#because they aren't!! they're there to help!!!

[tealvenetianmask]

Inevitable Social Class Take/Why Ghostfuckers Solidified My Need for Blitz to Be "Just an Imp"

There's been discourse since . . . before I ever watched Helluva Boss, on whether Blitz might be half or one quarter incubus, based on a family portrait where his mother, Tilla, looks unusually tall, and her horns lack the thin white stripes usually seen on female imp horns, making them look more like succubus horns. After Ghostfuckers, where Tilla appeared with the stripes on her horns, people are saying that the theory is unlikely. I say GOOD.

Now, let me solidify before I get into this that it's not that I think hybrid imps in Hell aren't also looked down on or treated like shit (look at Striker and the number Hell's society has done on him). It's that Blitz being an incubus hybrid would suggest that he has magical powers of a sort, and that takes away a bit from what I think is so awesome about him.

He has no powers. Only his skill, creativity, spontaneity, optimism, intelligence, and heart. What he does, and what he is at his core, utterly disproves Hell's prejudices about imps and their "purpose."

In the flashback to the time when Blitz and Millie met, Millie flat-out refuses to believe that Blitz works for himself. Because imps work for demons higher in Hell's hierarchy-- it's how the society works.

Blitz could so easily present himself as an exception here (special parentage or no), but instead he presents his worldview as an alternative to what he and Millie have both been taught. Essentially: I can do it. So WE can do it. SO LET'S CHANGE OUR WORLD.

Later, he gives Millie a pep talk that solidifies this worthiness idea.

The idea is really deeply ingrained . . . yikes. But Blitz will have none of it.

And that's what makes him special. Not that he's better than anyone else. The way that he can see beyond prescribed roles and defy society's expectations. And help others see themselves as worthy of doing this too!

Also. ALSO Blitz says he's as fuckable and business savy as any succubus. Which one COULD argue means he's similar to them or has some of their powers. OR it's essentially "I can do what they do without their powers hahaha FUCK LIMITATIONS." (The second is the more empowering option in my opinion.)

He's breaking down society's prejudices one imp assassin at a time! Would this be possible if Blitz were a hybrid and had special powers? Sure. But I definitely think it's more powerful FOR MILLIE without that. If Blitz can be this capable and confident, so can she.

Okay-- that brings us to the final confrontation with Rolando. This guy seems to really buy into Hell's typical attitude toward imps.

Thematically, he's throwing the typical prejudices at them and using his "higher demon" powers to intimidate and seemingly easily defeat them.x

But what defeats him?

Millie's confidence that Blitz inspired, that she believes at her very core, even if she still carries some insecurities.

And Blitz . . . well . . . thinking outside the box and dropping the vacuum cleaner ghostsucker thing in the pool.

Rolando gives Blitz a look like "nice display of confidence- you've got nothing."

And Blitz notices something he can use . . .

And frankly obliterates the guy.

So what's the antidote to the racism and social class issues in Hell? Well they'll probably be around for some time, just like the ones in our society. But they can be challenged for now by the gang just being their fantastic selves- Millie being strong and self-assured, and Blitz being innovative in the moment. And Loona and Moxxie doing SOMETHING when they come back into action. xD

And all of them believing that they're worthy.

[dreamerdrop]

Garashir just ticks like. Every box in every way, in thousands of different ways, all at once.

The moral ambiguity. The trauma. The angst. The shared sense of humour. The age gap. The constantly switching power dynamics between two people who refuse to be open with anyone, including themselves. The inherent "I know I don't always know you but I trust you and I'll do this for you" that comes with all of that.

The refusal to walk away, the mutual fascination and obsession, the willingness to bend their own sense of self to try and see the other more clearly.

They are both so traumatised and so lonely and have so much difficulty connecting to others, but they form such an immediate easy connection that goes beyond being friends or not friends. They are both so terrified of someone seeing them for exactly who they are because they think that person is grotesque and unlovable, but they're not.

Neither of them is the monster they think they are, and they see that in each other but not in themselves. Even when they aren't together, even when they aren't around, their character arcs are so wrapped up in what they've brought to one another.

Julian becoming darker, letting go of so much idealism out of fear of losing those he loves, and Garak stepping up, slowly becoming a person he thought he could never be, someone who is kind and heroic, even if he'll still do horrible things, he will do them because he's doing it to help someone who needs that help, for the greater good. Garak demonstrating through the person he becomes that Julian was never, never wrong for trusting him, for believing in him, for forgiving him.

Garak becoming someone through the war who validates all the idealism that the war made Julian try to kill off inside himself, that he thankfully never really could.

They're both self-sacrificing to a fault, Julian revels in it, wraps himself in it as a defence from all his self-loathing and pain, and Garak tries so hard to deny it to himself, to pretend he would never put anyone ahead of himself, ahead of Cardassia, but he does, again and again. He is far more selfless than he gives himself credit for, and likewise, Julian deserves far more selfishness than he allows himself to indulge in.

The shared pride and hubris giving way to the broken foundations they were both raised upon, moulded into someone they hated by parents who let them down, by a universe that couldn't see them beyond labels and histories and crimes. So closely guarded with names chosen for themselves, peppering hints of themselves without ever giving enough away to anyone who won't work for it.

But they do work for it, for each other. They see those little hints, they piece them together for each other because it matters, it matters if it's for them.

They're mirror images and opposites and so different and so similar, and they wouldn't be who they are without each other, pulling them along into becoming someone new.

I don't care if they were in love or not, it's such a tiny speck in the giant abstract mess that is their entire relationship. Lovers, friends, family, a spy and his mark, a doctor and his patient, a friendly acquaintance, a distant former comrade, it doesn't matter.

They're just... everything.

[certifiedsexed]

Is it normal to be attracted to people who do not share your sexuality? I'm a 19yr old bisexual trans man, and for some reason I keep finding myself crushing on lesbians and I feel really bad about it. I tend to prefer androgynous or masculine styles of presentation regardless of gender, so a lot of the women I'm attracted to end up being butch (or just generally more masc) lesbians because that's just how the demographics play out in my area. I've been scared out of pursuing women in general bc of this, especially since some of my friends say I'm "just like a creepy straight man" for feeling any sort of romantic/sexual attraction for someone who'd never be into me. I try to keep all my thoughts to myself, I never make advances on anyone if I don't already know them in some capacity, and I've been trying so hard to change my preferences so this won't keep happening, but I'm scared my friends are right. I don't want to be viewed as creepy or predatory, but I just don't know how to stop my feelings and I feel like I'm trapped.

It is in fact very, very common to be attracted to people who don't share your sexuality! Most people don't ask others their sexuality before becoming attracted to them, it's not even a factor for most people.

For example, "I fell in love with another straight girl" is a common joke in the sapphic/lesbian community because sexuality is rarely a factor for whether people are attracted to other people and sometimes that can be a little unfortunate.

There's nothing creepy about being attracted to people who aren't into you! As long as you're being appropriate and not harassing anyone, you're fine. You don't even have to "keep it to yourself", its okay to approach people sometimes! Just keep it consensual.

If someone says "back off" or "I don't want to talk right now", back off. You can even ask, "is it okay if I talk to you for a sec?", that's great!

You don't need to stop your feelings. You can't change your sexuality like that and changing your preferences by force doesn't really work.

It's fine for you to be attracted to women, including women who aren't attracted to you. There's nothing wrong or predatory about that.

If your friends keep making comments like that, maybe try telling them they're hurting your feelings. They might not realize and if they keep doing that, those aren't your friends. Those are people bullying you and you need to take some space from that.

I'm not sure if this helps but I hope it does. Let me know if you have any other questions. <3

[bonefall]

a while ago you said that Starclan cats design kittens and customize them with patterns and colors from their parents genes. So, do the clan cats raise any eyebrows when it comes to people who know cat genetics? Is there a geneticist who is holding their head wondering how these two cats have this colored kit while their starclan designer was just playing around? Or do the Starclan designers still have to stay within the rules?

Basically, do the humans notice that some of these clan cats are sparkle cats lol

I try to not get too "lost in the weeds" since the humans aren't the focus of the story, just taking care that they DO have real motivations behind their actions rather than construction crews materializing out of nowhere to Do A Chaos, but...

First, the genetics of cats in Albion are different than humans in equivalent Great Britain.

Partially, this is because I honestly just don't really enjoy learning about in-depth genetics or applying them realistically. I like drawing anime characters and writing anime battles, so they have anime genetics. But more than that, off-screen, the intelligence of cats has altered the timeline of this world.

