#but i guess it would be nice to have some.... support? validation?

[traumasurvivors]

hello, do you have resources on recognizing whether or not you're in an abusive/toxic friendship?

I don't, but here's some red flag thoughts I had.

If you try and talk about something they've done that upset you/bothered you, and they turn around and make you feel bad. This might be done by them going "oh, I'm such a terrible person. You shouldn't be friends with me."

They only talk to you or initiate contact if they want something from you.

They "jokingly" say mean things about you.

They compare you to other people. It might be things like "oh, well, so-and-so would do this for me."

They make you feel guilty for having boundaries.

If you're having a bad time, they need to be having a worse time. Nothing can be about you, and the attention always has to be drawn back to them.

They make you feel bad about your interests. "Oh, damn, I guess not everyone has good taste in music.

Constant negativity. They are constantly "raining" on your parade if you're happy about something. Example: You are super happy because you had a great time with your dad. You rave to them about this, and their response is "wow, it must be nice. My dad and I have a terrible relationship." While their feelings are valid, it's really inappropriate if they feel a constant need to bring you down whenever you're happy.

You can't rely on them for support. While it's valid for people to have limits and not be able to provide support all the time because of their own mental health, it isn't okay if a relationship is one-sided and you offer support and they never do.

When you have arguments, they got for "low blows" rather than trying to resolve the conflict. This might mean they scream at you, or throw insults at you, or throw past mistakes in your face.

No one is perfect, and it's understandable that people slip up sometimes and make mistakes. Lash out even. But they should hold themselves accountable for these mistakes, and not make you feel bad for being upset. They also shouldn't laugh off or be dismissive of their own behaviour.

Being passive aggressive.

They pressure you into doing things you don't want to do.

A lot of this falls under manipulation, and I wrote an article about it here.

I want to bring up that nuance is really important. For example: my best friend and I regularly "roast" each other and genuinely find it amusing. But there are certain topics that are off limits, and we'd never do this if it genuinely upset the other.

Obviously, again nuance is important. Sometimes these bad feelings come up for our own reasons and aren't necessarily the other person's fault, but here are some thoughts I had on things you might be feeling if a friendship isn't right for you.

You feel relieved if plans are cancelled.

You feel a feeling of dread when you see a message from them.

You are anxious to tell them things like really good news because they might make you feel bad about it. Or even really bad news, because they might try and compete with you.

You are anxious to tell them if they cross a boundary or upset you.

You withhold telling them the real truth about things. You might be worried they can't be trusted with the information, or that they might use it against you.

You feel trapped or like you have to be their friend.

You feel completely drained by them. Maybe it's hearing their name, seeing their name, or just being around them.

Sorry, I rambled, but hopefully there's something helpful here!

[wisteria-lodge]

What are your thoughts on those who believe hp fans (fan writers, artists, and appreciators alike) should leave the fandom sphere in favor of not giving JKR any “support” even if one does not share her views, as opposed to consuming fan content (or even the original media) while understanding the separation between art from artist (even if that can’t truly be 100% done, as HP is JKR, though that is another discussion entirely)?

I can only answer for myself, but I guess I would say - I'm a teacher, IRL. And my students, they know about Harry Potter, they know the property, they grew up with the movies, they read Harry Potter fanfiction, and... they talk to me about it. I think it's *good* that they talk to me about it. They ask questions about JKR, about the problematic elements in the books, trans issues, queer villains. Whatever is bothering them, whatever they otherwise feel dumb about asking.

Just the other day I had a very sweet conversation with a trans student who had realized he was gay because Harry and Draco in the books were so "real" and "me coded" (and then he realized people shipped them and was like OH.) Basically, he just needed to be told that his experience was still okay and valid even though JKR is such a terrible transphobe. I had another one ask me "why are all queer people Wolfstar?" (what she meant was, why do gay couples in media tend have a masc one + a femme one. But for her, patient zero is Wolfstar, and that's how she phrased the question.)

On this blog, I'm in this position where I clearly know like, a lot about Harry Potter, I clearly authentically love it (and the fan culture around it...) but am very VERY critical of both JKR as a person, and specific choices she made while writing the books. That's a combination that's definitely got me some hate mail, but also thank-you letters, and extremely earnest questions. And, if I never touched HP meta or fandom, I wouldn't get to occupy that space.

I completely, completely understand people who never want to read the words "Harry Potter" ever again. That was me, for years. I only started writing about Harry Potter on this blog last July, but so far it's been very a interesting, rewarding, cathartic experience. I've also had a great time writing fic, and using that as a means to examine my emotions and issues around this property, and with JKR herself. I got such a kick out of matching JKR's writing style as perfectly as I possibly could, and then writing Book 4 babygay Drarry. Or making Tonks just like, super genderqueer, trans, all of the above. Or flipping the framing to write a 100% canon compliant morally grey Dumbledore, and a sympathetic Lucius Malfoy. People seem to really like the fics too, so that's a nice bonus. I've gotten a lot from fanfiction myself in the past, I think it's a fascinating and useful form of art. So, I like getting getting to continue the cycle.

[eir-trixa]

WOTTG SPOILERS AFTER THE CUT

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Can you believe Rick is validating me in my Percy-is-the-most-empathic-character take? I have legal basis but boi does it feel nice to have canon confirmation.

Second that book was short af I got the gist of it all while reading for like an hour.

Third, we addressed everyone else’s trauma. Percy’s still the group therapist LMAO 😭😭😭

Fourth, my son is such a good kid yall, this is why I lose five years of my life when someone insults or when he insults himself jfc my child.

Im honestly still processing and I have to reread the ending. Did it address Percy’s issues? Im going to go with “a bit” and call it a night. I mean, I guess it did? Percy got to unload and help Gale and Hecuba. We got an insight to how he’s managing to stay up and fighting and good despite all the shit he’s put into. Honestly the fact that he saw the humanity in Gale and Hecuba, that he saw their pain and grief and thats what made them trust him, that is so good. And the way he related to them. Goodness. And it highlights again how good a person he is, how much he feels and cares. I mean, he cried cause he had to send Mrs O Leary away, I cant with this kid-

I supposed what Im left unsatisfied with is how he still perceives himself as dumb? Baby, you survived San Fran for two months as a homeless kid without memories and pursued by different monsters who cant die. Youre the furthest thing from dumb.

He cant see this of course and while it was slightly addressed(?) by Annabeth telling him to his face that she doesnt give him enough credit, that he’s pretty smart, I dont think thats enough for addressing this particular issue. There was a time in the middle that he almost snapped because he thought Annabeth probably thinks him too dumb to know what to do next. Which I understand is frustrating to him. But to be fair this book made him look at Annabeth for a solution a lot. Theres also little comments about how when he cant think of anything - which is every 60 seconds apparently according to him- he looks at Annabeth. This doesnt help the co dependent allegations LMAO. Idk, I will die on the Hill that Percy is one of the smartest people in the series, not just emotionally but also in strategy. And theres, of course, nothing wrong with looking at the genius strategist for answers. Ive mixed feelings because definitely this is more of a Percy-insecurity issue than an Annabeth-being-bossy issue. But okay. One more book, heres to hoping we get more heart to heart on that front because Im 999998% sure she doesnt mean to make him feel stupid, Percy’s just got a lot of demons to fight but this in particular they need to figure out together. Still, its obvious how much they care for each other still. If only Dave and Hana did not piss me off at the start Id probably be a little more lenient about this.

Annabeth’s fatal flaw also makes a comeback, we love to see it.

And Sally Estelle Jackson. Now we have to find out wth is Percy’s middle name cause if Sally has one odds are she gave her son too. Trust me. Im Filipino. Iykyk.

Lastly, while I will forever and ever and ever support the trio from pjotv (theyre perfect and have done nothing wrong ever) I can see Rick’s injecting their personalities into the books. Im not sure if he does this on purpose or just subconsciously LMAO. Some of Grover’s dialogue is definitely inspired by Aryan. Percy being Lanky? Walker through and through, especially with his growth spurt lmao, and Annabeth’s confidence? All Leah. I can see what Rick’s trying to do. Ive no opinion on this, just pointing it out. I do love love love the live action. Just. I can see you Rick. You aint slick.

So there. I probably would need to reread the book properly at some point.

[barnesdolls]

“THIS ISN’T ABOUT SHARON”

(IT’S TOTALLY ABOUT SHARON)

(aka: Bucky Barnes is Jealous, Vol. 87)

(Featuring: Bucky Barnes slowly combusting, Steve Rogers being tragically dumb, Sharon Carter weaponizing charm, and a cat named Alpine with better emotional intelligence than both men combined.)

