#and he continues to make ACTIVE CHOICES to force himself to be better than he was

[barksback]

something something the active choice to be a kinder version of yourself something

[jessejaredstories]

Ghosts Like To Be Subs Too

If you told Julian that ghosts were real, then he’d probably just laugh in your face and call you fucking stupid. Ever since he was a kid, he never believed in ghosts, demons, or anything of the like. Paranormal activities were nothing more than a cheesy fantasy to him. 

His stubborn refusal to suspend his disbelief for even a second set Julian apart from other naysayers. Once Halloween season came around, everyone knew not to invite Julian to any haunted houses unless they wanted an earful of his bitching about how unrealistic everything looked. He was a buzzkill through and through. 

Julian didn’t mind being left out of the spooky festivities though. If anything, it gave him plenty of time to just enjoy himself at home. 

One night, strange things began happening around his apartment as he was just chilling in bed. However, being the stark nonbeliever that he was, Julian simply explained away everything with logic and reason. 

Flickering lights? Probably just needs new light bulbs. Sudden, cold gusts of wind? Most likely just the A/C kicking in. Random creaking and groaning sounds? No doubt just the loud neighbors upstairs.

As the night progressed, the strange occurrences grew more erratic and inexplicable. However, regardless of what happened, Julian remained unfazed. Little did he know, however, it was a ghost behind all paranormal activity in his apartment. A ghost had wandered into his residence, looking for a human vessel to take over. And what better choice for a vessel than a nonbeliever? 

Just as Julian was getting ready for bed, all of the lights in his apartment blew out, leaving him vulnerable in pitch-black darkness. Despite this, he merely groaned in annoyance and used his phone flashlight to finish getting ready.

“Goddamn it… That stupid landlord really needs to get off his ass and fix the wiring in this fucking building…”

Julian finished his nighttime routine and tucked himself into bed. He turned off his phone flashlight, allowing the darkness to swallow him whole, and closed his eyes. As he waited to fall asleep, the ghost decided to make its presence known. 

Ooooo… Ooooooo…

“Great, what now?” Julian grumbled as he sat up in bed. He was face-to-face with the smoggy ghost with pink glowing eyes. For the first time in his life, Julian had been confronted with something his sense of logic couldn’t explain. He was speechless.

“What the fuck…?”

Ooooo… Ooooooooo…!!!

The ghost made its move and charged at Julian while he was too busy trying to comprehend what he was looking at. It slammed into his face, causing Julian to fall back onto his bed with a thud. Panic and adrenaline kicked in as he realized he was in danger. Julian tried scuttling away from the ghost, but it was quickly gaining on him. The ghost positioned itself right on top of Julian’s face. He began coughing as the thick, ghostly fog enveloped his head, granting the ghost the perfect entrance into his body. 

The ghost began trickling inside Julian’s body through his orifices. Mouth, nostrils, ears, and even eyes, the ghost used every hole in his head. Julian convulsed and thrashed around his bed as he felt the inside of his body getting filled up with a ghostly presence. The sounds of Julian violently gagging filled his bedroom. He flexed the muscles in his throat in an attempt to stop the ghost’s main entry point, but it was useless. The ghost continued pushing its way inside of Julian despite his efforts. It was an expert in possessing other beings and there was nothing an ordinary human could do to stop it now. 

Once the ghost occupied enough space inside of Julian, it began exercising its newfound control over his body. It started by forcing him to relax his throat muscles. His eyes shot open as he felt his body moving against his command. Wanting to seal his throat again, Julian raised his hand to choke himself. However, the ghost read his thoughts and quickly used his other hand to stop him. Julian tried resisting the ghost’s control over his body but to no avail. His throat relaxed and his mouth hung wide open, ready for the ghost to finish slithering down inside of him. 

“Mmmrrmph… Uhhhhh…” Julian moaned. He gripped his bedsheets as he slurped up the last piece of his invader with one final gulp. Julian felt full of a ghastly sensation he couldn’t explain in words. His body was tense, sore, and bloated all over. As he laid there, panting for breath, Julian felt his hands start moving on their own. They reached out to his torso and began massaging his pecs and abs. The ghost’s body takeover was complete. 

“MMMMM! FEELS SO GOOD!!!” the ghost bellowed in a loud, demonic voice. It was overjoyed to have flesh and a real voice again. No longer would it be forced to communicate in ooo’s like some cartoon ghost. 

The ghost purred as it explored its new vessel, relishing the feel of the firm, hard-earned muscles it had just stolen from Julian. A nearby mirror caught its eye, and the ghost scoffed at the sight of his reflection.  

“HMPH. FUCK THESE CLOTHES. GET NAKED, NOW!!”

The ghost snapped its fingers, and the powerful sound echoed throughout the apartment. Then, within seconds, Julian's wife beater and sweatpants burst open. Shreds of fabric fell to the ground like confetti. The ghost smirked again as it saw Julian’s heavy tool hang low.

“A FINE SPECIMEN OF A HUMAN MALE INDEED!” The ghost wrapped its calloused hand around its new cock and gave himself a few pumps. “PERFECT FOR BREEDING! CAN’T WAIT TO USE IT—”

As the ghost was busy admiring its newly possessed body, Julian’s phone began ringing. The ghost scowled at the phone for interrupting his moment of self-worship, but his expression softened when he saw the name of the incoming call. Pedro. 

Then, inspiration struck. The ghost quickly grabbed the phone and cleared its throat before answering. 

“Hello? Hey, what’s up?” the ghost said with Julian’s voice instead of his regular voice. The man on the other side of the call talked normally, failing to notice anything wrong with his friend. The ghost grinned with a malicious gleen in its eyes as they spoke. Its body takeover plan was going perfectly and was about to get even better.  

***

“Hey, are you still awake… Cool, you down to chill tonight… Alright, I’ll be over in a bit. See you soon.” 

Pedro hung up and stared at the black screen for a few seconds. He was shocked that Julian answered. He knew that Julian was a creature of habit who never strayed from his routine. It seemed odd to Pedro that he would still be awake past his usual 9PM curfew without good reason. Maybe Julian couldn’t sleep either? Pedro wasn’t sure, but decided to just brush the thought aside and get ready. He already told him he’d be coming over after all.

Pedro threw on some random clothes and drove downtown to Julian’s apartment complex. He punched in the access code, took the elevator, and walked up to Julian’s doorstep where he awaited him. 

“Hey! Glad you could make it,” Julian said as he dabbed him up. 

“Thanks for having me over. Watchu doing up tonight anyway?”

“Not much really, just can’t sleep. I was actually about to start watching Netflix right when you called.”

“Really? That’s cool.” Pedro made himself at home while Julian helped himself to the couch and turned on Netflix. 

Pedro felt a shiver run up his spine as he took off his shoes. He felt like he was stared at. Pedro turned and saw Julian grinning from ear to ear. 

“You good, chief? What are you smiling for?” Pedro asked. Julian shrugged. 

“I’m just enjoying your company. How are you feeling tonight? Come join me.”

“Good… Thanks for asking.”

Pedro felt goosebumps form on his arms as he sat next to Julian. In all the years he had known him, Julian was never a smiley kind of guy. Although they were pretty close friends, something about Julian’s demeanor seemed… wrong. He never went out of his way to create a warm, welcoming environment for his guests. No, Julian was a serious man who did just enough to not be marked an asshole by others. 

With that suspicion in mind, Pedro tried sneaking a glance at Julian. He tried to do so without Julian noticing, but he immediately caught him. He turned his head and smiled at him. At that moment, Pedro saw Julian’s eyes flash pink. 

Julian returned his focus back to the movie. Meanwhile, Pedro was trying to mentally process what he had just seen. He replayed the image over and over in his head. It was just a brief second. Blink and you miss it. But Pedro knew what he saw. Julian’s eyes had turned pink! 

“Hey, what’s wrong? You seem tense,” Julian asked. He threw an arm around Pedro’s shoulder, but Pedro shook him away. 

“What’s wrong with me? Bro what’s wrong with YOU!?” 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean— Why are you acting like this? Smiling at me, acting all extra for no reason, and your eyes! I swear to God bro your eyes turned pink when you looked at me! What’s with you? It’s like you’re possessed or some shit!!”

The two men stared at each other. Pedro was waiting for a response but never got one. Instead, Julian closed his eyes and tilted his head downward. Pedro opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he heard a low chuckle coming from Julian. His shoulders were bouncing as his laugh grew gradually louder and louder. Then, out of nowhere, he threw his head back up and let out a deep, maniacal laughter that rang throughout the apartment. His eyes were glowing bright pink, too! Pedro fell onto the ground from the shock. He wasn’t serious when he accused Julian of being possessed. It was just a figure of speech! But it was becoming all too clear that he was correct… 

“AMAZING!!” Julian’s voice boomed. His voice had dropped to an unnaturally deep pitch that shook Pedro to his core. “NEVER IN THE HUNDRED YEARS THAT I’VE BEEN AROUND HAVE I BEEN SUSSED OUT THIS QUICKLY! I CAN’T HELP BUT LAUGH!!”

“What are you? WHO are you?” Pedro said as he picked himself up from the ground. 

“Does that really matter now? As far as we’re concerned, I’m Julian. Always have been, and always will be. At least until I get bored of this body anyway.” 

Pedro was glaring at Julian as he spoke. The ghost noticed and chuckled in response. 

