#cw implications of racism

[9ofspades]

I feel like there’s something deeply ironic about this ad…

[alexythimya]

Thinking about our last convo at the middle school w our 'supervisor' and how my coworker wanted to go back to work in the city bc she 'misses the challenge' and how her and the supervisor were saying how in the city you get the chance to make a difference to some kids and my supervisor being like 'the best kids to work with are 1st gen immigrants because in Jamaica, el salvador because they parents have expectations for kids... they don't have dcf in those places' and him soon after saying oh you wouldn't want to work at [tech school i at one point lived just down the street from] because of the supposed behavior there

[writingwithcolor]

What Makes an Ethnic Villain "Ethnic" or "Villainous?" How Do You Offset it?

anonymous asked:

Hello WWC! I have a question about the antagonist of my story. She is (currently) Japanese, and I want to make sure I’m writing her in a way that doesn’t associates [sic] her being Asian with being villainous.  The story is set in modern day USA, this character is effectively immortal. She was a samurai who lost loved ones due to failure in combat, and this becomes her character[sic] motivation (portrayed sympathetically to the audience). This story explores many different time periods and how women have shown valor throughout history. The age of the samurai (and the real and legendary female warriors from it) have interested me the most, which is why I want her to be from this period.  The outfit she wears while fighting is based on samurai armor, and she wears modern and traditional Japanese fashion depending on the occasion. She acts pretty similar to modern day people, though more cynical and obsessed with her loss. She’s been able to adapt with the times but still highly values and cherishes her past.  She is the only Asian main character, but I plan to make a supportive Japanese side character. She’s a history teacher who knows about the villain and gives the protagonists information to help them, but isn’t involved in the main plot otherwise.  Are the way I’m writing this villain and the inclusion of a non-antagonist Japanese character enough to prevent a harmful reading of the story, or is there more I should do?

Why Does Your Villain Exist?

This makes me feel old because David Anders plays a villain with this kind of backstory in the series Heroes starring Masi Oka. 

I think you want to think about what you mean when you say: 

Villainous (In what way? To whom? To what end?)

Harmful (What tropes, narratives and implications are present?)

I’m relatively infamous in the mod circle for not caring too much about dimensions of “harm”. The concept is relative and varies widely between people and cultures. I don’t see much value in framing motivations around “What is less harmful?” I think for me, what matters more is: 

“What is more true?” 

“Are characteristics viewed as intrinsic to background, or the product of experiences and personal autonomy?”

“Will your portrayal resonate with a large audience?”

“What will resonate with the members of the audience who share the backgrounds your characters have?” 

This post offers additional questions you could ask yourself instead of “is this okay/not okay/harmful.” 

You could write a story where your antagonist is sly, sadistic, violent and cold-blooded. It may not be an interpretation that will make many Japanese from combat backgrounds feel seen or heard, but it’s not without precedent. These tropes have been weaponized against people of Japanese descent (Like Nikkei Japanese interned during World War II), but Japan also brutalized a good chunk of Asia during World War II. See Herge’s Tintin and The Blue Lotus for an example of a comic that accurately showcases the brutality of Japan’s colonization of Manchuria, but also is racist in terms of how Japanese characters are portrayed (CW: genocide, war, imperialism, racism).

You could also write a story where your character’s grief gives way to despair, and fuels their combat such that they are seen as calculating, frigid and deeply driven by revenge/ violence. This might make sense. It’s also been done to death for Japanese female warriors, though (See “Lady Snowblood” by Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura here, CW: sexual assault, violence, murder and a host of other dark things you’d expect in a revenge story). 

You could further write a story where your antagonist is not necessarily villainous, but the perceived harm comes from fetishizing/ exoticizing elements in how her appearance is presented or how she is sexualized, which is a common problem for Japanese female characters. 

My vote always goes to the most interesting story or character. I don’t see any benefit to writing from a defensive position. This is where I'll point out that, culturally, I can't picture a Japanese character viewing immortality as anything other than a curse. Many cultures in Japan are largely defined by transience and the understanding that many things naturally decay, die, and change form.

There are a lot of ways you could conceivably cause harm, but I’d rather hear about what the point of this character is given the dilemma of their position. 

What is her purpose for the plot? 

How is she designed to make the reader feel? 

What literary devices are relevant to her portrayal?

(Arbitrarily, you can always add more than 1 extra Japanese character. I think you might put less pressure on yourself with this character’s portrayal if you have more Japanese characters to practice with in general.) 

- Marika. 