⸻

It started with Sharon saying, “Wow, Captain, your shoulders look even broader lately.”

And it ended (so far) with Bucky wondering if it was physically possible to flip a conference table without breaking eye contact.

He sat across the room, legs crossed, arms folded tightly, watching Sharon flirt with Steve like she was trying to land an internship in his personal space.

She laughed at everything. Everything.

“Oh, you lead a team of elite soldiers and survived being frozen for seventy years? Haha, you’re so funny, Steve!”

Bucky was going to vomit. Possibly out of spite.

Alpine, curled in Bucky’s lap (yes, he brought his cat to the compound meeting because he’s emotionally supported by a fluffball and that’s valid), sensed his rising blood pressure and softly headbutted his chin.

“Yeah, I know, she’s still talking,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

Alpine blinked in slow, feline judgment.

Steve, meanwhile, just stood there with that golden retriever expression, smiling like he had no idea he was being visually undressed by a Carter for the second generation in a row.

“I mean, seriously,” Sharon giggled, brushing nonexistent lint off his chest, “Do you train every day?”

“I try to stick to a routine,” Steve replied, like she had asked if he owned a gym membership and not if he wanted to bench-press her soul.

Bucky’s fingers tightened on Alpine’s fur. The cat let out a single annoyed meow.

“Sorry,” Bucky whispered, giving her an apologetic scratch. “Daddy’s going through some… psychological warfare.”

Steve looked over then, smiling. “Hey, Buck! Sharon was just asking about our training schedule. Maybe you could help coordinate something with her?”

You absolute traitor.

Bucky blinked slowly. “Mmm. No, thanks.”

Steve tilted his head. “Why not?”

“I’m busy.”

“You’re literally sitting with your cat—”

“Exactly.”

Steve turned back to Sharon, utterly lost. “He’s been weird lately.”

“Is it… something I said?” she asked, biting her lip in mock concern.

Bucky made a sound that could only be described as audible scowling.

“Let me guess,” Sharon said with a smirk, “He’s the strong, silent, broody type?”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, he gets that a lot.”

Bucky whispered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “You get a lot of head trauma too, but we don’t talk about that, do we?”

⸻

Later that day, Steve walked into the kitchen to find Bucky glaring at a mug.

“…You okay, pal?”

Bucky didn’t look up. “Fine.”

Steve peered into the mug. “That tea offending you or something?”

“Nope.”

“You’ve been weird since this morning.”

Bucky sipped. “Maybe the room’s weird.”

Steve leaned against the counter. “Is this about the briefing?”

“Nope.”

“Sharon?”

Bucky’s eye twitched. “No. Why would it be?”

Steve frowned. “She said you were upset. Thought maybe I did something.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Wow, a Carter making up narratives about me. Shocking.”

Steve squinted. “Wait, you are mad.”

“No, I’m just cursed with facial expressions.”

“Did she say something wrong?”

“Oh my God, Steve,” Bucky snapped, slamming the mug down. “She flirted with you so hard she might as well have thrown her badge at your face and you just stood there like a giant patriotic tree!”

Steve blinked. “She was flirting?”

“YES, STEVE.”

“…I thought she was being nice.”

Alpine, now lounging on the counter like the queen she was, let out a tired meow of pure disappointment.

Bucky pointed at the cat. “Even she knows.”

Steve looked between Bucky and Alpine. “Okay, but… why does it bother you?”

Bucky opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “Because. She’s annoying.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Steve stared. “You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Another pause.

Alpine jumped onto Bucky’s shoulder and licked his cheek in what was either affection or a sarcastic “you’re doing amazing, sweetie.”

Steve narrowed his eyes. “Do you—do you not like the idea of me with Sharon?”

Bucky’s eye twitched again. “You’d die. She wears heels. You’d fall down the stairs trying to impress her.”

Steve laughed. “I’m not trying to impress her.”

“Oh my God,” Bucky muttered. “I need to go scream into a wall.”

“You wanna spar later?” Steve offered. “You seem tense.”

“I wonder why.”

Steve scratched his head. “Well, whatever it is, I’m here if you wanna talk.”

“Wow. Groundbreaking.”

Steve blinked. “…Did you just quote yourself?”

Bucky stood, Alpine in arms. “I’m taking my daughter and leaving.”

“She’s not—”

“She is now.”

Steve watched him go, utterly baffled. “What just happened?”

Alpine turned in Bucky’s arms and gave Steve one last look over Bucky’s shoulder.

It said, very clearly: You’re an idiot. But he loves you anyway.

And then she blinked slowly, like she pitied them both.

⸻

It had been three days.

Three days of bitter silence, passive-aggressive grunting, and Steve trying (and failing) to figure out why Bucky was mad while Bucky pretended not to care at all, except he very obviously did because he started going to the gym at 5:00am to avoid Steve’s golden retriever aura.

Alpine was done with it.

Absolutely sick of it.

She had her routine: nap at 11am, destroy the couch at noon, get worshipped by her emotionally stunted human by 3pm - and this cold war between Bucky and Steve was throwing off her entire emotional support schedule.

So she devised a plan. A plan of chaos. A plan of genius.

Step 1: Manipulate Steve Rogers.

She found him in the common room, sitting with his elbows on his knees, looking like someone who had just been told his best friend hated him and also might be allergic to happiness.

“Hi, Alpine,” he said softly.

She meowed. Loudly. With purpose.

Then she jumped in his lap.

Steve blinked. “You don’t usually sit with me.”

She meowed again, then turned around three times and settled in. She looked up at him meaningfully.

“…Are you trying to tell me something?”

Meow.

“…Is it about Bucky?”

Meeeooow.

Steve squinted. “Did I screw up?”

Alpine blinked. Slowly. Like, glacially slow.

“Okay, okay, alright…message received,” Steve muttered. “But he won’t talk to me. He just keeps glaring and saying ‘I’m fine’ like a damn liar.”

She slapped his knee with her tail.

“Okay, okay! I’ll try again!”

Step 2: Trap them.

Later that evening, Bucky walked into the kitchen to grab a protein bar and found Alpine sitting in the middle of the room, tail wrapped around her dainty paws, looking like a cult leader.

“Hey, baby,” he said, scratching her head. “What are you doin’ in here all dramatic?”

She stood up. Meowed. Then ran off.

Bucky blinked. “Okay…”

He followed. Because obviously.

She led him down the hallway, into the training room, where the lights were already on and—

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Bucky muttered.

Steve was already standing there, arms crossed, like he’d just been lured in by a very bossy cat.

They both looked down at Alpine, who promptly sat in the exact middle of the room and meowed once, loudly, like a judge banging a gavel.

“I think she wants us to talk,” Steve said awkwardly.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Bucky muttered.

Steve scratched the back of his neck. “Look. I know I’m bad at reading people. You probably wanted me to pick up on something you weren’t saying and I just… didn’t.”

Bucky crossed his arms. “You think?”

Alpine let out a long, suffering meow like “Tell him you love him, you emotionally constipated winter muffin.”

Steve stepped closer. “I just..- if I made you feel replaced or overlooked, I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t realize Sharon was coming on that strong. I wasn’t trying to flirt. You know that, right?”

Bucky’s jaw clenched. “Yeah. I know. You’re just stupid.”

“Wow.”

“No, I mean..- you’re stupid in a way that makes it real hard for people to tell you how they feel without needing a damn PowerPoint.”

Steve laughed under his breath. “You could’ve just said you didn’t like her.”

“I didn’t not like her,” Bucky snapped. “I didn’t like her near you. There’s a difference.”

Steve blinked. “…Oh.”

“Oh,” Bucky mocked. “Wow, it finally clicked.”

“You jealous?” Steve asked, smiling.

Bucky rolled his eyes so hard he could see the previous day. “Not of her. Just… of the idea of someone else knowing you better than I do.”

Steve went quiet.

Alpine meowed. Loudly.

Steve cleared his throat. “I don’t think anyone knows me better than you. Not even me sometimes.”

Bucky’s lip twitched. “You saying I’m your emotional translator?”

“Maybe.”

“Gross.”

Steve stepped forward again. “So we good?”

Bucky sighed. “Yeah. Just don’t make me sit through another Carter monologue about your arms.”

“Deal.”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, until Alpine meowed again, like “Are you gonna kiss or just stand there like idiots?”

Steve reached over and ruffled Bucky’s hair. “I missed you, grumpy.”

Bucky smacked his hand away. “Touch me again and I’ll replace your shampoo with mayonnaise.”

“I deserve that.”

“Damn right.”

