#also poor whitney

[madebysimblr]

Angel: Right the fam, been looking forward to meeting ya. Howsit hangin'? Charlotte and Whitney right?

Grace: Yes! And this is my nephew's daughter, Sorella.

Whitney: Interesting to meet you. What do you do?

Grace: Oh he bartends at our club! But he's working his way into music!

Angel: Oh speaking of, gotta jet- have a meeting with someone.

Grace: Ah, don't let us keep you! Hurry back, darling.

Angel: Of course.

Whitney: [under her breath] Give me strength to make it through the weekend.

[sleepybun-ny]

redrew a thing from last year (and adjusted some heights) (and also a new pc) (also no beats i don’t…do that)

old one for reference (jesus christ somebody needed to beat my ass ong) (the fucking freckles i’m gonna puke)

[e-louise-bates]

Oh my goodness, you guys, @scarvenartist did it again! After her perfectly smashing job of Maia's portrait, I commissioned her to do a portrait of Len to go along with it, and just look at what she came up with! This absolutely IS Lennox Davies, spy, detective, and magician. Ahhh! I'm so delighted with this!

I'll do another post later of both portraits so you all can see how well they go together, but for right now I want Len to get his moment in the spotlight all on his own.

Thank you again, @scarvenartist! These have been my first-ever commissions of art for my books, and I couldn't be happier with them!

[bruisedloverr]

i'm a simple man, sometimes i want to see whitney being brutally raped in the ubrothel, other times i want to see him raping certain pcs of mine or beating them up until they're pulp. most of the time though i'm both

[bundlebrent]

I’m replaying Soul Silver and training up my new Sunflora against a bunch of psyduck on route 35 so clearly the perfect time for Todd to call and tell me his Psyduck is getting cuter all the time

[were--ralph]

Had a weird dream again. Gonna keep it for dream recording purposes but it also makes a cool story

The government trapped a god and it spoke to me, it was the last of a race of thingies and every time someone called on god for something it released energy they could harness so they promoted Christianity to make it constantly release energy since people call on god for everything

It explained history was a lie up until a certain point (like year 0 was the start of recorded history or something) and the government spread tiny little fake events to explain things and make it seem more realistic

There's a blank period of history that was littered with mundane fake events

The blank period was where they killed the other god things?

Before we were humans we were letters? And music was our primary language?

Different races had different songs to communicate with and evoke moods and changes in the environment?

By combining music we evolved from letters to......something, to eventually humans but the government were the first people to evolve and trapped the god thing?

They changed its name to violence and bloodshed and caused wars to fortify and ground it so by making wars and violent content it would increase its power but since it's trapped it couldn't do anything of its own will

Its still alive but trapped but also angry from the name change? Note: names seemed to hold some power it didn't go into

Other weird details

There was something about 90's commercials? And Whitney Houston?

Something about a new neighborhood where I was poor and like. Beyblade things were in it?

I woke up feeling ill

Don't take dramamine before sleep regardless of how drowsy it makes you

[eternal-evergreens]

｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+*⁠.⁠✧"Into the looking glass - II " ｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+*⁠.⁠✧

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Post format: Multipart series

Pairing: Yandere!Male!DoL x Fem!Isekai!Reader

Word count: 5.2k

Synopsis: You gain the chance to wake up in the world of one of your favorite games. Unfortunately, the 'favorite game' happens to be one about rape, violence, and stalking. Not only that, but the game seems to be rigged against you. All you want is to find a way home and put this all behind you, but is that even possible...?

Warnings: Sexual Assault, Attempted Non/Con, Stalking, Violence, Age Gaps, Teacher/Student, Caretaker/Ward, One Suicide Joke, Bullying,

Excellent Good Decent Okay Poor Bad Terrible

What…what does that mean?

Darling? Surely, they don’t mean it the way you think they mean it…

…But, if that were the case, why would it be written in red and pink? You think back on all the strange occurrences of the day and come to a horrifying realization.

Beauty: 7/6 Your beauty is beyond measure. Robin wants to be your best friend.             Love: 100% Confidence: 0% Trauma: 0% Lust: 40% Whitney wants to own you. Love: 50% Dominance: 50% Lust: 100% Kylar is obsessed with you. Love: 100% Jealousy: 55% Lust: 90% Sydney is conflicted. Love: 77% Purity: 44% Lust: 66% Bailey doesn’t want you to leave. Love: 25% Lust: 99% You’re Leighton’s favorite. Love: 10% Lust: 85% Your fellow students desire you.

When they say “Darling,” they mean it as in the victim of a yandere.

This...this isn't DoL.

Your phone buzzes. You’ve gotten a text. 

Congratulations! You’ve made a key discovery and found a fragment of the true nature of this world. 

What the fuck does that mean? Wait, this thing can read your thoughts? 

View fragment?  Y/N

Yes. If you can go home, yes.

There are 7 total fragments.             Fragments found: 2             Fragments remaining: 5 Fragment 1:            Welcome to the alpha of Degrees of Lewdity!           If you want to avoid trouble, dress modestly and stick to safe, well-lit areas. Nights are particularly dangerous. Dressing lewd will attract attention, both good and bad.            The new school year starts tomorrow at 09:00. The bus service is the easiest way to get around town. Don’t forget your uniform and backpack!

You remember getting this message. So, that was a fragment, then? Why weren’t you notified before? Did you need to unlock something first?

Fragment 2: This is a world full of yanderes, so be careful! Balance your social stats between fascination, love, lust, jealousy, and devotion to survive. A quick guide on these crucial four states is provided below:  Fascination indicates how enthralled your yandere is by the idea of you. It’s dangerous to let this get too high!  Love indicates how much a yandere values the authentic you. Putting on airs will lower your yandere’s love, but may be necessary at times. Having a negative love will lead to more dangerous encounters. Lust indicates carnal desire. Higher lust can aid in negotiations if you’re willing to reward them, but if this stat goes up too much, they won’t be willing to hear you out before taking what they want. Jealousy indicates the yandere’s volatility and desire to monopolize you. Some yanderes’ jealousy will go up if you don’t spend enough time with them.  Devotion indicates how far the yandere is willing to go out of their way for you. Having this stat means you can make use of your yanderes, but they may also use their devotion in less productive ways.

Seems like every fragment reveals one truth about the world, as well as some tips on how to make use of the information it provides.

Your phone buzzes.

System error. Please reboot.

You look down at your phone with curiosity. What happened? Not knowing what else to do, you restart your phone and open it again. 

Your social tabs have been updated with more accurate information. View tabs? Y/N

Yes.

Social                Excellent Good Decent Okay Poor Bad Terrible Primary relationships Robin The Orphan Robin wants to be your best friend.       Facination: 100% Love: 0% Devotion: 30% Lust: 40%         Confidence: 0% Trauma: 0% Whitney The Bully  Whitney wants to own you.       Facination: 50% Love: 0% Devotion: 0% Dominance: 50% Lust: 100% Kylar The Loner Kylar is obsessed with you.       Fascination: 100% Love: 0% Devotion: 30% Jealousy: 55% Lust: 90% Sydney The Faithful ? Sydney is conflicted.       Fascination: 77% Love: 0% Devotion: 20% Purity: 44%        Lust: 66% Other relationships:  Bailey The Caretaker Bailey doesn’t want you to leave.       Fascination: 25% Love: 0% Lust: 99% Devotion: 1% Leighton The Headmaster You’re Leighton’s favorite.       Fascination: 16% Love: 0% Lust: 85% Devotion: 0% Reputation  The police aren’t concerned with you, and have no evidence linking you to any crime. The atmosphere in the orphanage is calm. You are considered a normal student by teachers. Your fellow students desire you. Lust: 100% Status: 50%

Before you can properly digest this new information, your phone buzzes again.

Congratulations! You’ve unlocked a new quest.  You have just discovered two secrets of the world, and with it, your understanding becomes clearer. ++Awareness. You feel as if you are on the verge of remembering something important. Discover all there is to know about this place, and perhaps you may be granted the opportunity to escape it. View questpage? Y/N

You might be able to go home? You quickly hit the yes button and keep reading.

