is people humouring me.

This is no one's fault, none of this isn't because of engagement or lack thereof or anything anyone has said to me, life is just really really rough now and I'm super duper overwhelmed. I have no desire to bring my mess into anyone's life, I already feel like a burden on others and talking about it is just going to make me feel worse.

Having said all of that, I will still be reading everyone's work, you'll still see me in your notes and I'll be in your DMs getting excited about your new projects. One of my greatest skills is my ability to compartmentalise my negative emotions so I can be happy for others.

TLDR I wanted to let everyone know that I've got the morbs real real bad and the fics I had planned are not getting written.

[issybettyx]

BEDROCK BROS THERAPIST & VILLAIN AU PART 2

Idk why yall loved this au sm, but honestly i’m not complaining because i love it too, they mean sm to me

Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/issybettyx/713172720142155776/bedrock-bros-au

Quick catch up: tommy has therapy homework, wilbur and phil are mid argument, techno is beginning to realise just how bad tommy’s life has been

Enjoy :D

Tw’s: mention of attempted murder, robbery, mention of illegal fighting rings, manipulation

———

It was Sunday when Tommy found himself first listening to Techno’s advice.

“Theseus, what’s the status report?” Wilbur’s voice came through, the speaker in his ear a little crackly but nothing he couldn’t handle. They were on a mission to steal money from a higher-up citizen of the city named ‘Kyle Banks’, the man having earned his money mostly from inheritance from his parents who’d died in a car accident a few years prior. Tommy was the one sent in to steal it, his quick feet and swift thinking perfect for the operation at hand.

Currently, he was around a corner near the door to the man’s bedroom where they knew he kept his vault. There were two guards standing by the door he would have to take down without a sound, and suddenly his potion of sleeping felt heavy in his pocket. But it would smash, right?

Maybe if he opened the bottle and held his breath and threw the potion on them it would work?

“Theseus.”

“Right, status.” He muttered to himself, cursing himself for his incompetence. “Two guards are stood at his door, meaning he is present and likely asleep. The plan is to send the guards to sleep, get in, take the money, and leave before they wake up.”

There was a sigh from the other end of the line, and Tommy couldn’t help his frown, pulling out the potion and looking over the grey liquid that hardly sparkled in the dim lighting of the halls.

“Why not just kill them? Wouldn’t that be easier?” Phil asked him, a harsh edge to his tone that made Tommy rethink the liquid in his hands, fingers gripping tighter as he bit his bottom lip.

Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. Techno’s words rang through his head, his father’s words turning into muffled jumble before he promptly turned off his earpiece, taking it off and tucking it into one of his pockets. Then, he made sure his mask was secure over his face before quietly popping the lid off, throwing the contents right over the guards.

For a moment, there was nothing but confused mumbling as they looked in his direction. But then, they started to sway, eyes fighting against fluttering shut before they both started to fall. Tommy darted, quickly holding them before they fell and slowly lowered them to the floor. After a moment of searching, he found a set of keys, and he quickly placed them in his pocket as well before opening the door, looking in.

Kyle was lying asleep on his bed, mouth open and drool dribbling down his cheek. He wouldn’t wake up from a gunshot, Tommy thought with an amused huff, moving to the vault and making quick work of figuring out the code, taking out a large piece of tape and pressing it to the buttons. When he removed it, it revealed four different dirt marks which he related to the man asleep.

How stupid to make the password your birthday, he almost commented aloud as he pressed the buttons, the door clicking open.

Inside was a gun, a few envelopes and several wads of cash, all of which he stashed in a bag he’d brought before clicking the vault shut, turning to see the sleeping man in the exact position as before.

The window was pushed open, and Tommy jumped out soundlessly, letting it slip back shut perfectly behind him.

The police didn’t even no where to start.

—

“Why the fuck did you turn off your earpiece?” Phil practically spat, pointing an accusatory finger at him when he walked back through the door. But Tommy didn’t even acknowledge him, pulling out the cash and placing it on the table before moving to the kitchen. “Don’t ignore me!”

“He got the money, Dad, what’s the problem?” Wilbur returned, frowning as he pointed to the money. But the man groaned, Tommy quickly making himself a sandwich as he did so.

“That’s not my point. Sure he did it, but this is an extremely expensive piece of tech, and any reckless movements could’ve broken it.”

