#chained in servility

[transacewithapan]

DID YOU KNOW!?

I have an Eddsworld fic! Multiple fics that are in the same series! AND THE SERIES IS NEAR COMPLETION!

I released Chained In Servility on March 4th, 2023. In less than 27 days, I aim to FINISH This Life is Mine (the final book in the series).

All 3 will be completed, leaving the extra/side book the only one updating on occasion as I move on to other/future stories.

This is my biggest venture yet as I've never set a goal or deadline for myself with writing before...

If you haven't read the Tipping Point Series, and are interested, here's a basic summary of it:

Tord thinks he's finally free, trying to make up for all his past wrong-doing, only to realize freedom isn't within anyone's rights.

Everyone will have to face unwanted circumstances in order to stop The End from happening. Again.

Links:

Archive of Our Own

Wattpad

Fanfiction.Net

Quotev

Comments are appreciated <3

Hate comments FUEL ME >:D

[unholybacon355]

Kinktober Day 21 - Song Yuqi x M! Reader

Kinktober Masterlist

You are sure that "Bitch" is not the right word for this case, there is a better word for this. "Puppy" Is more accurate to describe your sweet little pet. Even when she sometimes tries to bite or get impatient, for you is still your little Puppy, your favorite pet ever. 

“Who Wants a treat, Uh? Who wants it?” You ask petting her head and she responds wagging her tail from side to side. “You want it?” Now you scratch her chin. “Make a good show and I'll reward you. Ok? “ Again she responds by wagging her tail with excitement.

You hand her the side of the chain you were holding and she grabs it with her hands almost shaking. Your good Puppy is on all fours on the floor next to your couch, and when you give it to her the chain she immediately gets on her knees. Knowing what she was doing, Puppy tied the chain around one of her ankles and sat again, tensing the chain in the process. Now the chain was tied from the collar on her neck to her ankle, passing between her breast and her pussy, and under her ass.

“Go ahead. Show me what you can do.” You pet her again. She tries to bark but the gag ball on her mouth is muting all the sounds she tries to do. The only thing the ball allows her to do is to drool over her small and pierced tiddies, giving them a shiny look.

Yuqi does what you command and start moving her hips like if she were fucking and invisible dick, only that in this case shes’s rubbing her pussy against the chain. The metal links of the chain are between her folds and pressing against her clit. Your Puppy was already wet but these movements increase the amount of juices that come out of her pussy.

She’s fucking the air so good. Moving her hips all she can to maximize the numbers of links that rub against her pussy. By now she could be lost in her own pleasure but instead she’s looking at you, studying your reactions and your face. She wants to feel pleasure and in its purest form, and in order to achieve that she needs to please you. That’s why she’s so attentive to your reactions.

Getting close to her face you scratch her chin once again and whisper to her ear. “You’re doing so well.” Immediately her face turns red and there is a moan that the gag can’t contain. Your Puppy gets visibly excited by your words. Now her hips go more slowly, but she’s putting more tension on the chain so she’s feeling every one of the links pressing her delicate and hard clit. You’re sure that if it weren't for the gag you would be listening to a lot of moans mixed with barks. 

Because that’s the thing, your girlfriend loves to bark and act like a dog. That’s why she’s your Puppy, a good and servile good Puppy. Sometimes very submissive, and other times very demanding, as every dog is. But during these times when she has her ears on her head, her collar around her neck, and her tail firmly secured by the plug inside her ass. During this times she’s nothing but your submissive Puppy. No matter if you spank her or use toys to overstimulate her pussy. No matter what you do during this times she never going to speak because she’s a Puppy and puppies only barks. 

“Do you wanna come?” You ask while twisting one of the piercings on her nipple and staring at her eyes. Yuqi responds to you with her eyes, almost begging for your permission to have an orgasm. “Good Puppy. Show me how you cum for me. “ Now you twist both nipples and her reaction is immediate. You see more saliva falling to her chest while her whole face turns red. Her hands grab her ankles to get a point of support, allowing her to move her hips with more violence . The chain is as deep as it can on her pussy, and gives the maximum friction to her overstimulated clit. Under her body you can see the small puddle of fluids that came out of her pussy and ended on the floor. 

You hear muted moans and see her small frame shake when the orgasm hits her system. Your Puppy can’t hold her own weight anymore and almost falls to one side, but you don’t allow her to. You grab her by both sides of her face and hold her in position. You're supporting her weight while her body surrenders to the trembles. Your eyes never leave hers during the time her orgasm lasts, like if you were directly looking into each other's soul.

And when her body is still again and the only part that moves is her chest product of her breath, then you hold her between your arms and whisper lovely words to her ear. She owns it because she was a good puppy for you. 

After a few minutes like that you sit again on the couch with Yuqi on your lap. You slowly take off the chain from her ankle and the collar, then you take off the gag allowing her to breath free. Now she’s panting with her tongue out, as puppies do. 

“Good Puppy. “ You praise her by petting her head. “ You’re a very good puppy, and good puppies deserve treats. Want yours now?” And her response is barks of excitement. “ Of course you do. Now get on your knees and let me replace that plug with something else.”

[batbeato]

Sayo could have been the Head, is the thing. Sayo could have become the Head and lived out the fantasy of being Beatrice for herself, could have become the powerful Head of the family with unlimited wealth and power over everyone.

But instead Sayo said,

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't do the job of being the successor, and I can't accept such a big responsibility. I think it would be better for Krauss-sama to inherit that role…"

They couldn't accept that "responsibility": they hadn't been raised to be the successor. They had been told, by everyone around them, that they were inherently inferior to the wealthy, well-educated Ushiromiya family. Though they had the Ushiromiya blood, not only had they stopped their education at the middle school level (without private tutoring) but they also were a bastard child, born of incest, a shameful family secret. Rather than their blood making them noble, it only further marked their inferiority. Their relation to the Ushiromiya blood, rather than uplifting them, made them feel even more inferior and inhuman.