“What’s the matter? You want your little friend back? Do you really think—”

Before Julian could finish his sentence, Pedro charged at him at full speed. Pedro grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the couch. The ghost was shocked at how quickly a big guy like Pedro could move. He had him pinned down before he could even retaliate!

“Listen here,” Pedro whispered. “You’re gonna get out of my friend’s body and you’re gonna do it now. Do I make myself clear?”

Pedro had a tight grip around Julian’s throat. The ghost was struggling to breathe, let alone talk. Pedro softened his grip just enough to let the ghost talk. 

“I can’t!! This body is too tight of a fit, I won’t be able to leave without something pushing me out! Something long and hard like a shoe horn!” 

Pedro contemplated how best to force the entity out. An idea quickly came to mind, but Pedro wasn’t particularly happy about the implications. He looked down at his buddy’s face, then decided what he was about to do was well worth the price if it meant saving his friend. 

“Heh, alright fucker! Hope you’re ready to leave cuz I’m gonna force you out with my dick!!”

Without hesitation, Pedro made his move. 

He planted his mouth onto Julian’s lips, catching him by surprise. It was a sudden, rough kiss but it was a welcome one. The ghost opened his lips and let Pedro slip his tongue in as it kissed him back. The rough, scratchy feeling of their beards brushing against each other’s lips caused them both to let out low, sensual groans with every kiss. Their hands became frisky and began exploring each other’s bodies as they made out. Pedro groped Julian’s ass, Julian massaged Pedro’s jacked arms. They locked their lips and bodies pressed against each other as they moved towards Julian’s bedroom. Once there, Pedro pushed Julian onto the bed and quickly took off his clothes. Julian did the same. 

Pedro hopped in between Julian’s legs and wrapped a hand around his throat again. The ghost looked at him with big, wet eyes full of desire. Pedro merely smirked. Even though he was the one that started their little makeout sesh, Pedro wasn’t doing it for fun. He was doing this to save Julian from whatever was possessing his body and nothing more. 

“Open your mouth.” 

Julian did as he was told. Pedro leaned in and spat a ball of saliva into Julian’s mouth. As he watched Julian swallow his spit, Pedro grinned and tightened his grip on his throat, causing him to let out a suppressed moan from the delightfully sensual feeling of getting choked. 

“Such a good little slut! You like when Papi spits in your mouth?”

“Yes Papi, I love it!”

“Want me to do it again?”

“Yes!”

“Yes what?”

“Yes Papi! Please, sir! Spit in my mouth again!!” Julian opened his mouth as wide as he could and Pedro spat into him again. 

“Good boy!!” Pedro said with a cocky smirk. He then leaned back down and planted his lips against Julian’s again. 

They shared a few more deep kisses and as they did so, Julian felt something begin to poke against his butt. Pedro pulled away to spit on his erect cock. As he lubed up his dick, he took a good, long look at the man laying underneath him. 

Although he had always been curious, Pedro had never actually fucked a guy before. Though the situation wasn’t exactly ideal, Pedro was glad his first man was a hottie with a body like Julian. 

With that thought in mind, Pedro leaned back down for another kiss. This time, as they made out, Pedro began guiding his dick to Julian’s hole. Once he lined up his tip, Pedro pushed it in until his cock penetrated him.  

“Mmm…” Pedro purred as he felt his dick go inside of Julian. The warm feeling of his tight ass enveloping his cock sent a shockwave of pleasure throughout his groin. 

“Mmmmm— Hm? Ow! Arghhhh!”

Pedro let out a horrific gagging noise as he threw his head back. His pupils went white and his body became stiff, trapping Julian underneath him with his dick tip still planted inside of him. 

Yes, finally! Now let me inside!!

Meanwhile, a sinister smile formed on the ghost’s stolen face. It then took a deep breath in and exhaled. As it did so, a thick fog left Julian’s mouth and went straight inside Pedro’s agape mouth. 

“Mrrrmphh? Mmmmugghhhh!!!”

Pedro convulsed violently as his body was getting filled rapidly with the same entity that took over Julian’s body. It felt like he was getting stuffed with air. His muscles tightened with every mouthful of ghost essence he was forced to swallow. Before he knew it, Pedro felt his consciousness fade away as the ghost took complete control over his body. The last thing he remembered was feeling his face muscles form an unwanted smile before everything went black. 

“Hehehe… TWO VESSELS IN ONE NIGHT? FEELS FUCKING AMAZING BROO! OHH I LOOK SO GOOD WITH TATTOOS! JUST LOOK AT THIS HAIRY BODY!!”

Pedro’s cock slipped out of Julian’s ass as the ghost took a deep whiff of its dank pit smell. It looked down and blew a sharp whistle at the mere sight of its new, long member. While Julian had girth, Pedro had length. The ghost wasn’t sure which dick it preferred. Not that it really mattered though, as it would be putting both to good use. 

Julian’s body went limp now that the ghost was out of him. His eyes were open but with a glazed over look to them. The ghost tried catching his attention, but Julian was unresponsive. Do doubt he was still in a severe daze after getting possessed. 

The ghost smirked. It decided to make the most of having two bodies under its possession. It flipped Julian over onto his stomach, then stuck Pedro’s cock back into his ass. 

“Yeahhh take that big dick like a good bitch,” the ghost said in Pedro’s voice. He watched with a smile as his massive 8 inch cock disappeared into Julian’s ass. Once it was entirely in, Pedro grabbed Julian’s waist and began thrusting into him like he was furious. 

“Fuck yeah! That’s how I like to get fucked, raw and hard! Got that, you oversized lump of walking meat!?” the ghost said out loud. Once it finished issuing its command to Pedro’s body, the ghost exited through his mouth and zipped straight into Julian. 

“Ahhhh! AarrrggGGGHHH FUCKKKK!!!” Julian shouted out as the ghost re-entered him. 

Between Julian’s body getting possessed again and having his ass full of thick, Latino cock, the ghost was caught between two powerful forces of erotic stimulation. Additionally, even though the ghost wasn’t directly in control anymore, Pedro’s body was still moving according to its last command and fucking him as hard as he could. 

“Ah— Ahh— Oohhh— Fu— Uckk—!!” Julian cried out with pleasure everytime Pedro rammed his hips into him, forcing his cock even deeper into his ass. 

“Push your ass out.” Pedro said in a monotone voice. He pushed Julian’s head down into the pillow as he arched his back even further and bit into the pillow. Pedro picked up the rhythm of his thrusting speed and jackhammered away at Julian’s hole. 

The small bedroom became filled with the erotic sounds of two men fucking like their lifes depended on it. Pedro grunted like an automated fucking machine and Julian moaned like the cock hungry slut he had become. They had become drenched in sweat and their body odor permeated the air, filling it with a potent, sweaty musk that was absolutely delightful to the nose. 

“Nrghhh… Ohhhnghhhh!”

Julian felt Pedro’s fucking speed change. He was getting close, but the ghost wouldn’t let him finish so soon. The ghost quickly shot itself out of Julian and back into Pedro. Pedro gagged briefly as the ghost zipped down his throat but then let out a sigh of relief as he fell under complete possession again. Now that it was at the steering wheel, the ghost slowed down Pedro’s thrusting to stop him from blowing his load. The ghost then decided to stay as Pedro and take a turn at topping. 

It pounded away at Julian’s ass, his cock sliding in and out at rapid speeds. Once the ghost noticed Julian was getting close to finishing, it returned to Julian’s body to stop him. The ghost kept up this cycle for a good while. Whenever one of the men was close, the ghost would repossess and prevent them from shooting their load. The ghost kept them at the edge of climax, only to cut them short every time. 

The ghost was making them fuck for as long as they physically could. The time gap between body takeovers got shorter and shorter. It got to the point where the ghost could simultaneously experience fucking as Pedro and getting fucked as Julian, like being in the middle of a threesome. It was a bodily ecstasy unlike any other. After not having flesh to call its own for so long, the ghost felt like its senses were on fire! Only once it finally had enough, the ghost exited their bodies and allowed them to shoot out their heavy loads in what looked like a sticky, white eruption. Both Julian and Pedro bellowed out a loud FUCKK as they became drenched in their own bodily fluids. They were both left panting for breath after such a rough hookup! 

The ghost floated in the air after it finished having its fun. It needed a moment to breathe too! But it knew that it didn’t have too much time to relax. After all, Julian and Pedro could wake up if it took too long! Thankfully, however, the ghost’s worries were unwarranted. As the ghost hovered back down, it saw a strange sight. Julian and Pedro turned to face the ghost, and despite  neither being actively possessed, their eyes were still glowing bright pink! 

The ghost was amazed. It had come to Julian’s humble abode to take over Julian’s body as its new permanent vessel. However, in an awfully lucky turn of events, the ghost had successfully secured not one, but TWO human bodies to possess (and as if that wasn’t enough, it was two well-endowed, hairy Latino men too!!) 

It was too perfect. The ghost couldn’t help but relish in its own flawless success. It hopped into Julian’s body and let out its signature demonic laugh. Then, just as a quick experiment, it hopped into Pedro’s body and laughed. It was true— both Julian and Pedro were under its control! Even if the ghost wasn’t inside them, they only waited until their new ghostly master returned. 

