#and listen im not saying that all characters need to have issues and trauma and etc

[blood-stained-lollipop]

advice for you based on your favourite pasta

Jeff- Are you excited about the When We Were Young festival? I hope Dan and Phil come out with the gay flag and kiss just for you <3. How are your anger issues? Playing your music at volume 100 isn’t a substitute for therapy. Please go hug someone babe, having Jeff as your favorite in 2023 means you definitely need it. 

Ben- I just know you’re funny, like your friends fucking love you. Either play video games or have a creative hobby. Ben stans are literally the best. Probably have awesome taste in music. My advice for you? It’s okay if you aren’t the happy one all the time, you aren’t a robot babe <3

Jack- I get academic overachiever vibes from you, like, you’re smart, and you know you’re smart. You probably read and have a letterboxd account. You’re effortlessly cool, and probably hot, but it’s okay to fail sometimes, you don’t have to be perfect <3

Toby- Hello mentally ill gay people no im jk all of you are mentally ill and gay its the creepypasta fandom lolz. You probably feel like you’re really annoying and cope via having Toby as your comfort character. Either you’ve been in therapy since you were twelve or you need to go. Try and prioritise yourself babe <3

Helen- ITS OKAY TO DO THINGS ALONE!!!!! You probably feel insecure about your lack of friends, or you feel like your social life sucks. Doing things alone is okay, it doesn’t make you a loser. You probably like art, and you’re probably fucking great at it. Don’t compare yourself to anyone babe <3

Liu- Do you have family trauma and/or feel like you’re gonna be alone for the rest of your life? Yeah checks out. Spend more time with people, I promise they aren't all bad. Go pet a dog, stand in the sunshine. Life is great sometimes <3

Jane- psst… it's okay to let your guard down. Idk if you knew that, but here I am telling you anyway. You’re a bad bitch, I know. You’re hot, I know. But not everyone wants to hurt you. Also, stop trying to take care of everyone around you <3

Nina- you probably got/get bullied for being different. I think its hot that you’re different. Sure, you belong in a 2007 scene meet-up and i’m sorry you aren’t there rn, but you have SO MANY secret admirers. Keep being you babe, don’t change for anyone <3

Clockwork- okay i’m just gonna say it. Sometimes being mean to people and pushing them away is a bad coping mechanism. I am saying this because I have the same coping mechanisms. We are the same. Please for the love of god stop clenching your jaw and let your guard down!!! <3

Sally- Either you’re one of the younger fans or you have serious trauma. You can’t go to places or listen to certain songs without wanting to throw up. Your hands are burning from holding onto your inner child so tightly. Hang in there, it’s gonna get better <3

[ghosts-writing-stuffs]

Hey all!! I managed to see the sonic 3 movie a day BEFORE it officially released (THATS RIGHT THE 19TH BABY!!!) and OH BOY WAS IT SOMETHING

IT WAS SO GOOD I WAS FUCKING INSANE THE ENTIRE TIME

I ALSO GOT A LIMITED EDITION POSTER??? READ IT AND WEEP BOYS

(and here is the promo cutout they had, I wish I could've taken it home 😭)

And lemme tell y'all, your fears did not come true!!! There were no fatphonic jokes (that I saw at least) and the gun uniforms were not as they seemed.

I only have one (1) bad thing to say about this movie, which I can't say here, spoilers.

Anyways, I liveblogged (what I could, my fingers could NOT type fast enough) my thoughts in a draft. One of my irls (you know who you are) requested to see my thoughts, so I figured I'd post them

Without further ado,

Sonic 3 spoilers below the cut

"You lost her when you were so young, but you didn't let that pain change you. You stayed the same, in here (points to his heart)"

GUYS IM IM IM!!!!!!!!!!

"we need team sonic" "who chose that name?"

Did they suddenly conscript these children?? Are they that pathetic??? ALSO WHY DIDNT MADDIE OR TOM PUT UP A FIGHT PLEASE GUYS

"talk about a low budget flight, no food or movies? We're outta here" THEY SAID THE THING THE THING THE THING THEY SAID IT

HES GOT A SICKASS ENERGY GUN????

HE DOES THE AKIRA SLIDE UP A SKYSCRAPER?

Also he,,, he has the LIVE AND LEARN THEME EVERYTIME HE DOES SOMETHING COOL

THE RESTAURANT IS CALLED "CHAO GARDEN"

THEY CALLED HIM THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM!!!!!

DUDE STONE ALSO HAS A SICK ASS MOTORCYCLE???? HIS INTRODUCTION IS HIM DODGING A MISSLE

A WHITE MAN DIED ON SCREEN????? Ohhh this is how they're gonna frame sonic

"please join me in the crab" STONE YOU ARE THE FUNNIEST MAN EVER

"the person I trust most in the world" STONEBOTNIK CONFRIMED????

Bro needs his hedgehog electric shock fix 💀💀

WAS MARIA ON EARTH???

Shadow: >:(

Maria: >:)

BLANKET FORT??? 😭😭😭😭

Gerald: *sees a grieving child* what if I manipulate him into being my weapon

THE MENTION OF KNUCKLES AND GHOSTS!! PUMPKIN HILL!!!

THEYRE SO GAY???? STONEBOTNIK WE ARE WINNING

Also he hasn't gotten another shirt this is fucking wonderful 😭😭

OH MY GOD HES BISEXUAL I DIDNT KNOW THAT

"where'd you go hedgehog, I wasn't done trauma dumping"

"LIKE TWO CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE BEING PLAYED BY THE SAME ACTOR" (looks at fourth wall)

I need someone to check if all the quiz questions are true, please

THEY BOTH NEED THEIR HEDGEHOG SHOCK FIX

Damb, not the kink shaming from eggman

"GOOD ONE HOT TOPIC" IM GOING TO SCREAM

YEAHH THE WRITING IN THE PRISON CELL

YEAHHH ECLIPSE CANNON TIME!!!

"holy crab"

"spacious and cretaceous"

"the crab flies :)"

OH YEAH RESOLVING THE DADDY ISSUES

NOO STONE NOT THE GAY LONGING :(((

"don't be bad parents—" "YEAHHH THEYRE GOOD PARENTS"

LASERS FROM SA2!!!! BTW GUYS THE PARENTS ARE IN GUN UNIFORMS BC THEYRE SNEAKING IN!!! THEYRE SPIES!!!!

Knuckles is guardian of the emerald alone 😭

REVENGE GUAC!!!!

Uh oh, Gerald isn't so nice? :(

JIM CARREY GOT MOVES

Break glass in case of emergency!!

NO WAIT TO SHOOT A CHILD WHAT THE FUCK GUN

OH SHIT DID THEY ACTUALLY KILL HIM???

THE REALISTIC FOUR PENETRATING NIPPLES

Stone 😭😭😭 STONEEE 😭😭😭😭

"I already lost you once I can't lose you again" STONE

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LIVE TOM PLEASE

SONIC NO

THE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Man :((( they didn't shoot her directly :(((

Uh ohhh robotnikkkk youu should've listened to stoneeee

HE WENT SUPER

NOT THE PARTHANON

NOT THE SUICIDAL HEDGEHOG

Just two besties,,,, chilling on the moon

"you always have a choice"

Mantis robotnik,,, kinda hot 😳

WHITE MAN DOWN 🥳🥳🎉🎉

HE PULLED OUT THE CHAOS SPEARS!!!

DO IT DO IT PISS ON THE MOON PLEASE

HE PISSED ON THE MOON

So sonic + shadow are fine without air but tails isn't???

HES TAKING OF THE INHIBITORS!!!