They both looked down at Alpine, who stretched out like a satisfied villain and purred loudly.

“Smartest one in the room,” Steve muttered.

“Don’t let her hear that, she’ll start charging rent.”

Alpine yawned, victorious.

Love was restored. The Cold War was over.

And Alpine?

She simply returned to her throne (a.k.a. the back of the couch) and plotted her next meddling.

After all, Tony and Bruce were clearly in denial too.

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

Hi CC, I just wanted to share some thoughts. It's not that Celine being a voyeur is the main issue, it’s that players who aren’t romancing her, like those playing a gay MC or someone not attracted to women, were still put in uncomfortable situations. Celine flirts with the MC regardless of orientation, and the narrative includes moments like the MC checking her out, comments on how her dress hugs her curves, how crossing her legs reveals her long legs, while, in contrast, Evan is simply described as wearing a nice suit, with little attention to his appearance beyond that. Then there are the lingering glances, “accidental” touches… She even considered watching Evan and the MC during an intimate moment, and even when the MC chooses to leave with Evan, there's a scene while in the act where they're looking around to see if Celine is still watching ( I don’t know if it was removed ). That’s what felt off to a lot of people. To be honest, i’m glad someone brought it up.

As for the orgy scene, giving the MC a chance to express why they don’t want to participate even if it’s just a flavor choice would go a long way in preserving player agency. I also think it’s valid that seeing your boss and the food critic invite you to something like that could affect how the MC views them especially Celine, who came off as more professional and respected, whereas Evan had already been more openly flirtatious from the start.

This is why I sometimes prefer the forum you get honest feedback, even the less flattering kind, which can be really helpful for improving the story. It doesn’t mean the story is less popular; if anything, it shows people care enough to engage and offer thoughts. Tumblr’s great for vibes and fan energy, but people often hold back on criticism, either to avoid drama or because it's more focused on supporting creators.

Thanks for the clarification. I did take all the constructive feedback into account and made the necessary changes.

I guess I got carried away in writing Celine that it did not occur to me that some of those lines should have been behind the flirt stat.

[lacktastrophe]

My question about Lucy, Paulo, and Daisy was prompted by Rain Check. We see Paulo say that she’s cruel and assume she brought Daisy there to rub things in before he goes to wash the dishes instead. There’s a panel that shows her upset in the page after this Then when she gets back to the table Daisy assumes she just wants to make fun of her crushes. They kinda just think the worst of Lucy when she’s trying to help. They have their entire talk and end up dating. There’s never a point where they apologize for assuming the worst or acknowledge that she’s been supportive. Paulo’s the worst offender since he went from the interaction in Double Down to asking for her help in Seeing Stars and then to assuming she only brought Daisy to spite him. Then seemingly to friendly again after that. Which is red flags tbh because jumping from being chill with someone to that level of aggression to talking to them like nothing happened is genuinely not good. But it was the page you mentioned that was the reason I asked since it was their interaction after everything. I’d get why it wouldn’t come up at the end of a chapter that already had a lot of discussion and clearing things up between Paulo and Daisy. The page in the current chapter where they’re acting like everything’s all good after both openly just assumed her intention is to hurt them with no ‘hey, I guess you were trying to help’ or ‘sorry for saying you only came here to remind me of how awful I am’

It would just be nice to see that cleared up. I like their interactions but it’s a glaring issue that they’ll be okay with her only to turn on a dime and assume she just wants to make fun or outright put them down

This got sent on the 5th, sorry Anon. I found time to log into Tumblr.

Thanks for clarifying. In that case (or in any case) I went on a huge tangent without really getting to what you wanted to get to.

I think the bulk of the answers come back as the summary of the last post where I detailed the kids rely on a perception of Lucy that goes back to their childhood and how Lucy behaved. Paulo and Daisy's treatment is a defensive reaction because historically, the aloof, snarky, indifferent and abrasive Lucy never previously involved themselves in their friend's issues, more often than not finding them a source of entertainment.

These moments are still valid despite how long ago this happened for the friend group because there's just been a huge absence of Lucy, and few chances to show she's different from back then. We, of course, are aware as readers of a different perspective of Lucy having been able to follow her and knowing better traits that exist in her character, but that is not something the other kids are privy to. Since her return to the school, to them, she's been just as absent as she was just before her disappearance.

We're only seeing some meaningful investment in the people around her now. Lucy doesn't want to be seen this way, so the onus is on her to changing this perspective, and she can do this through investing in others.

The reception she's getting appears meanspirited, but it isn't completely unfair. There is merit to her colleagues suspicion given the lack of evidence she's not the same person as she was back then. There's sufficient evidence to see that Lucy is acutely aware of this being the case too. We know this from her nightmares to start with.

As much as we want to believe in Lucy we have to admit she just hasn't made huge strides in convincing others yet that she isn't like those times or dependable in this way in particular. The way things went down in Seeing Stars sets the tone for where Lucy is right now and what we're set for in future chapters. Quite simply, there's a lot to do, and Lucy really hasn't helped herself here either by telling Paulo to fuck off this time. Granted, she doesn't owe him anything. But friendship is a two way street. Lucy had bemoaned in the past how her friends abandoned her in her time of need, yet here she is abandoning Paulo in his time of need. This isn't conductive to fixing those ties as we see when people start doubting her despite her best intentions.

As much as this comes across as a Paulo Fumble, it's very much a Lucy fumble, which Lucy does acknowledge on her own. Having acted the way she did made her seem like she was indifferent to his plight, not at all trying to convince others that she isn't like back then and undoing the baggage carried from her nightmares. So Paulo's reaction in Raincheck is justified and not too unsurprising when she just shows up out of the blue with Daisy from his perspective.

Seeing Lucy admit that her reaction was absolutely uncalled for is pretty great for her because we get to recognise that this is an area where she is trying to productively work towards changing her image. But this isn't like the time when she returned to the school like in Love-Again where she made deliberate attempts to subvert expectations by not behaving how they thought she'd behave like. This has everything to do with investing in other people, something she just didn't do years ago and hasn't been able to do until now for various reasons. Despite how good this development is, it isn't without becoming very uncharacteristic of her according to the others, which has everyone on the defense considering the timing.

The flashback in Dial Tone is the kind of reception people like Mike would find when they tried venting their spleen to Lucy in the past.

And since they're not Mike, well, anything could happen.

This perception isn't necessarily shared by just Daisy and Paulo either, the aforementioned part of Lucy's childhood is known by a lot of their colleagues, as we see a point in It's all in the mind where Lucy needed to pre-empt a reaction from Amaya to clarify that she's not being intently snarky to them as an example.

The same reassurance needed to happen twice in Rain-Check in order for Lucy to further convince Daisy she's absolutely serious about becoming involved in their problems.

This is sadly what Lucy is needing to wear from months of not having worked on changing her perception since her return. The reception Lucy is receiving is mean, but she isn't intentionally letting herself get riled up on things either, so I feel she might realise it's not totally uncalled for considering whom she used to be and what she's trying to do.

Moving on, besides the threat of being made fun of, Daisy's apprehension towards Lucy's offer to help, while rude, is just Lucy having her credentials checked out when it comes to this topic. Having not been too successful with relationships given her childhood to now and lacking experience (and completely flubbing it with Paulo AND Mike), it's fair to say that Lucy wouldn't be Daisy's first pick when it comes to the advice she's after. Particularly when it comes to confessing and not having everything turn to shit. (Unrequited.) It's not supposed to be rude, but it is to show that Lucy is just not the right person for this task sadly.

All of this makes "Rain-Check" a bit of an ironic chapter, because while the Rain-Check is initially seen as the check-in on Paulo and Daisy's relationship, the same is true for parts of Lucy. Whether that's working on her image or working on her relationships, aspects of which have caught up with her, and the changes we've been waiting for.

Still consider that from Daisy's perspective, as much as Lucy might be trying to make a meaningful investment, the one thing the kids probably all recognise is that they all don't know each other too well (a great theme of this chapter too considering Paulo never knew Daisy's affection for him).It's just uncharacteristic of Lucy to be like this, so it wouldn't be unfair to wonder if she's just looking for entertainment. And we're asking a lot of Daisy to lower her own walls at great personal risk of being made fun of when her heart really hurts. It could be said things would have been different had Lucy worked on things earlier, but she didn't. Sadly her nightmares made her run like in Seeing Stars. Not literally run, but we've seen moments where Lucy just doesn't work on the things that end up dogging her.