When Off-Setting: Aim for Average

Seconding the above with regards to this villainess’s story and your motivations for this character, but regardless of her story I think it’s also important to look specifically at how the Japanese teacher character provides contrast. 

I agree with the choice to make her a regular person and not a superhero. Otherwise, your one Asian character is aggressively Asian-themed in a stereotypical Cool Japan way (particularly if her villain suit is samurai-themed & she wears wafu clothing every so often). Adding a chill person who happens to be Japanese and doesn’t have some kind of ninja or kitsune motif will be a breath of fresh air (well, more like a sigh of relief) for Japanese readers. 

A note on characterization—while our standard advice for “offset” characters is to give your offset character the opposite of the personality trait you’re trying to balance, in this case you might want to avoid opposites. You have a villainess who is a cold, tough “don’t need no man” type. Making the teacher mild-mannered, helpful, and accomodating would balance out the villainess’s traits, but you’ll end up swinging to the other side of the pendulum towards the Submissive Asian stereotype depending on execution. If avoiding stereotypes is a concern, I suggest picking something outside of that spectrum of gentleness to violence and making her really boring or really weird or really nerdy or a jock gym teacher or…something. You’re the author.

Similarly, while the villainess is very traditionally Japanese in her motifs and backstory, don’t make the teacher go aggressively in either direction—give her a nice balance of modern vs. traditional, Japanese vs. Western sensibilities as far as her looks, dress, interests, values, etc. Because at the end of the day, that’s most modern Japanese people. 

Sometimes, the most difficult representation of a character of color is making a character who is really average, typical, modern, and boring. 

- Rina

[shivunin]

Dragon Age Fic Recs

In honor of the Just Leave a Comment Fest, and with no particular theme, here are a few of my favorite Dragon Age Fics:

(If you wrote one of these fics and want me to tag your blog, please let me know and I'm happy to do so!)

**Always check the tags before jumping in; this list is no exception.**

Origins: 

be my mirror by ella_vellan: (T; 5,798) Alistair & Morrigan. Alistair meets Kieran for the first time in Orlais. The dialogue in this feels so well-paced and authentic, and it really navigates a fraught situation with grace. One of those fics that feels bittersweet in the most cathartic way. 

a gentle, beating heart by rynleaf: (M; 5,115 Words) Warden/Zevran. The Warden finds out she is pregnant sometime after Origins and puts off telling Zevran. The epistolary pieces of this frame the underlying story so well, and the flow of the fic itself is extremely well-paced.

A Man’s Word is His Bond by howlsmovinglibrary: (M; 35,135 Words/9 chapters) Zevran/Warden Soulmate AU. Honestly? This Surana cracks me up and I adore this fic. She is just having absolutely none of his nonsense. No thank you. Also, the implications of a soulmate-identifying mark are really well-explored here.

Dragon Age II:

see me bare my teeth for you by calypsid: (T; 2,978 Words) Fenris/Hawke vampire AU. This one has really good pacing and Fenris’s POV is really effective. Would absolutely read way more about the dynamic between this Hawke and Fenris. 

to hold you by the edges by vesperics: (T; 4,059 Words) Fenris/Hawke wound-tending set sometime in Act 1. I am a sucker for wound-tending anything, but I really enjoyed the way this fic explores Hawke and Fenris’s early dynamic and the way she navigates his boundaries about magical healing. 

River Stone by loquaciousquark: (M; 45,633 Words) Fenris/Hawke. Hawke is captured and subjected to a botched Rite of Tranquility. Hawke survives by pretending it worked while Fenris tries to find her. The pain in this fic is so delicately and thoughtfully depicted; it might be my favorite hurt/comfort fic ever. There is an art to writing something that hurts like this while still making the catharsis of resolution feel earned, and this author absolutely knows how to do it right. 

Inquisition: 

Portrait of a Man by Dulcidyne: (T; 3,136 Words) Cullen/Inquisitor. Cullen sits for a portrait. Love the dynamic of person vs. role here, and the idea of how someone is depicted potentially outliving who they actually are. A fic I would hug if I could. 

Truth-Telling by todisturbtheuniverse: (M; 3,988 Words; CW: Fantasy Racism) Adaar/Josephine. Adaar tells several stories about how she lost her horn, but saves the truth for Josie. There are so many great pieces in this about the faces shown to people we trust vs. people who pry for information. Love the almost-but-not-quite together state of their relationship here, too. Yearning, my beloved. 