And so, the ghost continued living as a human, sometimes as Julian, sometimes as Pedro. To make things more convenient, the ghost decided to have its vessels get married and move in together. Although it was the ghost behind their every word and action, Julian and Pedro looked like they were just happily married husbands to the outside world.

And nobody would be none the wiser.

[goodqueenaly]

Why would Theon think that faking Bran and Rickon’s death would be a good idea? He has no idea where they were headed or to whom they might reveal themselves. It’s even said in Theon’s chapter of the search that if they made it to a village, all the people would rally behind the boys. Wouldn’t it make Theon look even more a fool if they showed up alive to Ser Roderick before Ramsey burns Winterfell, but after he killed the miller’s boys? I know Ramsey takes advantage of his desperation under the guise of Reek, but I think even Theon would have been skeptical that the plan would actually work. What is your take on this?

To understand Theon in “Theon IV” ACOK is to examine the simultaneous ego and desperation of a man clinging to a self-made fantasy which is actively crumbling in front of his eyes. Every way Theon turns, literally and figuratively, is wrong - and critically, he has no one to blame but himself. Yet unable to admit how thoroughly he’s ruined the situation, Theon doubles down when it comes to how to handle Bran and Rickon’s disappearance, choosing yet another terrible option in a vain hope of making up for all his other awful choices. 

Theon’s great anxiety in this chapter is what to do about the missing Stark boys - but Theon, being ACOK Theon, only thinks of how he believes this dilemma affects him personally. His first thought upon learning the wolves are gone is to worry what would happen “if [Asha] learns that I have lost the Starks” - a thought so terrible to Theon that he concludes “[i]t did not bear thinking about”. Theon later underscores his fear of embarrassment at the hands of his family, deciding that he’d “sooner have them [i.e: Bran and Rickon] dead” than unconsciously running to Asha at Deepwood Motte, as in Theon’s mind “[i]t is better to be seen as cruel than foolish”. As Theon’s hunt continues with no sign of the boys, Theon ruefully realizes that “[e]very passing hour increased the likelihood that they would make good their escape”, that “[t]he people of the north would never deny Ned Stark’s sons, Robb’s brothers” and “[t]he whole bloody north would rally around them”. Once night begins to fall, Theon’s fear of both crystallizes: knowing that “[i]f he crept back to Winterfell empty-handed, he might as well dress in motley henceforth and wear a pointed hat”, since “the whole north would know him for a fool”, Theon can only contemplate with dread “And when my father hears, and Asha …. [sic]”

Unfortunately for Theon, all the poor choices he’s made up to this point only exacerbate his problem. Because Theon decided to take Winterfell with a bare handful of men, he did not have the spare guards to ensure Bran and Rickon did not slip away. Because Theon seized Winterfell by force, its household sees him only as a usurper and betrayer of his foster brothers; likewise, because Theon has treated the people of Winterfell abominably, no one lifts a finger to intervene in Theon’s plan to hunt them down (until Theon has to literally threaten Farlen with the continued rape of his daughter to get him to comply). Too cruel and despicable to be a successful conqueror-turned-protector, yet too vain about his own momentary victory to abandon it in a typical ironborn lightning raid, Theon’s only advantage had been the fact that he held the Stark boys as hostages - an advantage that had seemingly literally disappeared into thin air.

Theon has put himself in a position where he has no good - which is to say, beneficial to his egotistical fantasy - options. He knows that he cannot realistically recapture the Stark boys, and that every hour that passes makes it more likely (so he believes) the Starks will be out of his grasp forever, and in the helpful hands of anti-ironborn northern neighbors. However, Theon also believes that he cannot return to Winterfell empty-handed, lest he become the laughingstock of his sister, his father, the castle’s household, and the whole North. Stuck in the wolfswood, Theon is as lost as Farlen’s hounds, unwilling either to concede defeat or continue on what is increasingly proving a fruitless search.

This is where Ramsay-as-Reek serves, to quote the late great Steven Attewell, as the devil on Theon’s shoulder, apparently offering him an easy (if no less detestable for it) answer to his problem. Killing the miller’s boys solves what Theon sees as his immediate problem; he can both give up the hunt and go back to Winterfell without being empty-handed, giving (so he thinks) no grounds for his father or Asha to complain. Pretending to have killed Bran and Rickon allows Theon to continue to the fantasy of conquest that began with his moonlit capture of Winterfell: he can spout pompous self-justifications like “Mercy was for this morning … [b]efore they made me angry” and “They defied me!” In answer to Luwin’s pleas and Asha’s criticisms. 

Putting aside how evil this action is on its own, of course, Theon’s decision does not actually solve his problem, as you note. Yet that is precisely the point: obsessed with the idea of successfully taking Winterfell in a daring raid, Theon has no idea from the first how he is going to hold it, nor indeed what the consequences of any of his actions there might be. Caring only about what can fix the problem directly in front of him, Theon simply seizes the solution preferred by Ramsay-as-Reek as a way out of what he saw as a personally humiliating situation. Worries about how he’s going to defend Winterfell from the increasing combined forces marching on his mostly undefended walls, or whether Bran and Rickon might turn up later, or whether anyone within Winterfell has a death wish for him, are not at the forefront of Theon’s mind in that moment; he only wants to get out of the wolfswood, literally and metaphorically, and the bodies of the innocent miller’s boys let him do that.

[k8lynjoy]

Pro-Damon arguments have always been pretty stupid imo, but an argument I've been seeing a lot more of recently is people saying that they prefer Damon to Stefan- both as a character and as a love interest for Elena- because "Damon was aware that he was a monster whereas Stefan pretended that he wasn't", and I have got to say, this is such a brain dead take.

Let's start by addressing the first part of the claim, that Damon's self-awareness inherently makes him better. No. Believe it or not, being self-aware does not make you a good person, it's what you do with that awareness that does. What does Damon do with his self-awareness? Absolutely nothing. He whines and cries about how much of a monster he is and how he can't change whenever anyone tries to hold him accountable for anything, or he just puts the blame on Katherine or his mother because "they didn't wuv him 🥺👉🏻👈🏻". So, he recognizes that he's a bad person, but then he proceeds to continue to be a bad person anyway...I'm not seeing how this is a good- or even a respectable- thing. Damon also doesn't care! He enjoys murdering and r*ping people. How does someone knowing they're a bad person, and then doing nothing to be better, make them a better person? It doesn't. The logic of that argument is non-existent. And to then go on and say that this is why Elena should choose him?? Why? How does Elena begging Damon to just stop being horrible, and then him responding with "I'm a monster, I'll never change" scream "I'm someone you should be with"?? There's a reason she told him he was the worst choice she would ever make.

Now, for the second part of the claim, which states that Stefan pretends that he is a good person when really, he's a monster. Once again: no. Tell me you don't have general comprehension skills without telling me because Stefan's desperation to hold onto his humanity and morality are very central parts of his character. He recognizes that he's done horrible things and takes full accountability for them. Whenever Elena asks him a question about his past, he's honest with her. He doesn't hide things from her, downplay them, or push the blame onto someone else (and if someone tries to bring up him not initially telling her he was a vampire, I will scream. Because duh! Why would he just be like, "Hey, I'm Stefan, I'm a vampire, nice to meet you!"? Please be serious) He's said the words "I am/was a monster" multiple times on screen - same as Damon - the difference between the two of them is that Stefan does something about it. Stefan trying to be a better person is not him pretending he's never done bad things. It's him trying to atone for all of the bad things that he has done. So, when he says that he's not Damon, It's true! Because he does everything Damon doesn't do when it comes to facing the consequences of his actions. Which also winds up forcing him to face the consequences of Damon's actions as well!

Only in the TVD fandom will you see people say that the guy who actively does the wrong thing in every scenario and who revels in being the bad guy is better than the guy who hates the part of himself that does horrible things and puts all of his effort into being a better person simply because guy #1 is "self-aware".

I hate it here.

[beneathsilverstars]

In Stars And Time Classpects

Siffrin - Thief of Time Mirabelle - Page of Space Isabeau - Heir of Blood Odile - Seer of Heart Bonnie - Sylph of Hope

Explanations under the cut!

Siffrin - Thief of Time Of course Siffrin literally manipulates time, but Time as an aspect is also associated with death, destruction, and inevitability, which are huge themes in their story. Nothing says "time player" more than marching onwards through a thousand deaths, fighting against a fate that seems impossible to avert. And as a Thief, Siffrin specifically steals time from others in order to have more for himself. Whoops! Time players are relentless, and thieves are active, self-centered. They won't sit still and accept the inevitable; they'll struggle towards their goal at any cost. It's incredibly fitting for a Thief of Time to hold their objective so tightly that the reason they wanted it disintegrates in their grasp, lost to entropy.

Mirabelle - Page of Space As the chosen one spearheading the mission to collect the orbs and save the country, she seems like the obvious choice for the other essential aspect and its quest, collecting frogs and ensuring the continuation of life. Luckily, the metaphorical side fits perfectly as well: Space is about creation, just like the Change religion! But as a Page, Mirabelle doesn't use her aspect herself; instead, she leads using it, and leads others to use it. She inspires others to change, learn, and improve. Pages reach their potential slowly – they may struggle for a while with feelings of inadequacy and stagnation. After a long hard journey with lots of reflection and personal growth, though, they can end up the strongest of all! And for Mirabelle, as a Page of Space, that means learning to let go of the urge to force personal change, inspiring external change on a greater scale instead.