When it comes to Paulo's treatment of Lucy, I feel like there's a lot more going on enough to worry about him. The guy has been fucked around by her a fair amount! There had been a moment where Paulo was sure as hell that he had a chance with her up until that very moment on the Ferris Wheel when everything fell to pieces, and every other interaction past that he'd manage to fumble up in one way or another. It's not too surprising to see him viewing things with ill-intent when you consider (ignoring his current mental soup) that after so many consecutive flops to bring her over after the carnvial, he might have realised at some point he knows nothing about her, and has to fallback on the same perception of her that everyone else is all but certain of. The only thing he can be sure about is the kind of person she was like when they were younger, as everything post Silvershore might as well have been his imagination, considering the mixed messages and signals he got with Lucy after that point.

Ironically, that means as much shit Paulo gave Mike about his imaginary girlfriend, he'd really done the same, but not without a partial hand by Lucy.

That's harsh to write about. But as much as Paulo had been the main-maestro to his own misfortune, it's inconceivable to think that Lucy didn't have a have a hand in this either. His reaction is not too far-gone considering his mental-headspace at this time.

As much as we want to believe in Lucy's intentions being pure here, Paulo's impressions of her is pretty fucked up thanks to what she's done to him. So he's justified to view things with ill-intent here. What else does he really have?

But this is good to have happened.

Lucy being confronted by this is good for her development, and rather than running away, she resolves then to try and do better.

She sits down opposite Daisy, and listens.

-

I get you that there's a distinct absence of acknowledgement from Paulo or Daisy at the end of the chapter towards Lucy, and even in the following chapter. That sucks!!!

But in defense to the story and two points to make: Outside of inviting Daisy to the fast food joint so she could be closer towards Paulo, Lucy wasn't the person who "fixed" anything from the perspectives of people who don't have access to her perspective like we do.

It would be purely coincidental that Paulo just happened to have been there to overhear everything. We can't blame her left ear, she didn't even expect him to be right there.

The other is through Lucy not seeking acknowledgement herself. Lucy not making a point of being the reason they're both now together could lead into something bigger and more meaningful down the road rather than claiming credit and undoing what Paulo and Daisy reached as a couple. We know better as readers, knowing that Lucy had pushed them together when both boiling points hit their peak, but I feel even if we retained Lucy's perspective to see her real thoughts on this, this is something that's better given to them both reaching this point rather than making it about her.

-

This is going to be a long agonising road as readers if you're looking for acknowledgements because I don't think they're going to come in the way people are expecting them to come. There's a lot of groundwork and lost time to cover for Lucy to get to that point where her involvement is recognised. But I feel these are adding up to something bigger in the long-run.

Hang in there, Anon.

[lemonmatronics]

THE POPPY PLAYTIME CHAPTER 3 TRAILER IS SOOO!,?!.?.!.

What a great treat to wake up to—Excuse me while I go insane and spill some thoughts, reactions, theories, and predictions below please

ahem

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SO LIKE FIRST OFF this chapter is gonna fuck, like this looks SO good holy shit

The setting and environment looks amazing but also the new hands mechanic along with the mask ohhhh this is gonna be FUN

Okay rambling about screenshots I took time

First off the environments look great, holy wow

The house itself looks kinda small so idk if that is the orphanage itself or some kind of set. Cause you can see fake sky walls around it, but like this is Playtime Co they would definitely do that to the orphanage also to give an illusion of outside. Either way it looks GREAT and I’m really excited to explore this setting

Just a nice shot of all the critters

I’m really curious if all the critters are gonna be utilized somehow. We know about Catnap and Dogday already, especially after the trailer itself. Though there was also the footage of Bobby running down the hall, looking like a normal plushie, and possibly seeing Hoppy in the trailer too. (I’ll touch on that later)

New Poster

Definitely looks like some company propaganda to try and keep kids from being afraid of CatNap. Judging by the files we got before looks like the results were a mixed bag. Considering the gas is there in the poster it’s definitely a company only poster, not something they could sell outside. They manipulated this kids so bad man :(

A CLEANER LOOK OF THIS THING,,,

THATS A SKELETON COMING OUT OF PUGAPILLAR’S MOUTH…Like that’s just straight up human remains.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen that before in this game. Like blood yeah plenty but BONES? They’re definitely amping things up for this chapter and I’m 100% here for it.

Besides that there’s a ton of plushies and such stabbed onto this weird thing. Is it a shrine? It doesn’t look like it could really move tbh, and if it was meant to be alive those parts aren’t doing anything to help it.

This poor mf

I’ve seen a lot of people speculate this is DogDay, which is a valid guess, but tbh my first thought was Hoppy. You can tell they have long droopy ears, which lines up with both candidates to me. Though I think the ears look a bit slimmer than what Dog Day’d would be, plus the angle on the head looks more like they’re dropping from the top of the head rather than the sides. I feel like if this was DogDay the whole head silhouette would be different because of the ears, which makes me lean towards Hoppy more.

I know her toy gives her long pointed up ears, but going off art and animation her ears can definitely fold

So I don’t think it’s out of the question that as a Bigger Bodies being her ears could fold over like that, especially while stuck like this.

Now I could be the one wrong here but I really think this is Hoppy. Won’t know until the game itself though so, I won’t treat either as divinities yet. It could just as easily be the case everyone else is right and it is DogDay, there’s evidence for that as well (Again, I’ll touch on that later).

So much happened here where do I even start

Obvious out the bat I guess, Kissy Missy is back!! And looks like Poppy isn’t ditching us alone either! Man I cannot tell it Poppy is good or not at this point, gray area? Trailer dialogue definitely sounded like she was supporting us.

“We’re coming! Just hold on!”

It’s really nice seeing Kissy back, really excited to see how she’s gonna help and play into this. I’ve been on the stance that she’s good ever since she helped in chapter 2 so this is really cathartic for me lmao.

As for what Poppy says here I found it interesting, like really interesting. Like, hearing it the first time made me think she casually confirmed something massive interesting. Granted, actually thinking about it longer, it could mean something else entirely. But was that the whole point?

“What’s happening down here is bigger than all of us. I need you. So we can revenge on those monsters who’ve tortured you, who’ve tortured us.”

“Those monsters who’ve tortured you”

Now, once I thought about it this is most likely referring to the literal monsters in the factory. Huggy, Mommy, CatNap, so on and such. But that’s not what my initial assumption was.

When Poppy referred to “monsters”, by first thought was the people working at the factory. I thought she said people at the factory tortured us.

I thought she confirmed that we’re a toy.

Once I thought about it longer, it doesn’t actually confirm that. But what if that’s the entire point? A double meaning line?

Now the player being a toy theory is something that’s been around since chapter 1, a theory I’ve fully stood by since then and still do. I like to think that’s why our character is completely silent, we’re a toy that can’t speak. Mute toys is something we’ve seen plenty of in the factory, more so than toys that actually talk. (Unless you count stuff like the Smiling Critters cartoon or the cardboard cutouts, but I’m talking purely living beings here.)

So while this doesn’t confirm the theory, this line is definitely throwing wood into the fire for me.

DogDay

Wether or not the chained Bigger Body above us DogDay or Hoppy, we have it confirmed here that DogDay is featured heavily in this chapter as an enemy. Again, I really wonder if the other Smiling Critters will show up as threats as well. Maybe a mixed bag of good and bad critters. If the chained up Bigger Body is DogDay, I wonder why he chases us after we assumingely set him free.

One note I’ll give that is to evidence for the chained bigger body being DogDay is that in the thumbnail you can see a shackle on his wrist

His arms are also long and lanky, which is why I won’t completely rule out it possibly being him there. It’s just as possible that it is him, both feel very plausible to me.

Though looking at the game footage, I’m not sure if can can see anything on his wrists. Additionally his arms look much wider than the one in thumbnail.

Additionally, the DogDay in the thumbnail looks so much like a…mascot suit? You can see seams and stitches all over him. Even other Bigger Bodies don’t look like that. Which is something I wanna give its own post to to figure deeper on.

So is this even the same DogDay at all?

It’s not completely out of the question there could be multiple DogDays, though that begs the question, what about other Smiling Critters? What about other toys as a whole?

Here’s my prediction on it. One Bigger Bodies experiment, and then there’s smaller ones approximately the size of their normal toys.

I think the DogDay in the thumbnail is a result of the Bigger Bodies testing, and the one actually chasing us is just a smaller more “normal” DogDay.

But if that’s true then it begs the question, what about other critters? We’ve seen a smaller Bobby before, does she also have a Bigger Bodies version?

Do they all have a Bigger Bodies equivalent?

Is there still a normal CatNap?

Again, all speculation but this chapter especially is really tickling my brain.