If cats really were capable of higher thinking, that totally would have had some butterfly effects. I like dropping crazy alt-history and then not elaborating on it, because it's funny. Archimedes' cat helped him invent a death ray, btw.

On that note of genetics though, you guessed right. StarClan designers DO have to work with what they have. Whatever the genetics of this alternate universe of cats are, every kit born still abides by the laws of nature.

Which brings me to...

Second, the researchers do notice that the Clan cats are special. In fact, there is a "study of magic" in this universe-- Thaumatology. "The science of wonder."

(There's no world where magic actually factually exists that science isn't all over it lmao)

Thaumatology facts I haven't shared so far since it's all offscreen and just Bonus Worldbuilding;

It is a "soft science," not a hard one.

It has a LOT of problems with replicability. Thaumatologists and Quantum Physicists have a lot of in-jokes.

The most well known (to the point of being a cliche) is "magic and quantum particles both hate being watched."

Magic is highly variable based on a bajillion very personal factors, like emotion, environment, culture, personal background, etc, so it's severely difficult to re-create it in controlled environments.

Thaumatology has a lot of overlap with sociology, archeology, and theology, so people from these fields work together a lot.

There was absolutely not a dedicated Thaumatologist working in the Research Team early on, sadly.

It was probably discovered when the Battle of the True Eclipse blew out a bunch of field cameras.

It's pretty common that photography equipment fritzes out a bit during "supernatural" times like eclipses, but the damage was extensive enough to be noteworty

The Clan cats were initially notable just for the fact they had advanced culture.

Cats are usually comparable to crows and monkeys, in this universe. So cats with fire and a crude writing system were enough to SHAKE the field of zoology.

The fact they're cats helped a lot. The public loves cats, enough that since their discovery after Speckletail attacked a bulldozer, massive outcry has secretly helped the Clans several times.

The discovery that the culture also has Thaumatological elements is more of a goldmine for a scientist than the public, though.

It's common knowledge that "animals are magic," because humanity projects traits onto them. "Of course they do, they're cats...?"

The Thaumatologist is freaking out because "THE CAT IS PROVABLY DOING ITS OWN THAUMATURGY"

Most people don't know the difference between Thaumaturgy (the functional work it does on the world) and Thaumology (the study of that as a whole), so this particular scientist is going to have a hard time explaining WHY this distinction is so special.

(And possibly even offensive to certain groups, who would insist only humans are capable of this)

In any case, eventually there would be Thaumatological interest in the Clan cats, but they weren't there in the mid to late 2010s when BB!ASC takes place.

[destinationtrekk]

I want a long explanation of Albert's mental state after re5, you know....ummm, I mean, how much does his behavior and actions change? How will he feel about himself? Will he suffer from depression or such disorders? How will be his relationship with the reader?

I hope I didn't bother you ❤️❤️

awh, asks are never a bother!! wi will say I think @nshtn is much better at describing wesker's psyche than me, but my version of post re5!wesker (i call him uroboros!wesker) is different than theirs.

also holy shit this is 1200 words, i don't know what happened

i think immediately after re5, there's no change. physiclly, he's incredibly weak and in near-constant pain as uroboros heals him. you dote on him religiously, desperate to keep him alive as well, and this is what begins his mental shift. it does take a few months, but he slowly comes to realize how much he needs you past his surface level sexual desire and trust in you as a "lackey" basically

not that he never felt affection for you, but he certainly labelled it as something superficial - what one would feel for a pet, perhaps. now that he has nothing to do except sit around and feel sorry for himself and struggle with his feelings toward his own virus in his body, he feelings for you morph quite a bit.

but first, his self-perception. after spending his life comparing himself and those around him to Spencer, he had a serious ego problem and god-complex. he literally calls himself a god in re5, and gods don't lose the game - except he did. i think wesker sees the world as pretty black and white. you're either an asset or an enemy, worthy or a waste, and the only time in his life when this mindset fractured was in stars.

he saw many, many people as an officer who made genuine mistakes that put them in awful situations - criminals who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and victims who just wanted a way out. he finally had a glimpse of humanity's reality, that regular people had to fight to survive like he did, except they get to be happy when they survive something. he never had that. it was survive or fail, and you don't get to be happy about it when your only other option is to die. i think marcus' death absolutely had to do something to his psyche as well, definitely as a motivator to 'stay on the path paved for you, and be obedient, or bad things will happen."

so in stars he feels conflicted emotions about the reality of his childhood, but they're temporary and quickly get repressed again as his life goes on. they resurface post-re5 because he sees how you interact with others, and he really has nothing else to do except to think about it.

this obsession with analyzing his own upbringing couples rather poorly with his feelings for you, now fully fledged as romantic and devoted. of course, he refuses to say anything. he now believes that he's worthless, a failure, and his life's work has been utterly destroyed. wesker is the kind of person who needs a goal and clear objectives, and without them he feels like he'll drown in his own thoughts. which is exactly what he's doing!

you notice his odd behavior immediately, from the way he refuses compliments that used to make him cocky, and how he rarely (if ever) asks you for anything. you were basically his assistant before, and now he apologizes for even having a harsh tone with you. he can't fathom how you care so deeply for a failure like him, and why you aren't using helping to save his life against him. because that's what people do, right? they take and give and everything has to be a favor that helps you climb to the top.

well, you never actually cared about him being on the top, so you take it upon yourself to confess first. surely he's always known how you felt about him, smirking at your blushing reactions and lusty stares, but he reacts bad when you finally tell him. he thinks this is how you're making him repay for saving his life, by humiliating and debasing him for his romantic attachment to you.

this is a shock to you, because you thought he was moping out of self-pity, not a midlife, self-exploratory bout of depression. it hurts both of your feelings - he thinks you've played him by being kind for something in return, and you're heartbroken that the man you love doesn't trust you anymore.

it takes a while for him to come around. you double down on your affection and explanations, trying to dismantle his fragile mindset piece by piece. he's resistant, somehow convincing himself that he's trapped in some sick mind game that you're manipulating, because he's too thick to just give in. he doesn't know how to accept love or, frankly, get the fuck over himself. yes, he failed. yes, his life's work is kind of ruined. but he has a new lease on life, if he would just accept it.

what finally pulls him out of this spiral is a kiss. you've been pleading with him for days, trying to get him to just talk to you and work this out, because you can't keep living in this emotional hell. he's snippy and rude and exhausted, because he feels the same. he can't bear to be around you anymore, so he tells you to leave him the hell alone. you're in his new office, having switched safe houses a few times until you could finally settle, and this most recent, permanent move is why you've been so upset.

why does he think you're sticking around? he still has access to nearly all of his resources, if he really wanted you gone he could leave without telling you. he's well healed now, except for a few things he'll likely deal with forever, but he's keeping you around. he knows he can't let go of you, but he's still so resistant to everything you're offering.

he's standing hunched over his desk, hands white-knuckling the dark mahogany, broad shoulders and back facing you so he can hide him expression from you. his voice is strained, like he's barely holding himself together while you're openly crying. this is unbearable, but you comply with his wishes.

your last move is to walk closer, your hand lightly settling on his elbow while you press your forehead to his bicep, seeking any tiny sliver of comfort you can find in him. you leave a gentle kiss on his arm, as well as a wet patch of your tears, before you walk away, silent except the heartbreaking sound of your sniffling.

this shatters him. he spends the rest of the day destroying himself, but he vows it's the last time he'll wallow in misery. it takes time, but he slowly begins to open up to you, admitting to his poor mental health and struggles with finding purpose. how he can't fathom your love for him, but he can't fight his own attachment to you either. he cries when you kiss his lips for the first time, but he fails to hide his smile when you pull away.

later in life, years after the devastation that was Kijuju, he's a different man. he's still a little flighty and calculating, but he's fast to comfort and reassure you, expressing himself freely and communicating instead of lashing out or pushing you away. you both still work on...well, everything. your lives have been tragic and painful, especially his own, but he's never felt so secure as he does with you. he truly loves you, and he'll do anything he can to keep himself from ever hurting you again.

[intuitively-her]

First energy I'm picking up on somebody that you recently cut off or you need to. This could be someone apart of your friend group. I feel like you were put into a situation with this person that made you realize that they aren't really down for you like you thought. You made the right decision cutting them off. They are a straight up user and opportunist. Now they're pissed because they can no longer eat off your plate. They are now forced to watch you be happy from afar.