“We both know that’s not your issue.”

The room fell silent, and Tommy took a bite out of his sandwich, thinking about the letters in his bag before deciding he’d open them in his room, taking another bite as he stared at his Dad and brother.

Then, his dad turned to him, a sour look on his face that almost made Tommy shiver; but it was a look he was used to, a look of bitter disappointment.

“You should’ve killed them.”

For a moment, he thought of apologising, of promising he would do better and listen to his father next time. But then he remembered Techno, how he’d said not to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with.

Robbing a rich man was one thing, but killing two innocent guards in the process? What about their families? What about their future? What about their entire life leading up to that point, ending it out of pure fear for your own reputation?

It was stupid, and Techno hadn’t given him homework for nothing.

Tommy found he missed Techno.

But he was just his therapist, so he brushed away the thought, looking at his father with thinly veiled anger.

“If you care so much maybe you should’ve done it yourself.” He muttered, glaring at Phil was his chin high, the man pausing as his anger dropped for a moment, and then it was returned full force, teeth gritted as he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides.

Before the other could get another word in, he left the room, leaving his brother and dad alone as he skipped up the steps.

Eventually, he got to his room, locking the door behind him before falling onto his bed, taking a deep breath before taking the letters out of his bag, staring at them with a strange adoration.

They were all addressed to the man he’d robbed, each sealed with an intent to stay sealed. Of course, that didn’t deter Tommy, who got it open with ease and slipped the papers out. There was a handwritten letter, the words neatly etched onto the page.

‘Dear Mr Banks,

I understand your schedule doesn’t have time to read through my insignificant letters anymore, but I beg of you to listen to what I have to say if only this once.

The company is under threat of decimation, someone in the villains organisation has leaked our goals to the hero committee, and without taking action soon we will be taken down.

Extra precautions will have to be put in place to keep the organisation safe; your wealth, your job and your life are at risk, and if we don’t ask soon then the ending will be anything but positive.

- J’

Huh.

He looked at the other letter, addressed to a person named ‘Johnathan Bernard’, the letter sealed the same as the other.

And, in strangely similar and still different handwriting, Tommy read the letter. It only added to his confusion.

‘Mr Bernard,

Thank you for reaching out about your concern for the company, and I do hope this letter finds you in good health.

I understand your worries, but even with the hero committee knowing of our plans, the company won’t falter. I built it up to be strong, to not fall to those not stronger than it, and I must reassure you that the company will survive anything the hero committee decides to throw at us. However, you did mention the villains organisation; are we sure they’re the ones who leaked it?

We have many allies, all of which are more likely to hand over our secrets to people like the hero committee. In fact, the villain organisation would be my last idea for leaking anything. Philza has them under control, and as long as they stay loyal we have nought to fear.

Updates would be appreciated.

- K’

It was so painfully forged that Tommy almost laughed, but he knew that no one else would be able to notice the similarities in the writing.

Nothing made sense.

Kyle Banks was known for his wealth because of his parents, not because of any company he owned. It wasn’t public that he was working at all, and whether the company was forged with the letters he wasn’t entirely sure. And for them to be reported to the hero committee? It couldn’t be anything good.

Johnathan Bernard wasn’t a commonly known man, but most people working alongside the villain organisation knew him. Mostly for his work in illegal fighting rings, betting money on people willing to sacrifice their lives for the entertainment of others. It was nothing Tommy had ever been interested in, but Wilbur had been invited one night (not that he went of course, instead he spent the night complaining to Tommy about the ignorance of some people).

The entire situation was more than Tommy’s overwhelmed mind could handle, so he slipped the envelopes shut and hid them among the books on his shelf, making sure they weren’t visible before slipping into bed.

His eyes shut the moment his head hit the pillow.

—

It was Thursday when Tommy couldn’t stop thinking about Techno.

For the entire week he’d been able to shove him out of his mind to focus on more important things, but stood outside of Tubbo’s house in the evening, dressed up a little nicer than usual because of the planned family dinner, he couldn’t stop letting the thoughts circle his mind.

Tubbo had asked him to come the day before, saying how he really didn’t want to go but would be willing if his best friend went with him, and his mother agreed.

If Tubbo murders your cousin, don’t immediately forgive him.