Main questline  >Find the remaining fragments and discover the true nature of this world. >Meet the remaining love interests.  Time-sensitive >Bailey wants £100 on Sunday.

…You have to meet the remaining love interests? Doesn’t that mean getting kidnapped?! You stare at your phone dejectedly as you roll over in bed. You’ll worry about that later. For now, you just need to rest. You close your eyes, but you can’t get comfortable. Your phone buzzes for what feels like the millionth time, and you lazily pull it out to check. 

You’ve unlocked a new quest!  Your bed is uncomfortable. All rest points are reduced by half. Nightmares are more intense. Every rest has a 5% chance of waking you up sore. Save up your funds and buy a comfortable bed!  Current funds: £186 Funds needed: £2400 Optional: Decorate your room to match your taste. Current funds: £186 Funds needed: ??? Rewards: Triple current rest points, nightmares reduced Penalty: None Bonus Rewards: +Love to all LI’s, passive stress and trauma decay faster while inside.

Money again, huh? Typical. Still, the rewards are pretty good. You’ll have to do it later. For now, you should probably go to work to make it happen. You change out of your uniform and head to the office building, where you approach the kiosk and apply as a temp. It’s a somewhat risky job, but the pay is one of the best, especially once you start getting bonuses.

Your manager this time is a trim man named Marcus. He shows you around the building and you get to work. It’s not too bad, though your clothes get caught in the shredder more times than you’d like to admit, at least you didn’t fall in the koi pond.

Before you realize it, it’s 22:00. Dark once again. Dark in Doltown with a constantly maxed allure. 

Fuck.

You go downstairs and are debating whether you should risk the bus or the streets when a growling pair of yellow eyes meets your gaze. 

“If I get molested by a dog, I’m actually gonna kill myself,” you say to no one in particular, immediately turning to the direction of the nearest bus stop.

That’s another reason you should work at the dog pound from time to time, actually. Completing various tasks there makes the streets safer at night and beastiality encounters less frequent. 

You end up having to use your sole pepper spray charge on two men from the bus, leaving you unprotected and uneasy. You open your phone and turn on the flashlight, but your eye is caught by your status. Right under the blurb telling you about your current state, is purple text reading: “Something is watching you.”

An idea strikes you. It’s bold, it’s risky, it’s—

This is stupid, you think to yourself. This is so, so stupid. You follow your flashlight to a secluded, dead-end alleyway. There’s only one way for someone to come in here. You check your phone. Something is watching you.

“Hello?” You call out. “I know you’re watching me. Come out already.” You hear a rustling near the garbage bags, then see a short figure dart out and make a run for it. You were expecting this, though, so you immediately break out into a sprint and give chase. You aren’t very fast, but your legs are longer, and you quickly catch up. “Gotcha,” you say, hand on their shoulder as you turn them to face you. “Kylar.”

“H-how did you know?” 

“Forget that. Just know I’m not mad.” 

“Y-you aren’t?” There’s a twinge of hope in his voice. Time to crush it.

“I’m not. Not yet, anyway.” Kylar looks confused. “I hear you’re good at chemistry. Can you make pepper spray?” 

“How did you-” 

“Can you?” You say, allowing your voice to take on a flirtatious lull as you lean in close. “I’d be very happy if you could.” You bat your eyelashes and Kylar gulps. He tries to nod but ends up hitting your head with his own by accident. +Pain 

“Good,” you say. “I want you to make pepper spray for me. Make sure I never run out, and you can follow me to your heart's content. Deal?” You hold out your hand for him to take. Kylar considers it for a moment, then takes your hand. ++Devotion. You shake, but he doesn’t let go. Not wanting to provoke him, you leave it, and Kylar ends up walking you home. It’s silly, but you actually feel a little safer walking with him. +Love.

Together, you reach the orphanage’s entrance. Kylar looks like he wants to ask you to stay the night but quickly flushes and runs away. 

Thank God. 

You climb into bed. It isn’t very comfortable.

——————— 

It is the 6th of September, 2022. -It has been 2 days since the game started. -The game started in autumn.  -It is autumn. -School term Finishes on Friday the 2nd of December. Current Funds: £357 Pain: You feel okay Arousal: You are cold Fatigue: You are alert Stress: You are calm Trauma: You are uneasy Control: You are confident Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged

You walk with Robin to school but part ways after reaching the courtyard. You aren’t sure where Robin goes when you part, but you suppose it doesn’t really matter. You head to the library but are surprised to find that Sydney isn’t there. You guess he must have overslept at the temple again, which means he won’t be back until lunch. 

You suddenly wish you knew where Robin went after arriving at school. It’s probably more dangerous to wander around looking for him, though. So you settle down with a textbook until it’s time for class. When you check your school progress, you’re delighted to see every subject at nearly a 50% understanding for the week already. You’re on track.

The science project is assigned. You decide to do one on lichen. The money will help a lot, and it’ll be a good chance to meet Avery for your quest, too.

Someone spills acid on you during class. It was probably supposed to hit your shirt, but because of how you can’t button it up past your chest, it ended up hitting your breast instead. You spent the rest of class in the infirmary getting lectured about lab safety. Luckily, it was hardly even a first-degree burn. It’ll heal in no time, she said. 

+Pain +Willpower

You return just in time to be late for math. +Delinquency 

“Detention,” River says, not bothering to look up from the whiteboard. 

“But—”

“Don’t talk back to me.”  ++Delinquency

You nod, though you doubt he can see it, and look for a seat. The room is full, save for one seat in the back next to Whitney. It’s covered in boxes full of heavy textbooks.

Your phone buzzes. 

>Move the boxes and sit next to Whitney +Fatigue -Dominance Increases chance of harassment >Sit in Whitney’s lap (Promiscuity 4) +++Dominance +++Lust -Jealousy  >Ask someone to move +Delinquency -Dominance >Leave the classroom +++Delinquency

You sigh and march over to a toned boy sitting in the front. You try to smile but end up grimacing instead. “Could I sit here?” You ask. The boy laughs. River shoots you a look. -Status +Deliquency

>Get physical ++Delinquency +Status ? >Move the boxes and sit next to Whitney +Fatigue -Dominance Increases chance of harrasment >Sit in Whitney’s lap (Promiscuity 4) +++Dominance +++Lust -Jealousy  >Leave the classroom +++Delinquency

You grit your teeth and walk over to Whitney, who pats his lap mockingly. You turn away from him to pick up the boxes, and he lifts your skirt up. You don’t think anyone saw, but it was still humiliating. You quickly move the boxes and sit down, trying to focus on the lesson. You’re doing pretty well despite your low grade, but sitting next to Whitney is definitely not helping. About halfway through the lesson, he throws a note at you, and despite your better judgment, you open it. 

“show us your panties slut”

>Flash (Exhibitionism 1) +Lust +Dominance >Throw away -Dominance >Correct the note and throw back (English: Very difficult) --Dominance

You try to correct the note, but find nothing wrong. You toss it in a nearby bin instead.

-Dominance 

The rest of class passes, and although Whitney tries to undo your bra strap again, he reaches for the back instead of the front, leaving you protected.

You go to English next, your previous encounter with Whitney leaving you motivated to do well. You see Kylar sitting in the back. You ignore him and focus on the lesson instead. It’s boring, but you need the grade, so you muddle through it.

You try to muddle through it, anyway. The person behind you keeps kicking your seat, and then looking away every time you turn to face him.

>Tell the teacher -Status +English >Endure +Stress >Move seats +Delinquency

You quietly inform the teacher of your predicament, and she sends the boy to another seat. Some students snicker at you, but you’re able to finish the lesson in peace. -Status +English

The bell rings, and you head to lunch. Robin is eating with some others from the orphanage; they seem to be having fun. Sydney is sitting behind a large pile of books; he looks stressed. Kylar is eating alone, stabbing food with a fork; he looks bored.

>Sit with Robin +Love -Stress -Jealousy  >Sit with Sydney +Love -Stress -Jealousy >Sit with Kylar +Love -Jealousy +++Pepper spray charge  >Eat Lunch -Stress

You sit with Kylar, and hope no one notices. He immediately perks up upon seeing you. “I-I got you this,” he says, handing you a pepper spray canister. “Should keep the perverts away.” 