Isabeau - Heir of Blood Blood means relationships, trust, and obligation. Heirs embody their aspect, and perhaps attract it, receive it, are controlled by it; the perfect class for someone who specifically crafted himself into the kind of person others would reach out to. Heir is one of the most active of all the passive classes, but it's still passive – Isabeau makes space for bonds, commits to bonds, but doesn't take the first step to create the bonds himself. His choice to follow Mirabelle was a natural continuation of his obligations as defender. He couldn't bring himself to confess to Siffrin, but that passive crush was a powerful narrative force. Isabeau didn't assemble the team, but he reinforces the bonds that allow it to function!

Odile - Seer of Heart Heart is the aspect of self and identity, which is the heart (heh) of Odile's quest. She wants to learn about herself, and her chosen method is learning about other people. Seers seek a comprehensive knowledge of their aspect and then use it to coordinate and advise others; Odile analyzing enemies and deciding team tactics is a perfect example of this! The Seer prevents their party from making mistakes related to their aspect, so a successful Seer of Heart would understand each teammate's personality well enough to guide them through their character arcs and prevent self-destructive behavior. Odile noticed Siffrin's increasingly out-of-character behavior, and had the ability to figure out why they had changed... except he kept thwarting her efforts by stealing her time. But in the end she managed to thwart them instead, forcing them to stay put and go through their character development already!

Bonnie - Sylph of Hope Hope is one of the most literal aspects; Hope players raise morale, stick to their convictions, and believe that a better world is possible. The Sylph of Hope would be someone who uses Hope to heal other people, or fixes and maintains Hope itself. Obviously, Bonnie literally brings hope and healing by passing out the potions, but they're also the snack leader! Nothing boosts morale like a nice meal. Hope is also the antithesis to Rage, which represents possibilities being cut off. Bonnie reacts poorly to situations that invoke the Rage aspect, like the adults discussing death (the ultimate end of possibilities), and Siffrin getting injured in their defense (which no amount of belief can heal); in fact, they react with anger and an urge to tear down any positive that's left! Since Hope is associated with black and white thinking, it's not surprising that when Bonnie loses hope, they lose it, leaning into their aspect's opposite. But that's not where they stay – when they protect Siffrin in their friendquest, they're able to not just heal their own hope, but give hope to Siffrin as well. Bonnie believes that they and their friends can all protect each other, and in the end, they do!

[mothwingwritings]

R & Y for baki please <3 it can be mixed

Thank yooou! Here's some love for our titular boy loool <3

Warnings: Mentions of confinement, being held against your will, and one sided affection

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

In moments of lucidity, Baki would feel very guilty. What right did he have to pluck you up off the street and hold you against your will? He’s forced you into confinement like you were some kind of criminal, turning your life upside down. It was selfish, it was cruel, and it robbed you of everything and everyone you loved in your life. He was your world now, and even though he earnestly felt that was for the best and knew he loved you more than any other human possibly could, he also knew how lonely this confinement made you. Every time he saw that sad look in your eyes, your body slumped over in dejection and fear as you sat in the corner of his barren room refusing to speak with him, it broke his heart. You were his shining, vibrant, brilliant love and he alone had made you lose your luster.

Deep down he knew he just was chasing after a phantom feeling of affection, the dream of having a loving and doting partner by his side spurring him to do something outrageous. He was disappointed in himself, disgusted for having betrayed your trust. Any positive bond he had formed with you was certainly destroyed at this point, any actual love you felt for him has gone clear out the window. When he gets into these guilt-ridden spirals he wonders if it was all worth it, if potentially demolishing the once natural attachment you shared with him was something that was truly necessary or desired by him. It eats him up more than he will ever let on, he never wanted to be the villain in your life.

However, it’s only a matter of time before he reverts to his default mindset and realizes that there is no reason to be beating himself up over all this. You may be upset or momentarily hurt, but in the end he did this for your own benefit. He is protecting you and providing for you in ways no one else can, he’ll never let any misfortune befall you as long as you are at his side. True, maybe his home isn’t the most spacious or as clean as it could be, but its world’s better then leaving you to fend for yourself on the outside. He’ll always strive to make your life better, even if you can’t necessarily see that that’s what is happening.

He loves you with all that he is, so even if it hurts or confuses you in the process, it will all be worth it in the end. When you finally realize how well off you are none of the grievances of the present will matter any longer. Your future with him is bright and full of happiness, how can it not be when he is pouring so much of himself into providing you an ideal life?

He just has to keep telling himself that until that day arrives.

As far as letting you go, I think after a lot of time and discussion Baki would be willing to let you go once he truly understands it’s in your best interest. When it comes down to it, he really does love you and want your happiness, so after an extended amount of time if his methods continue to not work, or make you actively worse, he will bite the bullet and do what’s best for you. It will be the hardest choice he has ever had to make, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if you lost yourself entirely due to his greed and infatuation. He’ll always cling on to hope though, saving himself for you so that one day in the future you may come back ready to give him another chance, this time of your own accord.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

Your relationship with Baki actually starts off pretty normal. You met, became good acquaintances, which led to friendship and then blossomed into him becoming one of your best friends. At some point in that time frame, it struck him that while he loved your companionship and affection as his close confidant and buddy, he wanted, or rather needed something much more than that with you.

Baki is a pretty patient person, but the moment he realizes his feelings for you run deeper than just mere friendship, it’s over.  The second he comes to terms with just how deeply he cares for you he becomes obsessed with making you aware of it, unable to contain his unbridled excitement over the revelation. It’s all so exhilarating and intoxicating, and he just knows the instant he tells you you’ll be thrilled too. He loves you so deeply, so fully, how did he not realize this sooner? You two are meant to be together, literally made for each other, he was blind not to see what was before him! You were veritable soul mates, and that thought flooded his chest with butterflies, made his stomach do flips. Maybe he was the only one out of the loop, he wondered if you had long since realized this and were just patiently waiting for Baki to make a move? How embarrassing, he’ll have to make it up tenfold as soon as he sees you.

So he rushes to you and wastes no time confessing, ardent feelings gushing from within him as he bares his heart for you in a torrent of flowery words, barely able to catch his breath as he goes on and on, making sure to leave nothing unsaid. He’s expecting you to respond with a smile, or maybe even happy tears or an embarrassed little blush, but you just… stare at him. There’s no pleased grin that lights up your face, no playful chiding over how long it took him to catch on and confess, no enveloping hug as you leap into his arms in sheer joy. You just looked at him blankly until you eventually avert your gaze, awkwardly focusing anywhere but him as you apologize, telling him you only saw him as your dear friend and nothing more.

Oh.

THIS is the only time he truly pines.

He tried to accept it, really he did, but damned if it wasn’t hard. And things were so… weird after his confession. You kept your distance, dodging any physical contact Baki tried to give you. You didn’t smile at him like you used to, or joke around with him till the wee hours of the morning. You always loved his hugs, but now you shrank away from them, denying him the pleasure of feeling your warm, inviting body against his own. And as more time passed, he saw less and less of you overall, his hang out requests always responded to with convenient flimsy excuses.

He ached for you. His body, his soul, every part of him yearned for you, desperately craving your attention and affection. Your absence was profound and painful and after a solid three weeks had passed without any response to him or you reaching out once, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands.

Baki didn’t blame you for your behavior. How he went about his confession was all wrong, and in the end, it ended up unnerving you a bit. He just got too excited and worked up over the thought of becoming official with you, but he realized now how he was far too eager in his execution. Just like how your bond formed originally, you needed time to get used to him not just as Baki your friend, but Baki your lover. And the best way to do that was to give you plenty of time alone together, with no outside distractions to interrupt you.

He spent a long time getting his home ready for your arrival. Your favorite snacks filled his pantry, a new toothbrush ready and waiting for you in the bathroom. He even bought you some new clothes he knows will look adorable on you (as well as some underwear/lingerie he’s very much looking forward to seeing you in) and some books/magazines/games to keep you entertained. It’s going to be great-just the two of you hanging out, getting to know each other in a whole new light, which will grant you the time to realize your true feelings. Spending so much time together in such close corners is a sure fire way to ignite the flames of passion within you, right? There’s no way your dormant feelings of love won’t be aroused by your new living situation.

Just thinking about it was getting him excited all over again.

[fetishfairytales2]

Besties 6 (Story)

This was originally written as a continuation of a story by [no longer active] called Besties.

—————

Besties 6: Alone with Ms. Lyndsey

“Heather, seriously?” I laughed; “is Connor really cool with all of this? Cause I know he’s not, y’know…” Heather laughed in response, walking out of the nursery, back to her bedroom. "No, he’s too much of a real man to give a shit about that," she snickered, pointing to Brandon, "Brandi just has a tight little ass that could milk a big dick and Connor likes to fuck it occasionally!"

Heather went back into the bathroom to wrap things up, leaving me alone with Brandi. "Connor gets it," she called out. "Sometimes I just want him to tear into Brandi’s ass because I get off on seeing it." There was a moment of silence. "Other times, Daddy Connor just wants to show her who the real man is in this household."

"Does Brandi like it?" I couldn't help but ask even though I already knew the answer. Heather emerged from the bathroom, rocking a killer outfit with her tight trench coat and those red heels, looking like a total babe. She had the biggest grin on her face. "The real question is," she giggled, "does she even have a choice? Now, Brandi, I'm heading out. You better behave for Ms. Lyndsey, be a good girl. Don't forget, if I hear any complaints, Daddy will find out!"