Because it felt so impossible for them to become the Head, because they felt so undeserving and ill-equipped for the role, they didn't take it, and felt it was better to remain as a servant. They had been so thoroughly conditioned by society to see themselves as lower that they could never raise their status in such a way.

Sayo felt that it was possible to raise her status through marriage (to George), but not through herself (becoming the Head). The misogyny and classism they faced prevented them from doing so, just as it prevented them from leaving: they had been raised as a servant, so it was impossible to imagine another life for themself. Even Beatrice, a persona who was not a servant, was still tied to Rokkenjima.

In contrast, Lion is not only Natsuhi's child - a proper heir - but Krauss is skipped over for Lion, unlike Sayo's own refusal. Lion is able to accept the position of Head, having been raised with the family. Lion is supremely competent, having not only the proper disposition, education, and status, but also the self-esteem and pride to accept and handle the position.

Beatrice is not Sayo's ideal: Beatrice is all Sayo feels capable of becoming, the next in the chain of Beatrices, unable to grasp power, unable to fully become real, unable to escape subjugation. Powerful, and yet she is only a ghost, haunting, hurting, harming. Beatrice is Sayo's most indulgent fantasy-self, and she is impossible for Sayo to obtain, because all Sayo believes they should aspire to is Shannon: inoffensive and kind and harmless.

Lion is Sayo's ideal. And while Sayo could have become Head, could have become Lion, at least in name - they deny it. Because they have always been told to be Shannon, not Lion. To be meek and feminine and powerless and lower-class and servile and never to talk back. Never to speak for herself. Never to believe in herself.

Never to be anything more than a confused, manipulated child.

[ser3nityst4r]

Jamil’s Backstory

Jamil Viper prided himself on his control. For as long as he could remember, he had mastered the art of swallowing the bitterness in his throat, the sting of resentment behind his eyes. His life was a carefully crafted performance, a constant dance of deference and feigned incompetence. 

It all started with a sun-kissed boy named Kalim Al-Asim. The very first memories Jamil could conjure were not of his own home, but of the ostentatious halls of the Asim estate. There, amidst the lavish gardens and echoing corridors, a young Kalim, full of boundless energy and unadulterated joy, declared, "Let's play, Jamil~! I'm gonna win against you this time for sure!"

And Jamil, already educated in the unspoken rules of their world, would sigh inwardly and reply, "Again? I always win, you know? I wanna play something else, too…"

The reprimand was always swift, always predictable. His parents, faces contorted with a mixture of fear and servility, would chastise him for his "disrespect." And Kalim's parents, their smiles never quite reaching their eyes, would praise their "kind-hearted master" for indulging him.

Over the years, the pattern cemented itself into his very being. His father, his voice laced with a desperation Jamil understood all too well, would whisper instructions before every sparring match or competition. "Let Master Kalim win the third time, understand? Don't outshine him."

His mother, her eyes filled with a weary acceptance, would add, "You're a smart child, Jamil. You know how important this is."

And Jamil, his small hands clenching into fists, would whisper back, "I know."

He knew that the Al-Asims were everything his family was not - wealthy, influential, untouchable. He knew that his very existence revolved around serving them, around ensuring Kalim's happiness, even if it meant suffocating his own.

So, he played the role of the loyal friend, the perpetual runner-up, the slightly less capable companion. He let Kalim win at games, even when it meant deliberately fumbling the ball or miscalculating a move. He feigned confusion during lessons, allowing Kalim to bask in the fleeting glow of academic achievement.

He became a shadow, always present, always supportive, yet always a step behind. The bitterness, however, simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over with every forced smile, every insincere compliment.

Even when they came to Night Raven College, nothing changed. The whispers followed them, the expectations remained. And when Kalim, with his usual carefree demeanor, was chosen as Prefect, a decision clearly influenced by his family's generous donations, Jamil felt a surge of rage so potent it nearly broke through his carefully constructed walls.

"He doesn't have exceptional talent!" he'd argued with Headmaster Crowley, his voice tight with suppressed fury. "We're the ones who constantly cover for him!"

Crowley, ever the cryptic mentor, simply chuckled and replied, "Sometimes, Viper-kun, there are things that mere grades can't achieve. Asim-kun's family…well, they do have a way of making their generosity known."

Jamil knew. They all made sure he knew. His parents, Kalim's parents, even the Headmaster – they all expected him to understand, to accept his predetermined role. But understanding did little to quell the burning resentment within him. 

Who was there to understand him? Who saw the sacrifices he made, the talents he suppressed, the dreams he buried deep within himself? The weight of their expectations, the burden of his own resentment, threatened to crush him. 

He was trapped in a gilded cage of his own making, bound to Kalim by invisible chains forged from societal expectations and his family's ambition. As he watched Kalim celebrate yet another victory, oblivious to the true cost, Jamil couldn't help but wonder if the day would ever come when he could finally break free from his shackles.

[moltengoldveins]

so it’s a random Friday evening, I’m hanging out with my sister, when she asks me something, and I feel the bottom drop out of my perception of reality:

“hey, did you ever notice that there were other rooms in that chain of challenge rooms before the Philosophers Stone? Like, other than the three that corresponded directly to the golden trio? And that said rooms corresponded pretty directly to Neville and Draco?”

I sat there in shock for a second. She’s right btw, there are two other big challenges and they DO correspond weirdly well with Draco and Neville: the magical plant right at the beginning and the potions that they have to identify. I have a moment where I wonder “huh. I wonder if Dumbledore maybe put those there just in case the Golden Trio picked up some extra friends-“ before she starts going on about how the story would have changed if Neville and Draco were friends. I will absolutely elaborate on this (Fantastic) AU fic premise in a bit but the important thing is what I realized while she was describing this story to me.

