#because they’re so different but so similar

[disappearinginq]

I'm calling this Febuwhump Day 3 prompt fulfillment (read: I need validation) because it was, conveniently, written yesterday. Prompt: Pinned Down.

It's long, so it's going underneath the cut:

“What is that?” River pushed himself further away from the man, eyeing the hypodermic in Frank’s hand, but there was nowhere to go. Not with his hands cuffed behind him, looped around the headboard of the bed frame, or his feet bound together with thick rounds of duct tape.

Frank sat down on the frame next to him, almost gentle in his movements, his face solemn and somewhat wistful, and he reached a hand over to pat River’s thigh, and for a disturbing moment, Frank seemed almost human.

Except for the part where he still had a needle in his hand, staring at it in a way that made River’s heart rate spike, the sudden wave of nausea threatening making him swallow convulsively.

When he was first dropped at his granddad’s house, Rose had a dog, Errol, an ancient terrier mix who much preferred a childless household, his quiet days filled with napping in the sun on his favorite spot on the carpet or making the rounds through Rose’s gardens - more out of habit than chasing vermin. But River had never been allowed a pet before. Isobel hardly wanted him around, never mind an extra mouth that couldn’t be left alone to figure out a cereal box while she was gone for hours or days at a time. He adored the cranky animal, enduring several nips to fingers to be able to stroke the wiry hair, even when prudence said he should leave Errol well enough alone. He liked to think he eventually appealed to Errol’s better half by sneaking him scraps from the table despite multiple warnings from his grandparents, and eventually, he and the dog were rarely apart. It wasn’t like Rose or David knew anyone with young children, or perhaps they did, and didn’t want to explain how River came to be dumped in the garden like a stray animal, so Errol was the only one around for River to play with. Even if that play was mostly reading in the garden under the shade of the trees while Errol stretched out beside him on his back, feet in the air, snoring loud enough to scare away birds.

But Errol was already old by the time River showed up. They had exactly one summer and three months together until two days before Christmas, Rose called the vet because Errol couldn’t stand anymore, and would only lay on his pillow near the fire, shaking and whining from pain.

Rose stayed with Errol while David ushered River upstairs, perhaps more to do with giving Rose a chance to say goodbye to her companion of 16 years, than sparing River the harsh realities of death and dying.

The last thing River saw before his granddad gently pushed him out of view of the parlor was the vet holding up a hypodermic that looks suspiciously like the one in Frank’s, and his expression was disturbingly similar to David’s when he’d sat with River on his bed, explaining as best he could that what they were doing for Errol was for the best, a kindness and a mercy borne from love for the old dog. He’d patted River’s leg ruefully, and sat with him in silence while River cried for the only friend he had.

River did not like the parallels.

“You are making this very difficult, son,” Frank sighed. “Pups are easier to train - that’s why you get them when they’re young. Once they’re eight months, a year - you have to break them down, start from scratch. Get rid of all the bad habits they’ve picked up before they came to you.”

River didn’t think it wise to point out what a load of shit that was, and more importantly, he was not a dog he was a person, not when Frank was still staring at the needle in his hand like maybe, maybe he wouldn’t have to use it.

“I should’ve come for you earlier. I see that now. If I’d known Isobel was going to dump you anyways, I would’ve just picked you up from your grandfather’s before he could really get his hooks into you. You and I - we could’ve made a real difference. I’ve been unreasonable, expecting too much of you too soon. I see that now. I’m not too big a man to admit my mistakes. But I am willing to try and correct them. You have potential. So much potential. But you’ve too many bad habits getting in your way. Habits that need to be broken.”

River twisted his hands against the cuffs, feeling the scabbed over skin break and bleed anew as he quietly tried to pull the unyielding metal over bone and tendon.

Frank sniffed, and clapped a hand on River’s knee, at first like someone might clap someone on the back in congratulations, but then his grip tightened, fingers digging painfully into already bruised skin in warning that River had better stop fidgeting while Frank was talking to him, or this almost civil conversation was going to get much worse, very quickly.

“But what defines a man, son, is how he learns from his mistakes. How he takes his weaknesses and makes them his strengths. Understand?”

River shook his head. “You don’t have to do this.”

“No, I do. I do, son. Because you’ve made me,” Frank said, turning to face River, offering a small smile that held no warmth. “Don’t worry. It’ll just put you to sleep.”

That was what the vet told Errol.

“You don’t have to do this, Frank - you don’t…” River shoved himself as far back as he could manage, but it was useless. He could go nowhere.

Frank’s hand came up, vicious and quick and slammed River’s head back into the wall before shoving him violently against the bedsprings, Frank’s meaty hand pressing down on the side of River’s face with such brutal force River could feel the metal biting in his other cheek even as his vision reeled from the blow.

“I don’t want to go to sleep!” It was embarrassing, to have to beg, to be a fully grown man with MI5 training, pinned down like some kind of animal, but River didn’t care. He could feel his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t budge, not with Frank’s weight pressing down on him, the awkward angle he forced River’s neck into feeling like at any moment, it would snap. “Don’t do this, Frank - sir - Dad,” he said the word in desperation, without thought, grasping at straws for anything that would keep his own father from putting him down like a misbehaving pet.

The needle sunk into his neck, and River closed his eyes, maybe in denial but mostly so that Frank couldn’t see the tears as whatever was in the hypodermic was injected, freezing cold but somehow burning all the way, and River knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, he wasn’t getting out of this.

Patrice stood in the corner, eyes cast down, arms folded across his chest, as unmoving as a statue, his warning that River had no idea what Frank was capable of echoing in his head.

River expected Frank to leave once he’d injected the drug, but he didn’t, and that was worse. He didn’t let up his bruising grip until River felt his muscles start to relax, and his vision swam dangerously. His heartbeat slowed, his breathing became shallow, his stomach rolling violently. When Frank finally lifted his hand, River tried to turn his head, but he couldn’t move, even as the metal dug painfully into his cheek and he could feel blood starting to well in the shallow cuts.

Frank’s hand came down, and River couldn’t flinch away from the expected slap, but instead, Frank’s hand brushed his hair away from his face, running a calloused thumb across River’s dampened cheek as River fought against the encroaching darkness, terrified that if he closed his eyes, he would never open them again.

He was going to die here.

“There’s a good boy,” Frank soothed, shushing him gently. “Good boy.”