She turned and gave me a wicked grin. "He'll be getting punished either way, good girl or not. But if she acts up, let me know. I'll send you all the deets and instructions. Don’t forget, her dinner's in the fridge. Oh and do me a solid, share all the pics and vids I send you tonight with Brandi. She loves seeing Mommy's naughty side during my date nights!" She hugged me and lightly tapped Brandi's butt before strutting out of the room with a smirk.

I couldn't help but smirk as I saw Brandon, the man who was once so full of himself, reduced to nothing but a pathetic little sissy in a frilly dress and diaper, forced to face the consequences of his asshole behavior. I loved that my best friend had made it all happen. She took away his power, his pleasure, his whole life. I bet she wasn't done yet either. "Oh, look how far Brandi has fallen," I taunted as I grabbed his hair and pulled his head up to meet my gaze. "But don't worry, we can make you sink even further."

"You, like, have noooo idea how much shit I'm about to put you through, baby bitch," I cackled, eyeing Sissy Brandi's pathetic little frame. I pivoted, checking myself out in the mirror. This situation called for a whole different vibe. I came dressed down to Heather's place, but now it's time to bring out the big guns. I rummaged through her drawers until I found the perfect thing: a sexy black lingerie set.

Turning to Brandi, I couldn't resist poking fun at his sorry excuse for masculinity. "Heather and I have been swapping clothes and men since college," I said with a sly smile, knowing how much that would hurt his fragile ego. "All of them way better than you, of course." I held up the lingerie set and let him squirm in embarrassment. "But hey, some things never change, right?" I could practically hear him whimpering under that gag, clueless to what was happening behind him. Tossing the lingerie onto the bed, I couldn't wait to see his reaction.

I ran my perfectly manicured nails through Brandi's hair, feeling him tremble as I whispered, "Relax sweetheart, we have all night to play. No need to get too worked up just yet." A sharp slap on his ass made him squirm with anticipation as I continued my search, this time in the nightstand.

I pretended to be all innocent, asking with a sly smirk on my face, "Hm, I wonder if your mommy has any fun toys hiding in here?" I couldn't help but laugh as I found the handcuffs and the Hitachi wand, more evidence of Heather's kinky side. I turned again to Brandon with a smug look, ready to ruin his night.

"Anti-crucio!" I yelled, watching as Brandi immediately spun around to face me. My grin couldn't get any bigger as I twirled the handcuffs on my finger. "You have 12 seconds of freedom, just to hear how screwed you are, Brandi," I gloated, poking my finger into his chest.

[woodchipp]

"her actions have shown [how much she cares]" not being backed up by any of her actions throughout the game aside, this summary gets even funnier if you take a closer look at what kicks off the plot of One Day Left - Sunny, Kel and Hero confronting Aubrey at her house.

I have Things to say about that scene, both in terms of how it relates to Aubrey and to the game's writing in general.

Right off the bat, the game uses a milder version of "hell" right before inexplicably making Aubrey use the word itself. Something like

AUBREY: ...! AUBREY: Wh-What are you guys doing here?! AUBREY: GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!!

would've worked just as fine, in my opinion.

This game had three editors, by the way.

When pressed, the first thing Aubrey says about the incident at the lake is a straight-up lie in an attempt to diminish the severity of her wrongdoing. No, her watery eyes aren't going to convince me she's genuinely sorry.

1) Here it is again. Instead of owning up to her behavior at the very least, she continues trying to make the incident seem less severe than it actually was.

2) You "didn't mean to" push Basil into the lake even though he was obviously standing right at the edge of the pier? And you knew he was incapable of swimming? You're a fuckwad.

Accident or no accident, he was in active danger of dying. You chose to argue with Kel on the pier since that was more of a priority to you than trying to save your close friend.

And then she tries to reduce the severity of what she did for the third time! Sure, she does seem to apologize afterwards

but then immediately falls back on deflecting blame, which makes the apology come off as insincere.

Really, I would've preferred Aubrey being upfront about being a prick. Her incessant attempts to blame everyone and everything but herself for her choices don't make her complex because the game speedruns her redemption and we don't get to see her growth, which is also why said attempts become very grating after a certain point.

Aubrey isn't the only character I take issue with here, though.

1) Hero. My dude. Your own brother accused Aubrey of nearly killing another friend of yours. Aubrey confirmed said accusation. And you still dismiss it as a harmless squabble like the ones they had in their childhood days??

Either he's also stuck in his childhood mentally or he's just - and I'm not going to mince words here - a moron.

2) I love that Hero's reaction implies he still doesn't seem to take Kel seriously. You'd think he'd try to be more mindful of his little brother following that furious outburst, but nope. He still seems to view Kel as a rash little child he has to rein in.

One could argue this is meant to show that the charscters are flawed, and in a better story, I'd actually be inclined to agree. I like the idea of Hero struggling to move on from his role as the group's "dad", and I'd have liked if the story forced him to understand he can't keep playing their dad with a situation much more complicated than a "typical Kel and Aubrey fight". Likewise, Hero's perception of Kel as an impulsive, bratty kid persisting to the present day and causing friction with Kel himself would've made for an interesting conflict.

Of course, this isn't a better story, so after Kel and Aubrey's reactions, Hero's shallow peacemaking is promptly (and conveniently) forgotten when he notices the last bunch of missing photos.

Peak writing, everyone!

This game took six years and $200,000, by the way. No, I won't stop mentioning that.

My sister in Christ you are literally wearing her fucking headband. You were also given some of her other clothes, it seems.

If Aubrey's problem was about having nothing to remember Mari by, it's null and void to me because she clearly does have more than just the photos. Not only that, but this also comes off as the game trying to use Aubrey's grief as an excuse for her treatment of Basil, which is disgusting for reasons I shouldn't need to explain.

(oh, and Sunny's just Standing There. he doesn't contribute anything to the conversation at all. he could've been removed from this scene altogether and nothing of value would be lost. the main character of all time, truly)

[eriexplosion]

Getting my finale predictions in before it airs.

Things I'm reasonably sure will happen:

Zillo Beast attack (obviously)

Emerie redemptive death (I don't want this to happen but I feel like she's got a lot to make up for and not much time)

I still don't think we're getting main character deaths, for a variety of factors (a big one being that Omega is worried about getting people killed and so more of her family dying to save her from a situation she put herself in would just validate that)

Continuation of that, Omega will demonstrate her character growth and play a big role in saving one of the batch, probably through some last minute connection with the force

Still think Tech is CX-2 we spent too much time on him this season for him to be irrelevant and no one else will have equal impact on the whole batch, especially Omega. Bringing him back will finally unite the batch and through that get them to a point where they can finally win something. This also pulls together the theme we've touched on this season that people can change no matter how far gone.

Things I just suspect/want:

Crosshair knows Tech is CX-2 and that's what he's been so cagey about. We know about the torture on Tantiss, we know they tried to turn him into a CX, but he still feels like he's holding something big back.

Couple other theories on CX-Tech: has all his limbs but his eyes are cybernetic having been damaged by his goggles, Phee brings back the line "better late than dead" because it feels like one just written to be a callback

Hemlock will survive the batch but all his research will be destroyed so he actually ends up killed by Palpatine for failing him in one last creepy appearance

Rampart betrays the batch and gets one last amazing scream in when the Zillo beast eats him. (Alternate possibility: he survives but is trapped alone on Wayland. In the distance we hear the Beasts. Maybe the Empire will bother to rescue him in 30 rotations. But probably not.)

The Commandos feel abnormally loyal to Hemlock so I'm curious if they're still chipped in some way - if they are, then maybe if they're unchipped they could start reforming Rex's resistance cell?

The batch helps to establish the path with the first people helped by it being our four force sensitive kids, which let's them leave soldiering behind while still actively resisting the Empire

Omega is given the choice to train in the force but actively decides that she would rather stay with her family, giving her a smaller and quieter future but one very in line with her character.

My biggest reason for having a pretty hopeful outlook is that a story needs both high and low points - we've definitely had MAJOR low points, especially in both the previous finales, but we've never really had a big win. Just little ones, small successes along the way but never anything that compares to the losses. If we get another big loss then the story stays flat, nothing ever Peaks and every single season ends on the same tone of loss. Three seasons of slogging towards a sad ending is a hell of a hard sell, especially since it doesn't really show Omega's growth.

She lost Kamino and Crosshair (again) in Return to Kamino. AZI sacrificed himself for her and only survived at all because someone else stepped in. She lost Tech in Plan 99, sacrificing himself for her again and she can't do anything about it.

So season three, do we really need to see her lose again? This time actively because of a choice she made? Does that show us anything about her growth? Or would her being Key to successfully not only getting everyone out alive (remember they're only there right now because of her) but in being able to bring Tech home and, for the first time all series, make their family whole?

This season has been sad, but it's also been about healing the scars of past seasons. Just look at Crosshair's arc. And CX-Tech brings us up to the biggest scar, the one that we've made no progress on healing, the one thing keeping them from being complete. If I'm wrong I'm wrong, but there's simply too much pointing to it for me to think anything else.