I have struggled with explaining to people why I dislike Harry Potter for a really long time. Problems with the author’s behavior aside, I found myself just…. Soured to the books. I grew up loving them and one day they just lost appeal, and as I thought more and more about them I liked them less and less. And I’ve used a ton of different reasons to explain why I don’t like them over the years, but until this conversation I couldn’t really articulate it, not fully. There was Something Wrong, and I couldn’t find the root of it. But I figured it out:

Harry changes nothing. That’s what it is. That’s what bothers me. And it’s deeper than that: the story changes nothing. The story is lukewarm at best in its defense of the good and the true and it rewards wrongdoing and punishes and mocks those who do what is right.

Now, I’m not saying that every story needs to give good things to characters who do good things: that’s not how real life works, it’s not how fiction needs to work. But there is a difference between watching a fictional character try and fail to do good and receive nothing but punishment for it, and then a story that deliberately portrays the efforts of a character to affect positive change as stupid or wrong.

Ostensibly, the ‘point’ of Harry Potter is that discrimination is wrong and people shouldn’t make assumptions based on someone’s upbringing. Hermione’s status as a muggleborn is defended as ‘just as worthy’ as everyone else’s, and discrimination against muggles and muggleborns is the main form Voldemort’s evil takes. The main evil of the story is this insistence on one specific social system in which the pure bloods are valued above all else and everyone else falls into pariah or servile statuses beneath them. THIS IS WRONG. We establish that this is wrong!

BUT. From literally day one, Harry is making assumptions about Draco based on his birth and upbringing, and the story is making assumptions about Hagrid (well, a lot of characters but Hagrid is the most obvious) because of HIS birth and upbringing. And none of these assumptions are ever proven false!

like, how does this actually go down? Draco is rude to Harry in a robe shop - unideal, but he is a stressed child in a wealthy environment, this behavior isn’t out of place. It’s Hagrid who tells Harry about the Malfoy’s, tells him they’re the ‘wrong sort.’ Draco introduces himself later on, apologizing for the interaction at the robe shop: it’s Ron who laughs at Draco’s name first. Draco claps back with the insult about Ron’s name after his name has already been insulted.

My sister pointed something really interesting out to me: Draco and Hermione don’t have beef for a While. It only starts in the second book, when he calls her a Mudblood. But Hermione starts that fight. Hermione insults his blood status, saying that he had to buy him way onto the team because it’s the only thing he has: his family’s wealth. Draco insults her back IN THE WAY HE WAS INSULTED. This is legitimately fascinating to me, I NEVER noticed this.

so that’s already interesting: Harry is all for bridging differences and forgiveness when it comes to people in a ‘lower’ social or moral class than he is, as a Griffindor pureblood. He’s nice to half-giants, house elves, and muggleborns, and those demographics are portrayed by the story as morally good. But anyone above Harry? Anyone in Slytherin? Anyone who is pureblood and rich? They’re not just biased and affected by their cultural upbringing: the STORY ITSELF portrays them as evil and untrustworthy, and Harry never makes an effort to change that. In fact, he actively encourages it with his relationship with Draco. The divide between pure blood Slytherins and the rest of wizard kind is never breached: Harry never changes anything. Voldemort dies, and everything else returns to exactly the same as it was before him. Harry does exactly nothing to the status who.

So what about Hagrid? Hagrid, and by extension giants, are implied by the story to be full people with cultures and feelings, and yet none of Harry’s interactions with Hagrid or Hagrids efforts are rewarded with positive change: the giants join Voldemort in the end, proving people like Umbridge correct about them. Hermione’s efforts with the house elves lead nowhere: Harry dismisses them as foolish from the get-go, and never takes the extra step to viewing Kreacher like a friend and fellow person.

Harry Potter is a deeply allegorical story: this kind of stuff MATTERS. What the story says about one person is what the story is saying about People Like This Person. So, what is it saying?

The story is saying that people like Hagrid, whether you read him as an allegory for kids with Down’s syndrome or autism or a learning disability or they’re mixed-race or whatever? Are exactly as useless and stupid and flawed and burdensome as you think they’d be. It doesn’t say “oh, they have their flaws but we accommodate and love them anyway and they can with accommodation be full contributing members of society with relationships that are just as deep and meaningful and worthy of respect as those of the people around them” no. It says “these people are easy to trick. They’re loud and inappropriate in social settings. They can’t keep secrets and they cause problems without ever fixing them. Their love is comedic, or futile, or both. They are a burden on the people who tolerate their company.”

None of Hagrid’s efforts ever come to fruition. None of his traits that are originally assumed to be bad turn out to be useful. His relationship with his giant brother never goes anywhere: the giants still follow Voldemort, even though his brother does support him in the end. His affection for madam Maxime is played as a joke. He never gets justice for being unfairly expelled or given a chance to take classes again, even though dumbledore KNEW that Hagrid was falsely accused and had EVIDENCE of it after the third book. He gets to teach, yeah, but the gap in his knowledge is never addressed; it’s just mocked and belittled as he fumbles and struggles to be an effective and safe teacher.

This is not an isolated case. This is EVERYWHERE in this story. You just have to look.

The story says that people like Sirius, people who lost everything when falsely accused and put in prison, don’t deserve second chances when they get out. They don’t deserve to reconnect with the kid they should have raised and build the parental relationship they should have had. They don’t get second chances like their oldest friend making them the godfather of his new baby: no, instead that honor goes to Harry, who gets little to no narrative meaning from that decision. They don’t get second chances, but people like Peter Pettigrew do. People like Sirius die soon after they’re released, having regained none of what they lost. The best people like Sirius can do is die for someone fit for decent society.

Molly says, in one of her nastiest moments, that Harry isn’t Sirius’s son: she’s right. But the hatred and disrespect towards Sirius in that comment is never addressed by the story, which really does make it feel like the story is implicitly supporting her.