You gained 20 pepper spray charges! Talk to Kylar each week to refill. >Take it but say nothing -Love >Take it and thank +Love +Devotion >Take it and kiss ++Lust ++Devotion >Take it and reward +++Lust +++Devotion

You thank him sincerely, and the two of you spend the rest of lunch together. +Love +Devotion

After eating, you buy a coffee and head to the library, walking up to Sydney. “Welcome back!” He chirps from behind the desk. He looks exhausted despite the chipper tone. You hand him the coffee. 

“Don’t overwork yourself,” you say, smiling. Sydney looks surprised but quickly smiles and takes the coffee from you. You look down at the stacks of books on his desk. +Love “Anything I can help with?” 

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“I want to,” you say firmly. You feel bad just leaving him there, plus…

>Help Sydney +Love +Devotion +School -Sydney’s purity

Well, how can you turn that down? Aside from the purity loss, those are all pretty damn good. 

“Well, if you don’t mind,” he says, fidgeting a little. “Could you help me stamp these books?” You nod, and Sydney lets you in behind the counter. +Love +Devotion +School

The two of you chat while you work, and it actually ends up being pretty enjoyable! -Stress -Trauma +Love

Your hands brush with Sydney's while you work. -Sydney'd purity.

“Hey, Syd! Oh, and [First], too!” Someone says, walking up to the counter. It’s Sirris, Sydney’s father and your science teacher. “How are you doing, love bug?” Sydney looks embarrassed but still answers. “Oops! I forgot I’m not supposed to call you that at school. Sorry, hon.” You get the feeling he did it on purpose, but if Sydney also thinks this, he doesn’t say anything. The two of them chat for a little bit, with Sirris mostly ignoring your presence. You feel a little awkward, but it’s cute to see the two of them getting along so well. Sirris leaves after a few minutes, waving to you both.

You smile at Sydney. “Seems like you and Dad are pretty close, huh?” He flushes. 

“L-let’s get back to work,” he says. You decide not to tease him further. The two of you finish the rest of the work in silence, and the bell rings, so you get up and head to History class.

A mousy girl is sitting in your seat next to Robin. You ask her to move, but she won’t budge. You already have detention today, so you decide not to push it and sit somewhere else. Robin looks at you sadly from across the room +Jealousy

You’re called up by Winter to demonstrate the pillory in front of the class, you hesitate to step up, but, remembering Leighton’s punishments, decide to risk it. Unfortunately, luck is not on your side, and Winter is called out while you’re still locked in the pillory. 

“Who thinks the lesson should continue?” Says a slight boy. He gets up from his seat and begins to saunter over, but Robin stands up, too, and blocks his path forward. 

“Stop,” he says, tone even and steady.

“Oh? And what’re you going to do about it?” The slight boy asks. Robin seems to falter for a moment, and the slight boy takes advantage, pushing past him and walking up behind you. You don’t see what happens next, but one moment Robin is in front of you, and the next, he’s gone. You hear a smacking noise behind you, and then a thud as if something had just hit the ground. The class looks incredulous. Winter walks back in. 

“Assaulting another student? I expected better from you, Robin,” he says. 

“Wait, I can explain–” 

“Detention.” 

The slight boy smacks your ass on the way back to his seat. 

+Trauma +Stress

You go to swimming, but your earlier run-in with acid leaves you unable to participate, so you just sit by the pool in your swimsuit until class is over. When you get back, you notice your underwear is missing. You put your clothes on over your swimsuit. It looks a little funny from the front, but it’s better than nothing.

Actually, you might start doing this more often. A swimsuit is tight and harder to get off, no one can unclasp your bra, you don’t have to change, and it’ll actually cover your boobs, even with the shirt unbuttoned. This is a great idea, you think to yourself, feeling a little proud. 

You start to walk to the front courtyard when your phone reminds you of your detention. Shit. You’d forgotten. At least Robin will be there with you? 

Sighing, you head back inside. 

“Keep writing, and don’t stop until I tell you to,” Leighton says. You glance at Robin, who’s working diligently. You decide to work hard, too. +Fatigue 

Robin asks to walk home with you, but you tell him you’re going to the park instead. He waves you off, but there’s a glint in his eye that wasn’t there before. +Jealousy

You go to the park and meet Avery, asking for help gathering Lichen. You tell him about your school project, and he offers to take you out for drinks. You don’t really want to get involved with him, but you’re a little afraid of refusing him.

>Go for drinks +Facination +Dominance +Love? >Refuse -Love +Lust +Rage

None of those options look good, but you remember the guide saying that negative love leads to more dangerous encounters. You take his hand, and the two of you go out. The place he picked is cute, and the employees there seem to recognize him. 

“Can I recommend you a drink?” He asks. “I think I know what you’ll like.” 

>Buy Avery’s recommendation +Facination +Dominance +Stress >Pick your own drink +Love -Stress -Dominance -Fascination -Endearment

You pick your own drink and the two of you find a quiet corner to sit down in. +Love -Stress -Dominance -Fascination -Endearment

Your phone buzzes. 

You’re on a date with Avery! How do you want to conduct yourself? >Act cute +Facination +Endearment >Act shy +Facination -Endearment >Act aloof --Endearment ++Lust  >Be natural -Facination +???

You choose to act natural, hoping he’ll lose interest in you. You don’t voice any complaints, but you don’t bother to hide your discomfort, either. You fidget, you avoid eye-contact, and you don’t listen when he speaks to you.

-Fascination --Endearment +Love

When the date is over, Avery looks annoyed. He doesn’t say anything to you as he walks you to the exit, though his hand still rests on the small of your back.

You go to the manhole next. You don’t really want to, but you want that lichen. Luckily, you encounter no problems getting it. But that says nothing about what happens after.

You’re accosted by a giant lizard. If the game hadn’t told you what it was, you would have thought it was a crocodile based on its sheer size alone. It attacks you from behind, and you struggle to get it off your back. It claws at your clothing, leaving it worse for wear, but you’re able to roll over onto your back. The lizard is pinned underneath you now, but you still can’t reach it. You roll over and feel your shirt rip, exposing your back. You reach into your bag and pull out your pepper spray, aiming for the lizard’s eyes. It scurries away, leaving you panting in the sewers. You get a good workout.

You want to leave, but you still need that Lichen. 

You crawl out of the sewers and head to the tailor, who offers to fix your clothes for £29.99. You accept and head to the office building, where you work as a temp for the next few hours, fighting through the exhaustion. You make £126.

You pass out on your way home and wake up in the hospital. Dr. Harper introduces himself and asks a few questions, but you leave out any details that could cause him to ask you to go to “therapy” with him. You’re discharged soon after, and Bailey picks you up.

“Don’t make me do this again,” he says. 

When you get home, it’s already past midnight. You don’t bother putting on Pajamas, just stripping and hopping under the covers. 

… 

……

………

You should’ve worn clothes, you think to yourself as you feel Kylar’s breath on your face. He’s hard; you can feel the outline of his penis through the blanket. You try to steady your breathing, too embarrassed to open your eyes. He shifts on top of you, and then lifts your blanket from your body. You react without thinking, immediately sitting up in a panic. You just barely avoid colliding with him. Your eyes meet his, and he looks down, getting a fully unobstructed view of your breasts. He flushes deeply and scrambles away. ++Lust

After taking a moment to collect yourself, you stand up to close your window. You notice that it doesn’t have a lock.

You put on pajamas before going back to bed this time and wonder if you can find some way to board it up. You close your eyes, but rest never comes. You’re too on edge. You roll in bed for hours, never relaxing enough to fall back asleep. When you finally give up, it’s already 06:00. You remember your idea from earlier, and decide to wear your swimsuit under your uniform today.

It is the 7th of September, 2022. -It has been 3 days since the game started. -The game started in autumn.  -It is autumn. -School term Finishes on Friday the 2nd of December. Current Funds: £454 Pain: You feel okay Arousal: You are cold Fatigue: You are fatigued Stress: You are strained Trauma: You are uneasy Control: You are insecure Allure: You look like you need to be ravaged

You decide to spend some time in the garden growing daisies. It’s relaxing. By the time you finish, your hands are covered in dirt, and it’s 07:30. You wash your hands and go to Robin’s room to play video games for the next half hour.