And finally we’ve got the man of the hour

Man he is so much lankier than I thought he would be. That definitely explains why his face was so high up on that one cam footage though. Here I was thinking he’d be bulky!

There isn’t too much to say here other than CatNap is definitely gonna be an imposing threat, and I’m very excited to see him in game. So far we’ve mainly seen him through silhouettes, and light peeks at small portions of his design. Seeing him better is game is gonna be a thrill and I’m so ready for it!

Additionally, just for the sake of adding on, we’ve seen these posters apparently from overseas get spread around lately

Both of these definitely look like they’re meant to be company only posters, ones you’d find in the schooling and orphanage areas.

The left poster telling kids to go inside right away when recess is up, nothing super deep here. Just a peek at the schooling that had here, and that these kids had their lives completely contained within the factory.

The second poster is CatNap telling Huggy to go to sleep, another attempt at convincing children CatNap isn’t dangerous. If Huggy is fine they will be too, right?

Anyways that’s my initial thoughts and reactions right after watching the trailer. VERY excited about this game, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to brainstorm on my own over a game like this so I’m really looking forward to what this chapter has to give.

[thebisexualwreckoning]

Confessions from a fandom insider; or how people will do anything to believe rich white men who pretend to be 'nice guys' over survivors just because said white guy tweeted 'gay rights' or 'women matter'

Aka: a post revealing the reactions of the good omens fandom when the orignal allegations against Neil gaiman came out.

***Edit: someone pointed out to me referring to those who gaiman assaulted as victims emphasizes gaiman's control over them and keeps them in a state of powerlessness and asked me to refer to them as survivors to emphasize their healing instead of keeping them in the same space that they were under gaiman. I will edit the post to reflect the correct language but for clarity's sake and because I believe in holding myself to the same standard I would others, I'm staying accountable for using harmful language and taking note of the fact that I was wrong and am so sorry for referring to these women as victims when they are in fact survivors

***Edit edit because I forgot this is Tumblr: by referring to these women as survivors I don't mean to erase the experience of those who didn't survive or mean to participate in a society that is uncomfortable with allowing people to be victims so that it can pretend we don't need changing on a structural level. No I don't support the idea that a person needs to be a survivor and is required to be resilient or whatever the fuck else for their trauma to be valid. I am still keeping my previous edits however because a. These women survived. That is factually correct. And b. This post is not about those that did not survive but rather about these specific women. So I will use language tailored to these specific women.

Post under cut

I've been a long time member of fandom communities on the internet. So I'm in general familiar with fandom drama and how people react when their favourite authors get exposed as being awful people. I was there when terf lady was exposed and as you can guess, I was there when the allegations against Neil gaiman came out.

Now, I'm not ashamed to admit I was a fan of certain gaiman made media. I enjoyed the adaptations of good omens, sandman, and dead boy detectives but that was mostly it. We ran in the same circles and I reblogged fanart on Tumblr and went about my merry way. So I was adjacent to the gaiman fandom when all this went down. And my god it was hell opening up under their feet. People were denying the allegations, finding strawman reasons for why gaiman couldn't possibly be a predator or have sexually assaulted those women. They were genuinely running smear campaigns.

People were talking about how the reporter is actually a terf and this was all a smear campaign against gaiman by conservatives who wanted to destroy 'the only genuinely non-disingenuous ally the queer community has'. Nobody was talking about why this behaviour might have been exactly the reason scarlett might have gone to a terf in the first place (note: I am not defending terfs. As a trans person I condemn all terfs and this is not in any way meant to be taken as a pro terf post).

There was more discourse about what this meant for good omens s3 rather than how gaiman must have completely ruined the lives of the survivors. it was some of the most unsympathetic self absorbed behaviour I have seen in fandom in all my years in fandom spaces. People were using neurodivergence as an excuse for both why they couldn't give up the material and for gaiman. People called it an anti bdsm campaign (note: this post is NOT anti bdsm or autistic people who don't understand social cues).

For a fandom that had modelled itself after having an accepting and diverse community that most of all supported women's rights, it was surprising to see people so quickly turn against survivors just because it went against their viewpoint of their favourite author. These very same people who would go to bat against amazon for cancelling their favourite show about white gays would not do the same for actual real life breathing women who aren't fictional characters they can read fanfic about.

What's my point with all this? Im talking about a bigger fandom wide trend about forming parasocial relationships with creators of media, especially when they espouse liberal ideology. gaiman's entire shtick was that he was this approachable goofy dad-like figure who openly supported a marginalised community leading many vulnerable people to think that he was that guy in real life. People searching for any form of connection found it when he lovebombed them before revealing his true colours

This doesn't mean we should be forever paranoid of any public figure we come across on the internet but should learn to form firm boundaries as people and fandom with the knowledge that this person could always be revealed to have been bad actually. And we should do this in a way that doesn't shatter our whole worldviews. If giving up his creations is uncomfortable to the point of making you sick then you need to seek out therapy for these parasocial dynamics you form.

Having to rearrange your world view to accept that the persona gaiman created (because at the end of the day interacting with fans is a part of his job, a part he abused, but still a job for which he uses a persona and not the real person he is) is not real or that your favourite show might be cancelled might hurt you but I ask that you explore those feelings in private instead of coming online and yelling about it to the point it overshadows the voices of the victims.

Because this is not normal behaviour. Gaiman sees vulnerable fans as people to exploit and perpetuating fan culture surrounding his work just opens the doors to more people falling prey to his insidious charm. Please, think why you feel the need to defend him instead of the survivors, people we should actually empower.

Because it's always about believing survivors isnt it? Well, at least until it's someone you know (who being cancelled will result in you being sad)

[all-pacas]

What if Chase was the one to get sick in euphoria?? What is his internal monologue??

Short version: we know already, it was called Nobody's Fault, lol.

I don't think it would be a drastically different episode, although Chase's reactions would certainly be different and some of the details would change.

Chase didn't have a problem with the cop, although I don't think that would change all that much: he's still going to freak out when the guy dies/is in pain/etc. The scene where the cop asks Chase to pray with him would be fascinating — Chase's entire life flashing before his eyes — and I bet he'd revert hard to his inner Good Catholic: Chase honestly doesn't seem to consider himself religious, or even really believe in God, but we see in S6 that when he gets pushed into a sharp enough corner he reverts back to his old habits. I bet he prays with the cop. I bet he talks about seminary and how he gave up and didn't believe.

He's not going to have family visiting or supporting him, unlike Foreman. I think he puts more faith in House, though, although honestly Chase does tend to push back against him more than he's given credit for, and I think he'd get just as frustrated when House can't seem to figure it out. He'd just give House a little more slack upfront, you know? He's also more isolated, probably leaning back on religious crutches (can just imagine House calling him out on pretending to believe because it's easier than admitting he's terrified and alone; can also just imagine Chase saying yes, but it sucks less than being alone).

I'm not sure he stabs Cameron with a needle. Don't get me wrong, Chase is every bit opportunistic enough to try something like that. Nor is he some super nice person who would never. But… it takes a certain assertiveness and ego to blackmail/extort/threaten someone like that, you know? Chase is sneaky, not overt.

He probably accuses House (and likely Foreman) of not giving a shit about him, just wanting to let him die, etc. We see Chase gets very passive-aggressive and self-pitying when stressed ("I guess I'm not a good doctor!" in The Mistake), he's a bit defeatist and seeks external validation: he doesn't appear to be getting treated or supported, so he's going to be upset.

I don't think he gives Cameron the medical proxy. At the end of the day, down to the wire, Chase is going to put his faith in House to figure it out; he doesn't need a backup plan or to subvert House in the way Foreman did. Overall I think he kind of goes the episode alone, unhappy with House and Cuddy, freezing out Cameron's probable attempts at compassion, Foreman whomst? We see how he shuts down in Nobody's Fault. Of course, in S2 he's not nearly as emotionally shut down as in S8, but I think in broad strokes… he's going to try and go it alone, he doesn't really want to rely on anyone (while at the same time absolutely believing in House… this is also pre-Finding Judas so Chase is at peak lapdog; the shine hasn't worn off yet), he gets frustrated and avoidant and deep down absolutely wants to be helped and coddled and to reach out to someone.

His version of Forever is also different: Chase might retreat to the ICU again, but this time because he really does want space. Or maybe he rebounds really hard on some random girl, as is also his wont.