"I love the way you make it"

THE BEST WE'LL GET TO AN I LOVE YOU GUYS WE DID IT

OTHER WHITE MAN ALIVE 🥳🥳🎉🎉

[melobin]

i think it’s funny? like the spaces thing? everything that girl said is what he gotten hate over the past few weeks. bitching about me writing about riize when everything was happening as if i was the only blog to do so? 😭 “she doesn’t see them as people only characters” and you can’t come and talk to me straight up and instead you have to go behind my back and bitch about me instead? like yes i found it stupid people were acting surprised about riize’s brand reputation falling when people are literally boycotting the group like we knew this was going to happen i don’t understand what’s wrong with me saying that but i digress.

people cannot handle sitting and discussing things with the people they have an issue with because they don’t want to deal with listening to proper and logical reasonings for things, instead they have to go to others who agree with them because they need validation.

yes i’m a smut writer, yes i posted about riize and seunghan during october. i also took a break from posting out of respect for them and so i could process everything that happened. i am most definitely not the only account who began posting smut about riize again so don’t fucking label me as some sort of villain when multiple blogs were doing it too and do not sit and accuse me of not viewing them as real people.

“she claims to be ot7” yeah ive also had to sit and explain to people why im so distant from my feelings and why i was so logical about this situation but slay i guess, melobin’s feelings and personal trauma doesn’t matter when you’re selfish 😚✌️ also bringing up ninona and saying the same thing as everyone else says because no one has any actual evidence or proof that she’s ot6 .. give it a rest

anyway i love you all im really not doing well right now so i haven’t been active but i just wanted to make a little post about it bc i saw the video and i just find it bizarre. thank you for being so patient with me and hopefully i’ll be able to feel a little brighter and be more active soon 💗

[bleue-flora]

Hate to intervene on the discussion about the genuine finale, but Tommy did apologize previously to the nuke going off and he did it before Dream even killed him, Im not sure if it was intended for him to say the apology so early on if at all but it did make me a little confused when the reaction to the apology was dream focusing on tommy dismissing the revival book and then killing him. Its not that out of character or anything, it made sense for Dream to be paranoid and lash out especially considering Tommy accused him of being the same person the whole time within his apology, but it did make me feel bad for tommy, as well as the fact he didn't get a sorry in return but then again had the nuke not dropped and no reset, Dream probably would of apologized for his own actions once he really processed what was going on which is rlly the only issues i had with that final convo

Regardless on my opinion on that part of the stream, you've definietly highlighted why many dislike it and I completely agree. Dream and Tommy had closure, while pretty much no one else in the server really did, not sure if punz even did, many character arcs didn't rlly end, stuff was left ambigious, ranboo had their ending on twitter, we got nothing about dreamxd. killing staged duo off is just a repeat of everything before and it just makes the moral that violence is the answer to trauma and multiple characters in dsmp use violence as revenge and the ending having that would just be like saying that was okay. But the fact it instead took this understanding morally grey approach and ended that destructive cycle gave it a much better moral. Solid essay btw.

[context]

Always feel free to intervene, just know you’ll probably get an essay in response lol. ;D <3

In regards, to Tommy’s apology [clip] I am of the opinion that anything Tommy said before he died was not really genuine because he was stalling for time. He only asks Dream what his point of view is the server because he needed to stall. And even when Dream is explaining his side [clip], instead of really understanding it or even having remorse he mutes and says “Come on, Tubbo.” He’s not really listening, and his apology shortly after isn’t really sincere. He keeps repeating how Dream was always like this, so if he was apologizing it wasn’t because he realizes he actually hurt Dream. He even questions how Dream can be upset about burning down George’s house “it wasn’t even your house.” Language like “you could’ve got over that” tells me he isn’t seeing the point. He does not see how he might be in the wrong nor how much he hurt Dream.

So honestly, I think this apology is really just manipulation, trying to get Dream to stay. And honestly, that makes sense, because if you want someone to stay you’re not going to keep pissing then off, or at least he learned this because that was his first strategy. But that was only making them want to leave or kill him, so he changes tactics, getting Dream to talk [clip] “take as long as you need.” So yea, it doesn’t really count in my mind, just as Dream’s “I’m sorry” in prison doesn’t necessarily count.

If however the nuke hadn’t happened, and Tommy had actually apologized, now beginning to understand Dream more, then perhaps Dream would also. But to be honest that would be pretty out of character for both. Character growth can only go so far in one stream.

And I think Dream doesn’t feel sorry, not really. I think he regrets things getting out of hand and going further than they should have, but I think he’s so hurt by Tommy that he feels justified in his lashing out. And unless, Tommy were to express actual remorse for his actions and see them as wrong vs the “that was just me having fun with my friends” we got, then I don’t think Dream would apologize.

If the nuke hadn’t happened, I don’t necessarily see Tommy changing his behavior, only his view of Dream. I see him still being Tommy and pissing Dream off, just not viewing Dream as this evil devil out to get him. So honestly the reset was probably good because might as well go out on this nice moment when they understand where the audience can be optimistic about what could’ve happened vs seeing what the actual aftermath would have been. Certainly better and different but I don’t think things would change as much as we’d like to think.

Certainly Dream and Tommy had a satisfying wrap up where some other characters did not, but I would say it is pretty fitting that they would have a more dramatic actual resolution considering they have been the center of a lot of conflicts from the very start.

I do think though Punz did complete his character arc, perhaps not as satisfying as we’d like but still. Throughout the whole thing he has been in the background and more secretly Dream’s ally, but finally he was able to stand beside Dream and speak his truth, and be openly his friend, openly defend him and have his back. That was a good ending for him. Instead of being a bystander like in the disc confrontation this time he got to speak up and be heard. He finally got to die alongside Dream, instead of watching Dream die for him. He finally got to be included. It’s not perfect or as well thought out, but it works.

Have another essay I guess lol, glad you liked the other. <3 <3 and yea for sure sending a good message to the audience is super important (again something that Supernatural failed at) and to say let’s talk it out and try and see each others point of views instead of just continuing the cycle of violence is certainly a very important message to highlight. :)

[kiryoutann]

listen i wasn't here to start a fight or smth yea in hindsight my tone is lil rude but it's genuinely how i feel about the story and you literally asked for ideas plus u had the choice to ignore it and leave it in ur ask box do whatever u want with ur fic idgaf, but don't say u are not enjoying the drama of an unstable relationship, i am not saying you're making everyone who reads ur fic into a sub gf or smth but clearly entertaining the parts of us that enjoy toxic relationship AND that's ok, it's none of my business i get it and i literally mention in my ask that this is my opinion, clearly i have misinterpreted the story but you can't tell me that a person who leaves you crying hysterically knowing your attachment issues "cares" about u or that someone who puts tracker on ur car "loves u" this is a dark romance fantasy and it's ok own it, tons of people enjoy it heck i enjoy it too sometimes "he cares in his own fucked up way" bro....you literally said trauma doesn't excuse behaviour rn ur using trauma to excuse his behaviour. ur story honestly never gives any repercussions for the characters behaviour even after all that bs simon is like "i like crazy girls" don't you think he should have half a brain cell and be like ok huge red flag. its never expressed that this isn't normal behaviour. all im saying is that you are doing something OWN up to it. don't try to be all like ohh this is an abstract exploration of traumatic behaviour and it shows no negative side effects of that hahaha ok maybe im being too harsh but don't try to sell this as something it's not. i know this gonna make u mad but this is the truth.

💕 Anon who started a war apparently

don't mix up what i say and what anon or other users say. and i've never expressed "this isn't normal behavior" because everyone with working brain cells and the ability to think is supposed to KNOW that it isn't without me stating it. the fuck???

i've said it over and over again (and even about the sequel) that yes this is about a flawed character - and yes, her trauma def plays a part in her thinking/actions but that doesn't justify it, and i've said it before it's gonna be two horrible people ending up together.

so i've never "sell this as something it's not" like u said. and honestly, try to differentiate between people giving reasoning to why the characters act that way and a literal justification.

instead of being so... passionate, if you're so desperate to have immediate repercussions in the story flow then maybe you should write your own story. and if you're struggling separating what's right and wrong, what to take AND not to take from a story to the point u need it to be clearly written, then sadly, that's a you problem, boo.

have a day you deserve (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ

[awellboiledicicle]

So the polycule talked me into playing Corruption of Champions under the me-bait of calling it research.

It's actually very fun, the problem is i keep having the rpg worry of "oh no i just spent 5 days looking for wood and nails, what if i miss Plot Events?" and then remembering those really only depend on me popping up with specific stat levels.