River had never considered how much he hated that phrase. Hated it to his very bones, and felt a surge of rage so strong it momentarily beat back the black tide of unconsciousness that was dragging him down, and stupidly, foolishly, thought of the Slow Horses, and a voice that sounded suspiciously like Lamb warned him not to comply in advance.

It took every ounce of will that remained for him to force out the words, “They’ll find me.”

“He will look for you,” Frank agreed, his voice echoing distantly, “endlessly. But he’ll never find you. You’ll just be another ghost to haunt him.”

And River knew no more.

[mirstrikesbacks-unofficial]

I got a question about your nerd au for danny phantom. Did danny still go in the portal? What did you mean jazz doesn't know which danny to support? Did he get split like identity crisis (season 2, 6)

I haven’t seen season 2 fully yet ahhhhh I’m only on the third episode!! Super excited for the sixth now though

Yes, danny went in the portal and got split into a Ghost and a Human, but they are both his halves, like when he phased through that Ghost Catcher

See how Ghost Danny is like a proper ghost here and we never see him in that blue tone again (as far as I know, which is not very far)

Ghost Danny (Phantom) in this AU woke up in the ghost zone and had an identity crisis, since Danny (both halves) is very similar to his parents and doesn’t see ghosts as sentient and sapient beings +he’s a ghost hunter himself

So I imagine, if this was in the show, Phantom would get a whole episode to interact with other ghosts and figure out the ghost dimension works and who ghosts really are. He reevaluates his judgement + he thinks he’s dead, so it’s not like he can be a ghost hunter now

But then (and that would be the second episode, I guess?) the portal opens and he phases through it and Danny Fenton is there alive! And now other ghosts are disrupting the peace of Amity Park and his for some reason alive body is fighting them, and he realizes he can fight them too with his ghost powers, so he does that

Jazz figures out it’s Danny, but not as early on as canon, since he doesn’t transform. Maybe Phantom calls her by her name or just generally treats the Fentons differently, or she gets a closer look at his face, or he starts ranting about the portal that took him away from his life. She sees that both Fenton and Phantom are Danny, because they share so many similarities, like their passion for ghost hunting, their jokes, their bravery, so she doesn’t tell anyone about Phantom, but she talks to him and gives him her support (and access to the Fenton devices)

But Jazz also supports Fenton, and she does her best to humor him, and she’s happy his and their parents’ theories about ghosts were proven correct, since they’re not considered the town crazies anymore, and when her brother needs help, Jazz helps him fight ghosts, but sabotages his attempts to catch Phantom

She’s very nervous about her Danny finding out a flipping out about it, and she’s conflicted about choosing which Danny to prioritize at what times

Thank you so much for asking about my AU! I’m really glad that people like it!

[katzkinder]

There is so much interesting stuff in the guidebook I'm slowly getting through, especially the q&a section, also the fact that lawless tends to turn people who he already cared about/has a connection with makes me think he's turned atleast some of his eves into subclasses

Agreed. I bet it was a deeply unpleasant surprise for him to discover that turning an Eve into a subclass apparently erases their memories of being an Eve. I wonder how far that goes? Is it just an entirely blank slate for that duration of time? Or is it more like… The “eve” specific parts become muddled and they’re unable to draw them out again? Like a recall problem.

As a side note, I really like that Strike was very insistent on the idea that the names are lost and can’t be recovered by refusing to answer any questions regarding a Servamp’s past name under a different eve, aside from Lawless, whose name you can figure out by rereading chapter 33, allegedly.

Similarly, I bet the experience in and of itself is frustrating for a Servamp. Like… Trying to recall it if they wished to. A perpetual sensation of something sitting on the tip of their tongue… not that it’s a problem anymore. Thanks to Sloth pair, apparently the Servamps will no longer lose their names when their eves die. I’m especially glad for Lawless because his Item was something with his name carefully carved on it. It would be a waste and a pity for something that precious to be lost to him, don’t you think?

I really like the idea that the current batch of names is something they’ll all happily cling to not just as proof of their existence as “people” but reminders that, someone, at one point, called them something beautiful. The sentiments of their human partners exist in those names. For a similar reason to Sakuya not wanting to discard his human name because it’s something his big sister called him many times… The memory of the voice of a loved one calling them that name is also an important one they’re going to hold very close to their hearts.

[hubba-hubba1]

I’m so glad that the women and girls who discover radical feminism and 4b are finally waking up about the lies they were told by the degenerate toxic patriarchal society who tries to groom them into being vulnerable and exploited housewives or worse. I saw on reddit and other platforms how former tradlife, conservative, liberal, or ‘pick me’ girls realized a male’s attention wasn’t worth it after torturing theirselves about their appearances or being criticized for every single thing by male peers and other female peers who want male validation. A middle aged former conservative lady told about how she was the “perfect” wife and went to church and took care of the kids and house even dressing/looking the part, but her ex husband still ended up cheating on her for a younger woman and she was left with almost nothing after the divorce. There is hope for women and girls after all if they spread the word and avoid messes like these.

On another note, women and girls in the global south or others who are in a similar situation where they come from poorer areas are more prone to violence from the men in their communities because they have less resources to deal with them. One lady told me how her uncle and aunt tried to abort their baby once they found out it was a girl and they got away with it at first even though that was illegal in their country but thankfully she eventually told on them to the police. More women are taking back their power and showing the same energy by supporting other women and girls financially or being there for their sisters in other ways, adopting or having girls and teaching them radfem values, aborting males which saves other girls and women from future violent criminals, focusing on their careers or having a good means of income, and avoiding those vermin manifesting itself as right wing/conservative men and boys with brain damage, and performative liberal men. I have seen different women and girls from every walk of life in the radical intersectional feminist community and I admire how it tackles how cruel the world is to us while having resources to help other women and girls without babying men + boys irrelevant feelings like any other community would.