Second energy This is someone that works in the same field as you. I feel like most of you know who this is. This person tries to one-up everything you do. They might even try to dress better than you. This energy is SO immature lol. It feels very petty and tit for tat. My advice is to just ignore them. Don't give them any type of reaction because that's exactly what they want. For some of you, this person will try to extend an "olive branch" and act like they want to help you with something. DO NOT accept anything from them. They want to sabotage what you have going on.

Message from spirit📞 Stop worrying/overthinking so much about this situation. We are protecting you all the way through. Put your focus back into what matters most as you go through this transition.

Main energy This is a family member or lover. This could also be a sibling or parent maybe? I feel like y'all aren't as close as used to be. You could feel like you're outgrowing this person. They feel very rejected by you right now. This person has shown you time and time again that they are unreliable. They are jealous the love and praise that you receive from others.

Message from spirit📞 Allow this relationship to fall. You know this person cannot come with you.

First energy I'm getting strong 3rd party vibes. There is someone that feels like you have what's theirs or vice versa. I keep hearing "he/she's mine!" This is making me think of that movie "Obsession". Go watch that. Someone here recently found out that “their person” is dealing with someone else and they are PISSED.😭 This is "the other woman/man." They are mad that they no longer have access to your person. Especially if your person has money and likes to spoil/take care of you. I feel like your person was juggling you and this other individual in the past, or maybe they dated them once and things didn't work out. Regardless, this other woman/man is mad because your person chose to be with you instead. Don't pay this person any mind lol.

Second energy This is your ex. This person is lurking harddd on your socials. You've probably been noticing hella fake pages popping up on your feed, and it's definitely them. If you've started dating again or talking to someone new, they are mad as hell.🤣

Message from spirit📞 You need to do some self-reflection. Heal from the things that once hurt you. Figure out what you love about yourself/ what you'd like to change. Do more of what makes you happy. Cut out distractions and meditate for a clearer outlook.

*ONLY TAKE WHAT RESONATES*

💖Please DO NOT copy, repost, or steal my work. Thanks!💖

[smytherines]

Someone made a "what if they both fell" post the other day, and I can't stop thinking about it but also I don't want to swarm someone's post with my own unhinged ranting. So here's my little idk wish fulfillment fantasy--

Owen falls, and Curt catches him. But he isn't anchored to anything, and the force of the fall drags him along as well. They both fall onto the partially-closed safety barricade

Owen lands in a much worse position, he's bleeding and unconscious and has several severe injuries. Curt somehow lands a little bit better, he has a broken leg and a broken arm, but he's still conscious. He drags himself over to Owen, not sure if he's even still alive, desperately feeling for a pulse and trying to get a response out of him. Owen opens his eyes and reaches out for Curt, and they have a brief moment together. They're facing certain death, and with that knowledge of their impending doom they tell each other the things they always meant to say

Curt holds onto Owen as the lab explodes beneath them, and they both lose consciousness

Curt wakes up in a Russian cell, badly injured and unable to walk but alive. In some distant part of the building he can hear someone screaming in agony, and he knows in his heart that it's Owen. But naturally, their captors aren't going to allow the two spies who just blew up their weapons facility to have any contact with each other. They're too valuable as prisoners

Curt thrashes and threatens, and tries and tries and tries to get to Owen. But he can't. His injuries and the guards on his door won't allow it. But he knows Owen is in that building, somewhere, alive

Eventually, the US makes a trade-- Curt for a Russian spy they've been holding. Curt is heavily sedated because he keeps trying to escape and worsening his injuries. He wakes up in a military hospital, with Cynthia standing over him. He asks about Owen, and she changes the subject. But he keeps asking, keeps telling Cynthia that Owen is alive and they have to get him out of there. Eventually, Cynthia tells him-- in the kindest way she can manage-- that according to MI6 Owen died from his injuries

But Curt refuses to believe it. He knows that Owen is alive, and nobody can convince him otherwise. Cynthia tries to reason with him, tells him they aren't going to put any resources towards rescuing a corpse. So Curt quits. And he heals up enough to be able to walk. And then he sets out on his own mission to find his partner

Curt busts down the door of every Russian facility he can find, but there is no trace of Owen. Barb is trying to help him on the side, not because she believes him but because she cares enough about him to not let him take on a suicide mission on his own. She gently tries to convince him that Owen is gone

And Curt starts to think maybe he really is losing his mind. That maybe Owen died months ago, and he just can't accept it because he feels responsible for it. He convinces Barb to support him in one more mission, one more facility, and if he doesn't find a lead on Owen then he will come home

There's nothing. No sign of him.

Curt starts to break down, smashing up the random Russian office he's in, sobbing on the floor, confronted with the reality that maybe Owen really is dead. That this feeling he's been carrying in his gut ever since he was freed was wrong

And then, at his absolute lowest, when he finally has to accept that the man he loves is gone, he sees a piece of paper in that wrecked office with a familiar name on it-- Carvour, O

And another name he doesn't recognize-- Chimera

[ipleadbritney]

afterglow foretold

osctober day 30: afterglow

sebmark, landoscar, winter break

Oscar has always known Mark sees more than Lando-and-Oscar. He sees Seb-and-Mark. He sees the young rocket whose name is synonymous with their team, whose career is connected to the number 4, who the media loves to hate and hates to love, who really is so far removed from Lando, but Oscar and Mark aren't.

It didn't have to be Lando. It's everyone who'll drive next to Oscar. It didn't help though, that it's Lando. Oscar's dreams looked a lot like Lando back then.

Mark tells him to be careful, traces old tricks over new tracks for Oscar. When Seb and I crashed, Seb used to, Seb did this, Seb would, Seb.

Oscar doesn't know if Mark realizes it's always Seb, never Sebastian nor Vettel nor any of the horrible names they used to call each other.

At the end of his second year in F1, Oscar witnessed Seb and I firsthand.

Mark pulls Oscar out of his lazy winter break routine, sends him the pin for a random area in Melbourne. He instructs Oscar to wear “inconspicuous” clothes. Lando has always judged Oscar's style for being boring, which means Oscar doesn't think much when he throws together a plain shirt and black shorts. He leaves his favorite McLaren hat behind.

When Oscar shows up, Mark promptly shoves a pair of sunglasses on his head and tells him to blend in. Easy, actually, because there's a crowd in hats and shades, waiting for the bike race to end.

Mark's disguise, by the way, is worse.

“It's winter break,” Oscar deadpans. Even he's had enough of racing. He hasn't returned any texts from the drivers. Alex learns he's no longer in Monaco from Twitter.

Mark points at the banner. “It's for charity.”

Correction: it's for Seb.

They watch Seb cross the line, head tilted back and laughing. The sun is behind him, and he is glowing.

Mark never showed this side of his life to Oscar before. He knows what people say, all the lessons they expect Oscar has learned at this point. It's partly true, but there's still a whole other part Oscar has never seen. Until now.

Maybe Mark's able to show Oscar more of it— more of him and Seb —because Oscar now understands. He's got Lando.

Oscar finds himself smiling, finds himself calling Lando halfway across the world.

It's early morning wherever Lando is, and his nose is covered in glitter.

“I'll drop by next week,” Lando says. His voice is scratchy and real.

“Will you?”

“Sure. ‘Course. If you'll have me, Osc.”

They've done this dance before, ran this joke down to the ground. Oscar still laughs.

Lando's with his crew. He'll visit Daniel first. He's out partying with both Maxes, and he ran into Charles somewhere up in the mountains. But alright, Oscar will take it for what it is.

The call lasts three minutes. Lando's signal is horrible, and Oscar doesn't need Mark explaining to him the delicate balance of teammate dynamics.

Oscar misses Lando more afterwards.

When Mark coaches Oscar, making sure no clause in his contract will fuck him over, pulling apart rules of engagement, Oscar wonders who Seb is and who Mark is in Lando-and-Oscar. Who Mark sees him as, who he expects him to be, who he wants him to be.

Some years in the future, they'll be fine. Like Seb and Mark. They're taking a picture now, Seb's medal in between them.

It also means that first things first, Lando and Oscar are barrelling towards something that will ruin them. They already have, sort of.

But there's the after— and the after is worth it. Mark tells him that, too.

[sysmedsaresexist]

Today we're once again reminded of the levels of cruelty people are capable of.