So far I have an ant wife with 25 children [and counting] building a subterranean network down the way, a monk named Jojo helping me stave off corruption while watching me try very hard to not drop shit on myself while building a house. Because he's not helping. Which, fair, he's in his anime meditation of angst. I have 6 kids with this goblin lady that keeps showing up at random. And a litter of mouse babies with a mouse girl that was like "listen i need to repopulate my village/rebuild my people and you're not a rape happy corruption beast. Help?" and i was like "ok sure" and then we became friends and i think she likes me after i helped deliver the babies. I keep trying to visit her and check on the kiddos but a ghost in the ruins is super into me and keeps intercepting me. C'mon ma'am they're all gonna think i'm skipping child support. I'm also in a relationship with a chronically ill lizard guy that's teaching me magic. A wolf lady on the guard of the only safe town i've found so far that's got severe loneliness issues that she drowns in alcohol [we talked about it, and i told her she doesn't have to change things if she doesn't want to, but being aware of why she leans on drink is important]. A catgirl i'm slowly trying to train into being a guard so she can have literally any life that isn't "i live in an alley behind the pawn shop and live off stolen milk". She's sweet but also slow going on the authority learning because she's seen the other side and yeah. I wish her story was more "and you can come adventure with me c:" instead of "listen, the only skills you got are be a cop because all that takes is hitting things".

Also i found a gargoyle that was abused by her former master and has trauma around sex. I take my time to reassure her and learn about her and help her clean up the cathedral she's in.

Also there's a bunny dancer that's zero'd in on me but since i keep forgetting to go to the bar i've seen her 1 whole time. Also there's a cupcake seller that i'm 90% sure is supposed to just be nymph pinkie pie.

All this is very fun but also i'm sitting here wondering how the reality warping that lets you travel around easily effects the environment. And how the time dilation wrapped into the pregnancy kink would effect the ecology. Because if a goblin takes like 3 days max to have two kids, and i can fuck more than one at a time, that means there should be hella goblins. The game mentions, however, there are factors that curb the population but doesn't say what. Am deeply curious. Also deeply curious what importing the ant wife from the desert is going to do to the forest, but that's more long term.

Also there's like. dungeons? to clear and explore? but i keep being very sure i'm gonna die if i go in there so every time i see one in like. the desert the sphynx is like "you gonna go in?" "maybe next time" "you wanna fuck?" "nah im looking for nails"

I also keep trying to fight the antlion monsters. Which just leads into it cooing that we're not so different because my character isn't 100% Big Man Of Fuck Mountain Masc, before knocking me up with eggs. Which is fine, but i can only assume my pants are a fucking lost cause at this point.

I also befriended the giant turtle lady in the lake.

A narrative running trend i'm noticing is a wild amount of loneliness and isolation brought on by how others react to peoples bodies. The violence of the actual demon invasion is one thing, but the knock on effects of how its changed the biology and culture of the remaining survivors is very interesting. I'm also noticing a heavy amount of "so the environment is also fucked up" in terms of literal and figurative pollution.

But what deeply keeps hooking me is that like... the premise begins with "If you, Chosen Yearly Sacrifice, do not enter this portal and Die Fighting, bad things will happen to the rest of us." Not demons, not monsters, not some incursion of horrible energy... just like. People getting sick. Crops failing. Bad weather. Which sure, could be related, but it's a much more mundane and expected-- grounded, i suppose-- occurrence. Meanwhile people on the other side of the portal are just like "listen, if its not trying to fuck me or kill me on sight, maybe i can talk with it bc goddamn" bc that's the every day for them. Its not even particularly shocking a danger to them anymore. Bad, certainly horrible, but very much a "yes this could happen" in the same way running out of water in the desert is an assumed danger. A matter of time sort of thing.

I know the creator most definitely did not intend someone to sit there and ponder, while doing fifty explore rounds for nails, the sociological impact of this whole thing. But i'm me and the game only manages to make me horny a few times every couple hours so i gotta ponder something.

Also my character's name is Fifi. He's very canine in appearance while also managing a v long beard and shaggy hair because i keep forgetting the barber exists. I forget many things exist. It's a problem.

[peachpopfizz]

yk the first couple of episode drops were a bit ehh to me but like.. these two just hit Right. maybe bc i knew what to expect pacing/story wise now? either way, they're def my faves so far, especially ep 5. that's my Favorite favorite :]

spoilers for both eps under the cut, mostly just me blabberin abt what i liked (warning: its alotta alastor)

for ep 5, at first i thought charlastors/radiobelles were winning (and while i don't ship it myself, i was happy for em) but then the realization of 'wait wait wait this isn't romo at all, alastors tryna be a FATHER FIGURE?!' hit instead and i went WILD bc thats 1000% my preferred dynamic for charlie and al. so uh.. yippee dadlastors, sorry charlastors..? gsjahafdaj

also the "Ha! Fuck you." im normal im normal im NORMAL im SOOOO FUCKIN NORMAL (IM CRAZY IM VRAZY I CRAZY IM CRASTY IM FUCKI)

mimzy!! (mimzie??) her intro was abrupt, but she seems like a doll, and her hug with al was real cute. tho i do think she needed that metaphorical kick in the ass abt al's thoughts when it comes to her leeching off his strength for protection. about that..

ALASTOR ACTUALLY CARES. HE CARES. (seemingly, at least). LIKE, HE ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY, NON-FANONILY, GIVES A DAMN ABT THE HOTEL. HE WENT OUT OF THE WAY TO PROTECT THE PLACE AND TOLD MIMZY TO LEAVE IF SHE DIDN'T COME FOR REDEMPTION. MAYBE ITS IN HIS OWN WEIRD-GUARDED-PETTY WAY BUT FUCK FUCK HOOOLLLYY FUCK ALASTOR CARES

and one more thing b4 i move onto ep 6, i've already seen some ppl comparing what al did to husk in the hall to angel and val's dynamic, and while i do agree the two are both trapped in unsavory deals (loser, baby literally confirms this) i don't think al's ANYWHERE near as bad as val. was what he did fucked up? oh, yes, definitely. but it really?? shouldn't be surprising??? al's in hell ‘n has all this status for a reason, so i was really just waitin for a moment like that to happen. however, it didn't do any lasting damage. at least i really wouldn't say so. most it did was scare the shit out of husk for a minute, nowhere close to what val does to angel on the daily (see: episode 6). tho im willing to admit i might be lookin thru rose colored glasses bc i love al as a character. my opinion might change when/if the actual conditions of al and husks deal are revealed, but as of rn, i think al acted as he did there bc husk attacked a reeeally sensitive subject. he would've just been the petty bitch he always is if husk said like.. anythin else. oh and uhh yeah im abt 85% sure he and lilith have SOMETHING goin on. idk who the hell else would be powerful enough to have alastor on a leash

..oh yeah, lastly, lucifer was cool :] silly silly guy (with lotsa trauma) that hit me right in the daddy issues. funny tho, i rlly dont have much to say abt the guy despite the ep literally being focused on him. his song with charile was spectacular though, i need to listen to it on its own immediately

okokok, episode 6, finally, hopefully shorter than the mess of text above

first off. vaggie = fallen angel theorists, i would like to bow down and apologize for ever doubting you. i was one of the skeptics, i really was, but the show did it in a way that (albeit rushed, but what hasn't been so far?, thaaanks, 8-episode limit..) made it seem believable, with assdam calling her out for it..

but putting adam aside, uh, lute?? maam?? holy fuck, step on me??? please???? i mean uh. sick character design yk ahah ^^

whats her name.. emily? the younger seraphim girl, i liked her, she was a cutie. she really did just seem like heavens version of charlie. and the older seraphim woman i (expectedly) have mixed feelings abt. i feel like all would've be great it adam got outta her damn ear cause she might've actually be down to try the hotel with em gone.. angel was doing so well

speaking of angel, ANGEL!! oh lookit that character development, charlie's gonna be so fuckn proud!!! also, CHERRI!!!! saw someone else say cherris the devil on angels shoulder while husks the (heh) angel, and i have to say i agree. they both want the best for him, they just have different ways of goin about it.

unsurprisingly, fuck Valentino. although i did notice he was wearing a dress today, so. (through gritted teeth) slay.

thiiink that's all i gotta say for today?? besides the fact that next week is gonna be agonizing, ofc :] buckle up ppl we might get a genuine, emotional chaggie fight come next thursday

..oh yeah!! molly!!! we briefly saw molly!!!! i hope youre absolutely thriving girl, you deserve no less <3

[insanescriptist]

Hii~ so this is a question for Umei, if thats okay? I really resonate with how she writes God in her stories but im new to all of this and i wasn't sure what..denomination(?) She is? I have religious trauma and ive been trying to work through it and just what she writes...how she writes about her faith and how she incorporates it into her stories..it really really speaks to me and it's made me interested in learning more but im not really sure where to go from here and what resources i should be looking into?