What’s alarming is that many disgusting and demonic rich men and their hell spawns/family (rich women that are like-minded and associated with them are not our allies) hold power and spread misogynistic, racist, classist and homophobic right wing propaganda luring in insecure + pathetic boys and men who think they will get a chance to be like them when they’re just disposable peasants in the twisted rich men’s eyes. They also make it harder for the average woman to get better jobs in stem (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers and universities. Notice how women make up the majority of the education and healthcare workforce but are struggling with living costs because they aren’t paid enough? They see that women try to improve theirselves and come up with ways to tear you down. Greedy rich men destroy and exploit women’s countries in South+central America, Asia, and Africa for profit and the average men carry out their dirty work (war crimes, sexual tourism/trafficking) while seeing how those women are living in poor conditions then try to coerce them into sexual and financial abuse. In a better world, both of these groups of oppressors would pay for their crimes against half the population and go extinct, but since this is reality women and girls will need to make it hell on earth for them like how they have been doing to us and stop falling into the soft life propaganda which never worked for your mothers and grandmothers in the past and now.

[doodler16]

The pride month art showing Chaz with the ‘I’ll f*ck anything’ sign with the pan flag is so weird, especially next to all the bi flag characters. I know lots of people don’t really understand how bisexuality works because of the misinformation around, but anyways, all the bi characters being ones that seek monogamous relationships, and then the pan characters being the loud horny ones, is sort of weird. It’s like they think being pan means being just interested in sex in general. That’s ignoring that pan is just under the bi umbrella anyways so it’s not really that different and they’re treating it like the ‘we don’t have standards we just like anything and we’re sooo freaky lol’ label.

I’m guessing in this context they’re trying to use the bi label as ‘I have different preferences between the genders that I date’ rather than ‘I just like more than one gender and I don’t care about using the pan microlabel’ and so the pan flag on the other characters is being used to show that they do not have any preference, even tho being bi doesn’t mean you necessarily have any difference in how ur attracted to different genders? (Being bi doesn’t mean ur not into non-binary genders but idek if vivz gets that)

sooo ok whatever the ‘attracted to multiple genders’ sexualities are being used specifically to differentiate their preferences even though they are similar, we’re using hyper specific labels, okay. And that would be fine but almost each pan character is, again, the horny ‘I’ll fuck anything’ characters. Blitzo is seen as being non-committed and has a body count of at least 50+ and is scared of love, Chaz is just constantly talking about sex, Bee is decent tbh cause she is written to have an actual relationship and not a stereotype even tho she is.. the sin of gluttony and you could argue that THAT might have been a factor in deciding her sexuality.., and while Asmodeus also has a real relationship, him being the sin of lust and ‘therefore he must feel attraction to all genders without preference’ is weird imo. I can’t tell but I think Verosika is also pan? And of course the succubus is pansexual, cause pan is just the ‘I like sex’ label apparently.

Ofc this is a greater problem than just Helluva. Pansexuality is sort of treated as a separate sexuality from being bi, and then gets labelled onto the promiscuous characters without the writers (or people in general) understanding that that is not how sexuality works. Being lustful or a sexually driven person may inspire you to be more open about what you do in the bedroom or who you explore with, but it doesn’t literally make you want to sleep with anything that moves, and being pan doesn’t even mean that you’d ‘fuck ANYTHING’, and being pan does not mean that you’re somehow more horny than a bi person (cause pan just means ur bi without preference, it’s up to the person how they define it really but it is literally just a microlabel of bisexuality).

Basically I feel like Vivz is using bisexuality and pansexuality as ‘I like more than one gender but I’m monogamous’ vs ‘I like more than one gender but only because I’m desperate for sex and have no standards/greedy’ the same way so many people just have re-labelled biphobia rhetoric and places it onto a ‘new’ sexuality. Being bi has always been seen as being greedy or just being kinky and wanted threesomes, rather than the ability to be attracted to more than one gender, and now that’s projected onto pansexuality which is just bi with added specificity

The only reason I can tell a character is pansexual is when they mention how many people they want to fuck, etc. That’s the only reason I know Valentino and Husk are pansexual 💀

[fuschiarulerinthebluebox]

Hi Folks! I thought it’s time I finally shared my Rook Sabine!

While she is a technically a City Elf, being raised in Nevarra, she frequently seeks out the Dalish so she can keep records of the different oral traditions between clans. Growing up in the Necropolis did not affect her the way growing up amongst humans does for most city elves, presumably because of the close proximity to spirits, and she retains excellent dark vision (her pupils do appear vaguely cat like in low light conditions).

Her style tends to be typically Nevarran, with frequent adornments of oxidised brass, and a dark color palette of black, greens, and burgundy. She does really love the contrast of bone white though… Like most Mourn Watch and corvids she loves shinies.

While she doesn’t have a “birthday” Sabine was found on the last day of a week long Hunt Ball, which ended on Wintersend. This celebration day stuck, and she has maintained an intense love of weaselling her way into any Hunt Ball she can manage (invites or not), and keeps an unreasonably large wardrobe of gowns and formalwear.

During Veilguard she:

Had an established pen pal/ friendship with Bellara because of her records of oral histories. She’s also fast friends with Davrin for similar reasons and writes down all of the songs he’d sing to the Halla

Sabine had an intense crush on Professor Volkarin during her time in the Necropolis and frequented several of his conference lectures. At the Lighthouse she spent a lot of time swinging wildly between flirting and being awkward, then dishing to Bellara.

She cooked meals organised girl dinner for the group before Lucanis came, and had to win kitchen privileges from him later with a batch of orange cardamom braided sweetbread. She immediately developed a crush when she tried the first meal he made

Sabine, Emmrich, and Lucanis (and Spite) form a series of self care checks and balances for each other in their relationship. They’re all equally hopeless romantics and exchange small casual gifts, often just trinkets like a pressed flower, nice rock, or colourful feathers or scales

Neve and Sabine spend an inordinate amount of time going over logistics to “adopt” a cat for the Lighthouse, and seriously debate the finer points of trying to get the ghost/cat duo in Treviso to come live with them

During their travels Harding started teaching Sabine different embroidery stitches and techniques, and they’d spend time together at the lighthouse keeping that routine. Lace’s favourite technique for Sabine is goldwork, and she gifted them a vest with bullion worked in glittering wisps

Sabine’s favourite hobby is trying to recreate rules for “lost” games they’d encounter in the Necropolis tombs, and introduced a game night to go along with their book club

Bonus of a fantastic piece of art I got of Sabine from LaLaLaurenBoyle!

[monster-disaster]

Thoughts on what it’d take for a monster boyfriend to leave you?