“This one’s a cooperative game,” he says. “It’s known for being really difficult.” 

“How do I play?” You ask, taking the controller. Robin leans over, wrapping an arm behind your back and taking your hands in his as he guides your hands to the correct positioning, fingers lingering over yours for a moment longer than necessary. You feel his breath on your skin as he walks you through the controls, his head over your shoulder and his arms still wrapped around you. +Lust

The two of you play for a little bit. Neither of you are very good, but you have a good time regardless. -Stress -Trauma

You and Robin are about to walk to school together when a car pulls up beside you. You brace yourself for the worst, but the window rolls down to reveal Avery instead. “I thought I recognized you,” he says, smiling warmly. “How about I give you a lift?” He glances dismissively at Robin.��Your little friend can come along, too.” Robin looks at you, clearly nervous. 

>Ride with Avery +Robin’s jealousy >Ride with Avery and Robin +??? >Walk with Robin -Love +Lust +Rage -Robin’s jealousy

You try to smile at Robin, but it comes out strained. You hop into the car with Avery. Robin reluctantly follows your lead. You try to act naturally, bringing Robin into the conversation whenever Avery ignores him. Robin seems happy you’re paying attention to him, but still extremely out of place. -Robin’s Jealousy +Robin’s love +Avery’s love -Avery’s Fascination 

Avery leaves, and you head to the library. Sydney isn’t there, so you study by yourself until it’s time to go to Science. A group of students pass by you in the halls; they leer at you but don’t say anything. 

Science, math, and English all pass by without incident, for once. You feel yourself begin to relax as you head to the canteen, only to jump when an arm wraps around your shoulders. You turn around. It’s Whitney.

“I’m hungry,” he says. “But I don’t want anything here. Come with us to get a snack.” Your sense of control wavers. Fearful of his intentions, you shove Whitney off of you and try to run, but he grabs your arm. Delinquents pull out their phones and circle around you. You lift the arm he’s holding and swing it to the side, using the created opportunity to elbow him with your unobstructed arm. He staggers and lets go of your arm, nearly falling but just barely managing to regain his balance. You rush to the least populated area of the circle and try to push past the delinquents, but they grab you and push you back in instead. 

You reach for your pepper spray but notice your backpack has been taken from you. You glance behind you, and sure enough, a group of students are rifling around your things. You lunge for them, but they toss it to the students across from them, playing keep-away. 

Whitney is glaring at you from the other side of the ring. He rushes you, and you fail to dodge. He pushes you to the ground, his friends scattering out of reach. You headbutt him on the way down, but he’s got your arms in a tight grip. You struggle against his hold, kicking and squirming under him. Whitney sits over you, straddling your waist and holding your arms in place beside your head. His face is inches from yours, and you can feel his heavy breath on your skin. 

You try to bridge him, but he’s too heavy. You’re quickly losing strength, and Whitney can tell your struggles are becoming weaker. “Just give up,” he says. “Or I might have to do something worse.” Your sense of control weakens. He leans down over you, rubbing his penis against your stomach. You freeze, a sense of cold, numbing dread overtaking you as Whitney climbs off of you. He offers a hand to help you up, and you, briefly forgetting your situation, take it. 

He pulls you up and into his arms with surprising strength, smirking at you as your noses brush. He releases your hand but still wraps an arm around your waist, keeping you from leaving. 

“Can I have my bag back?” You ask, hopefully. Whitney looks over your shoulder at the people rifling through your things. One of them reaches for the side zipper you keep your pepper spray in, and you freeze. 

“She’s got pepper spray!” The short boy exclaims. 

“Holy shit,” a lithe girl says. 

Whitney releases you from his grip on your waist but soon grabs your arm and forces it behind you. You move your left leg around his and plant it on the ground, then you twist yourself away from him until your arm is beside you again. You plant your other foot and lift your left, kicking him in the back of his knee. He falls, but you fall with him. He lets go when you land, and you roll over off of him, quickly standing. You kick him in the groin for good measure and then walk up to the delinquent, holding your backpack and pepper spray. You hold out your hand expectantly and hands it to you stiffly. +Status

You decide to skip lunch and go to the mall instead. You pick up a keychain with a latch and attach your pepper spray to it, hooking it onto your skirt’s belt loop. It took you a while to find the right kind of keychain, and by the time you’re back on campus, it’s already 13:06. +Deliquency

You quickly head into history class, where Winter takes note of your tardiness, and sit next to Robin. He notices your ruffled hair and asks if you’re okay. You smile at him as you take your seat, but he seems unconvinced. You spend the rest of History daydreaming. 

When you get to your swimming lesson, you don’t even have to get naked. Your swimsuit is already under your uniform, so all you have to do is take them off. Your injury yesterday has healed well enough to allow you into the pool, too, so you get to improve your swimming grade. It isn’t until after the lesson is over, and you emerge from the pool, dripping wet, that you realize the fatal flaw with your underwear idea. 

You have to put clothes on over your wet swimsuit. 

Not seeing any other viable option, you put your clothes on over your wet swimsuit. The fabric clings to your body, but it does that anyway. You leave the changing room and head to detention, trying to ignore the stares of your peers as they gawk at your see-through shirt (they can’t even see anything through it, you aren’t sure what they’re staring at.).

Detention only takes ten minutes, so you’re still able to walk home with Robin. He doesn’t say anything, but you catch him taking peeks at your chest every so often. +Love +Lust +Stress

You go to the temple after changing and pick up some pink lichen for your science fair project. 

You think about the last sample of lichen you need and wonder if a £500 prize is worth being molested by ghost tentacles. You wonder if £2,000 is worth being hunted with a vengeance every blood moon.

You do need the money…

——————— 

<Prev Next>

[propertyofwhitney67]

DOL LIs reacting to PC randomly smacking their ass? :D

Oh this is fucking perfect

Whitney is shocked for a split second, then angry. Who the fuck just slapped his ass? He spins around to find you with a smirk on your face, "The fuck is wrong with you?"

Kylar yelps loudly when you unexpectedly slapped his ass. "W-What was that for?" He's really into it though and asks you to do it again.

Robin also yelps, "What are you doing that for?" Poor thing is confused as to why you're randomly smacking his ass in the middle of class.

P!Sydney spins around in shock, clutching their ass. "You can't do that!" Scolds you and probably gives you detention.

C!Sydney just smirks, knowing it's you. "Do it harder next time."

Alex is amused, "What are you doing, partner?"

Avery is not happy. This is juvenile behavior and you're in public.

Eden just turns around with a look on his, "Are you sure you want to do that?" Probably fucks you right after.

[getinthefuckingcarkitten]

LIs ranked from most to least likely to let you drink their blood and what would they taste like, mostly from the perspective of a vampire PC 🩸

cw for general violence and self harm

Kylar - You can save your pretty teeth, she's cutting for you on the spot and pressing the wound to your mouth. Would be excited to hear if you like it, trembling like a little dog. Her blood tastes greasy and it mixes with the salt of sweat on her skin. Tastes basically like a french fry - besides that, you can just tell she has an iron deficiency. Tell her she tastes good, please.

Great Hawk - Doesn't understand why but is too willing to go along with whatever you say. Would probably have to bite down any instinctive reaction to pain she might have and you'll hear the saddest little squawk of your life. Tastes like chicken surprisingly normal, if a little more iron-y than average. You can keep that info to yourself, but praising her for taking it so well will make her very happy.

Sydney - Pure would take a lot of convincing and would probably try to take you to the church, but Corrupted would be too curious to not let you try. Exposing her neck very prettily, but would be pleasantly surprised and let out a cute little gasp if you went for the upper breast instead, and will stay still until you finish. Tastes like nothing in particular, but the smell of incense still clings to her skin and gives it a slightly wood-y aftertaste. Would also want to hear some praise about how she tastes after.