I missed most of the drama with the bait accounts, but I want to offer some positivity and solace to those affected.

Many of you actually cared about the fake child behind the screen. You wanted to help, you sent kindness and support, and I watched many of you worry in private on discord-- everyone was very realistic about the claims. Obviously they were probably wrong, but goddamn, they needed help.

Don't be embarrassed or ashamed that you fell for it.

You are a good person, who sees good in the world.

You aren't gullible or easily manipulated.

You are still capable of trust, and you should be so proud of yourself for manging to hold on to that trait after everything you've been through.

Don't let this do further damage to you. Don't be angry with yourself, don't lose that faith in the good of humanity.

Don't let sick people trick you into thinking the world is full of only horrible people. Don't let yourself become more skeptical, because that's what they want.

Continue to believe survivors

In Canada, we have a saying.

"Better that someone abuse the system, than for someone who needs it to not have access."

Stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this.

When we talk about Universal Healthcare with Americans, this topic comes up a lot. "But people will abuse the system."

Yes, but more people actually need and use the system appropriately. You can't allow bad people to harm everyone. Everyone loses in that case.

As proof:

We pay less in taxes than Americans, and still get free Healthcare. I take home more money than you, and still get more out of it. The myth that our waitlists are months long is fake and orchestrated by American insurance companies.

Consider, for a second, how your background plays into your beliefs and skepticism regarding these topics. Maybe I was just raised to be more trusting, I don't know.

But I certainly don't think the mindset is harmful.

You can read interviews on the isstd website with clinicians that were working during the satanic panic. One interview stood out to me in particular.

Imagine for a second that you have a patient sitting in front of you. They tell you that they have dreams about being abused by a satanic cult. They give you details of these dreams and you talk through them together. For now, you're focused on how these dreams affect them. Are they losing sleep? Is their daily life affected? Anxiety? They begin to tell you about their paranoia, and how people they recognize are in the dreams.

You probe a bit deeper.

They wonder aloud if maybe it happened in real life.

How do you respond? Really think about how your response will come across.

This was the satanic panic.

The ISSTD didn't find their patients themselves. Doctors from across the world referred their patients to the ISSTD's treatment program in Chicago. The doctors at the ISSTD trusted the referring doctors, who had already done the majority of work and background gathering (meaning the ISSTD met these clients long after they had made their claims, rather than "implanting" those memories themselves). Police were involved trying to sort through all the information to find real culprits. Everyone was terrified. No one knew what was happening or who to trust or believe. It looked real.

In the back of every doctor's mind was the question, "What if they're telling the truth?"

Many doctors didn't believe their clients, but telling them that to their face would be bad practice.

This large scale hysteria was something no one was prepared for. They were flying by the seat of their pants, hoping for the best and that an answer would fall from the sky.

Yes, many of the claims were fake. Whether they were consciously made up, or stand-in pseudomemories for real abuse (a well-documented thing), and the rare cases mixed in that were genuine-- doctors tried to take their clients' claims at face value.

Imagine you tell your doctor about your abuse and they say, "that sounds a bit extreme, I don't think that's possible."

Programmed DID existed before the panic, it exists to this day. Just because you can't find the research doesn't mean it isn't there.

By claiming something specific isn't real, you also discredit the abuse leading up to it.

Let me put it another way, who cares if programmed DID is possible? Organized and ritual abuse is real. Trafficking, CSA films, war crimes, conversion groups, churches. DID is real.

Grey Faction and TST want you to stay in the mindset that it's more important to weed out fakers and malingerers than to trust people in the hopes you help just one person in a real way. They want you to be skeptical of everyone and everything in order to maintain their public image, because if you look too hard, you'll see the terrible things they have done.

GF has a bad habit of being like, "The TST doesn't take part in LARGE SCALE MURDER AND CANNIBALISM, that's not even real, it was debunked during the panic," as if to say anything less severe isn't worthy of note and also must not be real. It's surprisingly effective, and by connecting more absurd ideas with RAMCOA and the ISSTD, they manage to discredit huge swathes of the field.

Some people like to think they took the red pill, and that they've ascended to a higher level of intelligence with a new, better ability to look at things impartially, when they're really just assholes falling for bullshit. They hurt real survivors and still think they're in the right.

It's vile behavior done for cheap kicks and internet brownie points. Even 4chan types wouldn't go that far or be that pathetic.

Who else could look someone in the face and say, "I don't believe you."

They want you to think they're better than you, but which is better?

Outward and vocal skepticism and dismissal, or quiet, thoughtful reflection with the longterm goal of helping this person find their truth?

Some of you would make much better doctors than others.

The bad people aren't the ones "faking" or lying. Those people at mentally ill and still deserving of help.

The bad people are the ones who want to dismiss every claim because one person once lied about it.

Don't lose your faith. Don't let this set you back. We need more people like you.

I'm proud of you for caring about people.

What happened will further stigmatize survivors, it did real damage to people. You're not alone.

Don't let them win, you did the right things.

Stay safe, everyone.

We survived this kind of discourse once on a much larger scale. We'll do it again.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest & @steddie-spooktober.

Smell My Feet

CCF Prompt: Envy & Spooktober Prompt: Trick or Treat | Word Count: 1313 | Rating: T | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Pre-Steddie? They're Kiddos | CW: Latchkey Kids | Tags: Pre-Series, Trick or Treating, Halloween Night, Making a New Temporary Friend Was So Much Easier As Kids

Whoa. This neighborhood is crazy. Eddie pulls up on his bicycle, and looks around. Taking in all the houses. The big, big houses that probably have all the best candy. Kids are running everywhere, criss-crossing the streets, yelling at their friends.

And Eddie can't help but wonder what they're getting. Good stuff, he bets. 

Eddie is all by himself, with Wayne at work. Eddie doesn't know anyone very well, not yet, making friends is hard, especially when you show up a month and half after the first day, but that's okay. He doesn't mind all that much. He's used to moving around.

Tonight though, he's too busy watching the other kids as they're hitting all the houses on the block. He'd listened to his classmates at school gossiping about where the best trick-or-treating would be. He couldn't help but feel jealous hearing them chatter about what they got last year, including dollar bills from the Smith's and the best homemade orange popcorn balls from Ms. Ellen, whoever that is.

All Eddie knew is that he wanted full-size candy bars, dollar bills and orange popcorn balls, too. So, he put on his costume, the cheap plastic thing from Melvald's, and rode his bike the seven miles to get here.

His legs hurt, the pants are kind of shredded, and Wayne's definitely gonna kill him. He was supposed to stay in the trailer park. Trick-or-treat there, because Wayne got thrown on the schedule at the plant, at the last minute. It happens. Eddie's used to it. He's good at taking care of himself. 

But tonight's Halloween. 

And Eddie doesn't want to trick-or-treat in the trailer park, because Eddie knows his neighbors. Knows what he'd get, and he didn't want a pillowcase full of peanut butter kisses and Sixlets.

Instead, he dreams of full size candy bars. Snickers and Hershey and Reeses. 

And Wayne drove him through Loch Nora, showing him the houses he planned to take him to, and Eddie's good at memorizing things he's seen before, so he had no problem getting back. Even if it took a long time. Even if his legs burned from riding uphill.

But he forgets that, the second the candy starts rolling in. And it is good stuff.

After leaning his bike against a tree in the yard, Eddie knocks on the door, remembers to say trick-or-treat, and is surprised to see another little boy standing there with an orange Tupperware bowl of full-size candy bars in his hands.

"Pick one," the boy says, and Eddie looks at all the choices, before taking one from the bowl. 

"Thank you," Eddie says, remembering to be polite. Before he had to work, Uncle Wayne had said they could come to the rich neighborhood, but that Eddie had to be good and polite if they did. Uncle Wayne might not be with him to see if he's polite or not, but he'll still try his best.

The other boy nods, and Eddie can't help asking, "Why aren't you out trick-or-treating?"

The boy shrugs, "My parents aren't home yet. So, I'm answering the door until they get here. And now my friends have already gone without me, anyway. It's okay."

"Oh," Eddie says, and it's not okay. Eddie would hate to miss trick-or-treating. He lingers on the step, then says, "Well, if your parents get home, you can go trick-or-treating with me, if you want to."

"Okay, yeah," the kid says, looking a little happier than he did when he answered the door.

"I'm Eddie," Eddie tells him.

"I'm Steve."

"Okay, Steve. I'll be back later."