Hear me out! In a lot stories, monsters tend to be “the one” that reader meets, with past exs being human men. It’s rarely ever some exs being monsters. In stories such as these, the monster is also not just “the one,” but the first monster the human has ever been in a relationship with. So that made me wonder, what would it take for a monster to leave you or to break a relationship off? Would it be for similar human reasons like, drifting apart, misaligned relationship goals and expectations, or even cheating?

Idk. This just feels like an interesting concept to explore. Though of course with a happy ending afterwards!

I think it’s not all that different from relationships between humans.

Here are some examples I believe would fit:

Wolf-shifter: Wolves are naturally pack animals, and it’s no different for shifters. They tend to be incredibly close to their families and communities. Regular family dinners, large get-togethers, and constant check-ins are part of their way of life. It can feel overwhelming or even stifling to someone not used to such a tight-knit dynamic. Then there’s the matter of family expectations. Many wolf-shifters dream of having big families of their own. It’s deeply rooted in their nature. But what happens when a wolf-shifter falls in love with someone who doesn’t want children? Well, more often than not, it ends up in a breakup.

Succubus/Incubus: Dating can be particularly challenging for a succubus or incubus. Despite their allure and charm, finding the one can be hard for them. Even when they are genuinely seeking a serious relationship, they are often treated as a fleeting fantasy rather than a potential partner. More often than not, they find themselves ghosted after just one night. And for those who do manage to form relationships, jealousy becomes a recurring problem. It’s hard for their partners not to feel insecure, knowing how easily a succubus or incubus can draw attention from others. Misunderstandings and doubts creep in and end the relationship.

Orc: Orcs face their own problems when it comes to stereotypes. They are often seen as having to fit a specific mold: big, strong, muscular, and intimidating. If they check all those boxes, they’re frequently objectified, treated as little more than their physicality. People may pursue them for their imposing presence or brute strength, but rarely for who they are underneath. Especially when people think they are just all muscle and no brain. And then there are the orcs who don’t fit the stereotype. Not every orc is towering or built like a tank. Some are smaller, softer, or simply leaner than what people expect. Their value is questioned simply because they don’t align with what society thinks an orc should be.

So they often find themselves in relationships where they cause disappointment in their partner just because they try to be themselves. Obviously, these relationships end quickly.

Minotaur: Minotaurs, by nature, are often deeply committed to keeping the peace. They are patient, steady, and avoid confrontation whenever possible. It’s a strength that makes them reliable and calming partners, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, this can attract the wrong kind of partner; someone who takes advantage of their kindness and willingness to compromise, and before they realize it, they may find themselves in a one-sided relationship, bending over backward for someone who doesn’t truly value them. When they finally reach their limit, something shifts, and they end the toxic relationship.

Goblins: Goblins tend to be rough around the edges; bold, brash, and unapologetically themselves. They need a partner who can match their energy, someone who won’t shy away from their chaotic nature or try to smooth them out. If they end up with someone who’s too reserved, overly sensitive (for them), or easily put off by their unpolished ways, it’s usually a recipe for disaster.

So, all in all, monsters can face their own unique challenges in relationships, just like anyone else. It all depends more on their personalities. And, of course, they can be mean, cheating, or even abusive jerks, too. But honestly, we don’t dwell on those types because, let’s be real, we are here for the monsters who worship us.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Saw this post and wanted your thoughts on it.

“Hc that Jonathan and Nancy have a mutual breakup. I think similar to Steve and Nancy, they have very different goals for their lives. Jonathan doesn’t seem to have any major drive to go to college and make his way up in the world. He’s content to live in Lenora for the rest of his life, taking care of his mom and siblings and smoking with his best friend. Nancy wants to go to college, she wants to get out of small towns and make herself a big name in the world of journalism. I think she’s more interested in her career (and no shade to that!) Considering that she grew up without much supervision from her parents, I don’t think she ever leaned the drive to take care of her siblings like Jonathan did for hers. Jonathan and Nancy originally bonded over being outsiders, but I think they didn’t have much in common outside of both being outsiders in Hawkins. That’s not to say they don’t care about each other- I just think they’re better off friends.”

Hi Nonny

I saw this earlier and SHOCKINGLY chose not to be a hater...

That being said I do think it's INCREDIBLY disingenuous. First, Jonathan isn't content to stay in Lenora, it's something he feels like he HAS to do BECAUSE he's been parentified since he was 12 at least. Like in the show pitch deck it flat out says "While he loves his family very much, he also feels burdened by them" like it's in fucking print.

Second point, this idea that Nancy can't have a career and a love life or family is SOOOOO fucking gross. Like it feels a bit like a dig that she isn't taking care of Mike without processing that she doesn't have to BECAUSE Karen can afford to stay at home in a way that Joyce can't. Like it is normal for Nancy at 17 to have the relationship she does with Mike. Do I wish that they were closer? Yes but that's not on her that's on the duffers forgetting they're siblings.

Additionally, saying that Jonathan and Nancy don't have anything in common other than being outsiders is an argument for people who don't pay attention. Like other than the core of them being birds of feather, you also have the unhinged shared traits that lead them to hunting monsters.

Like they're both inquisitive in nature, and very much truth-seekers, like I know everyone's like "oh he's just her boyfriend in s2 & s3" but like we HAVE to acknowledge that Jonathan also wanted to overthrow the government/burn the lab to the ground. He wanted justice too! HE drove them to driscolls. Like they may have a different way of going about things but part of what makes them good partners is that they're both operating from a place of wanting to change the world. FURTHERMORE, Jonathan has just as much ambition as Nancy. You don't want to go to NYU at age 6 without that. Like I'm so sick of people seeing him depressed and acting like that's his whole character.

Lastly, of course it fucking looks like they don't have anything in common the fucking show only has 34 episodes. Do you know how much more time we could have for characterization if these episodes were longer? Instead, we have to infer. We have to infer that Nancy also likes David Bowie or that they're both avid readers because there's not enough time IN STORY to say it.

[mojo-bro-tho]

In the deepest part of night, voices always run high. A Warden’s mind is never fully clear, never fully still. Always tattering seams at the edges of the brain or gnawing maws scrapping around the interior of their skulls. And it’s never consistent either.

At first it’s debilitating and insomnia inducing. The fear of sleeping becomes commonplace. Many younger Wardens try to keep themselves awake for as long as possible just to avoid it. That only gets worse the younger the Warden is.

Then, as time marches on, they get used to it. Some claim they can block it out entirely but what they really mean to say is that they smother their own dreams. Buried beneath heaps of grey matter and exhaustion. That’s as good as it gets.