Whitney - You're probably tasting her blood even involuntarily just from throwing hands in the corridors, but if she knew you needed her blood to survive she'd greatly enjoy force-feeding you any time she has an exposed wound. Might also irresponsibly injure herself for this purpose, then whine at you to solve it immediately. She tastes a bit like smoked meat but it makes you gag a little. Will get mad if you tell her she tastes bad, though, so tell her she's an acquired taste instead.

Robin - Much more likely to accept it at low confidence than when at high confidence, but would do it just because it's you. Would be really hesitant and ask you to bite her from the back so she doesn't have to see but will still involuntarily tremble when she feels your teeth sink in. Preferably, try to do this while laying down to avoid any accidents. She tastes... Very refreshing, actually. A perfectly good juice box. You'd ask if she's been living on lemons all this time, but she prefers if you keep the info of how she tastes to yourself.

Alex - More likely to accept at low dominance than at high dominance. Would prefer that you drink from her than take that out on the poor animals, and would put on a brave face just for you, standing strong even if you feel her tense up as you bite her neck. She tastes really good at first, until you feel the punch of unfiltered alcohol hit you. Might make you gag and/or get dizzy if you drink too much. Also wouldn't be very inclined to ask you about her taste, but would be ashamed of herself if you said she tastes like alcohol. She'd also probably try to find a way to weaponize your bloodthirst against Remy, somehow.

Eden - Would be a resounding no at first, until she saw you really struggling with the lack of blood. Would attempt to feed you animal blood first, though, and only if you either had an adverse reaction to it or at least pretended to have one, she'd avoid having you bite her. Doesn't she have enough scars? Ugh, fine. Would only let you go for the arms or something, and you think she's being a little dramatic as she doesn't even flinch once you sink your teeth in. Her blood is most likely thick, you could almost describe it as rich. You can tell she has never even come close to an iron deficiency in her life, and you're almost a little mad she avoided letting you have a sip for so long. After the initial reluctance, though, she'll also enjoy randomly force-feeding you blood, especially if you're just trying to tend to her wounds but she can see that glint of thirst in your eyes and that almost imperceptible licking of your lips.

Avery - No. Don't even try. Unless you get her really comfortable with you, let her see you teeth a little, let her get curious and prod a little into your mouth. Then you need to get her at least a little drunk, and also be a little drunk yourself so she won't feel like she's at a disadvantage. Work up to it slowly, very slowly, until she starts to forget how much she hates it when you give her a hickey, and then GO FOR IT at the slightest exposure of her skin. Her blood is somewhat thin, but somehow packs a real punch and leaves your tongue feeling numb after you're done, drink too much and it's straight to zzzland from all the xanax she takes. She will be mad as HELL after the initial shock wears off, so you better be ready to play it cute and very desperate. Tell her about how you couldn't deal with it anymore, you're just so hungry and she's too alluring to resist, tell her that you've never tasted better before, and you might get away with it with only a slap to the wrist (or the face). If you act enough like a puppy begging for scraps of food, she might let you do it again, but in a more concealed spot, like between her thighs for example. You better thank her very well for the opportunity after you're done, alright?

BONUS:

Harper - Would be so damn excited. You don't get to bite her, but she's going to extract some blood for you, the traditional way, and fill a little blood bag just for you. She's so excited that she'd almost trip over herself on the way to hand you the bag and sit down face to face with you, biting her pen in anticipation, waiting for you to tell her how she tastes, how do you feel when you drink blood and thinking about some more annotations she wants to make once you let her get a real good look at you, preferably splayed out on her stretcher. Her blood tastes fucking strange. A bit like chemicals, in fact. You can tell her that, she'll still be excited. Will probably try a hundred tricks to make herself taste good for you, for science. You start to get a little concerned for the both of you. Maybe that one was a mistake.

[vansshuu]

None of my PC's were good enough to be with Whitney, so I preferred to enter the game and be with him, it's the best now we are a very happy couple I swear 🤭🤭🩵🩵🩵✨✨

I have several versions of Whitney but in this case mine is blue, I think it looks good with the yellow of my hair ahjshs

I haven't been very active around here, sometimes my internet isn't good enough and it seems like Tumblr is classist towards us poor people who use a potato as a router idk HSKAJS I also used to have bad eyesight, I'm legally blind, but now I have glasses and I see much better! I can also spend more time looking at screens so I'll be able to draw more often when I have time <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>✨

[neetily]

May I get some juicy headcanons of the DoL Love interests reacting to PC having amnesia (probably due to all the trauma) Maybe Sydney is already corrupt and PC doesn't recognize them at first because they only remember stuff before the game started. "You're Sydney? Didn't you have like strawberry blonde hair? What happened to you?" You happened to them, now it's time for them to corrupt you back.

Whitney eventually probably says "You might not remember me, but your body does."

Kylar tries to set himself up as your significant other. "Oh, you didn't remember me? We were dating, we loved each other madly."

Robin tries to coddle PC and keep them away from bad stuff since he couldn't before.

Pure Sydney is probably the sweetest of the bunch. the main one to actually try and help you navigate your new life, taking their time with you, helping you indulge in past habits/behaviours that you've maybe forgotten about while still encouraging you to explore new avenues that you perhaps previously wouldn't have imagined before! they'd be so kind, attentive, and supportive. constantly at your side just to help you with whatever you may need, to give you information you may seek, to maybe even help guide you on a path deemed "better" than your previous life before the amnesia. poor thing is so worried about you, just wants to make your life easier and kinder and safer now that they have the opportunity to help you rebuild it from scratch...

however, Corrupted Sydney is waaaay more likely to take advantage of your situation as compared to their more pure counterpart. they'd feel the sting of your missing memories deeply, knowing that you've corrupted them so much and yet, for reasons out with your control they understand, you don't seem to remember a single moment of their path to corruption. it's almost insulting to them in a way, even if you can't help it. and more than anything, they'd think that this is the perfect opportunity to "get back at you" as it were. a blank slate, just as they were. ripe for the taking, cooing at you in that familiar sweet tone they used to use with you, happy to see you respond in kind as if somewhere deep down you do remember them, only to seduce you down the dark path you had them tread upon before. it's only fair, they're only repaying a good friend back, right?

Whitney, ough... they're still just as mean as ever, i think. you're so right when you say you might not remember me, but your body does. they might even be a little more covert in their bullying of you, so easily convincing you that you were part of their little group before the amnesia, arm slung possessively around your shoulders as they lead you through the town, down back alleys and side streets in a misguided effort to help you remember something. anything. but it's all a farce, and only their friends are in on it. you're just so easy to bully now, to convince that you were always their little plaything pet. the way your body reacts so positively to their touch, to their friends camera flashes; see, look at how well you take it. don't i know you so well? uses your bodily reactions against you to earn your trust, hitting all your sweet spots to prove his authenticity. it's so much fun getting to mould you into the perfect pet all over again!

of course, Kylar is taking the most advantage of you in such a vulnerable state. it's not all because they're selfish! though that does play a big role in things, but also because they want so desperately just to protect you. the world has not been kind to them, they do not wish the same for you, especially when you've endured something like amnesia. there is, however, the selfish side. always selfish, taking every opportunity to convince you of their legitimacy as your partner. showing you all those creep shots they took of you, all the clothing items they stole late at night, the bits and bobs related to you that you cannot deny are proof of their existence in your life. of note is a selfie they took of you and them together when you were sleeping one night; evidence of their involvement prior to your amnesia. from there, it's relatively easy to convince you of the romantic and sexual nature of said relationship, their heart giddy with the blessing of your ailment.

and Robin on the other hand prefers to take a much more honest approach. they're laidback, if a bit over protective at times, and try to make sure you have all the correct information at hand. because they know that others mean to confuse, or worse yet, harm you! they would much rather keep you safe with the truth, becoming your sort of guide for the foreseeable future, helping you through all of the struggles others may force you to come across. but they won't lie, it'd be mighty tempting to use your disadvantage against you... but they're far too nice to give in to such deplorable acts. you deserve some treatment and rest, and they're more than willing to provide that literally whenever you need. coddling you at every opportunity, even if you decline them; it's okay, you can trust me. just wants their best friend back tbh...