From Umei,

Firstly, I'm really sorry that people you should have been able to trust have taken advantage of you. You're so, so brave for facing up to that and keeping going despite it. I'd suggest finding an up-to-date translation of the bible as a starting point; I like the New International Version (NIV) but there are plenty of other options out there. One that you find readable -or listenable, if you want an app, there are online translations- and just reading the Word. Start with the New Testament and the gospels, to get used to who Jesus is in his own words, but do read all of it. Jesus says that if we know him, we know the Father (John 8:19 and John 14:9) and we get to know Jesus' character through reading the bible. I know I'm still finding new revelations in my daily readings. Prayer! You can talk to God directly any time you want, and it's good to make space in your day just to listen to him. That's all he wants from us: that we be close to him. If you want more material on how to interpret what's in the gospels and hear good, solid theology I can recommend Ellel Ministries International, as they're non-denominational, have local centres all over the world and excellent online material as well as courses you can take. I know the director, who is a really kind and humble guy, if that helps! Don't be afraid to take your time. The bible explicitly instructs us to test everything against the word of God, to make sure it's trustworthy, so don't feel you need to rush into picking a church. Get to know Jesus through the Word, get to know God generally through prayer, and know that God won't push. Anyone or anything trying to force you into something you're not ready for is not of God. God created free will! You get to choose what you are up for, every single step. Safe travels!

From Izzy,

First off, I'm quite fine with being asked to relay a message to Umei. She can be quite hard to reach otherwise

Second, as to religious trauma... There's quite a large difference between people who claim to be Christian and people who are. That is Faith

Real faith is amazing to behold and motivates people to be kind and help others, to let them know that they are not alone in their struggles. It is the hand held out in friendship, to help, to cheer and comfort. It is the ear that will listen, the heart that chooses to heal

Fake faith is a social performance, complete with social policing and ostracizing of those who fail to perform believably. That's how you get fear-mongering, zealotry to the word and no actual True Christian behavior, because they're not living the principles of the faith

Izzy lives in the Bible Belt of the US, so Izzy's seen both. In all kinds of denominations. A Church doesn't determine your faith, it determines your community. Your faith is determined by you and your relationship with God.

Congrats for having kept that hand out for Umei to have reached. You had the faith to reach out and you've been answered for it.

Third, the KJV (King James Version) of the Bible is the most popular, but it's also the one of the oldest modern translations. Like 1611, or 1612 Izzy wants to say? It has issues inherent in that, as it was written to stop the fracturing of the Church (Calvin and the Protestant Movement says hi) by providing a cohesive book for the common man and not just the church. By virtue of being widely available and so popular before printing became a thing, it's also the version most prone to being misused by anyone who means to do so, because most people don't read it or truly study it

Anyway there's been a lot of scholarship and debate about how things were translated, because languages have nuance that doesn't always translate. There's a lot of contextual difference between Ruler, King and Tyrant for example. So if you want a bible with more pure scholarship behind it, a lot of the modern translations are what you want. There's probably annotated versions if you look.

Lastly, as Izzy's not particularly devout by common definitions and not a dedicated scholar of theology, Izzy can't really recommend any sources to look up. Izzy's certain there there's lectures of seminary classes on the internet somewhere to watch though. Seminary classes being meant to train priests, rabbis and the like, you can see what they're meant to be teaching and how they're supposed to teach it

may kind thoughts find and comfort you, Izzy

[trekkele]

Hello! I'm the Anon who asked about Bruce being self-aware.

When I said "Also, there's something of a difference between being self-aware about himself and when it comes to his kids." I meant that he says or does super hurtful stuff that he just doesn't seem to think was wrong or reflect upon when it went downhill or realising too late or sb had to spell it out for him.

Examples being:

him reading Dick's diary after taking him in as a ward to figure out what Dick wants instead of just asking, thus creating the Robin suit after Dick's designs (God, it was a Batman or Robin: year one comic book, I'm pretty sure but I don't rememer which),

saying "commendable" instead of just "I'm proud of you" to Damian (basically his "emotional constipation" as a whole, like being unable to understand or even recognize his kids feelings and then failing to say just the most normal praising/comforting/loving things.),

ignoring (or acting as if) when Damian apologizes for direspecting/ignoring previous orders and holds a cute speech about trying to listen now but Bruce just turns around like "Did you say something?",

not telling Dick that Jason is now Robin or that Jason died even though Bruce said he would call Dick (yeah, he was being petty or grief stricken, but still)

Tim's sixteenth birthday "present"

I hate to bring this up but the whole Batarang to the NeckTM situation in UTRH. His resurrected son confronts him and he fails to show a single emotion, instead immediately debating ethics and morals with him.

anything with Jason in future comics where Bruce beats him up and acts like Jason asked for it or that Bruce didn't have a choice but to do that.

bringing Jason back to Ethiopia to the warehouse where he died, so Bruce could maybe find a way to resurrect Damian after Heretic killed him (I think it was Heretic, but maybe it was sb else)

beating up any of his kids for any reason. The most he should do willingly is defend himself with defensive moves only or seeking distance. But not charging in like he wants a fight.

sending only Damian to save Alfred from Bane, which just allowed for Damian to be captured and then having to watch Bane snap Alfred's neck, and then Bruce says to Damian's face "If I had been there, I could have saved him." (Bruce prioritised his own grief over his son's grief and trauma and all that)

Bruce tells Cass she doesn't need a real life and sectret identity, that she only needs a costume and a private batcave and she'd be fine

Bruce instigates a fight where he and Cass get drugged and can communicate about their feelings through fist fighting.

Taking/ Trying to take Robin away from sb for their "own good". I don't mean benching, but full on "You're not Robin anymore, never again." but then folding a few issues later anyway. (It could be seen as very shitty parenting ig)

Like you said, Bruce gets written very inconsistently and I tried not to cherry pick too much of what I wanted to say, so I made this mess of a bulleted list. While a lot of these examples do come from his communication issues, I still wanted to include them anyway because it's taken too far with some writers (can't say "I love you" or hug his kids, although he doesn't have a problem with doing that with Clark or Diana) or he doesn't reflect on those moments or he repeats them over and over again.

I swear I love Bruce, I'm not a hater!!! He's actually my favorite character!!! 😭😭😭

(Making this list really hurt. Just so you know.)

Hey listen, im going to answer these by number* and then probably delete this ask in a few hours because. I hate all of these!! Maybe 3 are in character!! I dont want this terrible Bruce on my blog!!! But also i dont want you to think i asked for clarification and then ignored you so feel free to send another ask when you see this lol. Or if I have once again missed the point.

* because I misunderstood this ask again and also most of these gave me hives lmao and also also I think like 75% could be answered with "we needed someone to mean to [character] and Bruce is convenient el oh el"

Anyways:

1. This one is in character, a little bit, because as much as we understand kids needing privacy now, i can see the way Bruce was raised (Alfred would have absolutely read his diary, that feels very in character for him) and the way Dick was (sneaking out to find Zucco) leading to him panicking and monitoring him as much as possible. That doesnt make it right mind you. The thing is if Dick hacked the bat computer Bruce would probably be proud of him, so not entirely hypocritical.

2. Also possibly in character, because again, thats how Alfred probably spoke to him. Not great, and i think the current Batman and Robin run does a much better job with their relationship, but can be chalked up to bad writing tbh.