And finally, they get older. Their own blood a slow moving poison that muddies the senses. Sleep is… easier. But that only unlocks a new fear. It’s nice to sleep again. It’s not the Calling, not yet, but it’s closer now. They’re afraid to go to sleep because it feels good again and when they wake up they’re even more afraid because they wished they hadn’t woken up.

Warden Thorne can fight it most times for whatever constitutes as night in the Fade. They don’t tell Davrin, because if they told Davrin then well, he’d know what it means. Rook doesn’t want that. They don’t want to see that look of knowing in someone’s eyes and have themselves become a reminder of what’s on the horizon.

So Rook will seek a different comfort. Knocking softly on the wooden door and mere moments later being greeted to the smell of a fire, fresh aftershave, and leather. Emmrich peers down at them, confused but not unwelcoming. Rook was not normally up so early, he thought to himself. In truth, no one was besides himself.

They looked tired. Still dressed in their night clothes that perhaps reveals a tad more skin than what he was expecting from them. Of course, he wouldn’t say anything as it’s improper to make those sorts of comments. Not like he’s against the sight either, you’d have to be a fool to not enjoy the sight of them like this.

“Bad dreams, my dear?” He asked, voice slightly lower than he usually kept it on account of not having used it much yet that day.

“Something like that.” Rook didn’t like to lie.

“I was just about to retrieve Manfred and have him make my morning tea. Would you care to join me?”

It was a polite request. Emmrich would never turn down the opportunity to spend more time with Rook, least of all when they looked so softened by the early morning. They smiled in a way that nestled against Emmrich’s heart. Only to then see a glimmer of something else to twist it.

“Maybe after.” Rook’s whispered. The question of ‘after what?’ only lasted for a few seconds.

Rook’s lips found Emmrich’s, entirely devoid of any barriers of modesty. It was a fervent, hungry clash that despite it taking him by surprise he was able to swiftly match it in intensity. No one was around for him to worry about keeping up appearances. So Emmrich swept them inside by the small of Rook’s waist.

The heat of their body seared into Emmrich’s hand even through the night clothes. And he clung to it as though to seep the life out of Rook. Warm, alive, vibrant, if only he could siphon it to meet them half way.

Little did he know that Rook felt something quite similar boiling under the surface. That need for a comma rather than a period, or an ellipses, more likely an exclamation point that always came at the end. They wanted what Emmrich had. Continuation. If only they could bottle up Emmrich’s experience and cram it directly into their singing bloodstream.

Both starved for touch and a lapse in reality that could be temporarily soothed by the screech of a desk being misused. Scars didn’t bother Emmrich and a few wrinkles were never unwelcomed by Rook. There was still enough life in both of them to enjoy this carnal craving.

The tattered seams became the shift and strain of clothing being wrenched away. A gnawing maw replaced lips stuck between teeth, pressed into the neck. Voices melted into hums of approval. Grunts and moans and commands that could make them forget and force them to listen.

Now that was a calling that Warden Rook could get behind.

[brainscrems]

I’m so fucking sick of ADL apologia. They’re not “trying to play nice and avoid targeting by the regime” THEY ARE ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING TRUMP AND HAVE BEEN QUIETLY SUPPORTING HIM FOR FUCKING YEARS!!!! The ADL, when faced with a choice between two candidates, a nazi who will let israel get away with whatever war crimes it wants, and a woman who’s not a nazi, has a jewish husband, is a big supporter of the jewish community, and hinted that she maybe, might hold israel accountable for war crimes, decided neither was the best option. Oh, except they also gave an award to the son-in-law of the nazi during that election year. For the fellow jews who see this, ask yourselves, when was the last time you saw the ADL criticize the republican party platform at all? When’s the last time you saw them call out the growing threat of nazism on the far right? When’s the last time you saw them point out the terrifying similarities between action and word of the republican party’s rhetoric towards immigrants and that of the nazi party’s rhetoric to jews? When was the last time the ADL talked abt systemic antisemitism that doesn’t fit their bs narrative of “the left wants all jews dead, while the right says some bad things sometimes but they mean well”. And, also ask yourself, “When was the last time they used their name as the largest jewish advocacy organization to claim that a nazi who just gave a nazi salute, has spouted nazi rhetoric for years, and also gave that nazi salute while giving a speech that sounded like it came right from adolf hitler’s own fucking mouth?” Cause i don’t remember the answer to those first few question, but I sure do remember the answer to that last one.

This is not a defense of left-wing antisemitism. As a leftist jew I see that shit day in and day out and it’s driving me fucking insane. I know what we’ve faced this last year and a half. This is about the ADL being unreliable and actively harming jewish interests. Cause let’s now talk about what the ADL DOES actually say about the left. Cause, yea, leftist antisemitism is fucked. Yea, the ADL calls it out. Yea, the ADL gets it wrong sometimes, and that would be expected of any organization. The issue here, is they’re getting it wrong ALL the time about the right, because they don’t bother to call it out at all. I posit they just throw spaghetti at the wall when it comes to leftist antisemitism and then they see what sticks. Their internal guidance, from an outside perspective, is it’s fine when the right-wing ethnonationalists in control of the government do a nazi salute, but when leftists do it to be edgy cunts to weaponize jewish trauma for their political causes it’s bad. Let’s be clear, they’re both bad. But it’s the difference between violent edgelord trolls and someone who actually wants to be the next hitler. What’s worse? The ADL thinks the college kids are a bigger threat than the people in charge of the entire US government. This is a systemic issue with the ADL.

Now, why this matters. The ADL has been slowly moving this way for a while. It just REALLY stepped up since october 7th because it gave them fertile ground to push what they want. But this isn’t new. The ADL has been tarnishing its reputation w goyim by overeprorting antisemitism on the left, and thus alienating even the more moderate left, and underreporting on the right. If the only people outside out community who have any trust in the ADL are republicans fascists and centrists who enable them, the people who it never bothers to call out, how can they continue to effectively represent us at all? The left thinks everything they say is bullshit because it’s boy who cried wolf with them. They call out everything bc they want to discredit the left. The right thinks they’re great bc they would probably let them get away with a sieg heil. This leaves us with the largest jewish advocacy organization in the US being only trusted by either nazis, or people who refuse to wake up and smell the fascism.