[fungus-no69]

hope lovecraft is rolling in his grave as I write this. I hope more people write about eldritch horrors being gay and shit. lovecraftian gay sex… (i do not write smut)

Context: it is a beautiful day in rapechestershire and you are a horrible monstrosity

Content: Body horror I guess, reader is a little petty (deserved), dol typical bullying, brief and non graphic gore in Kylar’s, mentioned animal death in Remy’s (you are Eating The Cows), some spoilers for Ivory Wraith’s lore

Remembering to oxidise your body is a burden, making your heart beat is a chore, remembering to move the rest of your vessel with your expressions is tiring. What do animals even need these rigid pieces of flesh for?

…though you quickly realised the value of muscles when your meat began to droop around your faux bones which is something you’re fairly certain does not happen to mortals.

Of course, you can’t maintain a full rest while above water in this fashion. You’ve come to learn that humans do not particularly enjoy a mass of greasy limbs, mottled flesh and gunky mucus spread on the floor. 'Sleeping' is nice though, as limited as your opportunities are. Humans are fickle creatures and that also applies to their sleeping habits.

Nonetheless. You need to practise your human-form-making skills. And what better way to learn about appearing more human than to attend the industry of learning itself?

Whitney:

Why this blonde mortal took an interest in you? You're not sure.

One day they were there and they never left

They’re always poking at your vessel. Rude…

Thanks to them and their lackeys you had to learn how to fake falling over when punched because apparently it’s strange to just stand there and take a hit without flinching.

They know somethings wrong with you but they can’t put their finger on it, this leads to even more bullying

Most of their harassment is about how you look and act apart from the straight up sexual assault.

They once saw you slip up on your transformation because it was a particularly irritating day and you briefly reintroduced your habit of scaring off others by posturing.

Not your finest moment, I say. They passed out because your mutilated structure was too much for their poor human mind to handle.

Thankfully you can help them forget the incident or write it off as some weird drug induced hallucination. (by distracting them with something inconvenient when they wake up. Like an ice cube in their mouth. Or a cut to their gums.)

You can’t let something like that happen again

Sydney:

You don't know why they're looking at you weirdly. You have the correct amount of teeth this time. You checked.

They help you out when people ask you stupid questions like 'are you a ventriloquist?' 'how can you bend that far?' and 'hey where'd your elbows go?'

It’s always awkward to dismiss yourself during those encounters, considering your ‘schoolmates’ don’t tend to let things go and are rather fixated on following their more malicious instincts towards you than letting you leave. So Sydney’s help is appreciated.

You leave little gifts for them in the library. A book you found in the lake and dried, the foot of a rabbit (humans find that lucky right?), little shiny objects you discover while walking around.

You’re far from weak or incapable but Sydney’s interventions make keeping up the act more bearable.

Over time they find that they become enamoured with you and that’s terrifying to them. One, because they’ve never felt like this before and two, Jordan seems to disapprove of you in some way? They don’t explain why but they warn Sydney about you. Which raises some issues which you don't completely understand for all of your infinite (old) wisdom.

As they become more corrupted, they get a bit more pushy with their ‘subtle’ questions about you- thankfully they never nag for too long.

You fear that Sydney, loyal and kind Sydney, will leave you when they find your true nature. That they will find you repulsive like many before them.

Thus, you will hide your true nature from them. No matter how often they ask or the fact that they know something is off- you can never let them confirm those suspicions.

Kylar:

You see the way the shadows loom over this mortal- they are more connected to the other worlds than they realise.

This draws you to them in a way, having someone who is more connected to your home than everyone around you. And them to you, though you suspect this may have happened regardless of your identity.

Kylar is another anomaly in a sea of others who look different but are fundamentally indiscernible. If you were to cut open a human and pry open their ribcage, you would find the same thing in each one. But not yours. And perhaps not Kylar’s.

They seem to feel a strange compulsion to protect you. You’ve seen this type of behaviour with Sydney and maybe Whitney to an extent, but never to the intensity that a knife was procured.

You understand that the utensil is sharp but you're a little bit confused to why the students run away when they see it? Stabbing someone requires strength and you're fairly certain Kylar is not very strong.

Surprisingly, they were the first one to ask about why you speak the way you do. When asked what they meant they told you that you speak in a very formal manner. Your expression must have made a change in some way because they quickly apologise profusely for offending you. It doesn't.

If you sulk about it a little then that's nobody's business other than your own.

Harper:

You get sent to the asylum for your silly behaviour (crimes and general strangeness that does not pass for mentally healthy) and Harper tries to gaslight you "there are no tentacles they aren't real" explain this.

You don’t have a firm grasp on human behaviour yet, especially when it comes to being polite but c'mon. Even you know this guy is a weirdo.

They will inevitably learn about your true nature regardless of how hard you conceal it.

Hypnotism doesn’t work on you, your blood is too dark and thin to resemble a human’s, sometimes you forget to make your heart beat etc.

They’re not as freaked out as you thought they’d be but they do want to run some tests on you

You say no thank you because even if it’s just for ‘personal research’ you don’t want your inhumanity on record (and Harper’s a creep)

They attempt to blackmail you in a sense but you stand strong on your opinion. Who would they tell and even then, who would believe them? And then there’s the fact that there is no human nor invention that can contain or incapacitate you.

You may meet them on your vacation to Remy’s farm, they’re initially confused to see you there but just as easily accept it. As much as they want to understand you- you’re not exactly human, so they don’t expect you to act by the rules of humans.

It would almost be nice if they didn’t finish their little spiel by dragging you to a stage. Stares make your epidermis feel like there’s little bugs underneath it and you feel the urge to peel it off to escape the unpleasant sensation. You don’t, because that would reveal you.

You end your holiday by trashing their office.

Remy:

You originally came across their farm because you were hungry. Remy, of course, noticed the dwindling population of their cows and went to investigate. Lo and behold- they found you.

They don’t know for sure if you’re involved in the missing cows but they suspect you’ve stolen them or something. Not that you ate them.

You allow yourself to be captured, you could annihilate these puny humans if you wanted to but something tells you this place will grant you rest and food.

The fact they stole your clothes was mildly irritating but you can easily get some when you return 'home'. What do humans call it? The five finger discount? You're not sure what having five fingers has to do with saving currency but you appreciate it regardless.

You don’t develop transformations. You lack the biology to do so, but seeing other cattle develop their features tips you off to the fact you’re supposed to be gaining ears and such so you try to replicate them…

The farmhand who opens your stable in the morning almost shits their pants

You don’t try again after that.

Remy is wondering why their cattle are STILL disappearing.

Ivory Wraith:

They are much similar to yourself, tethered to this mortal realm through an object. Though their emotions are a bit more… uncontrollable than yours.

But perhaps that came with being human. Formerly, you suppose. Not that you would know what it’s like to be human.

They know your existence is eternal, will last for much longer than their own given their own circumstances.

Inevitably, they belong to this world and you do not.

Nonetheless you understand each other to a point, with both of you being non human and somewhat incorporeal.

They vaguely recognise you from long ago, a painting or two within the temple depicting a monster. They had never really examined it, being too unsettled to do so.

They also remember that during the schism, they felt the presence of something much larger than themself. They suspect it may be you, though they’re not certain.

No matter, you're here now.

…

It is the first time you have felt desire for something other than rest in centuries.

You have never been one to want. You do not experience emotion as deeply as mortals (or former mortals) do, somehow simultaneously deeper but so shallowly. You do not feel affection, and even if you have, it has surely been so long since then that you have forgotten. And yet…

You think this strange feeling in your fleshy midsection is the closest to love you can get.

[seat-safety-switch]

There is a sort of simple beauty in the fact that every person on Earth will walk their own path in life. Some folks fall in with UFO-related cults and offer to read the mental purity of complete strangers using an elaborate machine. Someone else might make a top-ten country music album before also falling prey to that same UFO cult.

You can watch your friends make bad decisions, but you can't force them to conform to your own beliefs. All you can do is experience life in all its glory, then laugh at everyone else as those poor suckers didn't spend their entire existence on this Earth learning all they could about the Isuzu Impulse Irmscher Edition. Maybe someone else will find out about a whole other weird kind of Isuzu they sold only in Japan, and share that information with you. You can't know.