[fadeling]

helia week ✨ 04

if you noticed that i missed yesterday then no you didnt

day one | day two | day three

🌻 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 🌻

16. How did the Warden feel about the Anvil of the Void?

if you remember the last post where I talked about Helia's reaction to the archdemon for the first time and how it rips away all hope she didn't know she had, you probably won't be surprised to hear that this was the only time she struggled with doing the right thing. had a crisis of faith, you could say. (not religiously, just for her moral code)

because. on its face having golems seems reaaaallly fucking good for defence and power. there's even a whole aspect where people can sign up for it, it doesn't seem too different from the wardens in theory? but in practice she even hates the wardens, and when she looks at the avil and asks herself if theres a place for it in her ideal world... the answer is simply no. if there isn't a place for it then it shouldnt be used now and certainly not again. to use it validates its existence

if the world can't exist without things like the anvil, then the world is probably better off ending. but it's hard to destroy it and not feel like she's damned it, for better or worse

17. What was the Warden's reaction to seeing Shianni in the Temple of Sacred Ashes?

It Probably has more impact when The Tortured One is still alive and you can just have this conversation irl, but it was still kind of nice in its own way. I guess at that point Helia still hadn't gotten to see Shianni again, and at that time it very was possible she never would see her again. so I think the construct taking her form would be a larger representation of the family she had to leave. not being able to protect them, or protect them well enough, and then quietly confessing in front of her companions that she does hold that kind of regret in her heart. that may come as a surprise to them

it's definitely more of a personal spiritual experience but it probably frames things for when she finally does get to meet them again

18. How did the Warden feel about the Ashes? Are they religious or do they not care? And did they defile it or not?

I think Helia’s religious views are similar to Alistair’s but with the extra wrinkle that it's very important to people that elves are worshipping the maker and not the gods they’re barely allowed to even know about. It’s always been hard for her to put her whole heart into it, especially when she's aware there's an older religion out there cultivated by what Should be her people. Sometimes she’d like to believe, but the Maker as presented by the chantry is stifling and is much more interested in keeping her in line.

Andraste isn't complicated like that, though. At least not in the same way. When she's used as a symbol for oppression, she still existed as a woman who liberated. Remembering that makes it easy to worship HER if nothing else.

Regarding the ashes themselves, she was obviously willing to believe they existed somewhere. She was a real woman, so it stands to reason there could be ashes. The idea that she'd find them seemed asinine though, Helia only committing to it because they were kind of out of options.

But then there was Haven, then the temple and its trials. by the end andraste's ashes were there, right in front of her. I think she was already moved by the trials but actually looking upon them was something else. Even without the Maker, there’s something truly holy and reverent about her resting place... i think she offered a small prayer in thanks to the woman it belonged to, that it's her values she hopes to live by.

It was an honor to find it, and even more of an honor to take a piece of them. it's hard not to feel that she wasn't there, guiding her in some way to offer a sign of support. she doesn't really vocalize that feeling, though. after the experience with the archdemon it's certainly comforting

btw Eamon has no idea how lucky he is smh i hate that guy

19. Who are the people in camp that the Warden is closest with and why?

Mfw im about to list half the damn companions

Alistair is the big one of course. He’s a good-natured man in a way she hadn’t seen before. Duncan behaved well, sure, but I’ve already been over the issues she had with him. Ostagar was full of people being casually racist AND sexist which was pretty cool, so it was even more isolating. Then she meets this guy and the first thing he does is wrap her into a conversation, interested in her as a person and truly meeting her as if they were equals. Not that he’s perfect or that she wasn’t a little wary, but he felt genuine and kind. There’s no other warden she’d rather be stuck saving Ferelden with, and she means that with her whole heart. it's sad to know that he wishes he was the one who died as ostagar instead.

Morrigan is my girl best friend. I think they get along really easily since they have similar philosophies except Helia is like “i think love and support is good actually” and it breaks Morrigan irrevocably. Morrigan obviously comes off as shady, but Helia can’t help but trust her immediately. Duncan will never reveal his true intentions if it gets them where they need to go, but even when she’s duplicitous Morrigan doesn’t operate in the same way. She can’t help it she’s just simply too authentic. I like to think they’re both very protective of each other in their own ways

Leliana is my other girl best friend. She really understands the thrill and fun of being a rogue and she tells some awesome stories. They’re both very different in how they interface with the world, but they’re genuinely just compatible. Not much else to say. leliana teaches her how to use bows more effectively and utilize courtly intrigue should she ever need it

Zevran has the other half of Helia’s similarities. It’s like we’re lowkey twins haha yay. both of them are rogues who use daggers, are elves, have a face tattoo, and grew up with a fixation on the dalish. Helia treats him like a brother and i think it didn’t take very long for him to genuinely click into a similar vibe with her. Makes the idea of alistair getting jealous with how much Helia and Zevran relate to each other really funny

bloodkin is her mabari and hes a very special doggie! !!!!!!!!!

20. Is there anyone in camp who they do not like? Why?

Nah. She enjoys Oghren’s company the least but he’s ultimately harmless and kind of a pathetic animal so its ok. she doesn't interact with people more seriously than they're willing to interact with her, so she finds it pretty easy to tolerate him and pliantly go along with his bits. but i do think she really pities him and feels quite badly for him. sometimes she's lucky to get the odd genuine moment, and she hopes that one day he'll find himself comfortable in this world

[butchpeace]

is it normal to feel. idk. i guess the best term for it could be survivors guilt??? over what i did and believed when i was trans identified

i had a friend who was a TIM. they were a very nice person and i wish that me, and the GSA group that i was in told them that it was ok to be a shy, feminine male and that there was nothing wrong with him except we now told him he was a girl and now hes completely absorbed in gender ideology and theres no getting him out (and i think he genuinely knows he is not a real woman. he has admitted to being a boy who wants to be a girl and to having AGP. he’s also the only decent TIM i have ever met and has been very supportive of my own desistance so there is probably still hope for him before he ruins his life forever but idk how to start that convo)

i had several friends this year that have all started T. i dont recognize them anymore. i encouraged them. we all did. now theyre completely unrecognizable. one of them changed their pronouns and gender identity THREE TIMES in the course of a few months before going on T. it didnt take her a FULL YEAR of identifying as trans to go on t and just GET hormones. im horrified. but everyone is just telling her how valid she is and how great she looks

my other friend started t at the beginning of this year. theyve completely changed as a person. the light in their eyes is gone. theres nothing left of the person that i knew before but sure buddy tell everyone youre happy when youre obviously fucking miserable. its just your voice deepening and the effects of t that make you look more masculine. i can just see things everyone else cant.

i almost wondered if i was crazy and it was my problem. so i cut them off. i made up something about myself and why i was cutting them off so i didnt have to tell them the truth. i should tell them the truth before its too late but i know i wont. but it was driving me crazy and i couldnt bear to tell them the truth

i want to tell the trans people in my life to wake up before it’s too late. there’s nothing i can do now and theyre all going to destroy themselves. i got myself out but i feel horrible now and theres nothing i can do about it.

but now i just feel like my only solution is to isolate myself from everyone so i dont go mad and i dont hurt anyone. everyone notices this of course and think there is something wrong with me. which there is i guess

everyone tells me its not my problem but i feel like it is my responsibility to warn people before its too late. i was lucky to get out

This is my philosophy regarding my friends who are currently trans identified. Maybe it will help you:

All I can do is gently tell them my story, hope they recognize themselves in it, and be there for them when they need me.

If you're cutting someone, or a group of people, out of your life anyway, you might as well open up to them about what you really think before you do. Worst case scenario you're not friends anymore, but that's already the situation you're in. You already have nothing to lose by talking to them openly.

It's not your obligation, but the truth is it's going to take all of us to fight this and help our sisters come back.

Too many radfems think of trans identified women as lost causes, or bemoan that they're transitioning without actually doing anything to try to help them. If we were all more open and honest about our thoughts and we tried our best to be there for the women in our lives, we would be in a much better situation as a community right now.

I have women I've known for years and who transitioned around when I did, or shortly after. Many of them have expressed that they relate to my story, some have talked about coming off testosterone, some have started identifying differently and some even as women again. Most don't agree with my opinions or radical feminism fully, but the point is that the door is open for them.

On average, I think women are spending less time in transition, and detransitioning sooner, compared to my generation. The tide is turning. These women aren't lost, they just need a little help and sometimes a little time.

It could be good to send them some stories from detransitoners. Maybe youtube videos or just a link to the site Post Trans might be helpful. They need to hear the stories of other women who have transitioned.

Be brave and good luck! 💪

[elainsgirl]

“if an elriel had posted that snippet it would have received the same isolated treatment.” No it would not have. I have seen plenty of Elriel fanfics with much more degrading language and actions than that little snippet. I’ve also seen plenty that have banter.