3. No this is shitty writing. Sorry it just is!

4. This could be its own post but in summary: decisions made to launch another chracters solo or in order to make a different character look good are ignored. They wanted a Nightwing solo and decided a good launching point would be a big fight between Dick and Bruce. No thanks.

There have also been panels where Dick talks about ignoring Bruce’s calls during that time period, so this could be chalked up to mutual miscommunication if you insist. And i prefer the pre crisis origin for Jaybin, for multiple reasons.

5. I haven’t read this, ive heard of it, and its weird. It feels like point 4, but for Tim. The writers wanted a villain for his birthday comic, Bruce is right there.

6. Nah, Jason fucked around and he found out. He wanted a Batman that kills criminals, he just forgot he was also, now, a murderer and a criminal. Im only half kidding here, but the problem with UTRH is that exactly. Also the fact that Jason spent like six months doing absolutely horrible shit in Gotham, and that like 15 minutes before this showdown Bludhaven was blown up, Bruce has no idea if Dick is alive, and Jason mocks him for possibly losing another son. Also Jason is the one demanding Bruce cross his very personal boundaries here, ethics and morals are a very necessary part of the conversation!!

7. Anything where Bruce beats someone near death or uses lethal force is technically out of character. Jason comics outside of DITF and UTRH do not do enough work to give his actions the context necessary for them to be in character. RHATO #25 Is shit writing.

8. It was heretic, on Talias orders, and that whole storyline is dumb. This does feel in character, because Bruce response to grief has historically been 1 become Batman 2 attempt to commit suicide by cop/criminal so points for that consistency? I really hate this plot tho. Stop killing Bruce's kids!! The man is unstable as it is!!!

9. Out of character. I know it gets used for some god awful reason but it is so out of character unless the writer is willing to give it some serious work to provide context, (or unserious; see; Zur-En-Arrh in Gotham War. It's dumb, but it provides plausible context for Bruce beating his kids ie: it isn't technically him). Barring mind control, rejected.

10. No!! What the fuck!!! Bruce is not sending one of his kids alone against Bane there is an entire comic where he drugs them so that doesn't happen stop that!!!!

As a side note when I read that the first time I understood it as "I should not have sent you in alone because it was a task too big for you, If I had been there to help we could have saved him", but I am an optimist with too much faith in DC.

11. Absolutely bonkers statement from "please let me fire you from robin so you can have a normal life" McGee. Chalking this one up to racism and misunderstanding Bruce's character and that stupid "Bruce Wayne is the mask Hur dur" thing.

12. Ok this one feels in character actually. Somehow. At least they're talking?

13. Also feels in character actually. This one is weird because you'll see those stupid "child soldier" arguments side by side with "how dare Bruce take away Robin!". Pick a side. It's either bad parenting to let Robin exist or it's bad parenting to not let Robin exist, it can't be both!

And since these are comic books, and you need to engage with the genre in good faith or you'll have a miserable time of it, Robin exists! And is allowed to exist! At the same time, as a mentor Bruce has to be able to bench Robin, that is also a function of the mentor/mentee relationship! Basically - Bruce should be able to bench an injured/at risk Robin, but the writing for those scenarios usually wants him as a villain.

Taking away Robin completely only happens to Dick tho, and since it's after he gets shot on the job I do think it's in character.

As for "I tried not to cherry pick" babe please do so!! It's comics!! It's not canon unless you want it to be, and if you want these truly terrible Bruce's to be canon all the power to you! I want to set them on fire tho. And snort WFA like it's cocaine until all this is a bad memory jfc DC screen your writers for daddy issues I am begging you.

[tenobelisk]

having symptoms and diagnoses commodified and consumed as social decoration has really served to devalue each node of potential support in the community.

i find this especially with care workers and support specialists whose job it is to listen to me explain why i am having trouble leaving the house, finding work or generally seeing any fucking point to waking up again.

'oh yeah i have that too and this is what i do to help with it' or 'oh yeh i get them all the time' ..coming from people who must be amazing illusionists to be able to have an employer consider them a reliable and consistent source of support for people who need it.

sure, yes, absolutely you can be in support roles and have the problems i have, but when i see someone who is part of 'the fully operating world' with the same issues it does not fill me with hope that 'ooh i can do it too!' ..it makes me feel like i am somehow not overcoming it hard enough.

the assumption i always make is that i am less than everybody else, and that is a trauma response not an opinion that can be magicked away by Empowerment Methods. it may be human nature (i really wouldnt know and im not saying that to be edgy) to echo what someone else is going through, or find commonality, but the commodification and ..kindof.. Trinketism going on with symptoms of mental illness is serving to devalue warning signs as a result of flooding the market.

its like everyone's playing in the ball pit and showing each other their toys like 'heehhee intrusive thoughts' or 'yeh i have to check the water heater before i leave the house' ..it just goes nowhere. mentioning a problem should be like holding up a bleeding hand. i think it should encourage immediate attention to the wound, not have everyone else quickly shoot up their hands going OOH OOH look i scraped my finger earlier! then looking around smiling to see who else has a booboo.

see, growing up i always associated selfishness as something that isolated oneself from others as a consequence, but what im noticing more is the kind of selfishness that rampantly feeds off of others, under the illusion of sharing and happiness, but ultimately serves to elevate the individual alone. yes, this is still relevant to mental health issues.

this attitude is also something that is conveyed in advertising and media in general through concepts of approval and unity. we are all together in this and look how special we are. something you would think would work toward making individual struggles more important, but instead i think it has reduced our most vital struggles to a costume piece we buy in a microtransaction for our characters.

mental illness hasn’t been destigmatised but commercialised

[rose-blooms-red]

Sup motherfuckers we had a TIME at work today and tbh my life in general has been a series of unfortunate events sprinkled with kernels of hope and leaving me with literally no energy to the point my therapist is convinced i have chronic fatigue. (Which. I mean. Possibly considering my health issues) but I need to do smth rn or I'll go crazy so instead of trying to write and failing as I have for the past Age now we are instead going to self-promo because actually I think my fics are great and my previous stance of my writing sucking was a momentary lapse of judgement.

We're just gonna hit on the stuff I love a LOT and left a mark on me personally as a writer, because listing everything is too much and honestly some of it I did actually forget about :(

We will start with fandoms i haven't written as much for and then the star wars one will come later in a dif post since there is so much for that one. So!! First up is my beloved

The Silmarillion

with forethought of grief

When they’re fourteen, Mae almost dies. What neither of them will say, won’t dare speak into being, is they aren’t sure how much of that is by accident. (or; there is a reason it is called the gift of men. and the seeds of Elros' Choice are revealed and sown.)

Some of my favourite work I've done and still lives in my head rent free. It is rough around the edges but the exploration into the characters and the relationship between life and men and elves as well as what it means to be half-elven is something i still think about to this day.

he bares his teeth and tears your skin

Gil-Galad is a beloved king, so it can be forgiven if he is strange at times. His smiles are warm, welcoming, and friendly. He is kind, he listens with intent eyes and fights as gracefully as the best of them do. (The quick flash of sharp teeth and bloody lips, of eyes as deep as a tree's roots, silver-white hair like spider silk and always swaying gently in a breeze, even when there is no breeze. It’s easy to miss. These less than half a second glimpses.)

Aka one of my favourite little possibilities and explorations of not only eldritch part Maia stuff but also juggling around and linking of characters. Top notch and the series itself is so fun to play with.

vicissitudes

They are all haunted

My first ever fic for the fandom and honestly?? Such a fucking banger. Wrote it as a gift for the lovely Tessa and honestly it lives in my mind Rent free. Absolutely amazing to write and the nitty gritty hard stuff has always been smth that calls to me.

Batman/DC

fault lines

trauma has a way of catching up to you, of leaving all your fault lines bare and tearing you open from the inside out recovery is slow and hard and sometimes you take more steps backward than forwards. sometimes you help others as much as you are helped, sometimes you're buried ankle deep in regret and fear. it's never easy or; Dick Grayson and trauma, recovery, and his siblings. Something's wrong with all of them but they work through it, eventually.