For me, this lesson came relatively late in life. When I was in school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I worked hard to get toward it. A lot of my friends and classmates were relatively directionless drifters, preferring instead to find out what the world had waiting for them. I laughed, knowing that every passing moment was critical to live up to my dreams. It turns out that what life provided them with were high-paying engineering degrees in oil and gas, and for me: wanton automotive degeneracy. It's hard to argue that I didn't get what I really wanted.

Which is not to say that their existences aren't valid as well. For instance, many of them probably have homes that are occupied legally, with a clear title, instead of an insanely complex interlocking series of legal and ethical corner cases surrounding a "missing" landlord. None of them, however, will drive a 1984 Cadillac Cimarron to the high school reunion, and even if they do: their car won't be powered by a Pratt and Whitney jet turbine that fell out of the sky near the airport (finders keepers.)

[sophiaphile]

The Curse finale interpretation

Ash's ascent/death, parallels to pregnancy, and "lived experience" in The Curse

There was a parallel between the way nobody believed or understood Asher when he was stuck in the tree to the way that pregnant people are treated while they are in labor (or even how women are treated in medical settings in general)

Ash's ascent/death

Nobody would believe Ash (besides Whitney who witnessed him floating inside the house and Moses who saw Ash float up into the tree) that he couldn't come down. Everyone who sees him projects their own interpretation of Ash's experience and intentions.

Dougie thinks Ash is running from his responsibilities because Dougie's dad did the same, and (from Dougie's POV), some men panic or even run away from their responsibilities once their partner is in labor or gives birth.

The neighbors from the community think that Ash and Dougie must be filming something because that's is their experience with these outsiders; they are TV people and act strangely, which can be explained by assuming that any weird behavior is a part of making a TV show. This explanation is also the best that they have for how Ash could possibly defy physical law (because it really isn't reasonable to assume that he just is breaking physical law in some way).

Ash repeatedly tells them that he will fly up. He tries his best to explain what he is going through, and he isn't doing the best job, probably because he's extremely afraid that he might die. I repeatedly tells Dougie and the first responders what he needs from them, and nobody listens. They think that Ash is delusional and that everyone else has a better understanding of the situation and therefore know what to do.

Connection to pregnancy

I think some of Ash's experience can be seen as analogous to what pregnant women (and women in medical settings in general) experience. Historically, doctors have been male, and they obviously have never been pregnant or gone into labor, and studies show that even women healthcare providers dismiss women and minorities in medical settings (it has to do with socialized biases in everyone, which I will come back to).

These professionals often dismiss a pregnant person's self-report of needing help, and a CDC report shows that 1 in 5 women report medical mistreatment while giving birth:

Approximately one in five (20.4%) respondents reported experiencing at least one type of mistreatment. The most commonly reported experiences of mistreatment were being ignored by health care providers, having requests for help refused, or not responded to (9.7%); being shouted at or scolded by health care providers (6.7%); having their physical privacy violated (5.1%); and being threatened with withholding of treatment or being forced to accept treatment they did not want (4.6%).

The same report found that the poorer the woman or more marginalized her background, the more risk of facing mistreatment:

Overall, 28.9% of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of discrimination during maternity care (Table 3), with highest prevalences reported by Black (40.1%), multiracial (39.4%), and Hispanic (36.6%) respondents. Overall, the most commonly reported reasons for discrimination were age (10.1%), weight (9.7%), and income (6.5%); reasons varied by race and ethnicity.

Initially Whitney planned to go to what was implied to be a better hospital. It feels like the show maybe wanted the viewer to expect that Whitney would die due to being at a "poor" hospital (and maybe she did; the finale went no full magical realism, imo). Benny and Nathan probably expected that viewers would immediately think or even assume that this would happen (drawing from our own biases, even if they are informed by statistics), which makes me think that Ash's experience is analogous to pregnant peoples' medical mistreatment.

In these medical settings, doctors frequently ignore a pregnant person's self-reports or requests for help, and instead, the doctors and medical staff (regardless of gender) tend to think that they know better or that the pregnant person is delusional/hormonal/emotional/etc. They dismiss their lived experience. Doctors have historically been male, so they have NO experience being pregnant, but they think they know better than the pregnant person, and even women who have been pregnant cannot speak for every woman. It is not rational to take your own experiences and extrapolate them to everyone else (which has been a common theme in the show: making assumptions based off of limited experience or socialized biases).

Like pregnant people facing medical mistreatment, Ash was ignored by health care providers Dougie and First Responders, had requests for help refused, or not responded to; he was shouted at or scolded by health care providers Dougie for running from responsibilities of becoming a father; and had treatment withheld (the anchored net that he repeatedly begged for) and was forced to accept treatment they did not want (tree branch cut off, sending him to his death).

Lived experience, hermeneutical gaps, and epistemic injustice

OKAY. So this comes back to (what I have taken to be) the overall recurrent theme of The Curse: lived experience, hermeneutical gaps/injustice, and testimonial injustice (which are forms of epistemic injustice, for anyone who is interested in learning more about this).

Hermeneutical gaps occur when a person or group lacks the concepts or terminology to describe their experience. Such gaps lead to hermeneutical injustice; Miranda Fricker describes hermeneutical injustice as occurring

when a gap in collective interpretive resources puts someone at an unfair disadvantage when it comes to making sense of their social experiences. An example of the first might be that the police do not believe you because you are black; an example of the second might be that you suffer sexual harassment in a culture that still lacks that critical concept . . . hermeneutical injustice is caused by structural prejudice in the economy of collective hermeneutical resources.

Before the term 'sexual harassment' came to be, people impacted by such harassment didn't have the concepts or terminology to be able to describe their experience or what they were going through; they were often dismissed as just being flirted with or they didn't even discuss their experience because even though the felt like something was wrong, they didn't have the concepts to articulate their experience, particularly to groups who do not have such experiences.

Here, Fricker describes hermeneutical injustice as:

. . . someone has a significant area of their social experience obscured from understanding owing to prejudicial flaws in shared resources for social interpretation . . . The wrong is analysed in terms of a situated hermeneutical inequality: the prejudicial flaws in shared interpretive resources prevent the subject from making sense of an experience which it is strongly in her interests to render intelligible.

So hermeneutical gaps (lack of conceptual resources [words or formed concepts] to describe experience) lead to hermeneutical injustice (where a person's experience is misinterpreted in a way that leads to harm or testimonial injustice).

Testimonial injustice occurs when one party (person or group) dismisses the credibility of another group (basically treating the marginalized person as though they are not a true knower).

An example might be Fernando trying to be heard about his knowledge of the community violence. Whitney dismisses him, thinking that she knows more about systemic issues. Ash takes advantage of this kind of injustice when he tries to cover his lie that Abshir, Nala, and Hani live in transitional housing once they bought the property they live in. Whitney called out the inconsistency, and Ash decided to exploit the lack of credibility marginalized people are usually extended. He says something like "honestly I don't know with them they say one thing then another," implying that they are dishonest.

Connecting Ash's ascent/death and medical mistreatment of pregnant people with overall themes in The Curse

ANYWAY. Pregnant people in labor go through a unique experience, and sometimes they lack the concepts necessary to explain their experience in a way that medical professionals will "understand" or take seriously (hermeneutical gap leading to hermeneutical injustice). Further, medical professionals dismiss a pregnant person's testimony and treat them like they are not credible while the medical professionals work from their own assumptions or formal medical knowledge (testimonial injustice).

Asher does not have the concepts to describe what he's going through. Nobody has experienced what he experienced, and the experience is new to him, so he doesn't know how to convey what he experiences in a way that Dougie and First Responders will understand. Further, Dougie and the First Responders dismiss Ash's testimony and treats him like he's not credible while Dougie and the First Responders work from their own assumptions or ascriptions of Ash's intentions.