Well, it wasn’t exactly murder, and he wasn’t exactly Tubbo’s cousin, but this seemed pretty close to death, and it was definitely the boy’s fault. Techno would’ve been fit for the occasion, if he wore his usual frilled shirt and suit bottoms. Maybe he’d be overdressed, but who was anyone to judge? If anything, Tommy found it awesome how the man could dress so amazingly all the time, he wished he could relate.

Anywho, he stood at the door, hearing the chatter from inside as he rethought his life decisions, before finally knocking.

It was Tubbo who opened the door, a smile immediately spread across his face as he dragged the boy in by his wrist, giggling mischievously as he shut the door behind them. “Took you long enough, dinner won’t be another half an hour so we have time to kill.”

“Tubbo, and I mean this in the nicest way possible,” Tommy started as he was dragged up the stairs, smiling all the while, “If you have a hostage up here I am not helping you get information out of them.”

The boy huffed, and yet gave no indication Tommy was incorrect, and Tommy had to hide his shudder.

Despite only being 14, Tommy was one of the most skilled villains of the city. And, somehow, a short child scared him more than anything else did.

When they opened the door to Tubbo’s room, it was the same as it always was; the decorations were fitting (a lot of bees, random posters he’d found on the streets, a roof tile?), but you could hardly see them under the messy spell that the room was enchanted with - bed unmade, too many empty monster cans dotted around, clothes scattered across the floor.

Nothing was inherently off about the room, but Tubbo’s grin told him he was missing something.

After the bedroom door shut behind them, the brunette skipped to his wardrobe, not wasting a second before pulling the door open, revealing-

“Tubbo I was joking about the hostages!” Tommy immediately yelled, covering his mouth when the boy shot him the harshest glare.

Sat inside the closet, long legs pulled up to his chest, was a boy. A tall, brunette, absolutely petrified boy. His mouth and hands were tied, eyes a shimmering grey eyes. Except, his mouth wasn’t exactly tied, more-so his mask.

“He’s not a hostage, he’s my friend.” Tubbo tried, still grinning. Tommy gave the taller boy a short glance, watching him slowly shake his head in a way that was subtle enough for Tubbo not to notice. “His name is Ranboo.”

Tubbo slowly took off Ranboo’s gag, and the boy took a steadying breath, eyes meeting Tommy’s again.

“My name isn’t Ranboo, it’s-“

“Well it is now!” Tubbo tried, and the other fixed him with an incredulous look. And yet, he didn’t argue, sighing before holding his tied hands out towards the other, who undid them with a hum. “I found him on the street, he needed somewhere to stay.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Tommy started, pinching his nose as the other two looked at him. “Ranboo needed a place to stay so you kidnapped him, hid him in your closet, and lied to me about dinner?”

The lying about dinner would be assumed, otherwise he’d already be able to smell the food as the steam curled from the oven.

Tubbo nodded, smiling all the while.

Ranboo looked torn between screaming and laughing.

Tommy could only think about Technoblade.

“Tubbo, that’s-“ he sighed again, frowning as he looked at the other. “You can’t just do that to someone.”

At this, Tubbo seemed unreasonably confused, brows furrowed in utter bewilderment. Ranboo, however, seemed to ease a little, knowing at least someone was on his side. In Tubbo’s defence, Tommy usually went along with his chaotic schemes, dragging the blonde with him who had way better things to be doing - taking down organisations, arson, killing people, the usual - and wasn’t exactly fond on the idea of hurting people for no reason.

“Why not?” He asked, almost curious as he spoke.

“Because- I don’t know, you could’ve hurt him? Traumatised him? Got yourself arrested?” Tommy listed off, leaning on the back of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. “You shouldn’t kidnap people, it’s not nice big man.”

The other seemed to listen to the words, blinking before looking at Ranboo, the man standing as he brushed down his clothes.

“Oh.” Was all he could get out for a moment, eyes staying fixed on the floor as he bit his bottom lip, before finally glancing back up with a frown, a sad look flickering in his deep brown eyes. “I’m sorry Ranboo.”

It seemed the other wanted to argue, maybe point out the fact it wasn’t his name again. Instead, he nodded, opting to ruffle Tubbo’s hair, forcing the boy to squawk before shoving him away, his frown much more fake than just a moment before.

Tommy watched on with a growing smile.

He couldn’t wait to see Technoblade again.