My poor neglected baby that has had the next chapter thoroughly stalled because life is Lifeing rn and has been for literally the last couple years. But if you know me at all you know how much I adore this fic and how much of myself I sink into it. It's a bit ugly, I started writing it when I was young and due to that the first couple chapters are extremely rough since I was still growing into my writing (and still am honestly XD) but it holds a special place in my heart and always holds a space in my brain. As always when talking about this one I will ask you to be careful with yourself and check the tags and warnings.

hippocratic oath

“Have you considered actually making friends,” Harleen posits to the lump of a man on her dorm floor one day. “Friendship is an unnecessary distraction when everyone is out to get you.” Bruce drones. (or; Bruce and Harley's unlikely friendship told in parts.)

Stunning!! Amazing!! Hillarious!! So fun to write and im never topping it. Pure vibes and the joy I took in putting it to page was Immense.

may flowers

Jason scoffs from near the exit, “Newsflash kid, it doesn’t belong to you. It’s mine, and the replacement’s, and the brat’s and even Spoiler’s now too. You don’t get dibs just because you decided you own it.” And young Dick— He bursts into tears. And then promptly tries to attack Jason with trembling fists and screams that Tim doesn’t need translated to know mean something foul. (or; when a young Dick Grayson appears in the cave, Tim and Jason learn what Robin really means. It goes as well as one expects it to)

This one!!!!!! This oneeeeee. Oh I love it sm it was so fun. I think it was actually originally a warm up so i could get back into writing dc so I could write more fault lines. But I still love it sm.

BNHA/My Hero Academia

saturn devouring his son

Mineta is expelled, this is not, actually, where it starts. (or; Kaminari Denki, and a study in learned helplessness)

Mk, so. First of all, check the tags for this one if you choose to read it. Like genuinely, please check the tags. Second of all. This is possibly the best fic for this fandom I've ever written. Courtesy of most of the fics for this fandom being my first ones on ao3 and thus poorer quality. However, the caveat for this is that though I'm extremely proud of this fic it is not and maybe never will be my favourite. It can't be. It's dark and awful and made me feel absolutely wretched writing it. But it left a mark on me. It's not smth I can ever love I don't think. And once I finished it I basically threw it out to the world and never wanted to think about it again. But it was a journey and I think it was a necessary one, one that will stay with me for a long time.

[relaxxattack]

prefacing for maxs followers who dont know who i am but stating this as like. autistic queer person. who also has a lot of other things going on in the brain. i think a lot of autistic n adhd n queer ppl (ESP white auti adhd queer ppl) need to remember that likeee. not everything we relate to . is necessarily an us exclusive experience. and sometimes the thing being judged as 'bad autism rep' or whatever wasnt really.. a character being autistic . not every character whose an outcast or blunt or has problems in social scenarios or behavioral problems is queer or autistic or has adhd and judging a character off of whether theyre good rep for those groups often comes off as. ignorant of experiences outside of autism and queerness n adhd. not to say you cant relate to characters meant to rep a different experience, just that you need to acknowledge that experience and treat it as just as needing of rep as you.

n like it shows up in like. perception of mituna. or isabela from encanto. and ive heard abt white autistic ppl seeing a black character avoiding eye contact w white people as an autism thing. and its like. fuck man not every outcast is autistic or queer or has adhd. brain damage from head trauma is a very real thing and maybe mituna Could be autistic but he isnt bad autism rep just because you (general you) dont want to think about how neurodivergent includes people with head trauma or other disabilities that may cause increased vulgarity and mood swings. isabela Could be a lesbian but that doesnt mean ppl shouldnt also consider how her story isnt like. a lesbian story just because she doesnt like the man shes supposed to get married to its abt how young women get married off n how common it can be in family oriented cultures. avoiding eye contact isnt inherently an autism thing esp when youre a poc and any little thing could be taken as a sign of aggression esp if youre black

n like i get it. when youre queer/autistic/adhd its hard not to try and grab for every little piece of representation you can get. god knows i always take a chance to hc a character i like as a lesbian. ive always been prone to making white characters black. even if a character is clearly nt i will project onto them anyways. but i think the sorts of ppl who will complain abt mituna being bad autism rep often miss the fact that like.

if your projection and desperate need to see and find people like you. gets in the way of showing proper respect to people who Arent like you but face similar issues. then you might need to take a step back and think 'fuck am i overstepping? am i ignoring others need for representation in media in my own pursuit of rep?' . yknow? i think a lot of ppl would have an easier time respecting and learning about other cultures and experiences if they just like. sat down for a bit and thought about the world outside of their own bubble. bc sometimes there gets to a point where it feels like the overall communities i mentioned care more about being listened to than they care about having an actual conversation. and all media really is a conversation. if that makes sense . ok im done now i just have a lot of thoughts abt this.hi max -🎭🎪

yeah this is all pretty interesting and fair actually and tbh id never heard of some of that stuff since im not in that fandom but its an interesting look at this concept

[nick-close]

Ok now that I’m done being bright eyed over the finale I’m gonna be mad again- I don’t take back that it was the best finale it could’ve been I’m just ALSO so. GOD. This might come off as in a harsh tone, so if that’s not your thing you can skip this lol. I do still love the show with all my heart, don’t let my rant make you think otherwise.

Just. Everything with Glenn. EVERYTHING WITH GLENN.

I don’t know how many times I can reiterate he lost fucking EVERYTHING. To come to WHAT? The conclusion he wanted to be in nicks life more? and didn’t wanna be like his dad? Yeah no that seems a lot easier when he’s not,,, a single fucking parent raising a child without a support system huh!

Glenn could’ve come to that same conclusion, fought to get more time with Nick and stuff- without losing over a decade of his life, an eye, his kid, and now having to see the face of his dead wife fucking constantly.

AND GUESS WHAT?

THAT WASNT EVEN THE MAIN PROBLEM IN GLENN AND NICKS RELATIONSHIP!

The main problem was Nick idolizing his dad and them acting more like friends than a parent and child- but guess what? You know how they solved that?

It wasn’t confronting the issue or genuinely making both characters understand and improve their relationship.

It was getting rid of one of the characters. It was exchanging Nick for somebody else because hey!! Nick can’t idolize Glenn if Nick doesn’t fucking exist!

The problem wasn’t fixed!!! They didn’t LEARN from that!! Glenn being away sucked, but it wasn’t their issue! I mean again he was gone for Christmas, as a Christmas cover band. That sucks, but it was his JOB and probably the date they would make the most money so he could support his kid. Working on Christmas feels IMPORTANT for Glenn if his career surrounds that. Touring, and y’know- DJing- were how he was keeping them standing financially. And he fully hid one of those jobs for Nick so that Nick would think he was cool. He wanted Nicks approval just as much as Nick needed his.

I’m not saying Glenn’s ONLY issue was the nick and him being friends instead of family and like. The pressure nick felt to be like him- but I’m saying that that SEEMED to be the main issue that Glenn was supposed to be focused on fixing. That was what was laid out alongside Darryl’s communication issues and Henry’s lack of discipline- they all have other shit. But they had a MAIN issue.

And Glenn’s WAS NEVER SOLVED. WE HAVE NO PROOF HE HAS LEARNED THAT LESSON. Sure, he brought the minions DVD! But again- Glenn not showing interest in things nick liked was NOT THE ISSUE! Even the asmr mention- “Nick liked asmr-“ showed he does listen to things nick says he likes- Nick didn’t TELL Glenn about liking minions until the TRIAL. AGAIN, PART OF THE PROBLEM. HE DIDN’T WANNA MENTION IT CUZ HE KNEW HIS DAD DIDNT LIKE IT. THATTT IS THE PROBLEM.

The problem was ‘I don’t wanna harsh the vibes’. The problem was ‘nick doesn’t wanna talk about his problems incase it ruins Glenn’s mood’ and ‘Glenn doesn’t wanna confront about how he’s feeling incase that ruins nicks mood’. The problem is ‘I’ll do it if it’ll impress you!’

The problem was never ‘Glenn isn’t in Nicks life enough’ or ‘Glenn is too much like his dad.’ Again- those are partially problems as well! But they are NOT NOT NOT what Glenn was meant to get out of whatever sad attempt of an ‘arc’ he got.