Port in the Storm by kvella: (E; 89,445 Words/19 Chapters) After nearly hooking up, Cullen and Josephine navigate their tensions while trying to build a memorial for Haven. A lovely slow burn! Characterization is enjoyable and consistent, smut is well-written, and the tension is palpable. The sections involving Josie’s family were some of my favorites.

[atundratoadstool]

I know you've listed the character ages already, but what about physical descriptions? I remember Van Helsing being described as having red hair and blue eyes and I know Lucy's a blonde, but that's it.

Stoker is both frequently very spartan in his physical descriptions of characters and obsessively interested in detailing their facial features owing to his zealous belief in the thoroughly racist science of physiognomy. Here's a breakdown of what we know in the text plus some notes on how these features possibly operate in relation to Stoker's views, experiences, and research:

[CW: Spoilers and a fair number of mentions of Stoker's inescapable racism/antisemitism under the cut.]

Jonathan Harker: Jonathan is barely described but in possession of hair that turns white over the course of the novel. He possibly has a beard or a lot of stubble following the unfortunate yeeting of his shaving mirror. Like many of Bram Stoker's hunky lawyer protagonists, he's more often describing characters than being described by them.

Mina Harker: She is described by Seward as "attractive," "sweet-faced," and "dainty looking." She also has eyes that blaze like "pole stars," which is a very common description in Stoker's greater body of work (See: Stephen Norman in The Man and Teuta Vissarion in Lady of the Shroud) and match with his rapturous descriptions of real world actress Geneviève Ward. While it isn't as common a denotation of willfulness and determination as aquiline noses, it's generally used to indicate female characters who are very hardcore and may obtain a gun. Her skin is light enough for the red mark she obtains to be clearly visible upon it, although I will note that Mimi Salton from Lair of the White Worm is both undeniably a Mina 2.0 and mixed race/darker skinned, which might be worth considering in the realm of headcanon given how frequently Stoker just recycles characters and their physical attributes.

Lucy Westerna: She's pretty, and her weight and appearance definitely fluctuates over the course of her illness. Her hair is laid out in "sunny ripples" while she's alive. She becomes a "dark-haired woman" while undead. This frustrates many many critics and commentators. It's been proposed that the "sunny ripples" just refers to the gloss on her dark hair. It's been proposed the blondeness/darkness hair is an indicator of her innate goodness/evilness... like Smurfette (which has--again--some Stoker-typical racist implications). The most obvious Doylist explanation is that Stoker cannot track characters' hair color much as he cannot track all his dates.

Jack Seward: Strong jaw. Nice forehead. Immense lunatic asylum. He's also mentioned as being thin in comparison to Renfield and Lucy thinks he's handsome (although obviously not as desirable as Arthur).

Arthur Holmwood: His hair is curly. He is tall. He is also a hottie, as attested to by Lucy and by Jack (who finds him very manly as he kills his vampire fiancee).

Quincey P. Morris: I haven't recalled or been able to look up any major descriptors. He apparently carries himself like a "moral Viking" (as Jack attests in the midst of commenting on yet another friend's manliness). I went into some detail as to how he reads in terms of race here and how it might mesh with Lucy's comparison of him to Othello.

Abraham Van Helsing: After the Count, he's the most thoroughly described character in terms of physiognomy, and that physiognomy... is more or less the spitting image of Bram Stoker as he describes himself (...you know, Abraham "Bram" Stoker, who has the same first name as this super genius great-at-everything character). He's got sensitive nostrils, big forehead bumps, a nice jaw, a big mouth, a strong build, and red hair. I wrote a comparison between him and Stoker here. I will also note that the forehead bumps are a phrenological feature denoting creativity and that Jonathan remarks that he apparently has eyebrows incompatible with self doubt.