[overlordzeffeero]

Daniel Blade Bio

One of the two children of the war veterans Herman and Erica Blade, alongside his twin sister Sonya. He and his sister grew up close to one another and admiring the idolized versions of their parents' job they imagined. They ended up deciding to follow in their footsteps, despite their parents warning them of the actual dangers of being a soldier when they were old enough to understand. The young Blade siblings felt prepared to face any obstacle along the way, and enlisted once they had the proper age.

It was during their training at the military that it became clear something was wrong. While both of them had been taught self-defense by their parents and were able to improve in every physical aspect quite well, their mentalities were just different. While Sonya was able to adapt to the military duties and accept the responsibilities it would put in her shoulders, Daniel turned out to find it an stressful and uncomfortable career, that put more pressure on him that he wanted to.

When Sonya noticed her brother's problems, she made sure to tell their parents so they could speak with him. Herman and Eric told Daniel that he needed to find a profession that really made him happy, and that he shouldn't feel ashamed if he wanted to give up on being a soldier. Nonetheless, deep down feeling that he would be a failure and a disappointment if he did, Daniel told them and himself that it was fine, and he continued his training despite his discomfort.

The talent of both Sonya and Daniel got them into the US Special Forces, where they would eventually participate in their first mission to stop the Black Dragon's activities...

It was horrible to Daniel. While he managed to come up safe and sound, he had seen so many others die, and all he could do after it was wondering if he could have made things better. If he could have prevented the death of the other soldiers by assisting them, or made a better job at neutralizing the dead criminals so they could have been arrested instead of killed. It was after a night with no sleep due to those thoughts that he finally realized he wasn't made for it.

When he confessed his plans to retire to his parents and sister, they were quick to comfort him and tell him he had made the right choice. Sonya in particular said he would miss being side to side with him, but wished him good luck in building a good life for himself. Daniel deeply thanked all of them before retiring.

Although it took some time and some financial support from his family, Daniel was eventually able to move on and find something which actually fitted him. He is currently a social workers in New York City, with the objective of helping as much people as he can, especially the least favoured ones. He believes that's the way to prevent others from starting conflicts or going the wrong way, offering them support.

Nowaways, Daniel Blade feels happier than he's ever been, which makes his family joy. Sonya in particular hopes he can actually prevent conflicts as he wants, while he takes care of stopping present conflicts.

[enby-rodimus]

What will always kill me whenever I think about the IDW1 continuity is the potential of Autocracy!Hot Rod and how better writing for him (honestly, just better writing in general) could have made Autocracy and Primacy infinitely better. Because the idea of Rodimus being much older than he previously was portrayed as, a destitute insurgent, and someone who has so much blood on his hands not by choice but to spare his home and people of the pain that Zeta promised to inflict is so fascinating. He's neutral but more sympathetic to the Decepticons because of their aligned cause and beliefs. He and others are making deals with Swindle for access to resources to fight back and it seems like Nyon had a pretty good relationship with the movement itself prior to the events of Autocracy.

It's interesting because despite all this, Hot Rod hasnt' joined the war on the side of the Decepticons because he's focused on helping his home and community first. And in a story that's tackling the early days of the war, that is an amazing concept to introduce and explore further.

And yet it's squandered in favor of trying to adhere immediately to a four million year old status quo in the early days of the war. The early days when the Decepticons were still fighting back against a violent functionist government, which the Autobots worked for as a police/security force.

This is frustrating because they showcase Autobot crimes with Autocracy, revealing how they've been draining citizens of Nyon dry of their precious energon and in fact is not only limited to this city. It's happening all over Cybertron. Hot Rod is taking a gamble by exposing himself to Orion and his team to show the truth, something incredibly risky because Orion is still siding fiercely with the Autobots despite being confronted by Megatron with the truth and Hot Rod is a wanted domestic terrorist. Zeta wanted to make an example of him and it wouldn't have been pretty, likely in the lines of what was done to Shockwave or worse. He knew this and still risked it because he hoped that Orion had a shred of, for lack of a better word, humanity in him. But it was too late for Nyon. And they speedrun the social progression of the war to have Hot Rod immediately wary of the Decepticons, like the insurgents hadn't been making deals with them earlier.

Further into the trilogy, Primacy shows Hot Rod having graduated from the Autobot Academy after the events of Autocracy. Allow me to reiterate. Autocracy where the Autobots had been slowly killing the people of Nyon and is stated to have NUMEROUS facilities across Cybertron harvesting energon from people directly hooked up to the tanks. And they never do anything about it. Hot Rod apparently having gotten over that the faction he just joined has so much blood on their hands and was complicit in numerous crimes. Crimes he's a witness to.

To add to it, Slinger, an old friend of Hot Rod and member of the insurgency returns as a Decepticon and this is the first sign we see of the conflict of Hot Rod being a survivor of Nyon's destruction and yet a member of the faction that made it happen. Not much is done by it either because the writers were so focused on making the Autobots look like the actual good guys and the Decepticons the bad guys they killed Slinger off with his quick change of heart and forgot the explicit information they gave to us, the readers.

Hot Rod is destitute. He's an insurgent. The Autobots were committing horrific crimes in the name of their cause, draining innocents of their energon during an active energon crisis. All this to crush the Decepticons who were fighting back against their corrupt government. Hot Rod was actively fighting back with the resources given to them by the Decepticons. He's a victim of the Autobots. Enforcers helped round all these people up into the tanks to die. Optimus assumed his new position as Prime and never really did anything to fully dismantle the system because its sentiment is still alive 4 million years later.

Yet Hot Rod is there, as if nothing had ever happened.

The only reasoning we get is somehow the Decepticons are worse. As if the Autobots hadn't committed bigger crimes he was witness to or understood what made them. It's so frustrating because with his origins, it should've taken longer for him to fall in with the Autobots or an outside force forcing him in with them.

Because you don't forget or forgive an institution that ruined yours and others lives, that murdered them for daring to take a stand against them.

[wildissylupus]

Alright I saw someone post about people misinterpreting Gabe being an ex-cop and it got me thinking....

And you know what happens when I start to think...

So this person pointed out that Reyes left the police force and joined the military right after he realised the corruption within the police force and that nothing he did effected anything. This is a cycle that repeated up until Overwatch, which is what Doomfist used to manipulate Reyes. This person is correct and I think the reason why this isn't pointed out more is because of how bad "Code of Violence" is written. I stated before that what upsets me about CoV is the fact it brings up so many interesting points but it's bogged down by the shitty character writing and the lack of focus on those points. This is one of the things that is heavily effected by those problems.

Reyes saw the same corruption time and time again to the point when he talked to Akande he was already at a breaking point. The thing is though is that a big part of Reyes's character in this aspect is that he sees the corruption in the police force, in the military, in Overwatch, but what he doesn't look at is how he's contributing to that corruption. Reyes is said to have been "hard on crime" when he was a police officer, which might seem good on the surface, more criminals locked away means less crime right? But that's not how it works, and it actively ends up benefitting the corruption within the police force. Him being harder on crime didn't do anything because Reyes himself was contributing to the corruption. This cycle repeats up until a very important moment.

When Gabe hires Cassidy.

Now I have been on record saying that Cassidy did not have much of a choice in joining Blackwatch, it was either that or a high security prison, not to mention he was around 17 at the time. I have also been on record saying that Blackwatch was not a health work environment. However, that doesn't erase the fact that for Cassidy it gave him an out, gave him a chance to do something other than crime, it had many downsides but it still helped Cassidy.

And it's also something Reyes had never done previously, give a criminal a second chance. This is a positive turning point for Gabriel's character, and it would continue to be positive until Moira and Genji, Genji because he really shouldn't have been hired in the state he was in, both physically and mentally, and Moira for very obvious reasons.

The thing about Reyes when I first started thinking about this is that I noticed he tends to over correct, he saw what he did with Cassidy made a change, something that hadn't happened before, and then proceeded to give a chance to people who either shouldn't have been given one or should have been given a different chance. Then when that (literally) blew up in his face, he went back to what he was doing before, being hard on the people he thinks deserves it.

The saddest thing about this is the fact that if he had just talked to Cassidy, someone who is a confirmed victim of the systems in place, he would have gotten some insight on what he was doing wrong. But another thing about Reyes is that he's stubborn, combining that with the fact he tends to underestimate Cole. Instead of looking for advice, something Cassidy would give him, he ended up pushing him away.

And this leads me to my last point.

This continuous cycle of recognising corruption, trying to fix that corruption, ends up helping corruption spread, leads to Reyes becoming Reaper. Leads him into becoming the thing that he was fighting against, because he is now helping an organisation that directly benefits from the corruption of the world. An organisation determined to make history repeat itself. A history Gabe lived through and saw didn't actually have that much of a positive impact other than to the people who actively benefited from it, aka, the rich and well connected that exploit other people and get away with it.

Honestly I don't know why I haven't taken a better look at this until now, it is so interesting to look deeper into.

[pottedplant53]

I had a thought I can't decide whether I like or not

(Mild chapter 7 spoilers)

At the end of the Diasomnia arc, Silver leaves his position as Malleus’s bodyguard. He doesn’t leave the school with Lilia, and there’s no bad blood whatsoever between him and Malleus, but he actively makes the choice to leave the only life he’s ever known. This chapter is about how change and partings are inevitable, and I feel like this would be an incredibly hopeful ending for Silver’s story.