You’re being painted as the bad guys because of how y’all are acting. The way fictional characters are portrayed in a fic is more important to you than how a real person is treated.

Yes it would have.

you just wouldn’t see an elriel post such a heavy snippet randomly with 0 warning to anyone about the language or content it contained. Yes, there are R rated elriel fanfics but guess what? They’re handled with care. The authors actually understand the elriel dynamic, this author - who has literally hated on elriel - does not understand that hence why the fic received such bad criticism. Mmm I have not seen any elriel come out and say they had to add banter to make elriel interesting. The “banter” is naturally written in a way that suits elriel. People are allowed to explore characters & couples however they want but it came off as insulting and a little tone deaf to post such a polarising piece in the elriel tag - when the author has said bad things about elriel and even made fun of us stans. And what made it even worse- there was no content warnings.

How are we acting, anon? Im sure the author is mature enough to understand the difference between genuine elriel accounts and trolls that are trying antagonise the fandom. Most elriels ignored it, some had balls to make a separate post and say what we were all thinking. Some wanted to talk about it in private- all valid. Anythinh we’re saying - isn’t hate. Its not insulting to the author as a person. No genuine account came for the author. I said this twice before - I do not agree with calling the authors writing itself terrible or bad as thats not nice especially knowing and understanding the guts it takes to post your work out there. But I do think how elriels reacted are completely valid. The author isn’t a multi shipper when it comes to elriel, has not said positive things about the ship, made fun of the stans etc. This could have been done in a tactful way it wasn’t done so. Elriels should not have to view a piece of work that truly showed elriel in a bad light - in a tag thats meant to be their safe place,

The funny thing is - as a DR reader I understood the concept the author was going for. Elriel simply did not suit it and elriels weren’t the demographic for it 🤷‍♀️

My condolences to the author, no one deserves to be bullied. No one supports or encourages that behaviour here. If they decides to continue writing elriel - as apparently it was in demand, I can only suggest using the vague tags. In the end its upto them.

But elriels aren’t the bad ones here. I think the whole thing could have been done more maturely and tactically.

[sunfl0wersandillusions]

anyway. when is anybody’s guess (i have 4 days off in the next 6 weeks) but. here are three hypothetical kbms fics that i hope to be the guy to bring to fruition. someday

1) thinkin abt this (https://x.com/3sita_yarou/status/1806973032474595766?s=46 idk how to embed links) fanart by 3sita_tarot on twitter. of uncle mithrun holding obrin’s baby. his facial expressions simultaneously so melancholy and reverent here have me thinkin abt like. mithrun’s learning to experience and accept inherent value, beauty, beyond the constraints of elven society’s definitions of such. obrin and his partner’s love for their child and for one another, despite how noble society has shunned him, audaciously pure and genuine. this i think would work really well alongside kabru, his acceptance in stride over time of laios’s unmasked communication and passionate special interest. both mithrun and kabru have baked into them over time this deference to Da Rules of society, whether it’s elven society’s definition of *value* for mithrun, or kabru’s unique upbringing’s definition of interpersonal communicative *validity*. i see here in mithrun’s acceptance of identifying and owning observation of goodness in the everyday mithrun however struggling, but ultimately resolving to just. call it like he sees it and tell kabru how beautiful he is. whenever it comes to mind. and similarly, where i imagine kabru up to a certain point is a major emotional support of mithrun, i see here kabru allowing himself to be emotionally supported by mithrun, identifying and addressing beyond just denying that such needs even exist. kbms learning to embrace the joys of interpersonal connection beyond their temperance by societal convention.

2. little more toxic. but. some of you are aware of how normal i am about the detail of kabru wanting to learn illusion magic (go read my poem about it on my page i guess) and. thinking about cithis teaching him all hush hush the public can’t know about the king’s advisor fraternizing with this foreign criminal etcetc. she’s earnest and an effective teacher bc they have something of a kinship around their shared deep scrutiny and discerning of people, and a kbms truther as the two of them are dancing around the unique brand of intimacy they share at this point in mithrun’s rehabilitation. but she’s also a bit of an instigator, she lives for the drama (a la neoqueenserenity’s take in their fic good and perilous, if you’re reading this i adore your work xx) so she feeds into kabru’s anxious spiraling rumination on mithrun’s potential feelings and lack thereof, and not-so-subtly encourages him to use his newly developed abilities of magically mind control-esque-ly extracting truth from others… on mithrun, to determine the exact nature of his feelings toward kabru. it’s a low point for him, feeling deep regret for invading the privacy of someone with whom he’s worked to build such singular trust simultaneously with understanding his own fraught mental state and why/how it made him feel like he had to. not justified, but explained. but—what kabru learned was that mithrun’s feelings for kabru… are there, and being under kabru’s influence was the first time mithrun had identified those feelings as such. so mithrun comes to kabru, distraught over how to process these newly realized feelings together with the unsettling invasion of his mind that revealed them. for better or for worse, kabru’s actions didn’t outright destroy the feelings mithrun has for him. and the fact endures that nobody sees, believes in, takes care of mithrun like kabru; mithrun’s not just gonna cut him off forever after this. so as kabru works to regain mithrun’s trust and find it in himself to push past anxiety and insecurity to believe the truth of mithrun’s word without magic, mithrun unpacks the relationship between action(kabru’s) and feeling(his own) and identification thereof.

3. i just think it would be nice if part of mithrun’s journey toward reclaiming desire entailed relearning that he himself is still inherently worthy of being desired. like. as his and kabru’s relationship deepens and grows more physically intimate, mithrun and kabru together tackle mithrun’s staunch avoidance of mirrors; after for so long refusing that relic of his past and thus refusing to ever know his own appearance (he’s just been content the last forty years to know that he is “ugly” by elven standards, that’s all there is to it) i think a really constructive intimate exercise for them would be to stand in front of a mirror together, with kabru showing mithrun all the parts of him he finds beautiful, pink wisps of scars across pale skin like brushstrokes, delicate yet precise and strong hands, etc. mithrun becoming reacquainted with his “ruined” body through the eyes of someone who loves it as it is

can’t promise they’ll be full fics anytime soon but lmk if there’s one you’d especially want to read? i guess? talk to me abt these either way tho pls these two are my saving grace when i come home from this job everyday. and i mean every day. i don’t have another day off until october 8th. ❤️❤️‍🔥✨‼️��😍🥰

[happyk44]

Who's Piper’s FP do you think? Leo or?

For those who don't know, FP stands for favourite person. It is a common term used by people with BPD, but it is not exclusive to BPD or even to PDs in general. Some people with personality disorder(s) may never have an FP or equivalent person.

An FP is a person that someone, typically a person with BPD, relies heavily on for emotional support, seeks attention and validation from, and looks up to or idealizes. Other PDs may use different terms, such as depended person for DPD. Those terms may also be more centered on the core of the respective PD. For HPD, I believe the equivalent term is attentive person, someone who is a steady and reliable source of attention.

In the general HPD AU, on the favourite person front, I don't think Piper has one. Her emotions are too fleeting. While she may grow quickly attached to people and overassume her position in their life, her world and moods don't revolve around that person's absence or presence. If they left her, she might be sad about it but she wouldn't become as devastated as someone else might. She does not depend on a specific person for emotional stabilization (she doesn't feel enough for that) or validation. While there are some people she holds in high esteem, like Annabeth, I think her issue would be overly trusting with them versus idealization.

Now, on the attentive person front, I considered that Leo might qualify. However, he is much more solitary and likes having space and time to himself so while he might be a reliable source of attention for her, he's not always the most steady or constant with it. Since Piper's not interested in engineering and some of Leo's projects require a signficant portion of his focus, she can't really interject herself into it. He may humor her when she's needy but it'll be very fleeting and he'll get fustrated if she bothers him too much because he wants to work on his stuff.

It's somewhat similar with Annabeth, coupled with the fact that they are not as close as Piper thinks they are. Annabeth has her own things going on, her own responsibilities, other friends that she's known longer/is closer to. Piper is someone she likes and would happily hang out with, but she'd get very quickly tired of Piper's neediness.

With Jason, he could've been her AP for a while, I guess, but likely more due to her subconscious charmspeak influence forcing him to pay attention to her rather than any willingness on his part. I think Jason really just dated Piper because she expected him to date her versus any interest on his own end. Which is probably why it hurt when she broke up with him because he was doing it to make her happy. While he likes Piper as a person and a friend, it's pretty much just that. So once he moves back to Camp Jupiter, his attention is not as constant or reliable.