The story says that people like Remus are sad unreliable and ultimately tragic lost causes. That people who were horribly wounded at a young age in a place they should have been safe (wow. I wonder what that could possibly be an allegory for.), or people who are disabled, or people with ptsd and survivor’s guilt, or people who have lost every person they’ve ever loved, don’t get absolution. They don’t get a second chance, or a place in society, or a future. They’re discriminated against, and nothing changes. They don’t rebuild their relationship with their surviving friends. They die, and their children aren’t even taken in by the person they asked to take them. Remus’s kid isn’t raised by Harry: he’s raised by Molly.

Nothing changes at the end of this story. Harry has not changed anything about the world these people lived and struggled in other than removing Voldemort from it. Werewolves still can’t get jobs. The few people related to the original Marauders are still scattered and unrelated. The giants and half giants are still on the margins of the wilderness. The house elves are still oppressed, and no solution has been offered to them. The purebloods haven’t been brought into the fold: they still think the same things they always have, because none of them have been taught differently. Slytherins are still the ‘evil’ house. No camaraderie has been built: no walls destroyed, no relationships developed, no prejudice dispelled.

Draco isn’t just a character, he is the representation of the Child of the Regime. The Child of Wealth, of Privilege. If he cannot be taught, then you are saying, implicitly, that kids who have been “corrupted” by their rich parents are beyond saving. You are saying that the world cannot change, that those in power cannot be taught compassion, that anyone born into wealth is inherently evil or cowardly or unfriendly or unreachable.

The world of Harry Potter reenforces Draco’s biases and prejudices all the way through. He’s never shown that he’s wrong, that the good guys are good, that love is the answer, that kindness is the right choice. Instead, the trio assume at every turn that he is worse than he already is, and that motivates him to be worse. Instead, they only character watching out from him is Snape, even as Dumbledore continues to manipulate him. Instead, nobody thinks to wonder how a child might be faring in the house of two known death eaters now that Voldemort has returned, they just assume he’d immediately and enthusiastically joined up because he’s a Malfoy. Instead, every Slytherin is asked to leave before the battle of Hogwarts, because they ‘can’t be trusted.’ Not because theyre children who might come face to face with their parents on the other side of the battlefield, no: they can’t be trusted. They’re inherently evil. And everyone else is inherently good.

and all of these statements are backed up by Harry himself. This is how Harry sees his world, and how the narrative treats its characters. This return to the status quo, this complete lack of growth and reconciliation is what the story treats as the ultimate win condition. This disgusting lack of regard for the allegory of your characters, especially when it comes to those who represent the disabled or neurodivergent or racially diverse is what the story treats as fine and normal. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER who represents a minority has horrible things happen to them and either dies or ends the story worse than they started. Sirius, Remus, Dobby, Hagrid, Tonks, Mad-Eye, even people like Snape and Draco. This is not a narratively satisfying story of growth and positive change, it is the story of a young child being manipulated by the adults in his life to think in binary black and white about the people around him and long desperately for the ‘good old days’ he never experienced, and then being forced by circumstances outside his control to fight for the return of those good old days, completely ignorant of the fact that those ‘good old days’ weren’t that good for most of the people he knows and loves because they’re members of minorities those ‘good old days’ treated like shit.

How on earth were we surprised by JKR’s political and personal opinions? How were any of us blindsided by this? I’m so confused as to how we all looked at this story and went “yeah that looks like a good old fashioned coming of age ‘discrimination is bad’ story to me.” It’s not. It never was. It actively promotes that mentality at nearly every turn. You don’t get to make your villain cartoonishly hate muggles and your heroes heroic muggleborns and then say your story is about being anti-racist when there are eight or so other demographics your main character discriminates against, mistreats, misunderstands, or ignores entirely without narrative consequences. That’s just a story about discrimination being good with a shoddy Halloween costume on to trick the easily distracted.

The story my sister told me, the one where Draco and Neville were friends? It was a story about change and growth. It was a story about how someone’s dogged insistence on kindness could reveal that even the apparent nastiest of people were actually just as human as everyone else; that they too had fears and flaws and loves and strengths, that they too wanted love and respect and affection. It was a story where the good guys were kind, and it made a difference; it taught the misguided about the truth, brought the fallen into the fold. It made whole what was broken and gave second chances to those who felt discarded by the world.

It was, and I cannot stress this enough, absolutely nothing like the books JKR actually wrote.

.

Edit: a commenter mentioned two things I wanna address, the first of which being Harry’s status as a half blood. This is true! I forgot about it :/ I don’t think it changes the point I was making about the story, but it’s good to bring up as I did forget. And second, Remus’s being a werewolf is an allegory for AIDS: I did not know this at all! Thank you for telling me, that’s actually really cool and makes a lot of sense, I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on it. I think that might make things worse though. Like…. That takes the fandom’s confusion over how Remus’s character was treated from ‘frustrated that this allegory doesn’t seem to make sense’ to ‘holy crap you did that on purpose what the heck-‘ so….. yeah. Thank you for telling me op! If anyone knows of any references or information about the different things the characters represent in this story please let me know?

[alephskoteinos]

Well, looks like I've got something on "the masculinity discourse" again. This time I start off talking about kokugaku and then proceed into a deconstruction of the whole enterprise of right-wing nationalism and its brand of fascist masculinity. You can think of this as a sequel or late addenudm to "The No-Story of Man", which I wrote in August last year.

You can think of this as a sequel or late addenudm to "The No-Story of Man", which I wrote in August last year.

[hungergamesbookclub]

Poll for THG Book Club's First Read!

What book should we read for our first Suzanne Read? Summaries of each book and how it relates to THG under the "read more" after the poll if you need more info to choose.