"If you forget, that's okay, too," Steve says, and Eddie's not gonna forget. His memory is good.

"I won't forget. You got a costume?"

And Steve nods.

"Good. Get it on."

Steve nods again, and Eddie smiles. He can hit a few more houses, and then go back to see if Steve's ready to go get some candy. 

Eddie takes a long look at the house, memorizing where it sits, and pedals off towards the next house.

Twenty minutes later, Eddie returns, Steve comes out, and he's wearing a Donald Duck mask.

"My mom picked it," Steve says, pushing it up onto the top of his head, and Eddie decides not to make fun. At least Steve still has a mom to pick out his costumes, as stupid as he looks.

"They still aren't home," Steve says.

Eddie takes the bowl, and puts it on the porch, "Got a pen and paper?"

Sign made, they get on their bikes and take off down the bustling street, looking for their first house.

House after house, they run around the whole neighborhood. Steve gives him tips on houses he might have missed otherwise without his inside info.

"Do it," Eddie urges as he pushes the bell and Steve giggles.

The door opens, and Eddie nudges Steve.

"Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat," they both sing-song, and the lady behind the door laughs. Eddie can't believe he got Steve to do it.

"Oh, Steven," she says, but gives them both a big handful of candy.

They both say thank you, and Eddie's having fun. Steve's a year younger than he is, so that's why he's never seen him before at school, but he's tall. Taller than Eddie. 

Eddie's pillowcase is getting heavy and a little hard to handle.

When Steve says he's gotten enough, Eddie happily throws in the towel, too.

Back at Steve's house, they lay on the floor of the huge living room on their bellies, spreading all their candy out, ready to make trades. Steve's parents still haven't come home, and Eddie wonders if they just work late sometimes like Wayne. 

Eddie needs to go.

"Maybe we should ask the neighbor next door to drive you home," Steve says, "it's pretty late."

"I'll be okay," Eddie says, but he does worry about all that candy weighing him down.

Steve follows him to the door, "Thanks for going with me."

Eddie just nods, "Find me at recess. We'll hang out."

And Steve grins, and Eddie really hopes he does.

Steve walks him to his bike, and the streets are pretty empty, trick-or-treating over for another year. Maybe next year Eddie can come back here and do it with Steve again. 

There's one set of headlights, and Steve holds Eddie back at the end of the driveway. It slows as soon as the headlights catch sight of them.

It's a woman, and she rolls down the window, asking kindly, "Steve. It's a little late to be on your bikes, isn't it?"

Steve isn't even on a bike, Eddie thinks. 

"Hi, Nurse Claudia," Steve says, then looks at Eddie. "Um, I know. We lost track of time. This is Eddie. He's just going to ride home."

"Do you live around here, Eddie?" she asks.

And Eddie shakes his head. 

"Can I give you a ride home, then?" she asks, and Eddie really doesn't want to get in with a stranger all by himself. He looks in the backseat and she does have a little kid in a car seat, dressed as a pumpkin.

"Nurse Claudia used to work at the school, before she had a baby," Steve offers, and Eddie nods. That's probably okay, then. It was a long way from the trailer park to here, and now it's dark and cold.

A ride wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay. Thank you," Eddie says, and Steve helps him load his bike into the back hatch of her car, the little kid sound asleep in the backseat, plastic pumpkin clutched in his fist.

Eddie crawls into the front seat, and waves at Steve as they pull away.

"So, Eddie, where do you live?" Nurse Claudia asks.

"Forest Hills Trailer Park," Eddie answers.

"Dustin and I will be happy to take you home. That's a long way, huh?"

If you want to write your own, or see more entries, check out @corrodedcoffinfest to read takes on all the Seven Deadly Sins, or to offer up your own!

For more Spooktober, pop on over to @steddie-spooktober to follow along with the fun!

Notes: I fucking love peanut butter kisses, Eddie, and I will not stand for this slander of them. The molasses taffy? The dry, crumbly peanut butter inside? Sign me up. (They were discontinued a few years ago, and I haven't seen any knockoffs of them locally.)

Want to see what costumes looked like in 1975? Enter at your own risk. (See: Donald Duck, top row, second from the right.)

And I was a door answering kid on Halloween. Though, for me, unlike for Steve, it was by choice. I liked to answer the door and hand out treat bags that I put together with my mom. It's still my favorite holiday.

Happy Halloween! 🎃

[nshtn]

The fringes of the city have claimed you as a patient - Doctor Wesker finds he's fallen for you during your stay. He's accidentally printed the values on your lab work off wrong! Oops. But you don't know that.

He guesses you'll just have to stay for observation with his name assigned to your case - how sad, boohoo... come the next few days, they're still not reaching normal thresholds.

Isn't that odd?

1.2k tags: softyan Wesker, medical - medplay;needles;intox;procedures;equipment;medical malpractice, suggestive, kidnapping - conditioning;relocating, dubcon (the assumption is that we like the attention, here), praise. courtesy to @playstation-dreamcast & @delenygma for letting me ramble :3 NOT the same medsker from the pinterest...;;

Please, take this pill from his fingers, take this injection in your IV, he'll piggyback this bag into that bag and feed it through this BD Alaris on 20 so he can tend to his other patients (who just aren't quite the pleasant thing that you are, unfortunately) while you gather your strength...

...don't worry, 20 is nice and low. You'll be quite alright, just a bit droopy...

Oh! He's back. You really, really don't look the picture of health... you are so pretty when you're sweating in his name, though... hm, what was that? You must be feverish - delirious, burning up! - because he didn't say a word.

It's just the medicine, of course. You're hallucinating, surely. He'll have to fix that.

He'll rerun your labs to be sure it's all working in the morning, all left your system... it's so very important to be thorough, you know? That personal touch is so important, he finds, in recovery. It's a good thing you've got Wesker and not the other doctors - they really don't care like he does.

...good morning! He just has to stick you with this butterfly needle and you'll be out of the ER, okay? Don't plead with him like that, it's important to rotate your IVs every 3 days. But... he sees that he's going to have to rub your arm to get your pretty, popping veins to surface. Ah, he'll have to dig... stubborn; you're such a spectacle, though, he supposes he doesn't mind.

Deep breaths, you're doing so well, it'll be over soon... he's not going this slow on purpose, no, it's a delicate process; you're delicate cargo he must deliver. And he will. He's the best in the ER, better than the entire port team, you're so lucky to have him as the sole operator of your case; imagine that, the Medical Director at your beck and call!

But a sweet little thing like you deserves nothing short of the best, don't you? That's why he's here. Such a shame that you'll soon return to a world that drains you of purpose and envenoms your faculties...

...look at that, he's hit a wonderful vein! It's already so eager to feed him what he needs to know about you! What a good, good patient you've been, so sweet and pliant and manipulable. Maybe an exploratory laparoscopy is out of your future! He'll be back to see you again in a little while, don't worry - he just needs to analyze these tubes he's filled, okay? You just lay there and let the IVs give you what you need. What a curious mind you've got - it's just like his, and it's a shame you're wasting it on people who waste you...

Oh... the lab work is still bad; you really must have a long-term illness, unfortunately. Maybe he should take you in his personal care since you hate the hospital so much! Wouldn't it be better to recover in an encouraging environment? Psychology taught him that patients recover faster when they're in a familiar area.

Now, now, don't fret... it's just until you feel better. You trust him, don't you? What do you mean he 'can't do that'? He's the Medical Director, dearheart; he oversees everything, he can make anyone disappear see reason.

He's got so many wonderful friends who help him stay in power. Why do you think all of his drugs come from this same, singular brand? Umbrella's manufacturing is precise... it's unbeatable; there's really no escape from their great offers, it was better if he just quietly gave in...

Ah, there you are... good patient! He knew you'd come around. It just took a little talking, hm? Well, hang tight, he'll get you something for the ride so it's not so bleary... he does live a little farther out in the Arklays than he'd prefer - it's a drab commute. Oh, driving to work every day is such a bore, really; it'll be so much more fun with a conversationalist like you around.

His whole day is a bore until he's around you. You're such a big talker, so intelligent! Your mind is being wasted. It'll be so nice to talk to someone who truly understands where he's coming from later - someone willing to learn - you.

That's it. Just take the pill from his fingers.

Hmm? Why doesn't he use a cup? Well, here's another lesson, since you're so very bright-eyed and clear-minded: in psychology, direct contact fosters... dependence friendliness; a friendly atmosphere is very important to your speedy recovery. You know, it makes you feel better - it's all about, ah, what do those kids say? The 'vibes'.