So. If we, as a community, want our voices heard we MUST disavow the ADL. We have to discredit them. We have to say they don’t represent us. Because. Keep in mind. 80% of jews voted against trump. The ADL knew it would look like this because they know what the american jewish community looks like. Yet, still, withheld endorsing the candidate who was, again, running against an actual nazi when it might have swayed some of the right-leaning jews. They did, however, EFFECTIVELY endorse trump by giving his son-in-law an award during an election year. Yk. The one that helped him in his first term to enact his shitty racist policies. I can’t think of any reason for this except that they wanted trump to win but knew an open endorsement would lead to a complete loss of faith from the jewish community. So. I’m here begging you. Stop buying their fucking bullshit. Their interests are not yours. They have abandoned us so they could have a president willing to let israel do whatever it wants without consequence. They have chosen to provide plausible deniability for an open nazi, as anyone who does a nazi salute while giving a far-right nationalist speech is. Do not trust them. Do not quote them. Do not donate to them. There are other jewish organizations and we should start trying to get their names out there to goyim. They ARE sometimes right about leftist antisemitism, but their motivations for calling it out are political, as evidenced by the passes they give the right. If you want our voices to be listened to on this issue start quoting other jewish orgs instead. They are less well known, but we have so many in the US. We, as a community, need to disavow these pieces of shit willing to give cover to nazis. For the sake of our credibility and for the sake of waking up the nation to the nazis we have in power.

[quarterlifekitty]

hi! i love you! i enjoy all your freaky thoughts >:))) but i also need help! i’m working on a hybrid oc x ghoap type of fic but i just am not sure abt the mechanics of how to write hybrids? maybe that’s so stupid but i love your writing and i trust you’ll give me a lovely answer >:)

Well, it’s hard to give advice on writing hybrids because it’s very much up to you!

Basically, the way I approach it anyways, is that hybrids are somewhere on a sliding scale between people and animal in looks, mannerisms, and physical traits. You get to decide where they are on this scale, if there’s any variety in your world as to where they fall on the scale, and what that means.

Because things are so up in the air in like a political and moral sense (I’ll explain this), people usually write hybrid stuff to be rather short form and light. Cause if you delve too deep then you’re kind of begging the question of why hybrids aren’t just counted as people. It’s like asking if Winston from overwatch should be able to vote. They’re questions that don’t really have satisfying or direct answers, and I’m assuming you want to write porn/romance and not a strange, hamfisted allegory, so I would generally advise avoiding hybrid rights. Not to say that it can’t be done in a way that isn’t distracting, but it’s not the easiest.

In my fics I tend to imagine that hybrids are incapable of long-term thought processes and conceptual/abstract thinking. Like they have no idea how to answer “where will you be in five years” and they can’t learn algebra. While I’ve never found a good time to incorporate this into my writing, I also like to imagine that hybrids have a slightly devolved joint/bone in their thumbs that makes them less than fully opposable. This allows for the existence of “hybrid proof” locks and things.

I’m also kinda on the normie side of it so I imagine that hybrids are on a similar physical scale to humans and are more like anime catgirls than full furries (they have some key features of the animal like ears, tails, or patches of fur but they don’t have like snouts or literal paws).

You also have to decide their relationships to humans. Some people prefer to be treated like literal animals (aka not getting fucked by regular humans) but most people like to imagine that hybrids and humans bone down. Does the hybrid have a say in the matter? You have to decide.

If you want to see a fanfic where more of like the human rights angle is tackled, I would suggest @/boogler’s Lapdog On a Farm. In that one they kinda cover that hybrids don’t have any bodily autonomy and that they have names given to them by their parents, their true names, but also ones given to them by owners.

Hybrid/hybrid stuff is sometimes different. Usually it’s the undersea ones where there are no humans involved whatsoever. In those, hybrids are more like mermaids typically. They’ll have their own kind of culture perhaps, and they’re more just like humans that live underwater. You can also choose to write about everyone being a hybrid. You could write one where hybrids are the superior beings and humans are subservient. The world is your oyster and there’s no wrong way to do it!

[ic3dior]

I replied to something earlier saying this but I feel like addressing it in more detail because this moment in tgm is so important to me I have at least 4 hc wips about it

so yall know when hangman and rooster were facing off in the bar and rooster said “hangman the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave” yeah?

it didn’t seem like just a surface comment to me because the way hangman paused, taken aback like he was having flashbacks to an accident or something

And the way everyone who already knew him before the uranium mission looked down or away, and the way they all went silent like they’d heard rumours and that was their confirmation? yeah somethings clearly up with that.

It makes me think that he experienced something very similar to maverick with goose, like maybe he lost a WSO in training or a mission and that’s why he flies solo & leaves everyone in the dust now. He doesn’t want to chance getting close to someone and then loosing them because of a mistake he feels like he made, even if there was nothing to suggest that it was his fault - a bit like how maverick was scared to engage again after goose since he didn’t want to risk getting caught in another jetstream. And he leaves everyone ‘hanging’ since that way he can put himself directly into the danger zone first so if there’s any unexpected troubles, it’s him who’s hit first, not the people he’s flying with. Because that way they’re warned and if he’s shot down, what’s the damage? Himself and a jet - the navy can just build another one and there’s no shortage of potential pilots that could take his place.

But everyone else just thinks he’s a cocky asshole who wants all the glory - so hangman’s happy to hide behind that mask, perfecting it so well over the years that it basically becomes who he is, Jake gets locked away for no one to see. A bit like how ice built his entire reputation, personality and career around his callsign, so much so that he became infamous for being ice cold no mistakes and the person that is just Tom was entirely forgotten. Even if that’s not what the callsign ‘Iceman’ originally came from (but that’s another hc for later)

The callsign hangman probably started out as meaning something entirely different when Jake got it but he managed to twist the meaning over time.

SEE?? Paybacks face drops and he turns to look at his WSO with what could be a ‘shut up’ look, Bob looks down solemnly, so does Phoenix - Coyote drops his bottle from his mouth and hangman looks like he’s trying not to visibly flinch.

SOMETHING CLEARLY HAPPENED HERE AND THATS THE HILL I WILL DIE ON

[apathetik12]

Okay, I’m going to explain what I mean a bit better.

Obviously, it doesn’t make sense on a surface level. They seem completely different. What I meant is, you need to look at their dynamics on a baseline level. Okay? Just try and understand my ramblings, please.