Summary: In Thomas Hardy's first major literary success, independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy, and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. One of his first works set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex, Hardy's novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

How it relates to THG: "Katniss Everdeen owes her last name to Bathsheba Everdene, the lead character in Far From the Madding Crowd. The two are very different, but both struggle with knowing their hearts." Suzanne Collins, 2010

Summary: Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus.

Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

How it relates to THG: The namesake of Coriolanus Snow (ft. Volumnia)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Summary: Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.

How it relates to THG: Quoted in the epigraph of TBOSAS

Spartacus by Howard Fast

Summary: The story of a slave uprising in the ancient Roman Empire.

How it relates to THG: "There’s a basis for the war, historically, in the Hunger Games, which would be the third servile war, which was Spartacus’ war, where you have a man who is a slave who is then turned into a gladiator who broke out of the gladiator school and led a rebellion and then became the face of the war. So there is a historical precedent for that arc for a character.  But I think I needed the freedom to create elements that I wasn’t going to neatly find in history." Suzanne Collins, 2013

Summary: A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, they discover fantastic wildlife and dazzling beaches, learning to survive; at night, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, it isn't long before their innocent childhood games devolve into a savage, murderous hunt …

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

How it relates to THG: "One of my favorite books - I read it every couple of years." Suzanne Collins

[meandmybigmouth]

What does it mean to be a bootlicker?

noun. someone who seeks favor or goodwill in a servile, degraded way; toady: He comes across as a facile bootlicker, someone who would do anything like a lapdog to please somebody in the chain of command.

RETUMPLICAN!

[ninadove]

Nina reads Dracula 🦇

August 19th

Joy, joy, joy! although not all joy. At last, news of Jonathan. The dear fellow has been ill; that is why he did not write. I am not afraid to think it or say it, now that I know. Mr. Hawkins sent me on the letter, and wrote himself, oh, so kindly. I am to leave in the morning and go over to Jonathan, and to help to nurse him if necessary, and to bring him home.

Oh, Mina 🎶

You should go, Mina 🎶

Before your friend bites your neck, Mina 🎶

Oooh won’t you leave her now 🎶

I must write no more; I must keep it to say to Jonathan, my husband. The letter that he has seen and touched must comfort me till we meet.

🥺

Now back to Dr Medical Malpractice and RENFIELD:

Strange and sudden change in Renfield last night. About eight o'clock he began to get excited and sniff about as a dog does when setting. The attendant was struck by his manner, and knowing my interest in him, encouraged him to talk. He is usually respectful to the attendant and at times servile; but to-night, the man tells me, he was quite haughty. Would not condescend to talk with him at all. All he would say was:—

"I don't want to talk to you: you don't count now; the Master is at hand."

Tiens donc

(Look sometimes only French expressions can capture the vibes in my brain)

It looks like religious mania, and he will soon think that he himself is God.

Unlike you, Seward! You certainly don’t act like God to your patients!

How these madmen give themselves away! The real God taketh heed lest a sparrow fall; but the God created from human vanity sees no difference between an eagle and a sparrow. Oh, if men only knew!

…

I am weary to-night and low in spirits. I cannot but think of Lucy, and how different things might have been. If I don't sleep at once, chloral, the modern Morpheus—C2HCl3O H2O! I must be careful not to let it grow into a habit.

Your consumption of chloral is the least dreadful of your habits.

I had lain tossing about, and had heard the clock strike only twice, when the night-watchman came to me, sent up from the ward, to say that Renfield had escaped.

HA

As I got through the belt of trees I saw a white figure scale the high wall which separates our grounds from those of the deserted house.

You know who else is described as a white figure and sickly and escapes at night? Yeah. Yeaaah.

I ran back at once, told the watchman to get three or four men immediately and follow me into the grounds of Carfax —

That’s where Dracula’s new house is isn’t it. Fun times ahead.

"I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful. I have worshipped You long and afar off. Now that You are near, I await Your commands, and You will not pass me by, will You, dear Master, in Your distribution of good things?"

He is a selfish old beggar anyhow.

And you are insufferable

With strength and determination like his, he might have done wild work before he was caged. He is safe now at any rate. Jack Sheppard himself couldn't get free from the strait-waistcoat that keeps him restrained, and he's chained to the wall in the padded room. His cries are at times awful, but the silences that follow are more deadly still, for he means murder in every turn and movement.

AND SO DO I

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[ghostofhallownest]

this is going to be extremely rambling but what immediately struck me about the will of the many is that my first impression was that it's drawing inspiration, as near as i can tell, from an often poorly adapted segment of roman history: not the roman empire itself, but the fall of the roman republic and its transition into an empire. (there's always the off chance that the civilization that preceded the Calamity was meant to be the republic, but that has more etruscan vibes than anything---ok that was an extremely off the cuff comparison don't hold me to that) there's this period of increasing social unrest, political tension and division, and gradual decline of the "order" of the republic so often idolized now, that culminates in the establishment of the roman empire under caesar augustus. the late republic is characterized by extreme social unrest, with divisions between both the ruling oligarchy and broader, deeper issues in the fabric of the republic itself. there's the social wars and the question of citizenship, which can be related to birthright---but more interestingly, you have the three servile wars, mass slave revolts, the first of which begins on Sicily (and involves taking over a city on the east coast of sicily named Catania, but that's just a fun anecdote). i'm not really willing to dig through my whole archive of roman republic notes, so from wikipedia:

The Roman conquest of Macedonia, in which thousands of the conquered were sold into slavery...as well as the oppression of corrupt Roman provincial governors...all contributed to a constant supply of new slaves at very cheap price, which made it more profitable for their masters to wear them out by unremitting labor, harshness, exposure and malnutrition, to be cheaply replaced, than to take proper care for their nourishment, health, and accommodation. Accordingly, the plantation system which took shape in Sicily led to thousands of slaves dying every year of toil in the fields from dawn to dusk with chains around their legs, and being locked up in suffocating subterranean pits by night....The Roman Senate failed to take measures to curb this dangerous tendency, which converted one of the most beautiful and fertile provinces of the Republic into a horrible den of misery, brigandage, atrocity and death.