—

Tommy waltzed into The Therapy Building TM, two bouquets of flowers in hand as he made his way towards the counter, quickly placing one before the woman behind the counter could look up. When she finally did, she smiled, taking them from the wooden counter top to study them.

“Before you say anything, it’s not a gesture, that would be very unpoggers.” Tommy told her, swaying on his feet as she looked back up at him, a warm smile pressed to her face that made his cheeks flush red, looking to the hallway instead. “Everyone deserves flowers from time to time.” He muttered out finally, not expecting her to let out a light laugh, studying the colours before pulling out a vase, filling it with water from a nearby water bottle and placing them inside, assorting them to perfection.

“Thank you, Tommy.” She told him, and Tommy smiled back, heading off in the direction of Techno’s office.

It was only the third week, and yet Tommy found himself growing more and more comfortable by the day, knocking without an ounce of hesitation.

“Come in!” Techno’s deep voice called, and Tommy wasted no time, strolling in with a smile before falling into the seat. Techno eyed the bouquet for a moment, and didn’t take his eyes off of it when it was placed in front of him.

Several species of flowers Tommy had specially chosen lay inside, some pink and some red.

Carnations, lotus, tulips, lilies- he’d basically just asked them to add a load of pretty flowers, and he thought they did a decent job of it.

“I-“ Techno cut himself off, slowly picking up the flowers to study them closer, just as the lady behind the counter had. He really had to get her name some day soon. “Why?”

“I like flowers, but people don’t receive flowers often enough, so,” he motioned to the bouquet, smile only growing alongside Technoblade’s confusion, “Flowers.”

The man hummed, looking around his room for a moment before taking a strangely tall glass, placing them in there without water (likely a temporary holder). “I’ve never been given flowers before.” He confessed, looking at them with such warmth Tommy’s own smile started to hurt. “Thank you.”

His heart stuttered.

The Techno just thanked him?”

Something wasn’t right with the world anymore.

“It’s my pleasure big man.” Tommy told him with a grin, and Techno glanced back him, eyes half-lidded - not in exhaustion, rather in concentration.

And then- “How was your week?”

Tommy’s smile faltered.

At that, Techno’s warm look weakened, patient as ever as Tommy collected his thoughts.

“Well,” he said before coughing, looking out of the window at the trees below, cars winding through them on smooth roads, “I did my therapy homework.”

The man continued to wait.

It reminded Tommy a little of their first session just two weeks before.

“I- I was told to do something, something bad,” I didn’t want to shoot them, I didn’t need to shoot them- “And I told him no, I told him I didn’t want to.”

Techno gave him a saddened look for a moment, and it was masked within the second and replaced with something dangerously neutral. “Who’s ‘he’?”

Now, this was a tricky one.

It was a simple answer, really. One word, one name that in fact didn’t suit the man at all.

But it was a risky answer. That one word could give him away, give the organisation away, and Tommy didn’t want to be the bearer of such a burden-

Then again, therapy was about being honest, right? And it’s not like Techno would figure out he was the Theseus, world renowned villain, infamous for his agility and intelligence, all from him saying his Dad wasn’t the best man on the planet.

“My Dad,” he finally replied, after the minutes dragged on into what felt like hours. Techno sighed, whether it was relief or sorrow, Tommy wasn’t sure. “He- he’s in his own world most of the time, has his own rights and wrongs, so on and so forth.”

Tommy shut his mouth then, knowing that if he said much else they’d all be doomed.

Tommy would be doomed, Phil would be doomed, Wilbur would be-

“I’m going to say something, and this doesn’t mean your Dad’s actions are okay,” Techno started, and all Tommy could manage was a frown, “But sometimes people are stuck in their own worlds, they have their own lives and storylines where they are the protagonist. They’re saving everyone in their own mind, and they don’t realise just how damaging it can be for those around them.”

“Now, Tommy, have you heard of the Philza?” His Dad asked him one night, his smile warm as he looked down at his five year old son, who’s smile was as bright as the sun and hair as much so, blue eyes eerily reminiscent of those staring at his own.

Tommy grimaced, scrunching up his nose as he nodded.

“He’s a bad man, he hurts people.”

“He hurts people for the greater good, Toms,” he Dad explained, and Tommy made sure to lean in closer and make sure he heard every word his father spoke. “When all of the truly bad people are gone, Philza will be seen as a hero.”