So, yeah, with the general AU, I'd say she doesn't have an FP, and Jason temporarily was her AP but not without her forcing it.

In this one specific version of the AU, it's Leo 100%. Mostly because it's really just the two of them against the world. This AU is a combination of both the mute!, hpd! and "Leo was a part of the Titan army" AUs. Shortly after the events of TLO, Leo and Piper meet. He gets caught stealing, and she takes the blame for it. They keep in contact. At some point, he realizes she's a demigod and tells her about it. They figure out her mom is Aphrodite. Piper manages to get Leo to move into her house. This all occurs within like a month or so.

Whether or not her dad notices Leo lives with them is up in the air. I think he's not at home enough to recognize that Leo never leaves. He thinks it's nice she's finally made a friend and doesn't really question it other than a half-assed discussion on safe sex that she cringes through but grittingly deals with because it's the most attention her dad has paid her in a while.

While they do love each other very deeply, their friendship is very codependent (which is common in relationships with FPs and equivalent). There was one story I daydreamed a while ago where Piper destroys a prosthetic that Leo had been working on (he doesn't have an arm, happened prior to the events of TLO) because she was angry he wasn't providing her with enough attention and he can't do anything about it because he doesn't want to risk being forced back on the streets (even if he knows, logically, she'd never do that to him). They end up arguing intensely about it.

Due to her selective mutism, Piper is not able to communicate easily which makes it harder for her to connect with people and receive attention from them. In the general AU, Piper doesn't have that issue. She has a broader range of people to socialize and connect with, and receive attention from. In this version, Leo is definitely her AP. He could be her FP as well, I suppose. I don't think she idealizes him, but she definitely overly relies on him for emotional support. She can't get it anywhere else. Honestly, she can't get anything from anywhere else: companionship, attention, support, love. He is all she has.

Also, in this AU (which developed out a story for the underworld Jason AU, but could be its own thing too, I guess), Nico meets Leo after he runs away at the end of TTC. Leo tries to convince him to go with him and join the Titan Army, but Nico turns him down because he wants to find his dad first. They meet up again some time after Leo has moved in with Piper and are on friendly terms, although not close. Nico provides materials that Leo wouldn't be able to get from mortals, like celestial bronze, which he uses to make weapons for Piper and himself.

Piper does not like Nico because he deviates attention from her and because he can also provide Leo with things, which is one of the ways she ensures Leo won't leave her. Nico doesn't really know why Piper beefs with him, but he can sense her dislike even if she tries to fake it. It's one of the areas she and Leo argue constantly about because he likes talking to Nico and wishes she would chill the fuck out him, he doesn't even show up that much, fucking relax.

[boatdotrip]

i'm writing a terusai fic and i think i have to cut this part but i thought it was rlly nice and i wanted to post it somewhere

Saiki Kusuo is many things; quiet, introverted, a psychic powerful enough to be God. Okay, maybe not that many things. In all honestly, Saiki did his absolute best to be as little things as possible, which is hard when he was born with his set of powers. And he was mostly succeeding until the most popular girl in the world, beloved by God Himself, took an interest in him. It’s not like he was trying to be interesting! And despite how hard he tried and the lengths he went through, the girl kept coming back. The most annoying part? The part that makes Saiki want to swim through lava? It’s that he doesn’t mind her company as much as he used to. Good grief, how did this happen?

Here's how it happened:

It starts, as one would guess, with the girl. This girl was born as the perfect baby. So perfect that even the doctor who assisted in her birth couldn’t help but give a ‘wow’. The girl grew up with the love and admiration of the people around her. How could they not? She was beautiful, kind, and charming. Even God loves her! It shows in the way she got everything she ever wanted. But the girl was not stupid. The girl knew she was pretty, she knew she was charming, and she knew she was beloved by all. She also knew that to be perfect, she had to be kind, she had to be simple, she had to be humble. And maybe she grew up less than humble and kind as she pretended to be, but when everyone is constantly gasping in her presence, it’s hard to remain indifferent to her perfection.

Then the girl met the boy. Their meeting was decided upon a whim. The girl simply felt like livening up the boy’s day by talking to him. Except the boy barely cared. In fact, he was more displeased. How could he not be? He was trying to live his life as peaceful and carefree as he could manage, and here comes a girl with her crowd of admirers bringing a bout of trouble that he didn’t want.

While the girl was determined to impress the boy, the boy was more than ready to be her match. Sure, the girl has charisma, her beauty, and the support of the entire human population, but the boy has more than enough powers to dodge her and her ensemble. From teleporting to invisibility, to hypnotizing her into thinking some other person was him, he can do it all.

And yet, for all his godly powers, he can’t seem to rid her of her ‘affections’. The boy knew this wasn’t a real crush, he could read her mind after all! He knew that the girl was simply unused to receiving indifference and was using a crush as a way to validate her arrogance. Which makes it all the more infuriating that this girl would not give up! And beyond that, she’s loved by God! Whatever the girl wants, the girl gets, which makes avoiding her all the more difficult. Because for all of the boy’s abilities, even he couldn’t go against pure, unadulterated luck.

[kianji]

So since BioWare (and possibly other studios) have finally gotten the message that fans will appreciate pansexual characters who can romance anyone no matter gender, race or sex (unless there’s a valid reason in their backstory for them to NOT chose to romance someone) can we eventually see an option for polyamory?

And before anyone brings up the “not EvErYoNe Is PaNsExUaL” argument, I would like to remind you that this post is specifically talking about a group of (very well drawn and animated) piXELS THAT ARE NOT REAL PEOPLE AND THAT I AM IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM IMPLYING THAT IT WORK THAT WAY IN REAL LIFE.

Again.

This is a cluster of PIXELS that someone animated, input a code, and is a completely FICTIONAL WORK that has no real impact against the world outside of the game. It’s meant to be fun and enjoyable and an escape. If you can’t learn to separate the two you’ve got bigger problems to be concerned about.

We briefly see the potential in DAO with Zevran and Isabela in The Pearl and from research there’s apparently a full blown polyamory option in Hades with Megaera and Thanatos.

Not that I can speak on quality of the romance as I haven’t played the game, but for it to be an option to fully romance two characters, at the same time, and both accept the romance without issue is fantastic no matter the execution. At least at this point.

Personally I think it’s be an amazing addition as an OPTION for someone who WANTS TO PURSUE SUCH A THING. If you don’t like it or aren’t interested it WOULDN’T PERTAIN TO YOU AND COULD BE SKIPPED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER OPTION YOU AREN’T INTERESTED IN. Hence why it is an OPTION NOT A REQUIREMENT.

Are there mods out there that allow you to romance more than one character?

Yes.

But I don’t want to have to download a mod especially when (as well written as the mod may be) it likely doesn’t change dialogue, or other character interactions with one another meaning it isn’t REALLY what I’m meaning when I talk about a polyamorous relationship. Not to mention the fact that not everyone CAN download a mod.

I just think it would be nifty to be able to have that choice. To romance more than one person and at the least be ameniable to it. On that same note it would also be nice if there was an option to also have they also romance each other. Some characters when not romance by the player will seek out others anyways. It wouldn’t necessarily be that much of a difficult notion for some to be interested in BOTH.

In the wise words of a girl in an Old El Paso commercial, ¿Por qué no los dos?

Should it necessarily be an option for every character?

No.

That wouldn’t make sense in a number of situations varying from the way a character is written to a characters backstory and history, to their beliefs and involvement with certain organizations.

Could it work for certain characters?

Without question.

Fenris, Isabela and Hawke in DA2 would have been a perfect example in a BioWare game for an opportunity for a polyamorous relationship. I’m sure there are plenty of other pairings and games that the same can be said for.

It would be a good way to give representation to something that many people honestly still think of as taboo or only in a strictly sexual manner. And while polyamory in a sexual manner isn’t a dirty or bad thing, it would be nice to see it in an almost domestic type of situation as well, I guess you could call it for my lack of better way to explain it.

Side note: apparently Baldur’s Gate 3 apparently has a few options for polyamory but as I also have not yet played BG3 (NO SPOILERS IT IS ON MY LIST OF GAMES TO PLAY AS SOON AS I FINISH DRAGON AGE) I also can’t attest to what is truly included with their devotion of a polyamorous relationship.

Apparently a character you meet in Act 3 will ask you out when you meet and depending upon who your other or “main” LI is they will be open to the idea or support it. Others will allow it but not be pleased and the rest are completely against the notion (WHICH IS FINE AND A REALLY A GOOD THING AS IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE FOR EVERYONE TO JUST BE ALRIGHT WITH IT). However it truly is a nice touch for someone who wants that.