No, Glenn got trauma. Glenn got replaced. And Glenn got the message that he was such a bad father to his kid he deserved to either DIE, or spend a lifetime in prison and let his kid go to someone else- and y’know what he did? He fucking chose to let Nick at least grow up with a dad.

And then Glenn was basically comparing himself to a married man with a stable career who... nick...idolized....and...wanted...to..be...exactly...like.... as if the issue was actively NOT Nick wanting to impress him constantly- with another guy that’s fine! No the issue was he was... a single man... with two unstable careers..... (ofc im leaving out details like the weed shit and stuff like that- ik thats bad, I’m not here to defend that- it’s just not the point.)

Glenn was basically told he fucked up SO irrepairably BAD that- he couldn’t learn different like Henry or Darryl or (arguably tbh) Ron- no, he did such a terrible job his son would be better off NOT EXISTING. Narc isn’t Nick. Lil Nicky ISNT NICK. NICK DOES NOT FUCKING EXIST. Glenn spent 12 years of his life raising this fucking kid, even if he wasn’t the best at it. And he has nothing to show for it.

God. I’m actually pissed thinking about it- the cherry on top being bringing Morgan back ofc. Because now he’s not even learning to coparent this kid, or have a fucked up messy little family- he’s just not NEEDED as someone in nicks life. He’s a weird third party invading on this other family he was never a part of because it’s the closest he can get to having his own. Nick has 2 loving fucking parents. Demon Nick talking to Glenn sounds like, PITY. Like it doesn’t sound like he views Glenn as any sort of figure in his life- it sounds like he feels bad so much shit happened to him. And I get it! Nicky has no attachment to Glenn! He’s just trying to be nice to someone who lost fucking everything.

Glenn wasn’t given a chance to change for his kid. He didn’t make the conscious choice to try and better himself. Glenn was put in the corner and told ‘improve’ while the person the improvement was meant to affect stopped existing. Glenn developed- but he sure as fuck didn’t become a better father. Because at the end of the day? He isn’t one. Because at the end of the day, he appearently doesn’t deserve to be one.

I don’t believe every story has to have a moral. But if Glenn’s did, it would be a fucking awful one.

[narabea06]

Hmmm, General Marble Hornets HCs? That’s a start ^^

Thank you for the request sib!

_______________________

TW: Self-hate, Su!c!de, Depressing Topics, Homophobia, Abuse, Mentioned Misogyny

Jay Merrick -

- He/they, demiboy, ace-spec gay, poly

- Has ADHD

- He has two moods: "HERE ARE ALL MY THEORIES ABOUT EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY WILL LISTEN-" or "Im so f**king tired, pls God help me-"

- Photography major

- Very bad intrusive thoughts and has a hard time with self-hate

- Theme song is Scrawny by The Wallows

- Favorite musician is unironically Bruno Mars

- He has a hard time with social interaction and tends to just people-watch or overshare

- Awkward boy-

- Totally doesn't need to therapy /s

- Plays bass guitar

- Best friends are Seth and Alex

- Has a crush on Tim and slowly fell for Brian too

- He can't get himself to hate Alex after everything

Tim Wright -

- He/him, gay man, poly

- Mommy issuessssss-

- He is actually a writer

- Knows the ukelele

- Depressed gay in a nutshell

- Very gay for Brian, even more gay for Jay

- He always covers up whenever he is sad or upset about something with just pure anger and rage as that was the only way he saw others around him doing it too. This lead to him getting in fights as a kid, getting very aggressive, and with Brian being him impulse control

- Is basically a trio with Sarah and Brian

- Animals hate him for no reason- Except Sarah's cat who only likes him and Sarah-

- "I would say the song Misery describes my life about right"

- Serious attachment issues with Jay and Brian

- Anger issuesssss-

- Theme song is 100 Bad Days by AJR

Brian Thomas -

- Any pronouns with no preference, pansexual genderfluid, poly

- The type of person who would tell you he was fine but at the same he is su!c!dal and doesn't want to tell anyone bc he doesn't see himself as a priority

- Acts super confident and loud, and is basically the dad friend

- A f**king tree compared to everyone else

- Theme song is Victorious by P!ATD

- Theater gay be like-

- Hes the only actual actor in the film-

- Used to date Sarah but the two broke up bc Sarah knew he was keeping secrets from her and that he needed help, and she felt she couldn't keep going through the relationship bc of it

- Very touchy and pretty clingy

- Had really homophobic parents that he cut contact from

- In love with Jay and Tim

- Still really close friends with Sarah and is best friends with Tim. Was pretty close with everyone tbh-

- Golden retriever man

Alex Kralie -

- He/they, demi bisexual man

- Actually the sweetest guy ever, just the Operator f**ked him up

- Kinda a nerd- /hj Specifically for Star Wars

- Overthinks things with people a little too much due to past trauma, to the point where any reaction to anything is taken out of proportion in his head. It also makes him put himself in people's shoes a lot even if the way he thinks they see things isn't actually how they see it

- Theme song is Karma by AJR

- Is dating Amy and they even have promise rings!

- He has an Operator symbol engraved on his cheek that refuses to get off

- Directing/film degree

- Blind as hell without his glasses

- Roommates with Jay, and best friends with both Jay and Sarah, and is pretty close with Seth

- Has ADD

- Loves to ramble about different things he's interested in. Seth and Amy always just sot patiently and listen. Jay often just debates with him on the ramble

- Really just trying his best

Amy Walters -

- Literally my favorite character for literally no reason-

- She/her, bisexual trans woman

- Her family is pretty rich and constantly put pressure on her, making her feel she needed to be perfect, and get the best grades, and to get a job as a nurse or something, and marry a rich man. She hated it and just ended up cutting ties with them, especially since they approve of her career choice and of Alex

- She is probably the sweetest girl you could meet, but at the same time she wouldn't hesitate in punching someone

- She has multiple hobbies, tho she doesn't enjoy most of them as much as music. The main hobbies she alternates between (she gets bored) are gardening and baking

- Amy met Alex through the band at the college they were at, Amy was the singer, Alex was the band manager. Though they both ended up leaving the band tho bc the other members were pretty misogynistic

- She is dating Alex

- Listens to Beach Bunny and Mitski

- Is working for a music career and does gigs at bars and stuff

- Theme song is Me and My Husband by Mitski

- Sweaters for daysssssss

- Kinda part of a friend quartet with Jess, Sarah, and Seth

Jessica Locke -

- She/they, lesbian woman, poly

- TALL WOMAN BC YES✨

- They are actually studying criminology and psychology to become a therapist or a crime specialist

- They grew up with pretty controlling homophobic parents , and she was actually runaway at 16, and has now cut ties completely with her family

- MOM FRIENDDDDDD ✨✨✨ Especially to Jay and Seth

- Mostly masculine style

- She wears a black knitted jacket

- She isn't actually with anyone, but she had a crush on Amy before and still kinda does

- Theme song is Someone to You

- Actually does have an adopted daughter

- Pretty book smart, but also kinda oblivious of things around her, such as Sarah's crush on her

Seth Wilson -

- He/they, unlabeled + ace-spec, trans man

- Smol man

- Kinda a energetic dumba**- He's pretty sweet tho

- His dog is a service dog, since he has her just in case he has a mental breakdown or a PTSD attack, or if he needs general moral support

- They are an orphan and ended up living with an emotionally abusive adopted household, and grew up non-verbal. He ended up getting taken by CPS when he was 15, and was given to a very welcoming and loving family who finally helped him be able to talk though the process was slow.