Throughout the show, our main characters have made assumptions about poor people, natives, and their own employees. Many of these assumptions arise out of dismissing or discrediting the experiences of others in favor of their own interpretation of events or others' intentions. Whitney (and Ash) thinks she knows what's best for Las Espanola, even though she lacks the lived experience or even the proper educational experience to understand the complex nature of amending systemic injustice. She is like the medical professionals and First Responders who do not listen to the lived experiences (self-reports) of what people want or need.

This behavior necessarily implies that the people she's helping don't know what's best for themselves, which implies that Whitney has some kind of expertise that qualifies her to intervene on their behalf. She actually doesn't; she has no qualification other than she happens to have rich parents, which doesn't really qualify a person for any kind of job, especially one as complicated as amending economic or social injustice.

I didn't expect there to be growth on behalf of the characters (largely because people have pointed out that Safdie brother projects rarely involve any kind of meaningful growth or resolution; they have bleak outcomes), but in the finale, I thought that Whitney (and Ash) had grown. She expresses jealousy and bitterness that Cara was receiving national attention for leaving the art scene while her and Ash's show wasn't even aired; it ended up being direct to app content. She uncharitably criticizes Cara for disliking exploitive collectors, and Whit says that she thinks that Cara quit because no one bought her work. Ash jokes that maybe if Whit quits her project to work in a massage parlor, maybe people will write about her too. Whit bitterly jokes back that she would need some kind of cultural sob story like saying she was making a statement on the Holocaust. Ash says he knows that she's making joke that selling her art retraumatized her but goes on to point out that native people have gone through a lot, which he says that he fully understands where Cara is coming from and that people process tragedy in their own way (discussing Mel Brooks), and Whitney finally concedes that she probably shouldn't be talking the way she is and that she doesn't have that lived experience. He assures her that he considers her Jewish (and that she can make such jokes), but I think the takeaway is that—on some level—Whitney has gained some self-awareness and realizes that her experiences shouldn't inform the way she interprets other peoples' choices and intentions.

The concepts I discussed here might also be connected to the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which is the phenomenon that people (at any level of intelligence or education) learn something and think that they have a better understanding of what is going on than they actually do. When people (like Whitney) decide to act on such false assumptions of self-evaluation, they are likely to make mistakes or perpetuate injustice.

tldr; the real curse (imo) is the insidious implicit biases that are socialized into us and lead us to making assumptions about others' experiences and intentions. These assumptions ultimately create barriers that limit social understanding and social progress. If we all take a moment to examine why we reasoned as we do or where we get our ideas about people who don't share our ethnic, economic, gendered, religious, etc. background, we might find that we are missing the necessary lived experience (a hermeneutical gap) to understand where they might be coming from. Instead of assuming intent or competency or dismissing or being suspicious, we should all charitably interpret others to try to assume the best in and most of other people. It is what we would want others to do for us. Performing this kind of empathy will ultimately lead to developing the necessary empathy to overcome such biases by habit alone, which will create a more compassionate, empathetic, and understanding world, while also deepening and enriching our own lives and the lives of others by celebrating our plurality.

When we allow certain ideas into our head, they become very real to us, and when we act on those ideas without examining them carefully, those false beliefs can cause real harm.

[bruisedloverr]

Since I've been microwaving this AU in my head for some days (or a week?) now, I've decided to share it! DoL but it is a horror movie. It gets gory, warning for that (and perhaps disorganized thoughts)

To start, the situation of PC is not really that different to begin with, they still have to pay Bailey... but now there's murder in the middle! There has been a string of murders lately, and the Temple has been targeted, but some other people not related to it, too. Rumours says the people responsible for this target virgins and chaste people to offer their blood and bodies in demonic rituals, but could that possibly be true..? (Spoiler, it is. The Children of Auriga are the ones behind this). What it is clear, people disappear two weeks before a Blood Moon occurs, and they're either never seen again, or their corpses are found in the forest, near the Temple's garden.

So now poor PC has to work to pay a sudden debt they didn't knew they had, dodge rapists AND try to avoid being murdered, in the case they were deemed to be a suitable target. They can also find love in the way, yay! Bailey keeps them safe, in their own way (even if PC doesn't realize it. Some sort of "things are bad but could be much worse"). But that may or may not be enough.

I'll go explaining the LIs and their roles so far, there are lots of characters after all and I can't possibly fit them all in:

Sydney: The actions the player do with them kind of affect a LOT here. If the Player keeps them pure, they're basically the perfect target for the cult, but they will stay pretty much the same, albeit more paranoid. However, if the Player corrupts them... they not only become a lustful person, but also murderous and way less moral. Not towards the Player, of course, but towards the very religion that he used to find so much comfort in (Jordan is different in their mind and don't have those desires towards them, though). Investigating on their own, going through secret hallways in the Temple, the will find about the cult behind the murders (or the theories about it, at least), and aid them, basically luring innocent initiates that trust them to their death. A gruesome one, too. Basically, whether they're a target or a murderer depends entirely on PC's hands.

Robin: PC's childhood friend, as always. The more the town gets covered in blood, the more paranoid they become, and they start to act like in their traumatized state, distracted and withdrawn. They might pretend they're strong sometimes, depending on how the player treats them, but they're still a scared teen, and it will show. PC may be able to help them be truly strong... or not.

Whitney: Bully with a secret, that secret being the fact they're not dominant all the time, and that one of the reasons they're also a bully is the fact they crave control and status (with a mix of being a genuine asshole and a bit of peer pressure). They're not afraid to play dirty. Scared shitless of what's going on in the town, but they pretend it doesn't affect them. They start as a threat to PC, but that may develop into a relationship where PC can find some sort of protection... from others, anyway.

Kylar: Still a yandere, still full of grudges. Puts PC's wellbeing over their own. Would fight cultists if they had PC with them (and lose, prolly, unless they somehow get their parents involved). Everyone thinks they're the murderer or somehow involved due to being so weird but they aren't, and PC can either fight these rumours, perhaps starting to fall in love as the spend more time with Kylar (to confirm what they know, that they aren't behind the murders, of course!) or believe them, making them worse.

Avery: Sugar Daddy/Mommy, used to getting their way, their wealth is both a shield and a weapon, buying their compliance (and silence) while fueling their sense of entitlement and control. However, among rich people, their status is... bad. They get side eyed a lot. Know more than they let on.

Eden: Isolated and possessive, their love is a cage with bars made of guilt trips, forced domesticity, and maybe a few strategically placed bear traps. Also a literal cage if PC misbehaves. Their definition of keeping PC safe is not letting them go, ever. More comfortable with knives and gutted deer than human interaction.

Alex: They have seen the news, and feels bad for what the townies have to go through, but also glad it will not affect them (or so they think). Having them as LI is one of the best endings PC can have, as they will be away from the town, and completely safe from harm. Maybe.

Black Wolf/Great Hawk: They're animals, but maybe a true love kiss (hallucinations) will make them human! Sometimes. The Hawk's tower is completely safe, so it's definitely the best ending for PC. The wolf cave is also safe, but not that much. There's still the chance for danger.

And these are just the LIs so far! I have information about others, too, but this post is long enough.

[brainonthebox]

I'm starting Misfits and Magic for the first time! First thoughts:

-on another episode I'll have to pause and READ everything in these opening credits!

-you just know Erika's character does the xXxBrokenDreamsxXx style. It's soooo 2000s!

-the "lucky break" is bowling logic for dice.

-Whitney's "private schools are weird as hell" is such a hilarious reaction that feels so real.

-The irony of Dream being all "I'm different from everybody else and unique," while I'm like, "Girl, you are a decade away from having an Evanescence poster like all the other baby goths from my day."

-Also, I love her parents.

-The mere fact that Sam is an influencer makes me want to hate her, but Danielle is very cheery, so maybe I shouldn't be quick to judge.

-Thank you, Lou, for asking, "wtf is a muckbomb?" Because I had NO IDEA.

-KeLmp.

- I want everything good for this poor boy. Holy, how he must have suffered!

-Dream looked like she wanted to jump Evan's bones the minute he mentioned what happened to his owl.

-Okay, the fact that it is SPECIFIED that Harry Potter media exists in this muggle world, but the wizards are unaware of what HP is, is comedy GOLD!