first of all: that really happened! terrible! second of all: hey that sounds fucking familiar and not to predict the arc of the series (there's a lot of unionization themes you could read into it, and a lot of "oh my god everyone has normalized this hell so we dont do anything about it NO more death isnt the answer but hello?? does no one care?? fr??" baked in), but like...check out the summary of the third servile war on wiki if you wanna 👀

listen, everything i learned about roman history i learned against my will, but if i had to learn it then by god i will be so silly with it

[transacewithapan]

Fun Facts about Tipping Point {An Eddsworld Series}

Since this series is my life atm, I decided to point out some fun facts about the development and stuff about it :)

Pre-Dev Facts/Before I started writing it:

I had the idea implanted in my head months before I started writing it (about late December of 2022). I could NOT stop thinking about it...

It was between a one shot book and this series, and I am so glad I chose the series lmao

I had gotten into Eddsworld before Surf & Turf Wars part 1 came out. I had heard of it years ago, and of the character 'Tord,' but had no idea where he was from until it ('it' being 'The End part 1') showed up on my recommendation page on YouTube.

I also happened upon ASDF, which my brother had quoted most of the lines from when we were younger. He seemed frustrated at me for not watching it sooner lol. I also recommended him to watch Eddsworld, and he still hasn't.

Anyway, back to my series... originally, Matt was going to be trans, but that would've made his childhood much harder, and I would have to make his aunts and uncles (not Bing) to be much stricter as they expect "nothing but the best." I'm going to be uploading a side story about Matt's family soon :)

The only trans people in my story are Pat and Larry. There hasn't been any recognition that Larry is trans since it just seems out of place everywhere I make note of it... it'll be more in the side stories.

I don't know if I said this in my series, but Margaret is the name of Edd's mother. Her nickname is Margot (named after Margot Robbie)

William and Henry are named after characters in Five Nights at Freddy's; the Purple Guy and his ex-business partner.

During the process Facts:

There's a character 'sheet' that I plan to add in to Tied me to Your Family Tree. It lists facts about the characters, and what they're like.

I had no idea what I was doing with Lynnedslag lmao. I promise I'll do him 'better' in the side stories

I had to do so much research for this; to Norwegian military rankings to converting Norwegian kroner to British pounds to seeing what kind of weapons they use... it was hard.

Eos (landlady), Aspen (florist), Evelyne (florist's girlfriend), and Kali (landlady's sibling) are actual friends of mine :)

It's noted that Tord is demisexual, meaning he may feel romantic attraction, but it takes some time for him to feel sexually attracted towards someone until he forms a strong bond with them.

My other favorite ship aside from TomMatt is MattTord, and I tried so hard to make it seem like they didn't like each other in that way, especially with their side story lmao

Matt's father being blind was a challenge for me since this is my first(?) time writing a disabled character. I had no idea what I was doing... I do know that blind people tend to be independent and their senses are 10x better than the average human, like... wow, they can tell when the dryer is done even when they're upstairs or 20 feet away-

I didn't intend for the main villains to be the fathers- it's just my repressed daddy issues lol. at least you get Arthur and Henry (but he's not in it lol)

The final story takes place in 2033-34 (10-11 years in the future)

The chemical that Diwi had was called 'Venomous Agent X,' known for "disrupting the body's signaling between the nervous and muscular systems, leading to a prolonged neuromuscular blockade, flaccid paralysis of all the muscles in the body including the diaphragm, and death by asphyxiation." It had been used to assassinate Kim Jung Un's brother at an airport. -Wikipedia on VX (nerve agent)

Dr. Mike would be disappointed in me because I was medically inaccurate in chapter 1 of chained in servility... you're supposed to do CHEST COMPRESSIONS, CHEST COMPRESSIONS, CHEST COMPRESSIONS AAAAAAAAA

I think that's all the facts I can think of for now...

READ THE SERIES, NERDS - IT'S SO CLOSE TO BEING DONE

[rwbyworldofremnant]

Character Infodumps - Weiss Schnee

In my personal opinion, Weiss Schnee is a really interesting character. She is, of course, a product of the home that she grew up in. When we first meet her in Volume 1, she seems uptight, emotionally distant, and isn't eager to rely on anyone - she was taught to be independent and hard on herself. It's as it was said in one of her themes, "This Life Is Mine";

"I’ve been afraid, never standing on my own I let you be the keeper of my pride Believed you when you told me I was nothing on my own" - 3rd stanza

"Chained me in servility and made me see The world the way you told me to But I was young and didn’t have A way to know the truth" - 4th stanza

Essentially, it was like her family - her father, Jacques Schnee, more specifically - brainwashed her into believing so many things about the world. A main example of this being that she used to feed into the racism against Faunus, saying that she thought they were all "filthy criminals" (this is not verbatim, just the gist of what she used to believe and say), "dangerous", "thieves", etc. And there is a bit where I could empathize with how she thought this way, the sole reason being when she mentioned growing up, hearing about relatives disappearing, presumably to the hands of the Faunus political organization, the White Fang.

However, as she grows closer to Ruby and the rest of the group, she softens up. We notice that she is no longer opposed to Ruby's proposition of having bunk beds in their team's dorm room, she becomes a lot more expressive, she lets loose.

Weiss came from the type of toxic home that I felt I grew up in as well. Mine was not as severe as hers or many others (actually, I repressed a lot, so... I don't really know anymore), but still, I find myself relating to her quite a bit, trauma-wise. We both came from homes with authoritarian style parenting, which...has benefitted neither of us very well. Once again, I feel that this theme is well presented in her song, "This Life Is Mine";

Existing just to fill your needs, a casualty Of this so-called family That you have turned into a travesty - 4th stanza

Though still, despite all of this, Weiss still has one family member she can count on. For me that was my mom, for her, it was her older sister, Winter Schnee.