It really is interesting how the human mind conforms to positive stimuli, isn't it? The papers he's read these last few days have truly been illuminating points of research for him. Now, you just lay back and relax, dear...

...

...Oh, you were so good today: you fulfilled your required caloric intake, talked with him plenty on his day off, and you even let him put you in his lap. You've been so, so very sweet. You didn't nibble him once! Don't you deserve a treat for that? Oh, he thinks so; you're so cute when you shake, but he's not going to hurt you. It's only been a week or so, so he understands your mistrust with his intentions. God... well, if you asked him to, though... ah, but no matter, that is quite unprofessional of him, isn't it?

(He can't apologize - Wesker seems incapable of it, you've noticed, unless it's sarcastic.)

But it's just you two.

Nobody can hear you in here - so it's alright, he supposes some informality is within acceptable conversational bounds, no?

He's so sorry - and you know, you know that's not a real sorry - that he's kept you held up for so long, but the world really is just a horrible and unsuiting place for a flawless specimen of your magnitude - it's his job to keep you healthy, isn't it? It's his job to make you better, to teach you right from wrong... and you live in this horrible city that sleeps with secrets you can't even imagine in your wildest nightmares, things he simply cannot tell a petite prey animal like you; he'd have to kill you if you knew! He's only joking, calm down. Calm down now. Shh... he'll keep you safe, just rely on him...

That's it, lean back against him... hear the way his heart beats. Such a gentle, delicate thrum for you; a pleasant lull against your senses. Let him assume your responsibilities... isn't it better when you don't have to focus on them? There, there, it'll all be okay, he's here now, he's got you... you're safe, you're so safe now, nobody will hurt you anymore...

Cute. You're not shaking anymore... is that all it takes? He'll keep that in mind - you're really so very fascinating, you know that? Endlessly so, even... someone should really write a paper on your psyche. Do you mind?

Oh, silly him. He forgot to tell you! He's a researcher. Doctor? Yes, that, too, when it's necessary. He's very multifaceted - just like you! Surely you understand - he told you he was reading up on papers, didn't he? There was no misunderstanding, he just didn't specify.

What does he study? Another time, dearheart. You've got to settle down, now. It's important that you rest your mind.

Perhaps you need that oxy after all - oh, treat. Yes, treat. The treat... no, you don't want your treat?...

You've stopped shaking and today's the first day you haven't had to take your anti-anxiety treat! How splendid - you're such an avid learner!

You'll have plenty of time.

[kiefbowl]

hi, sorry for sending this outta nowhere but i guess i just need some advice. i'm a lesbian still in the closet, and there's a guy in my class who likes me. i know this because he straight up told me he'd like to be "at least friends" with me, and has called me hot "jokingly" before multiple times. the thing is, he's not a bad guy, if he wasn't into me i'd even like to be friends with him, but knowing he likes me that way makes me feel gross, makes me feel objectified. i can't hang out with him without imagining how he really thinks about me, what he imagines. he's been getting kinda touchy lately, like nowhere inappropriate, just on my shoulders and stuff, but i hate it. and i guess this is really starting to get to me, i feel so relieved when he doesn't show up to class (we're in the same class in college), and i feel tense when we talk, even if it's a fun conversation. it's starting to impact my day to day life, i feel like a piece of meat. when he said he'd like to be "at least friends" with me, i said (among other things, it was a long conversation) that i was looking for friendships, emphasis on friends. i know i should have straight up told him i wasn't interested in him romantically, but i got scared of his reaction. i don't think he'd get mad, but he'd definitely be hurt on some level. he's the main extrovert in our friend group in uni, the "glue" of the group per se, and i'm scared of people isolating me when they figure out something happened between us and i'm the reason he's sad. i want to tell him i'm a lesbian so he doesn't think i'd reject him because i dislike him, but i don't know if he's homophobic, and i'm so scared of him being one of those weirdos with a lesbian fetish. one say he saw me reading dykes to watch out for, he asked what it's about and i told him it was about the lives of a group of lesbians. i was hoping so bad he'd get the hint, but i don't think he did.

i don't know what to do. i guess i'm waiting for him to ask me out directly so i can be more firm, i can't just randomly tell him i'm not interested without the subject having come up naturally, but i'm getting kinda desperate.

I'm going to give you a few pieces of broad advice that I think will help you:

First: Any amount and any kind of touching that you don't want is inappropriate touching. You don't have to wait until it gets "bad" or "worse" until you say something. If someone jokingly touches your shoulder and you don't like it, you are within your right to say "I don't want you to touch my shoulder like that anymore" and that person, as a good person and a good friend, should immediately respect that. This is true if it's a man or a woman, someone you know or a stranger, or even family. It's your body, you get to dictate your boundaries.

Second: Retribution from friends because you aren't making yourself available as a dating option for someone is a sign of terrible, awful friends and, frankly, just as people in general. I understand being scared, especially if you think any violence is at risk, but when you're in a situation where you can't act in your own self-interest because you are too afraid of punishment, it's worth asking yourself what you are getting from these friendships beside just general companionship and not being alone. Why are these people worth your time in your opinion? Yeah, maybe they're funny and nice, maybe they aren't "evil", but are you too afraid to give them reasons to prove they actually aren't nice? Well then, it's probably because you know they aren't actually nice.

Third: You don't need to make up a rule book in your head then ask me permission to break those rules. You can tell him you're not interested, because it's not random, it's something that's weighing on your mind. You are actually the focal point in this conversation because it's about you and you are experiencing your life, not him and not your friends. If you think it will seem random to him, frame it in a way so it isn't. You can say things like, "I have a hunch you're interested in me romantically, and if that's true I want to be clear that I am not interested in that from you" or "I have something that's been weighing on my mind, and it feels awkward to talk about, but it makes me uncomfortable, and I want to discuss it with you."

Fourth: No one in this world will ever or even can fight for your comfort and pleasure that best benefits you except for you. You can sideline your own comfort forever, and what that will get you is an uncomfortable existence. There's no two ways about that. So why not fight for your comfort and pleasure, why not do the uncomfortable thing that gets you what you want than do the uncomfortable things that doesn't get you anything you want? A lifelong struggle for all of us to some degree, but perhaps this is the best time in your life to push yourself in this way. Good luck :)

[punkeropercyjackson]

It really annoys me how few people are willing to aknowledge Luke's treatment of Percy was child abuse.We talk about how Luke did bad things but only a small faction of the fandom names it for what it was-child abuse.Y'all aren't even willing to admit Luke groomed all those poor kids because grooming isn't only about dating and even if it was,he'd still be a groomer since he was romantically/sexually involved with underaged girls exclusively as an adult man.It wasn't just Annabeth,he flirted with Silena and slept with Kelli and had a crush on 15 year old Thalia as a 20something and even pre-corruption she was 2 years younger than him which feels like ironic unintentional foreshadowing.Groomers don't out and announce they're kiddy fiddlers as grooming is an unspoken manipulation and gaslighting tactic and he did it to Percy too-What else would you call tricking her into trusting him and preying on her vulnerability as an isolated and traumatized 12 year old with almost no friends and while completely cut-off from her parents to use her for his own gain and try to kill her so she wouldn't tell on him?Plus Percy being too scared afterwards to say what happened to her,what LUKE did to her?It borderline plays like a csa metaphor and the followups of Luke stalking and talking down to and mocking Percy do NOT help and neither does him constantly trying to beat her by fighting her in deliberately unequal settings organized by him.He hated her so much,he really did,and he was obsessed with hurting her and he DID hurt her and the only reason he couldn't as much as he wanted to is Percy is way stronger and smarter than him so she was able to defend herself too well for him to

None of that makes her not a victim-So she fought back?So what?That dosen't make them equal,she was 12,13,14,15 and 16.He was 19 and died at 23.Percy was a child,Luke was an adult and Luke abused Percy so Luke's treatment of Percy was child abuse.Concrete,fullstop,no other name for it except synonyms.And Percy was only one of the kid's he abused-He GROOMED an entire army's worth of younger demigods into literally fighting his battles for him and did zero nurturing or anything else positive for them.We're given no indication Luke was their caretaker and every indication he only saw them as soldiers and not his family and mistreated them.Luke wasn't right,Percy was right,she knew the gods weren't shit from the start and she took action against them from the start too and neither of those apply to Luke and neither does the title of 'The Gods' Martyr'.That's also Percy's and the gods did nothing to Luke that wasn't half as bad as what they put her or what Luke put her through.Luke was the very thing he claimed to hate,a god,an older seemingly unkillable abusive authority figure with unearned powers he stole in entitlement and he wasn't 'a bad victim',he was a victim and an abuser and Percy is a bad victim and a good person WITH her flaws,not inspite of them and she broke cycles Luke tried to keep going and entierly unconnected ones.Luke was all talk,Percy talked at the same time she walked the walk