It’s been shown to us plenty of times how content he is with his current life, how badly he wants to stay by Lilia’s side and how deeply he wants to continue serving Malleus, but half of that is about to go away whether he likes it or not. In writing, a common practice is finding the one thing that your character would rather die than do, then making them do it - for better or for worse, this will force them to develop. They probably won’t, but I think it would be really interesting if they did this for Silver. He’s absolutely terrified at the thought of anything changing, but in order for him to grow as a person, he absolutely HAS to go his own way. It’s possible that chapter 7 will end with him realising that, and making the most difficult decision of his life by distancing himself from the Diasomnia family. I love their dynamic, but for Silver’s growth it may be a necessary sacrifice.

As much as it pains me to say it since he’s my favourite, Silver is…kind of boring. His entire character is based around Lilia and Malleus, and almost everything interesting about him relates back to them in some way. All of his goals, aspirations, likes and dislikes, all link back to the Diasomnia gang. He’s been in training to be a royal guard since before he was old enough to choose, and was raised in an isolated cottage with only three regular companions – his entire life has been undeniably laid out for him, even if he’s quite happy to walk with the path that Lilia set him on.

It’s no wonder that he’s more attached to his family than most people, but like every other person in the world, he deserves to be more than just that. While the Diasomnia family is extremely closely-nit and have all shaped eachother’s personalities to some degree (Lilia raising Malleus and Silver, Malleus being an object of worship for Sebek, etc), none of them are quite as dependent on the group as Silver is. Take Malleus away and Lilia is still Lilia. Take Lilia away and Sebek is still Sebek. The exception to this might be Sebek without Malleus, but even if Malleus was removed from the equation Sebek still has a plethora of other character traits and struggles, such as his self-worth issues around being half human.

Silver’s character, on the other hand, cannot function without the rest of them. Take the group away and all of Silver’s aspirations, struggles, everything – it just crumbles. The reason he does everything is for them, never for him, and he doesn’t have enough independent personality traits to balance this out. The only things he has going for him aside from his strong relationships with the Diasquad are his sleepiness and difficulty displaying emotions, and as chapter 7 goes on we’ll probably find out that those are somehow related to Lilia as well.

As sad as it would be, I honestly think it would be great for Silver’s character to make the decision to focus on himself.

But yeah like I said this probably won’t happen, but I just think it would be sort of cool if it did? It would be unexpected, at least.

[futchgunk]

Bladders Gat3 Finish doc

:et me get the rest of my fucking feelings out about baldurs gate:

im so mad bc any character who is not human or realism/white passoid is literally regarded with the same type of dismissal that you would see in mainstream media. all the companions that are not white passing are treated like shit and have bad ends.

-Lae'zel (gith) gets abducted by the a bad guy for the last 1/3 of the game (also we could talk about her being the fighter class as default is also a bit racist, but the deep dive will be its own essay). and then she can die and not be able to be resurrected. (resurrection scrolls and revivify spells ONLY work on companions and not npcs)

Wyll (THE ONLY BLACK HUMAN MAIN CHARACTER, side note we could talk about how is name is spelled like a white mormon names their kids) is a big talking point bc he is constantly strung between the expectations put upon him by himself, his family, and then his pact matron. AND NO MATTER WHAT OPTION IS CHOSEN WILL CONTINUES TO SUFFER IN THIS EXECUTIVE PURGATORY. He starts as a "i have to kill this devil" actually its a tiefling (suddenly its now fantasy racial infighting, so of course u dont wanna kill another companion so early in the game, so Wyll is forced through Hell's Circles and the exposure makes him grown large demonic horns. (Wyll does not have control over his body or himself, nor his actions, and only suffers the consequences of the actions of the Tav (PC)). Wyll even gets to have the "I did everything for my father's (approval just to have my father misunderstand me and then the most noble course of action is to be independent because i am still bound by choices prior and also if two black people form any sort of family on screen its disgusting and blasphemous so I might as well treat my father like my brother who i never was able to relate to when i was younger" THIS IS NOT MENTIONING THAT WYLL IS LITERALLY THE SON OF THE DUKE OF BALDURS GATE. HE GIVES UP HIS STATUS OF NOBILITY TO BE HEROIC AND IS JUST FOREVER CONTINUALLY PUNISHED. THE DUKE OF BALDURS GATE IS BRAINWASHED TO RELINQUISHING HIS TITLE AND CORONATES THE WHITE DEVIL EVIL DICK BAD GUY WHO SOLD KARLACH (TIEFLING) TO HELL FOR GIGGLES.

Karlach (tiefling) is a bright eyed noble hearted character that is looking for solace after having 10 years of her life taken from her when she got sold to devil and hell and made a war machine slave because thats perfectly tragic. Her heart is taken from her and replaced with an engine (machine) that is slowly killing her when she is not in Hell. THE ENGINE DOESNT EVEN HAVE A GOOD IN GAME MECHANIC, YOU GET TO SET URSELF ON FIRE TO GET A 'HEAT' DEBUFF THAT U CAN CONSUME ON AN ATTACK, you build heat any other way, so its like only <Lv. 4, and if you minmaxed the opening scene, you get a 2h sword that does this every attack, so like its a bit moot and useless. Furthermore i think its really stupid that shes yearning for companionship and yet is not allowed because her engine makes her to hot to touch. Which rubs me the wrong way as a black transfem (u could argue tiefling coded) because I already feel like that. I feel like im too intense and hot with my passions and i intimidate people to the point that I'm actively denying myself the intimacy i crave so dearly just by existing and expressing myself. The taxation of life shouldn't really exist in video games!! The whole party gets mind enslaving brainworms that magically dont work because the plot armor is really strong yet the demon character who EVEN WHEN THEY SEEK HELP IN THEIR COMPANION QUEST ARE DENIED THE REALITY OF LIVING COMFORTABLY BECAUSE THEY SHOULD ONLY EXIST IN HELL. (cried actually). Before the last of this mess, she offers to turn into a mindflayer just to give herself the peace that she could be the hero that saves the world (become the villain because its better than who you currently exist as, or die being yourself (who has LITERALLY BEEN DEMONIZED). Karlach doesn't get to have have a happy ending because she either dies from engine overdose or goes to hell just to fucking breathe. THE KICKER IS THAT WYLL, THE PERSON WHO WAS GOING TO KILL HER AS PART OF THE WARLOCK PACT, OFFERS TO ACCOMPANY HER IN HELL AND FIGHT BY HER SIDE. WHICH MEANS THAT ALL OF THE MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES EFFECTIVELY FUCK OFF AFTER YOU SAVE THE WORLD.

White victim Shadowheart has the option of rejecting what she knows (which was a lie told her) or believing it. The worst she has to do is kill a bound seraphim, and free her parents held captive by putting their souls to rest (she turns them into light, killing them). She gets sick weapons. Clerics are busted anyway.

White devil astarion got to ascend in pale supremacy and got cool vampire powers (bite+, bite++, buff on kill, and consume buff for heal || next hit crits). The final battle WAS BUGGED FOR ME. I WAS STUCK ON THE BOSS FIGHT FOR TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THE END OF BATTLE SCREEN WOULDNT LOAD. LIKE I MADE A WHOLE NOTHER CHARACTER BECAUSE I BEAT THE BOSS 7 TIMES AND MY BUGFIXED DIDNT WORK!!

if im gonna get so heated about video games i am just gonna go play bloodborne so i have no room to complain bc im constantly sucking

[flightfoot]

I know a lot of the fandom are angry at Marinette for not telling Adrien about his father/the rings at the end of season 5 and I get it. She should tell him eventually. But people say it proves she hasn't learned anything from Season 4 and... I feel like what happened in Season 4 and what happened in Season 5 are two very different scenarios?

Like... in season 4, she's keeping technical secrets from Chat Noir- that Rena Furtive is active and several gameplans including her Ephemeral plan, Hack-san and the Sentibubbler one. She's holding her cards too close to her chest out of fear of losing control and not delegating enough. Once Alya is in the know, she has a new, closer partner in her and unintentionally neglects Chat, forgetting to include him in technical aspects that he should be savvy on. She needs to relinquish control and trust more, needs to keep her team in the loop on necessary knowledge. Chat Noir may have still been upset that it wasn't just the two of them anymore, but he'd feel better if he at least felt included as a partner.

The biggest indicator that she actually did learn something from this is her decision to no longer keep each miraculous at the end of Season 5. She relinquishes them to each holder. There are also small examples like her entrusting Chat with the rabbit miraculous early on, going along with his plan without a good explanation in the switcheroo episode and accepting Nino's lead without boggarting, being overbearing or trying to shut it down when he starts The Resistance. As in real life, character flaws will always pop up every now and again and while it's true that she is pretty much forced to work with Chat alone in Season 5, the evidence of her change is there. Chat is a bit of an afterthought in Season 5, but that's more a crappy narrative decision than Ladybug avoiding him.

Some have said she hasn't changed because Chat still doesn't know the other holders' identities, but that always confuses me because since when has that been a problem, for him or otherwise? There was a popular misconception of his line in Strikeback that he was demanding to know other identities when he was actually asking why she couldn't know HIS identity. Maybe that's where it comes from, but Chat has always been primarily concerned with the two of them sharing their identities.

My point is that Marinette learned a lesson about not holding her cards too close and trusting her partners. The climactic discussion was lacking but it's dishonest to say she learned nothing. She's changed her approach accordingly.