There's a specific moment in about Volume 1 or 2 I think, in which Blake is describing her friends to Sun. She says that Weiss is the embodiment of "defiance". Not in a bad way, though, just that that was who she was. She came from a very prim, hideously wealthy family. The "Schnee" name was not one that was heard without at least a couple heads turning.

Weiss did everything she could to uphold the family name, to try to keep them in the public's "good graces" and distract from all the hurt her father had caused. She became a huntress not just because it was what she "wanted" to do, but because she felt that it was the honorable thing to do. And eventually, as Ruby, Yang, and Blake rubbed off on her more and more, she cared less and less about the pressures of her family.

Being at Beacon was pivotal to Weiss' character development. If she hadn't been in team RWBY, she may never have become the lionhearted woman she is now in Volume 9. She'd still be the heiress to the Schnee dust company, never having seen the world.

[kimtiny]

Have you seen the seen the headlines lately that they are reanalyzing the Columbus DNA again to figure out his origin?

I did not. So I looked it up!

Most that I found is just confirmations that the bones that are supposed to be his (in Serville) are his. And I didn't know that was such a mystery, I kinda thought it was already confirmed for ages but ig not?

I only saw one article really talking about trying to determine his origin and giving us some theories that bloomed over the year, and, I'm sorry but, most if not all of them are ridiculous imo. Plus, didn't he literally write he was from Genoa?

Would I believe he would have lied on his origin? Yes. I mean, the whole name change was a way to be more accepted imo- if we follow his determined origin (for now), in Ligurian his name is "Corombo" (or Combo, but that works less for my theory lol) which was likely (maybe accidentally) changed to "Colombo" then to "Colòn" and the train chain of other names. It's just my theory that the original 'r' was misinterpreted, but if you're willing to change your first name to Cristobal to be more accepted to the Spainish people, you basically do not care if your last name is changed too.

What I'm saying is that if Columbus would have changed his origin, he would have likely tried to make himself spanish like he "spanished" his own name (just a theory). I don't think he's above it.

Plus, Genoa being his birth place kinda makes sense to me. It was the perfect cocoon for someone like him to develop like he did, you did NOT wanna be in Genoa at that time. (I remember being told that there was a weird anti color cult, so he was a sad beige baby and that's still is a private joke with my bsf. I wish I could find confirmations on this)

What am I trying to get at? Honestly, I just don't think we'd learn anything new or anything at all. I guess it's great that what we thought were his bones actually are his bones. But for his origins? I do not know. In his story, it's very hard to find reliable narrators. We cannot fully trust his own writing, or his son's, or his brother's, or the sailors', or anyone I fear. Everything is a mix of what is most believable/accepted, what would have been the case and what wasn't told.

And now, I'm asking myself- does it matter? Will it change anything? His origins, that I still believe are Genoese, may be a mystery for some, but is it our greatest concern? Would it help us determine his actual birth name, that he seems to have a sick pleasure hiding- or maybe a birth date? We don't know that too!

But the biggest thing is, will that even impact the general public at all? We live in an era post Columbus propaganda, where multiple books and movies are made to make him be the hero.

What if he turns out to be Polish? Will that change anything? Will Genoa unclaim him? Will Poland claim him instead?

Will that little detail of his history do anything? I mean, not to bash anyone that is truely hyped by that! But, I'm not...

Tho if he turns out to be king Ferdinand's brother like I saw one theory say, that will really be something LOL!

[l3m0ngal5]

Because this just seems fitting to me specifically in regards to Lily's relationship with her mother and Aunt

Lilly: Mirror

Can you hear me?

Do I reach you?

Are you even listening?

Can I get through?

There's a part of me that's desperate for changes

Tired of being treated like a pawn

But there's a part of me that stares back

From inside the mirror

Part of me that's scared I might be wrong

That I can't be strong

I've been afraid

Never standing on my own

I let you be the keeper of my pride

Believed you when you told me

I was nothing on my own

Listen when I say

I swear it here today

I will not surrender

This life is mine!

Amazing how you conquered me

Chained me in servility

And made me see

The world the way you told me to

But I was young, and didn't have a

Way to know the truth

Born to live your legacy

Existing just to fill your needs

A casualty of this so-called "family"

That you have turned into a travesty

But I don't intend to suffer any longer

Here's where your dominion falls apart

I'm shattering the mirror

That kept me split in pieces

That stood between my mind and my heart

This is where I'll start

I'm not your pet

Not another thing you own

I was not born guilty of your crimes

Your riches and your influence

Can't hold me anymore

I won't be possessed

Burdened by your royal test

I will not surrender

This life is mine!

Shame that it took so long

To rescue me

From the guilt you used

To tie me to your family tree

I guess your training failed

You're not in charge, I'm free

Your matriarchal prison won't hold me

Now this conversation's finally over

Mirror Mirror, now we're done

I've pulled myself together now

My mind and heart are one

Finally one!

I'm not your pet

Not another thing you own

I was not born guilty of your crimes

Your riches and your influence

Can't hold me anymore

I won't be possessed

Burdened by your royal test

I will not surrender

This life is mine!

So lilly I mean , honestly , the song might as well have been for her

[tigerspite]

Six months of silence and suddenly I produce this.

NB: Yami = Lodask.

Read the rest of The Devil's Claw here

Previous chapter | Next chapter

-

CHAPTER ?? / The Canvas

"Isn't he fascinating?" Ursaviks remarks.