On a base level, they match each other’s freak. They’re both fucking crazy and instead of backing away, they get closer. Sure, there’s more to their dynamics and why one is more popular than the other, that was my b for not giving any context, but I mean it when I say that if Stone and Robotnik got just a little bit of emotional intelligence and settled down together, their relationship would be a lot like Tom and Maddie and if Tom and Maddie were to become evil, they’d both go to the ends of the Earth for both their goals and each other. Tom and Maddie are crazy (both for each other and what they believe in) and if they got a bit more unhinged, they’d prolly be just as/if not more destructive than everyone’s favorite evil situationship. If Stobotnik chilled tf out, they’d be in a similar situation to Tom and Maddie.

Tom put away everything for an alien hedgehog he just met and Maddie rolled with it. There was barely any questions or pushback, just understandable confusion. Even though these two are completely different characters than Stone and Robotnik, they share the fact that the other’s flaws and problems are a big part of what draws them in. Maddie was willing to be an accessory for treason for Tom, Stone was ready to throw away his job as a government official for the man that very government was trying to say didn’t exist. Tom’s first thought when there’s something he can’t handle is to go to Maddie, Robotnik goes to Stone when he needs something done for him (normally it’s coffee, but you can assume there’s more). Maddie was willing to die by Tom’s side for a blue hedgehog(who she trusted because he did), Robotnik was ready to die in an explosion to save Stone. Maddie was ready to move away from Green Hills so Tom could live out his dream, Stone took over a whole coffee shop so he could give Robotnik what he wanted. You need to realize that these characters have such complicated dynamics that boil down to “they might be crazy, but I’m crazier” and people only recognize it for Stobotnik.

Obviously there’s more to both relationships. What I meant when I said that people like Stobotnik more because it’s gay is not to push away the fact that they’re also liked because they’re villains (cause that is a big part of it). I’m just saying that if it wasn’t or if Tom and Maddie were also homos, I feel like the ship would get more recognition. (Plus, to point out another reblog while I’m at it: I get the doomed part is a good chunk of why it’s so popular, but I’m also including before the third movie and the fact that Tom and Maddie is how I envision Stobotnik if they were happy for once in their lives)

Hot Take: Tom and Maddie are just Stobotnik if they weren’t evil and were instead domestically married.

People just don’t like them as much because they aren’t gay.

[highkey-lowkey-as-hell]

thinking about the fact that eris and jenny look exactly alike

[steddiealltheway]

Steve can see it in Max. That same loneliness and ache that he finds in himself. For him, it’s result of his parents leaving with no intent to return to him unless absolutely necessary.

He knows he was an accident. Or rather a mistake as his father used to call him when he was particularly angry. But it made sense to him. Steve's the reason his father had to marry his mother. He left him "trapped." And maybe no one says it out loud, but he can tell his mother feels the same way too.

But they must keep up appearances, right?

Which is what Max has been trying to do since Billy died, El moved away, and it's been just her and her mom. But she's been going about it through a different route - pushing people away all while pretending things are fine. But Steve sees the way she picks up the broken pieces of her mom and tries to put them back together - Steve's had to do the same thing before.

So, he starts sticking around a little longer. Offering her more rides to the arcade and around town to pick up groceries when she needs to. Sometimes he'll tell her about a new recipe he's been trying for a casserole and pick up the ingredients, pretending like the milk and butter he bought will spoil by the time he drives home from her trailer.

Of course, they both know it's a lie, but Max humors him and plays along. She'll let him cook dinner while she picks up the bottles her mom left on the floor, dumps out the overflowing ashtray, and feeds the dog. Usually, Steve will ask her what she's learning in school and linger a little longer than usual in hopes that she'll say more than the usual, "I don't know. A bunch of boring stuff."

But lingering has gotten a lot of things out of Max such as her love for Kate Bush, a story about El and how much she misses her, and short quips about Lucas before she gets a sad smile on her face. Steve doesn't really know what to say most of the time, but he hopes that just being there will help.

Unfortunately, lingering and just being there has led him to his current predicament of none other than Eddie "The Freak" Munson sitting on the hood of his car glaring at him as he walks out of Max's place. Steve jumps a little, startled by the figure on his car and becoming more hostile as he sees the expression on his face. He shoves his hands in his pockets and slows his pace. "Is there a problem?"

Eddie snorts humorlessly. "Christ. You're really going to pretend like there's nothing wrong with what's happening?"

Steve's brows furrow, entirely missing whatever point he's trying to make.

Eddie stands up and stalks toward him. "I see you, you know. Always lurking around when her mom isn't home. Coming out of her trailer late at night."

Steve laughs, finally understanding the absurd conclusion he's come to. "Jesus, man. You're delusional."

Steve doesn't expect it, but Eddie sharply shoves his chest and grits, "I don't fucking lie to me, Harrington."

Steve holds his hands up. "I'm not," he firmly states. "Nothing like that is happening here. I'm glad you're looking out for her, but it isn't like that."

"Do you expect me to believe that? Maybe this is why you're always hanging around Henderson and the other kids."

Steve crosses his arms and his jaw tenses. "I'm not a fucking pervert or a pedophile if that's what you're trying to say. I'm just looking after them."

"Why?" Eddie asks, dramatically opening his arms, "Why would King Steve adopt a group of misfits to take under his wing? See, the math isn't adding up."

Usually, Steve would just brush it off and tell the person to fuck off and mind their own business. But his parents have just left town again without leaving a note and Max had snapped when Steve tried to help her clean the place because it looked worse than usual, and he was just generally feeling like shit and angry at his parents and Max's parents for not being there. So he broke, "Because I don't want Max to end up like me! I don't want any of those kids to grow up without a role model. And god forbid if any of those other kids' parents fuck up, and they’re left with only me. I need them to know that I'm there for them! Because sometimes it feels like whenever the world goes to shit, I'm the only one who is there, and I plan to stay there, okay?!"

He finishes his rant breathing a little heavier than usual and noticing that a few of the lights in the trailers have turned on around them. He looks around and awkwardly nods to the people glaring out their windows. God, he needs to get a grip.

When he turns back to Eddie, he notices the conflicted expression, jaw dropped, eyebrows knitted together, eyes searching him as if he's still wondering if he's lying.