- He has a big crush on Sarah, who is also his best friend

- Hes also really close with Alex, Jay, Amy, and Jess

- Two moods: Very hyper dramatic boi, and very quiet shy man

- Theme song is Riptide

Sarah Reid -

- She/they, panromantic ace, demigirl

- Very annoyed, stubborn,, tired college student

- They live in a trailer with their cat Charlie

- Crazy cat lady basically-

- She has had many crushes tbh- She dated Brian for a bit, then liked Jessica for awhile, and now is kinda with Seth

- Is actually a fashion designer but considers it of a hobby instead of a job, even tho people still pay her for commissions

- Is an art major

- Listens to rap and old rock music

- Honestly has more of a vintage aesthetic sometimes

- Theme song is Bubblegum B*tch

- Anger issues- Her and Tim get along-

- Tim and Brian are pretty close with her, she's friends with Sarah and Jessica. She's best friends with Seth and Alex

- She grew up being talked down by the people around her being picked on and bullied even by the people who are supposed to help her, making her aggressive and never really wanting help

- She has a brother named Casey who she still talk to

[caelumsnuff]

Hi, sorry this is a long ask but I really appreciated your posts! The daemon/demon allegory had been bothering me since that storyline started but I hadn't really been able to articulate why, and it brought a lot of other issues to light for me as well!

(Personally I never finished the freelancer series because the whole bridging/SA allegory really made me angry so I appreciate that someone else also saw the reasons why that decision was... poor to say the least).

And definitely agreed about the over-polarization of characters into good vs. bad!

I feel like a lot of the story decisions are based on the fact that many people are self-inserting, which unfortunately means reducing a lot of the nuance and gray aspects that would be more interesting to explore. Like with Vincent and Lovely- from a self-insert perspective, it's more 'romantic' and comforting to think that your partner would have as limited a power divide between you as possible and would take steps to ensure that, even though narratively it's not as interesting a choice. Which is also why I think the Bright Eyes storyline was axed, and why Love's obsession code was removed, and why I'm afraid that Darlin's story resolution is just going to fade into some milquetoast version of "love fixes everything!" rather than what it could have been- because people are putting themselves in the place of the listeners, it reinforces the idea that to like a character you have to endorse and agree with all their actions, so necessarily any character doing "bad" things or making darker decisions is a "bad person" and people don't want to imagine themself as a "bad person", no matter what that does to the story being told.

Honestly, Sam and Darlin' are my favorite characters which is why it pains me that their story is edging dangerously close to "I got into a relationship and it solved all my problems!" rather than two people with trust issues and unresolved trauma finding a friend when they needed one and that relationship slowly blossoming into something more as both of them come to terms with the things that are haunting them (which I agree would make more sense if Sam had either been turned more recently or if it had been clearly established that the clan is more loose-knit and not in fact a workable support system for him); honestly when the story started and it said slow burn I kind of thought they wouldn't start dating until much later, maybe even after things with Quinn came to a head, and I'm a bit disappointed we only got about 2 audios of them interacting pre-relationship. (Also I have a lot of problems with the way things between Darlin' and the pack were "resolved" in one frankly condescending and empty speech about family but I won't get into it here)

Anyway sorry again for the long message but thank you for your posts!

No need to apologize for the long message, i appreciate them You’re welcome for the posts, im happy to know that some people really enjoy them and that they’re making people think a little. Apparently a handful of people have dropped the Freelancer series because of the choices that were made in it, which is valid. I’m not exactly happy that its so bad that so many of us see issue with it, but i am glad to know im not the only person who feels it was wrong. I’m not neccesarily concerned about people self-inserting into listener characters, that is what they are for, Redacted made all content gender neutral and as inclusive as possible for this exact purpose. I think some of the issues with story-telling and overpolarization with characters does stim from Redacted’s desire to write content as inclusive as possible though. I respect this decision and desire, but i don’t think you can ever please everyone when it comes to the type of content you make without sanitizing a lot of it. Maybe this opinion stims from my general ‘doesn’t give a fuck’ attitude about creation, but he really could have just gone for it and made characters grayer (especially ones the listeners have romantic relationships with), regardless of whether or not it brings in a larger audience and pleases the most amount of people. It would be generally better from a story telling perspective. We already have ASMR content (from other creators) that caters specifically to a certain audience that excludes a lot of people (content that is very gendered, content that is racially specific with blushing and hair, etc etc), I think making content that is gender-neutral with some more complicated and grayer characters is a good middle ground, a niche that Redacted can fill. Maybe with Redacted leaving the discord server, he’ll be seeing a lot less of peoples opinions personally, and will start writing content that better fits his writing style and his characters again. It’s something that i would be really happy to see again, genuinely. Because i love Darlin’ and Sam so much is definitely the reason im concerned about where their story is going. But again, maybe Redacted distancing himself from the fanbase will save some storylines. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows tho Thanks again for the ask 💖

[a-little-birdie]

(Sorta Random) Hunter headcannons.

Cuz this boi is my best boi.

(And Gus too! And a few others! The list goes on a bit.)

Also, these headcannons might not be 100% in character, because A) they’re headcannons and B) im not the one who wrote the characters in the show, im just taking what i saw and running with it. You’ll never catch me! >:3c

Tws: talk of toxic behaviour, child abuse, trauma, emotional abuse, abandonment issues, conditional love and kindness, unhealthy relationships, trust issues, this is hunter were talking about i mean really.

Okay, so, I’ll bet you 5,000 snails hunter wasn’t taught how to deal with his emotions

Or anything relationship wise

Or what a healthy relationship is or anything to do with toxic behaviour because if he knew any red flags and stuff he’d rebel against Belos faster. Information is key in his situation really.

So he doesn’t realize anything he’s doing might be toxic, leading to him having difficulty making friends or keeping them. It really isn’t his fault, but that doesn’t mean he cant do anything about it. So he learns! Once he’s out of the coven of course….

It also means he wouldn’t understand if someone was being toxic to him. And I don’t mean someone shouting “hey punk! Give me your lunch or I’ll hurt you!” Or something like that, he’s sheltered, not daft.

He wouldnt let someone push him around but if someone were to insinuate their friendship isn’t unconditional or were to say “you cant be friends with them.” He’d question it but if they just said “theyre a bad person and theyre mean.” He’d probably listen.

When he gets out of the emperors coven and goes to the human realm I think he’d start to explore himself further. He’s in a much safer place where everything and everyone doesn’t want to kill him, he doesn’t have to keep his guard up as much anymore. But even if he realizes it, it would take him a while to actually get comfortable but when that happens he’d start looking around for hobbies.

Because I think he likes to keep his hands busy he’d probably like knitting, crochet, sewing and perhaps even drawing! Luz’s mother would 100% give him resources as long as he asked. I think she’s just sorta the type to leave you be until you asked or really needed help and stuff

Hunter would get into history and books, I feel like he wouldn’t like fantasy that much because of how different humanities view on the magical and mythical is from his reality. He might get intrigued by a few things though.

So in the coven I feel his emotions were pretty stunted, same with his person but a few things I can get from him is he is very loyal and fiercely protective. It takes quite a bit to get him to leave someone. Speaking of leaving.

This boy has ✨abandonment issues✨ (don’t we all tho? I mean like, you’re here, aren’t you??)

And everything he’s been given is conditional. He even said himself that chances have to be earned. The fear he showed in eclipse lake? Just how irrational he became out of fear of failure? He doesn’t get love for free, he doesn’t get kindness for free, everything is a ploy to gain your favour, everything has an ulterior motive. Just because he isn’t with Belos anymore does not mean any of his trauma magically disappeared.

Because a lot of people are willing to backstab you in the coven (I bet it’s a very “dog eat dog” kind of environment) hunter would have trust issues as well. He’s scared of people leaving him but he’s scared of letting people close.

It’s a steep learning curve for him but eventually he starts to trust others more often and stop being so scared of them leaving.

Another thing I gathered about his personality is that he is very protective, he’s willing to put his life on the life for those he cares about.

Another thing is he can be very patient. When the time calls for it.

He’s also very dedicated and is self-disciplined. If he saw a pile of dirty dishes or his room was messy he’d go “I should clean that.” And then he would. He is god tier in being self disciplined.

I believe he can not cook to save his life. Absolutely the worst. It will be burnt and he’d put it in the freezer to try and make it not burnt. He’d try his best and it just wouldn’t work. I’ll bet he does however have a green thumb.

Feels guilty for all the wrong he’s done as the golden guard and everything the golden guard represents so he’d try to make up for it.

He just wants to be a good person and do good things. He wants to make people happy and he wants others to be proud of him. He craves validation and love but he needs to learn how to give it to himself first.