Wethraks watches on as his human prisoner rounds on Solkis to stand in the centre of the sparring ring, tense and rigid. Acting oblivious to the waiting challenge, Solkis leans his weight on his spear and chatters away to onlookers, although the wheezing behind his words from exertion and injury betrays his calm demeanour. Only he is brave enough to volunteer for several rounds of combat assessments against a being his research team labels invincible, and arrogant enough to tell the captive to not restrain himself.

The first several rounds ended as badly as each other, for Solkis. Yami's spear shattered across his helm in the second bout, allowing him to enter the third with a weapon more akin to a dagger. After a near disembowelment, he forbade him the use of any other weapons for the rest of their session. Despite the restriction, the human defeats him time and time again. There is no meaningful way he can defend himself.

After an hour, Wethraks isn't sure he can watch any more of his friend being battered. Some would have found it humiliating, but his carapace aches with sympathy instead.

"He's very well trained. Very…disciplined?" he offers, unsure of how to quantify the display of combat prowess that his captive shows. "I know that he said he didn't want to fight earlier, but he's good at it."

Yami, as the prisoner calls himself, has a quiet yet intense disposition. Attempts to converse and bond with him are difficult, Wethraks finds. He volunteers no information about himself unless sufficiently pressed. Solkis says that when he finally spoke, he claimed to be a warrior forced into servitude by a warlord in the far flung region known as North America. Old enough to remember the time before humanity's Whirlwind, and with no family nor belongings to his name - none that he admits to, anyway - his only choice is to hide so that the warlord never learns of his whereabouts. No human wants to side with a Devil of their own volition, and he is no exception.

Through that, Ursaviks locks him into a new kind of servility. One that is negotiable on either side, ensuring reciprocal loyalty, and very accommodating of a useful asset in dire need of shelter. But it is still imprisonment.

"It proves that he told me the truth," the Kell replies. "Although it was hardly necessary. Solkis would not have brought him to my attention if he thought he was a liar. But it is impressive what a human can achieve when pushed."

The Servitor hovering at the edge of the crowd chirrups, signalling readiness to monitor and record their final round.

Yami's attention snaps to the noise, shoulders rolling forward and hands balled into fists. Solkis heaves himself back into position in return, and brandishes his spear. Slower, with a weight behind his movements, but prepared to finish their fight for the sake of his studies. Unlike other Eliksni, he has no need to save face and drive himself to exhaustion in front of the Kell. He could concede and forfeit, and no harm would come of it. His belligerent commitment is something everyone present knows he will regret, but changing his mind on his methods of anthropological investigation is often an impossibility.

When the Servitor chirps again to begin the fight, Wethraks turns his head and holds a hand up to the side of his face, averting his gaze from the impending disaster. Through his fingers, he catches a clumsy Solkis, footfalls uncoordinated, spear-arm not as quick, thrusting the tip of his blade straight past Yami and into thin air.

His captive wastes no time in taking advantage of his error, grabbing the Vandal and hoisting him up by the throat. With a shout of effort, he spins and throws him across the yard, into the chain link fence. The panelling shakes with the impact of his body hitting it, and Solkis crumples at its bottom without any attempt to rescue himself, dazed by the force of the throw.

Yami straightens, and looks back to his captor with the same dead-eyed stare as he always has, seeking approval.

Without hesitation, Ursaviks claps his upper hands in delight and provides it. "Good, good! Very good," he booms in English. "That will be all for today. Help him up, and our Servitor will escort you home."

His command is met with a short, curt nod, and Yami shambles over to his opponent to help him upright. He is gentle, helping him to stand, and they both follow the Servitor away and into the crowd - presumably to be attended to by the medical staff.

Ursaviks waits for them to disappear from view entirely before continuing. "There is plenty of use for a human of his capabilities in this House," he rumbles. "Unlimited potential. He doesn't see it yet. The warlord crushed his spirits. He will be our most effective tool in our fight against House Kings, once we bring him out of his shell."

Wethraks frowns. "I don't think he's going to feel enthusiastic about being treated like that."

"No, of course not, not at first. When he understands the opportunities he will have under our protection, and the strength he can find by living among us, then he will be glad for the chance." Ursaviks snorts, amused by his own line of thought. "He may even appreciate our company, in time."

The way he speaks of their human makes a shiver run through his body. To Ursaviks, he is a blank canvas. On it, he will create a caricature. He will enshrine Yami as a hero of war, arm and surround him with the finest blades and firearms, offer protection through ornate armor, and splay bodies out at his feet. All while his Kell-sigil billows on the silken cape of crimson he wears. When completed, he will display it with pride at the entrance to his Lair, warning all who would oppose the House that he has found a weapon as great as the Darkness which destroyed home-Riis.

Except he is not a work of art waiting to be created. He is a painting half-finished, started then abandoned in a fit of frustration. When the brush strokes were uneven, the colours and their contrast clashing, the paint itself too thick or too thin, the canvas the wrong size for the painter to realise an intended vision. There is darkness and pain there, clear through the way he fights as if it is his only purpose. As though there is no joy or pleasure to be found in combat, but only duty and the fear of what will happen if he disobeys. His skill and ferocity is a weapon wound on a tight leash, not a tool, and his hands are bloody and cold.

Ursaviks would work over the mess left behind. Claim that the original artist tried, even if he doesn't understand the original intent, and then pore over the piece until it is transformed into something unrecognisable. To him, it would eventually be a masterpiece, but he would remain ignorant to the true value behind its creation.

Wethraks sees beauty and potential in the rough, unrefined pieces left in their care. The original vision is not complete, but it is still there, waiting to be realised. He would seek the fragments of the artist left within, and guide his hand. Allow him to complete the picture on his own terms, without judgement or critique, and show everyone how the original work was intended.

Otherwise, he will lose him.

[majestativa]

Beauty does the heart invade, Kindness only can persuade; It gilds the lover’s servile chain.

— John Wilmot/Earl of Rochester, Selected Works, (2004)