“So,” Tommy tried, yawning before snuggling closer to his Dad, “Philza isn’t a bad man?”

“Most people think he is, but he isn’t.” His father went silent for a minute, fingers pulling across his scalp as he hummed. “Would you say I’m a bad man, Tommy?”

A realisation dawned on the young boy. His childish heart told him it was excitement and adoration. As Tommy grew older, he knew it was a flutter of newfound fear.

“You’re Philza?” Tommy practically breathed out, jaw dropped as his Dad laughed, something bitter lacing his chuckles that Tommy hadn’t been able to spot before.

“I am Toms, I am.”

Tommy doesn’t remember the rest of the conversation.

He was surprised he’d remembered any of it at all.

“Do you like living where you do right now?” Techno asked when he realised the blonde was deep in thought, catching his blue eyed gaze with a strange curiosity.

Did he?

Wilbur was there. He liked Wilbur. Wilbur fought for him, fought for them both. His brother wanted out just as much as he did, but they’d both been caught in their father’s web with no way of getting back out.

Sometimes he told himself he didn’t mind the constant yelling, the screaming matches he’d walk in on.

Sometimes he told himself he didn’t mind the ear-splitting silence, something abhorrent coating his family’s features as they looked anywhere but each other.

Sometimes he told himself the constant anger simmering under his surface was nothing but hot ashes from a long-gone-out fire.

Maybe, if he was given the chance to leave, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

“Not really.”

“Who do you live with?”

He bit his lip, covering his shut eyes with his palm.

Being emotionally vulnerable was never truly his forte.

“My Dad and brother, but my brother is really the only one that sticks around.”

“What’s your brothers name?”

Siren. “Wilbur.”

Techno hummed again, picking up a pen and tapping it lightly against his arm.

And then- “Did you stop Tubbo from killing your cousin?”

Tommy laughed, his smile only a tad forced as he giggled. “I mean he did kidnap a child, so not really.”

The man paused.

Tommy paused too.

“In a video game.” He added, but the excuse was weak, and Techno had already seen the truth in his words.

“Is-“ he started, lost for words as he squinted his eyes, a weak attempt at trying to figure it all out. “Is the child okay?”

“Mentally? I don’t think so. But not from the kidnapping.” He was just making it worse, in retrospect. “He was running from somewhere and needed a place to stay, so Tubbo kidnapped him and tricked me into coming to his house to see him.”

Techno cocked his head, it was almost puppy like.

Tommy knew that if Techno was a puppy, he’d be that really yappy white dog, the one that got annoyed at every living thing it saw and then proceeded to rip it’s neck off it’s-

“Did you forgive him?”

Tommy grinned, lifting his chin triumphantly before shaking his head. “Nope! I told him to apologise to the traumatised man-child, who’s called Ranboob by the way, and then we played Monopoly for the evening. I forgave Tubbo when he gave me a hundred to pay rent on Ranboob’s property.”

The other man seemed a little thrown off, but Tommy continued to smile, so eventually a smile crept up onto his own face.

“Well, you certainly had a week didn’t you?” Techno scoffed, and Tommy rolled his eyes again, leaning back into the comfortable chair as he looked at the flowers, his smile turning more warm that prideful.

“That’s one way to put it.”

He still had to figure out what Kyle Banks’ company was. He still had to figure out why the letters were forged. He still had to find a way to leave the villain organisation overall.

But he’d done a few good things. Taken a few, small steps.

Sure maybe he’d put a few men to sleep and did a little robbery.

Sure his kill-count was too high for any teenager, or any living being at all.

Sure he saw his therapist as more of a father figure than his Dad had ever been.

But he’d taken a few steps.

They say babysteps, right? Can’t do everything all at once.

“You did what now?” Techno drawled, pulling him out of his thoughts with a startle, eyes wide as he slapped a hand over his mouth.

Which part did he say out loud?

“Nothing, that was a joke.”

The man didn’t seemed convinced, a stressed hand running through his hair as he took a shaky breath.

“Tommy.” He sounded more tired, and maybe a little sad, than angry. Which was confusing. “What men did you put to sleep?”

Thank god I didn’t say the kill-count, that would’ve been terrible.