What's happening with Adrien at the end of Season 6 is different. This isn't some gameplan aspect that she needs to communicate to keep her trusted partner in the loop. This is a series of soul crushing truths that she has been saddled with communicating to her new boyfriend who just lost his mother and father within a year of each other. Like hey I know you're an orphan now and you're still dealing with that, but you should also know your dad was evil and victimized you and your friends continuously to bring back your coma mom. Not to mention, they were both controlling you from birth with their wedding rings. Because you're a sentimonster. You're not a real boy! Nathalie, your only trusted remaining guardian, was in on it before making a sharp heel faced turn at the tail end. Felix knew too and he told Kagami, but not you. Your dad asked me not to tell you right before he died so not sure if I should be betraying an evil dying man's wishes like this.

Not defending this choice. There's info in there that Adrien needs to know to protect himself. He needs to process his trauma- much of which she has no idea about. Just from a narrative standpoint, it's almost criminally disappointing and a failure to his character to keep it from him.

I also get why it's not at all easy. I get why the lessons learned in Season 4 finale do not help with this. Season 4 secrets were about controlling or withholding all the variables and information to avoid a technical failure and learning to trust others judgement. Season 5 secrets are about the moral dilemma of lying to spare someone emotionally. This is "I'm going to withhold this logical info for logical reasons without considering the emotional damage of keeping my partner out of the loop." VS "I'm going to withhold this emotionally charged info for emotional reasons without considering the logistical problems of not telling a sentimonster they're a sentimonster wearing their life on their ring finger." Sharing something that you know will crush someone inside out, that irrevocably changes all they know about their existence, that you cannot take back... is not the same as letting someone in on your gameplan.

It's a bad call and if this show has any wits, it will examine that. But it's easier said than done and not as "OMG DUH!" as people make it out to be. I can't even completely consider the urge to want to "protect" him insulting to Adrien because honestly, this would fuck anyone up. A secret like this is liable to land any kid in a facility for a bit for an existential meltdown. People have cracked over less. She doesn't even know how strong Adrien is. She doesn't know he's Chat Noir, who she's been through thick and thin with. The idea that what she's doing is a kindness, while flawed, is not unfounded.

Her lesson here should be 'Brutal truths are better than pretty lies' or 'Lies are not a kindness, they're a disrespect." Imo, very different from the motivations and the lessons learned in Season 4, even if the core of them both were withholding information. It's like...if you learn that a type of vodka makes you sick, you're probably not going to stop drinking it altogether. Lessons are complex. It's not going to be "I'll never keep a secret again." It's "I'll never keep a secret in this type of situation again."

Marinette hasn't learned the brutal truth lesson yet. Yeah, she did this small scale with the scarf in Season 1. That worked out for her, right? Even if you count Chat Blanc as a comparable secret (I've never really understood people who are mad about this. It's not like she knew what specific events led to it and it has no bearing on events in their current, future or past timeline. I mean I'd love if she mentioned it for drama. I just don't think she's obligated to?), sparing him the knowledge of it also has worked out in keeping him ignorantly content? Most of the more damning Season 4 secrets were oversights, technical planning and things that he was going to discover anyway that she just neglected to tell him. Emotionally inconsequential things that he wasn't made blissful by not knowing- quite the opposite- and were not lies told on his behalf.

So yeah. 2 different situations, 2 different motivations, 2 different lessons. One improved on, hopefully another to be considered and not swept under the rug.

The real question is: Will she tell Chat Noir? If she doesn't tell Chat Noir because she doesn't trust HIM with this information then I take back this entire ask. I admit defeat. Miraculous has made a clown of me once again. But I can't judge her on that considering she and Chat have not interacted since before it happened? We actually don't know how the writers are going to spin that yet.

So just some housekeeping to start off with, the situation in Ephemeral is very different from the ones in Sentibubbler and Hack-san. In Sentibubbler and Hack-san the plans were very last-minute, and Marinette was unable to communicate or even MAKE a plan in Sentibubbler, and for Hack-san, she didn't have an opportunity to talk to Chat before giving the earrings to Alya, and didn't seem to think of what his reaction would be to seeing a new Ladybug Holder out of nowhere.

Ephemeral, by contrast, had Ladybug deliberately lying to Chat Noir, saying that she wanted an identity reveal because it would make them stronger, in order to manipulate him into unknowingly revealing his identity to a third party, because she didn't want to risk him potentially not agreeing to reveal his identity to someone else. Very different situation.

I do agree that Marinette seems to have learned something from season 4 at least, in terms of relinquishing control and telling people need-to-know things about gameplans, with giving the Miraculous out to their wielders permanently helping to show that.

And the truths she's keeping from Adrien ARE more of the soul-crushing variety (or well, at least of the "likely to severely mess you up" variety). I do see why this would hit Marinette as a different sort of thing to keep from Adrien, since she's not telling him everything because she doesn't want him to get hurt, and he's dealing with a lot as it is.

The main issue is... why wouldn't she tell CHAT NOIR about this stuff? I mean, I could maybe see not telling him the Senti stuff under the premise that that's a private matter, but there's no reason not to tell him that Gabriel was Monarch.

I'd love if Season 6 ended up conveying to Marinette more of the "she needs to be open and honest" message, with brutal truths being better than pretty lies, though I'm kinda doubting it'll happen.

[angie-long-legs]

Hello dear, it's me again. As promised, I left and came back. I was going to contact yesterday, but took notice of the fact that you were hangover and assumed you'd be pretty moody, so I put it off again, but today you ain't getting rid of me.

Despite my lack of interaction, I've been watching your activity, and I couldn't help but take notice of how you handled that person that asked you for advice on how to go about spicing up their sex life with their partner. Here are my findings:

When we talked about how sometimes Valentino isn't so nice to you, you insisted that there was no point in having that conversation because you "signed up for it" and I suppose that makes you think you deserve that. However, when that person asked for your advice, you didn't even consider the circumstances surrounding the request of their partner. You didn't try to imply that it was their choice to get in a relationship with that person, and that it was their choice to not shoot the idea down when their partner suggested it. You didn't try to imply that they "signed up for it" and therefore should do it, despite being cautious. The idea of them feeling obligated to participate in such actions despite being uncertain because "they deserve it" was not humored in the slightest.

The question system worked better than any other up until now, so I'll keep it up. My question to you is: Why do you insist in treating yourself worse than everybody else? Why does everyone deserve better than you? What makes them worthy of feeling safe, loved, cherished and respected, that you don't have?

referencing this post [nsfw]

As promised: they were back. Angel rolled his eyes. At least he was getting used to the stranger's random appearances. They were becoming something of a regular at this point.

"Look, I was just helpin' out someone who needed it, I ain't in the business of assumin' people's personal affairs," he said dismissively. Perhaps a subtle dig at the prying stranger. 'Course I ain't gonna go tellin' 'em what they deserve - that ain't nothin' I need ta know. And hey, I don't "treat myself worse", that ain't the same," he assured the stranger, a little indignant at this notion. "Me an' Val ain't some inexperienced couple dippin' a toe inta kink, we're... it's a totally different situation."

Whatever that person's deal was, Angel was certain it wasn't comparable to him and Valentino. Could he even explain what he and Val shared? Did he even understand it himself? "What ya gotta know is..." he started, eyes shifting uncertainly around the room, "What ya gotta understand... with Val... well, it's different." The spider was quiet, as if cautious of being overheard. He fiddled with the hem of his blazer, another free hand tapping nervously against the bar where he sat.

"What we got, it ain't like anythin' else I've eva' had. I've had men get handsy or... force shit on me, and that just ain't him. Maybe ya only see the bad side a' things, but he ain't always like that!" he insisted. Almost pleading. "We got somethin' special, an' it's complicated an' messy an' from the outside it maybe don't look so pretty, but... but... it's ours. It ain't like I'm in love with him, but... I still need him."

It was shameful. It was humiliating to admit, and truthfully, Angel could not say exactly why he was doing so. He had held onto his rancid yearning with a grasp so unyielding his fingers had bled, for so long that he thought he had forgotten how to let go. But loosening his grip, even just a little... it was almost a relief. Almost. It could be a relief. If he let himself let go.

"So I go back ta him," he continued, hushed and disgusted. "Even when I know he's gonna... when I know it's gonna get ugly, I still go back. Because I need him. So maybe that's the answer to yer question about deservin' ta feel respected. Why the fuck would I deserve that when I go outta my way ta be with someone who makes me feel so... so... worthless?" He sounded all the more desperate now, his voice cracking over the last word as if it were the final straw. He swallowed, willing himself not to cry. Not again. He couldn't cry around this stranger again. "And I still fuckin' need him, even when he makes me feel like shit. Does that sound like someone worthy a' respect?" he said scornfully, full of contempt. "Ya don't get it, sunshine; it ain't about the contract, it ain't about my soul, it ain't about a goddamn thing but Valentino. I... I can't help it. I've tried.

"So when I tell ya I asked for it, that I signed up for it, it ain't just the fact he owns my soul. It's that I... want it," Angel squeezed his eyes shut tight. He despised that he felt this way, he couldn't bear it. It was why he couldn't talk about it, acknowledge it: it swallowed him whole. "I want him, even when it hurts. And it's fucked up, it don't make sense, and I hate it. But I can't do nothin' about it, and neither can you. So ya might as well quit while yer ahead, darlin', cuz if that don't make me a lost cause then I don't know what does."