While i'm a Percabeth anti and neutral on Book!Annabeth at best,it confuses me when i see Luke/Percy shippers bashing Annabeth and Percabeth because Annabeth is abusive to Percy.........As if Luke didn't also abuse Percy and even more than her while knowing better but didn't literally raise her.Where do you think she learned all her toxicity from?Not Athena and Fredrick very obviously,Athena was a deadbeat and she hadn't seen Fredrick in 5 years by the time we meet her.If the gods are responsible for how shitty Luke is and that means he's sympathetic and worthy of redemption,then Luke is responsible for how shitty Annabeth is and she also deserves sympathy and a redemption arc to improve as a person.I can't help but see a gender bias combined with the commoness of also shipping Percy with the male gods/male titans and easy scott-free forgiveness of Poseidon yet not sparing the goddesses/female titans and Sally the same attention and writing.There's the claims Luke is 'gay-coded' in his relathionship with Percy and this feels racist to me as a black man with the fact Luke treats moc like shit in mind-He targeted Chris over The Stolls even though he was closer to them,he's mean asf to Ethan and he straight up killed Beckendorf after lying to Beckendorf's girlfriend about how he was gonna keep him safe.Luke as a person even feels misogynistic and racist himself imo since stuff like this dosen't exist in a vacuum.And neither does his treatment of Percy,who's heavily coded as transfem and/or black-latino but was intended as a white man and not at all coincidentally the only one Luke saw as something of an equal.....Even though he was abusing her when she was growing up and he was an adult for the entierty of it but abusers often come up with that type of excuse for themselves

(Oh and shut up about Percy describing Luke as conventionally attractive as proof 'he' had a crush on him.Bi people shouldn't have to crush on every person they ever meet to be considered valid bis and Percy's canon queer relathionship is her platonic one with Nico,an actual gay character,with how the way his crush on her was written adds to her transfem-coding and her calling her treatment of him maternal and their middle brother/eldest daughter dynamics and my friend who's literally a lesbian said she describes men the same way Percy does to cite how ridicilous the Luke liker allegations are.So there)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven

I had someone message me asking what these terms meant and which Miraculous was and if it explained the writing, especially in context of the ending of season five and that's not something I can answer in a quick reply, so you all get a post instead!

Intro

At first glance, “character driven” and “plot driven” are somewhat confusing terms because almost every story has characters making choices that make things happen and almost every story has some kind of plot that's driving the action, so what do these terms even mean? Why do we use them?

The answer is that we generally don’t? These are high-level categorizations that I’ve almost exclusively seen talked about in things like writing classes where the instructor is trying to help you figure out your style preferences or perhaps painting a genre in broad strokes. I rarely see these terms come up when discussing specific works because they’re not that useful in the mirco. They never excuse or explain writing choices the way something like genre might because genre is a meaningful category and these really aren't. They're too vauge.

Also, as with many such binary categorizations, there’s a spectrum here. On one side is pure plot-driven and on the other is pure character-driven and in between them are most of the stories you'll consume in your life. In spite of that minor issue, I am going to start by defining what these two terms mean at their most extremes because that is relevant to the discussion. We’ll then use Miraculous to get into the nuance of the spectrum.

Character Driven

Character-driven narratives are stories that focus heavily on characters doing – or not doing – things because of their unique personalities, thoughts, and feelings. Stories where the events unfold almost entirely because of who the characters are and what very personal choices they make. Switch the characters and the story would look wildly different or even not exist at all.

When I think of pure character-driven works, I generally think of coming-of-age stories where there’s almost no plot to speak of. It’s just a teenage character struggling with life and learning to accept it. Character studies are another good example.

Plot Driven

Plot-driven narratives are stories that you're engaging with for something other than the characters. The characters are just set pieces that are there to be used by the plot. This means that the characters are probably making choice, but we’re not going to focus on the deep, nuanced reasons for those choices. Change the characters and the choices remain the same because the story is focused on something beyond the characters.

When I think of pure plot-driven stories, I think of stereotypical action movies. Movies where the villain is throwing things at the hero and the hero is overcoming them as fast as they can and so much is happening that you barely even know who these characters are because you're not here for the characters. You're here for the action, so it's fine if the characters are pretty generic. Mystery stories also tend to fit this category as those are often just about the mystery and the characters that aren’t developed beyond what is needed for the puzzle to work.

Nuance

So which is Miraculous?

If we must pick a side, then it’s going to be plot driven because that is Miraculous’ main writing style. It’s not here to study the characters and let them drive the action. It’s here to entertain kids in 20-minute-long chunks where the kids don’t need to know the greater context of who the characters are in order to get what is going on. Pick a random episode and it’s probably going to be one where a random akuma shows up and where everything that happens will never come up again. That is not what character-driven narratives look live. This is not a show brimming with things like Chat Blanc and the season five final. Those are exceptions to the rule.

However, the existence of those episodes and the fact that some of the characters aren't interchangeable shows that this isn’t a purely plot-driven show. The writers do want the characters to effect the world in unique ways decided by their personalities and motivations and relationships. Those are character-driven elements and is why these categories are kind of meaningless in this context. Plot driven vs character driven doesn’t justify or explain Miraculous’ writing choices because many of the writing choices make no sense in either type of story!

Narratives that are mainly plot-driven are not narratives plagued by poor characterization. They’re just ones where the characterization elements aren’t the main focus. You still want your characters to feel authentic and make sense and you can even have moments where the action is effected by who the characters are because plot-driven isn’t some hard rule. As I said at the start, it’s just a general categorization! Genre and format are infinitely more limiting and worthy of discussion because they actually come with some pretty clear rules.

Dunking on Miraculous

The problem with Miraculous is not that the plot is the main driving force of the action. The problem is that characters often make no sense! They act widely out of character for the sake of dragging out the plot, which is the plot driving the narrative, but that doesn’t make it good writing! “Because plot” is not an excuse, it’s just an explanation. In fact, because the show so often ignores the characters’ personalities for the sake dragging out the plot, it actually undermines the entire story because it feels cheap when the story tries to use the characters’ personalities to justify further delays Oh, now you’re letting this matter? Really? How nice. F-off.

Here are some examples of what I mean about the plot-driven nature of the show making inauthentic characters:

Alya is obsessed with finding out everything she can about the miraculous and even becomes a full-time team member in season four with the explicit job of tracking down the butterfly and the peacock, but she never does anything meaningful in that role. We never see her trying to track down the villains even though her character would absolutely do that. Her lack of action is wildly inauthentic.

Gabriel and Nathalie learn all of the temp heroes identities at the end of season three and make two minor efforts to do something with that information that before letting their god-tier knowledge fizzle to nothing even though those same temp heroes never stop being used. This is out of character for both of them, especially Nathalie. In a story that was true to its characters, this would have meaningful consequences such as all the temp heroes having to be benched and/or the villains guessing that Ladybug is someone who knows these people since they have some obvious connections.

The secret identities are the only reason Ladybug lost all of the miraculous at the end of season four and Adrien knows this. The season also ends with Ladybug promising to trust him more and the next season opens on an episode where she does just that. In spite of this, Adrien never even tries to tell her about the secret identity thing and Ladybug never seems to become more open with her partner because, if the show did those things, then an identity reveal would happen and they can't let that happen so, once again, plot trumps characterization.

When a show is plagued by asinine choices such as these while also trying to claim it has these overarching plots and meaningful character beats, the story can come to feel disingenuous and frustrating to a lot of fans. That’s why we can get something as divisive as the season five ending. Because of the poor writing that lead up to that final, it’s hitting different people in different ways depending on how tolerant they are of a lot of the shows previous flaws.

Would it be hard for Marinette to tell Adrien the truth? Sure! That struggle is - in theory - a genuinely good character beat, but it falls flat for many because it comes after multiple seasons of forced, inauthentic delaying tactics that spat in the face of established characterization for basically every meaningful character. With those in mind, it’s hard to view the secret keeping as some authentic, meaningful choice for Marinette’s character when she and many others have been denied so many other authentic, meaningful choices.