A door creaks open behind them and Steve curses under his breath as he hears Max say, "Eddie, leave him alone. Do you really think I would hook up with my damn babysitter? Jeez."

"Language," Steve quietly lectures as the door swings shut. He runs his hands over his face and takes a deep breath. It's been a long fucking day.

A hand lands on his arm and tugs him away from Max's trailer. Steve glances up at Eddie, leading him across the way. "Where are we going?"

"My place," Eddie says.

"Why?"

"So we can talk."

God, the last thing he wants to do is talk to Eddie of all people, the guy he's been actively avoiding since Dustin started worshipping the ground - or rather tables - he walks on. But he lets himself be pulled away in the trailer and practically deposited on the couch in the living room.

He glances up and comments, "That's a lot of mugs."

"My uncle's, but that's not what I wanted to... Christ," Eddie says, pacing in front of Steve and tugging his hair in front of his face. The anxious display makes Steve feel even more tired, but he lets him pace. God, what is he even doing here?

"I'm sorry," Eddie blurts out. "I'm just..." he trails off and rushes over to grab a stool a few feet away before dragging it in front of the couch. He sits on it but his leg still holds that nervous energy as it rapidly bounces up and down. "I jumped to conclusions, and it was really shitty of me, man. I just... didn't believe what Henderson was saying about you and thought 'Oh, this makes way more sense than Steve Harrington being a good dude.' And I'm sorry to accuse you of that. And I... I didn't know about your... parents and stuff. Like I knew they were away a lot because of your parties but... I just never connected the dots. And I'm sorry. No one deserves that shit, man."

Steve doesn't know what to do this whole interaction, especially with it coming from Eddie Munson who he doesn't think he's ever talked to before this moment, but... he needs to hear it. God, he needs to hear it.

Of course, he can't let him know this, so he does what he's best at and brushes it off. "It's fine. You were just looking out for the kids. And really just ignore what I said back there, it isn't that big of a deal."

Eddie worries his bottom lip before he blurts out, "I know what it's like." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "I mean, I know what it's like to have... absent parents. But in my case, eventually, my uncle Wayne took me in, and I can only imagine if he didn't." He gives him a pointed look and lowers his voice, "Do you have someone like that?"

A big part of Steve wants to leave right now, and he knows there's nothing stopping him. But a bigger part of him needs to stay. Needs to talk about the emptiness in his house that he can never truly escape at the end of the day that he can’t talk to anyone about. Because he's not supposed to be weak. He's supposed to take care of the others. So he admits, "No, I don't have... anyone like that. Except Robin but..."

"That's different," Eddie finishes the thought for him.

Steve nods. He loves Robin, but he loves her as a platonic soulmate and not as a parent figure in his life. "You know, I once had this basketball coach in middle school - Mr. Weston. And I remember looking up to him so much. I wanted to be just like him, and I would go to his office during lunch and ask him for advice or talk about dumb shit that my father would never talk about. But he never shamed me for my questions. And sometimes he even packed an extra dessert for me." Steve smiles at the memories and runs a hand through his hair, remembering the day he got the news. "But one time, when I went to his office, he had this look on his face. And I just knew it was bad news. And really, it wasn't bad news to him because his wife was pregnant. But she wanted to move a few states away to raise the kid closer to her family. And it wasn't his fault, you know? It wasn't like he purposely chose to move away from me, but I felt like I was abandoned again."

Steve wipes a tear from his eye and puts his head in his hands. "God, I don't know why I'm even telling you this story. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Eddie says quickly. He pauses and shifts on the stool, his gaze being far away. "I remember him. He was one of the only gym teachers that defended me against all the shitty middle school bullies. He was a good person.”

Steve nods. God, he was a good person.

Eddie continues, “I'm sorry that he left. And I bet he still regrets leaving you behind."

Steve leans back against the couch and looks away, shaking his head. "I bet he forgot about me."

"You're kind of hard to forget."

Steve looks at Eddie and sees a slight blush on his cheeks as he shakes his head and waves his hands as if trying to make the comment go away. "What I mean is that there's no way he's forgotten about you. Someone who you used to have lunch with all the time to the point of giving you free food... Nah, man. He remembers you. I think you may have been as important to him as he was to you."

The thought breaks away at a wall Steve had built up long ago. "Thanks," he practically whispers.

Eddie just smiles at him, small dimples appearing on his cheeks.

"You didn't deserve it either, you know," Steve says. "The absent parent stuff. Even with Wayne, they should've been here too."

Eddie's smile falters a bit as he swallows and looks at the ground. "Thanks," he mumbles. He looks up at Steve and comments, "Getting sappy with Steve Harrington. Who knew."

"Yeah, getting sappy with Eddie Munson," Steve echoes back at him.

Eddie laughs, "I'm surprised you even know my name."

"You're kind of hard to forget," Steve says easily.

That same blush comes back to Eddie who shifts in his chair a bit as if he needs to process the information with his whole body.

They sit in the moment for a bit before Eddie gets a somewhat serious look on his face and offers, "You know, I'm definitely not a parent figure or anything, but I'm always here and around to talk about that whole thing if you need to."

Steve's heart beats a little faster at the sheer genuineness. "Same here," he can't help but offer in return. He glances down at his watch and sighs, "It's getting late, so I better..."

"Right," Eddie says, standing up and leading him to the door. "Do you need water for the road or anything?"

Steve smiles and pats him on the back without thinking too hard about it. "I'm good, man. But thank you. For everything really."

"Sorry for being an asshole," Eddie apologizes again.

"Usually that's my line," Steve accidentally voices before cringing a bit, wondering further why Eddie's been so kind to him.

But as he opens the door, Eddie comments, "I don't know. It seems like Dustin was right about the whole reformed jock thing. Maybe your crown really has fallen - which is a good thing by the way."

Steve slightly smiles at him before he turns to leave. But he can't help but say, "I wonder what the neighbors will think about me leaving your trailer so late."

Eddie groans then laughs. "Sorry to ruin your image."

"I wouldn't mind," Steve replies, honestly unsure what he means by that. "Goodnight, Eddie."

"Goodnight, Steve," Eddie says, that same blush on his cheeks, only this time Steve isn't sure if it's something he said or a result of the cold night air.

In bed that night, Steve feels a slight weight lifted from him and can't help but feel like he’s a little less alone.

[rystiel]

would things have been different if stan told ford? will things be different since mabel told dipper?