“I sang them to sleep, with my amazing voice.” Tommy continued, grinning no matter how forced he knew it looked. Techno was completely unimpressed.

He had to get out of there before he let anything else slip.

“Listen-“

“Oh, big man! Look at the time!” Tommy interrupted him, jumping up out of his chair and already walking towards the door, ignoring the pained look on the other’s face. “Well, I’ll see you next week yeah?”

“Tommy-“

“Bye!”

The door slammed shut.

Tommy left the building.

— ////////////// —

Hello hello, the much wanted part two :D we have bench trio, and we have philza being a terrible father! :D

Taglist: @cookie-nom-nom @kiwi-smug-silvalina

Idk how long this is tbh, i wrote it during several sessions because i keep writing different aus on my notes for no reason at all (painter technoblade, tommy hanahaki au, tommy learns how to smile, it’s a lot okay?)

If you enjoy my writing, I’m currently posting a multi-chap pirate fic on my ao3 :D @/issybettyx as usual <3

Hope you’re all good, and if you’re like my and hayfever is kicking ur ass rn, just know you’re not alone lmao

Stay safe!

[so-this-is-hell]

Anon from the last question, sorry if this is kinda coplicated but how can the ranks be differentiated, as in Is there a way you can tell apart a sinner from a hellborn or nah?

Not complicated at all! I’m again really thankful for the asks.

The thing is,,, the ranks are fucky even within themselves.

Imps in particular are obvious they’re imps (the striped horns ofc set them apart, this was by design as Lucifer was the one who made them to be servants)

But for humans turned demon and other demon classes.

To draw an example.

This is Example Sinner first arriving to hell, as you see. He’s still mostly human (only having cat ears and maybe the start of claws.) and no name, he also has no powers more than likely.

He will start at the bottom of the rung and more than likely will be killed in the exterminations, but let’s say he’s survived 10 years.

Hell has began warping his features more, he can feel fangs and fur grow in. A tail formed by now but his eyes are still human for now, he has powers beginning to form and if he wanted to he could fight for a knight class. He won’t succeed but he can always try.

Now let’s try a hypothetical, let’s say he’s been here as long as let’s say.

FurFur.

200 years.

This is where things become fucky, an exterminator wouldn’t be able to tell him apart from a Hellborn and often an exterminator won’t care enough to check. He’s come in to his power enough to fight for a higher rank (often fighting earls or such) his body however has been changed so much that it’s hard for him to walk around like a human and he probably doesn’t sound anything like he did when he came into hell.

Which brings us to a fascinating questions.

If exterminators can’t tell certain Hellborn from sinners and vise versa, where does that leave fallen angels and those from the beginning of hell?

Im so happy you asked hypothetical asker! Here’s your answer!

Dead!

They’re more than likely dead, there’s only like a handful who were from the beginning and remember heaven. Any Prince/president level or lower demon are probably from hell and descended from the original one.

Example being stolas.

Great Prince of Hell Stolas from so long ago was killed in an extermination, but he left a precautionary heir who had a precautionary heir and so on and so forth. Leaving current stolas and his daughter Octavia.

So for the TDLR:

Demon ranks are based around how long they’ve been in hell, and the longer a sinner has been in hell the more like their designated animal / tragedy they look like. While actual demons from hell and fallen angels kinda look like sinners in full morph, meaning that exterminators will kill whatever they get their hands on and the ranks of hell flux again.

It’s why Malphis, who like.

Is a president of hell in the arms goetia, is currently a king. He’s just the Malphis and was a fallen Angel who was able to survive for this long (because he’s a shut in.)

Hope this helps!

[oh-heck-yeah-doritos]

Here’s your daily reminder that things aren’t always what they seem.

Tdlr at bottom.

I just limped out of science class. My right leg was the one limping. However, I was wearing a knee brace on my left knee. To basically anyone, it would seem like I was a “faker”, who forgot which knee I was “faking” an injury on.

Not the case.

I have HSD, which causes me chronic joint pain. My left side is, for some reason, worse. I had to run a lot in PE today. Since I had my knee brace on, my left knee feels fine. However, it took a lot out of me, and my right knee REALLY fucking hurts. So, I was limping. And I was not “faking”. But you shouldn’t have to know why to not be a dick about it.

Tdlr: things aren’t always what they seem, so be a nice fucking person, please