This is extra true because her choice to keep both Adrien and Chat Noir in the dark just compounds the issue of the authentic growth that Marinette has been denied! I briefly touched on this in that last example in my list, but we just spent an entire season watching her and Chat Noir maintain their distance in spite of that being something that should have changed based on the character-based events of the last season. Remember, season four gave us this moment in Penalteam:

Ladybug: (looks around them and frowns) I'm sorry, I've been a bad captain. I played a solo game, I forgot we're a team. I'm gonna need all of you now, more than ever. Rooster Bold: Are you sure? I'm not really.. Ladybug: You're an excellent player, Rooster Bold. That's why I chose you. That's why I chose all of you! Let's play together, and bring all of our individual strengths together onto the field!

And this moment in the final, which is the two-part episode directly after Penalteam:

Ladybug: Why don't you just give up on me? I've lost ALL the Miraculous! I'm the worst Guardian EVER! I wanted to control everything, I didn't listen to you, I lied to you, I kept you at a distance! Every time you offered me a helping hand, I never took it! I really made a mess of EVERYTHING! (continues sobbing)

We are, as always, going to ignore that these things don't really match the story that season four told and instead take them at face value since this is the stated lesson. The viewers are being directly told that Ladybug went into season five having learned to trust others and stop keeping Chat Noir at a distance.

But did she? What actually changed in season five? I can't think of anything. Season five maintained all of the secrets and ended by adding new ones. We also had to suffer through Marinette doing absolutely nothing to try to find the missing kwamis even though that is wildly inauthentic to her character. Once that girl has a problem to solve, she obsesses over it! It's one of the few things that consistently gets her acting normal around Adrien, so why did her brain shut off and go full-Adrien for all of season five?

Add in the fact that a major plot of season five was outing Lila's lies and lies being bad and Marinette keeping this secret falls incredibly flat both plot-wise and character-wise. There's a reason that one of the main justification people use for the lie is a scarf from season one that we have literally never seen again and that Marinette never actually lied about. The show simply did not set itself up to make Marinette's lie feel like some authentic character beat. The best justification most people can give is that a 14-year-old would probably struggle to reveal this secret.

To be fair, that is a believable justification. That's believability is why the season five ending could have genuinely worked in a better show where the characters felt more authentic or even if it came much earlier in the story. If this was the season two ending, then I think that most people would be engaged by it and I’d probably even be defending Marinette’s actions because this is a massive thing to put on someone’s shoulders and she was early in her journey. Heck, I have defended her actions by pointing out that she was the last-informed of the group of people in the know and none of them are telling Adrien, so this is not all on her.

But that's the best I can do while being authentic to the story because this lie isn’t part of a story with authentic characters. Marinette has not been set up to lie like this and the lie is being told at the end of a season full of poor storytelling after multiple seasons of stalling tactics, making it impossible to take this lie seriously. Even if Miraculous was a primarily character-driven show, you can’t use that to justify the lie while ignoring all the poor characterization that surrounds it. The writers gave Marinette the kind of journey that should lead to her being brave enough to tell the truth, not the kind of journey where she was too much of a coward to tell the truth. The writing also never set up Nathalie or Kagami as the kind of people who would just bow to Marinette's wishes. It is glaringly obvious that this is all happening as a delaying tactic and not because it's a good choice for the characters or the plot.

[drdtshipping]

Could I ask for some Whace headcanons? I love them so much.

WHIT X ACE HEADCANONS 💘🐎 • Whit has a thing for bombing Ace with loads of kisses. "Don't fight it." he says. Knowing how much Ace loves his kisses despite his desperate attempts of hiding it. He tries pushing Whit away but he's just like a dog. No matter how hard you try you can't get rid of it. • Speaking of kisses, Ace rarely ever initiates them first. But when he does, they're always very quick pecks which Whit finds cute because it's always so obvious that he's embarrassed when kissing him first. • Ace: "As long as it's not like.. blue or pink bruh." Whit: Uh oh.. (Please tell me you guys get the reference.)

• Similar to the first one, Whit is very touchy in general. But especially with his love interests. He's like a very cuddly and clingy cat. Their dynamic is very SpongeBob/Squidward coded. • Ace overthinks everything while Whit thinks about nothing. Anything Ace expresses his concerns about something, Whit will always say something to the effect of: "Please, we'll be fine". And then they aren't fine, and Ace is like "I told you so mother fucker". • Whit is the only person who Ace trusts enough to make his meals for him. He still barley eats but it gets a little better with Whit's help and his amazing cooking skills. • Whit also has a thing for taking photos of Ace anything he's doing something cute or silly. Ace always yells at him for it and tells him to delete it, but he never does and just keeps it to himself. • Ace loves it when Whit plays with his hair as they're cuddling. • Anytime Whit says something stupid to annoy or piss Ace off, he'll often punch his arm. Which oddly enough causes for Whit to laugh about it. Perhaps he finds it cute when Ace gets angry over silly things. Thank you for submitting, Enchantress! ☕

[degenerateworm]

Video games with Wesker!

I am a video game haver and player baby, so you bet my wormy ass I'm going to make some headcanons about playing games with my favourite man!

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Wesker knows you like to play video games. Of course he does, when often you talk with him about your favourites; the lore, your favourite characters, your favourite mechanics, your gripes and least favourite things...

It's not that Albert has never been interested in them. He's just never had the time. Ever since you started dating him you've realised how much he neglects his own recreational time, so you aren't surprised that he wouldn't know much about something solely made for that purpose.

So you decided to introduce him to it. And, because he loves you, he lets you.

---

At first, he fails to see the point in it, because he's Albert fucking Wesker™, and he has things to do. But like always, you remind him that recreational time is important for one's health, making him huff and nod begrudgingly.

After a while, he starts to stare intensely at the screen as you play, pointing out things that you might have missed, and helping you with things you may not be the best at.

Albert Backseat Gamer Wesker.

And when you give him the controller, he has a small smile on his face, quickly getting used to the controls as you snuggle in beside him on the couch.

Although he does grumble a bit about having to take off his gloves to better play. And you know that this man, a master spy and infiltrator, would know how to work a keyboard and mouse.

---

The first game I see Albert really enjoy playing, is ironically, Project Zomboid. He likes the difficulty and realism of it, plus you bet my wormy ass he loves grinding out tedious tasks and zoning out, like body disposal and loot organising.

I feel like he would like crafting/survival games the most, but mainly realistic ones; so I don't think you'd find him playing Terraria or Minecraft anytime soon. Things like The Long Dark as well, awful situations are his favourites.

Wesker likes to take the lead in these games, assigning roles to each of you and making strategies for better survival.

When Albert likes a game though, he studies it like a syllabus. You know he would have memorised all of the exploits and timings for things.

---

Sometimes he ventures out into other games, but only if they are very in depth and thought out. You will almost never see him playing a fantasy, especially an RPG, because who else would he be other than himself? He doesn't have a very big imagination in these things.

So it's crazy when he tells you he's downloaded Baldur's Gate 3, and he wants you to play it with him.

Probably goes with the default appearance of races, although he finds out how to min max his character FAST. He'll find it hard to get into the roleplay aspect of it, so he will often ask you to talk to the npcs.

Doesn't bother with the Romance options, but he surprisingly doesn't mind when you go for them. Just be ready for his teasing, no matter who you choose.

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If you want to play multiplayer online with him though, he will be a bit cautious. You'll have to explain to him that he can talk through text chat, and not have his voice on file.

He can even use a VPN if he wants! After that, Wesker will once again relent. After all, you've introduced him to a lot of nice things so far.

I don't actually know what kind of online games Wesker would like. I'm thinking simple team FPS ones would be the ones he gravitates to first; things like Overwatch and Apex Legends so that he can play with you.

He likes to turn off the voice volume for most of it, as the characters annoy him.

Usually stays in a discord call with you, but sometimes he orders his team around in text chat.

Or chats shit to someone if they're bad. You just KNOW he would make up the best roasts.

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He doesn't see the appeal of single player games, other than to tell a story. If he wanted that, Wesker would just read a book.

But... Horror games. He won't tell you this, but some games of this genre give him ideas.

Maybe Wesker could bring this up in his lab later on...

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THIS WAS ENTIRELY SELF INDULGENT PLEASE AND THANK YOU :D