R. M. Renfield: He appears to be swoler than Seward even if his swoleness is to no avail against Dracula.

Dracula: There is a lot to unpack with Dracula. He has an aquiline nose, which is one of the absolutely most significant recurring features in Stoker's greater corpus (See: The Judge from "The Judge's House"; Solomon Mendoza from The Watter's Mou; Don Bernadino from The Mystery of the Sea; Joy Ogilvie from Lady Athlyne; and Edgar Caswall from The Lair of the White Worm), and this trait was shared by his boss and Idol Henry Irving. It undoubtedly has physiongomic significance to Stoker, who seems to use it to denote command and leadership, although it is worth noting that Cesare Lombroso mentions aquiline noses as a feature of murderers and that many critics have pointed out its potential connections to Stoker's antisemitism (and specifically the suspicion regarding Jewish immigrants in the wake of the Jack the Ripper killings). Dracula additionally has a "domed forehead," which can paradoxically be associated in physiognomy with both high intellect and mental feebleness. His sharp teeth are a trait Stoker associates with "a militant instinct" (Lombroso, again, connects them with murderers) and are described in much the same way he describes Alfred Lord Tennyson and Sir Richard Burton's teeth, although he took notes from Sabine Baring-Gould's Book of Were-wolves in which sharp teeth are a werewolf trait. We also have pretty explicit evidence that Dracula's unibrow, pointy nails, and hairy palms are also from Baring-Gould. Overall, Dracula seems to be a real hodgepodge of physiognomic traits that seem to haunt Stoker's work, racist criminological theory, and actual folklore.

[urhouseisnthauntedurjustlonely]

Found Some More Hatchetfield Lore!

tldr; at bottom

I remembered that one of the Lang brothers said that Wiggly is based off of Cthulhu, so I decided to do something digging on a piece of shit author, H.P. Lovecraft and y’all… Okay, I don’t know if it counts as lore, but Hatchetfield is right under our noses.

CW: H.P. Lovecraft’s writing is full of bigotry, and if you plan on reading it, prepare yourself. For example, there is an evil entity named Shub-Niggurath. Yeah.

I don’t like H.P. Lovecraft, nor do I enjoy his writing in general, so here are some things that people should look up if you want to find out Hatchetfield’s inspiration. More thoughts on why I cannot write about him are at the bottom.

Also! I do not look down or dislike people who enjoy H.P. Lovecraft’s writing and his creations, and would really love for people to continue to look into things I cannot. I hope my little notes help!

(I’ve linked the stories in pink!)

SPOILERS: Hatchetfield? I guess? The Cthulhu Mythos & The Dream Cycle.

Cthulhu Mythos:

Just read ‘The Call of Cthulhu’. Everything makes sense.

Miss Holloway is based off of a character named Horvath Blayne from the anthology series The Trail to Cthulhu by August Derleth. Here’s one of them. ‘The Black Island, Being the Narrative of Horvath Blayne’.

Duke Keane is also taken from The Trail to Cthulhu.

The narrator of ‘The Call of Cthulhu’ is named Francis Wayland Thurston.

Professor Hidgens is based off of an art student named Henry who is known for being eccentric and living in solitude. (The Call of Cthulhu)

Emma Perkins is named after a ship called the Emma. The crew got into a battle with Cthulhu’s cult members, which resulted in the Emma having one survivor. (The Call of Cthulhu)

John MacNamara is based off of the police officer John Legrasse. (The Call of Cthulhu)

Willabella Muckwab resembles Lavinia Whateley, from ‘The Dunwich Horror’. She has a son, Wilbur Whateley (Wilbur Cross), whose father is the cosmic entity Yog-Sothoth (Wiggog Y’rath). Lavinia went missing on Halloween, and the assumption is that Wilbur killed her.

The Black Book is the Necremonium.

There’s always professors somewhere.

The Dream Cycle:

LOL. The Dream Cycle is a collection of short stories surrounding dream cities. I honestly haven’t read anything about this other than brief stuff from the Wiki, but the connections are painfully obvious.

The word ‘oblivion’ is written in the Black Book. H.P. Lovecraft has a poem titled Ex Oblivione. The narrator sees a gate in his dreams and wants to get past it, but he can’t access it. He eventually does, though. Yikes. Read this post, picture Willabella Muckwab as the narrator for Ex Oblivione, and enjoy.

Bonus: Some of the covers of the magazine that published H.P. Lovecraft’s work (Weird Tales) are sprinkled throughout Hatchetfield.

“Pete, get behind me! I’ve got a gun.”

“Steph… it’s a ghost. I don’t think that’s gonna do any good.”

Rosary? Killer Track, much? Also, the art style for the Black Book kind of resembles this… huh.

-

Note: I had planned to read all of H.P. Lovecraft and the associated work, but the racism is too much for me. I can’t “separate the art from the artists”, especially when everything evil is so obviously and horrendously based on Black people, as well as other races. Again— Shub-Niggurath. Like, seriously?

It’s a huge bummer, because I have so many thoughts— like the implications behind Willabella Muckwab associated with Lavinia Whateley, and Wilbur Cross also being associated with Wilbur Whateley. So much is at our finger tips.

I’m still going to be writing other things, though!

I have more of the Black Book deciphered, so that’s exciting, especially since I actually got some stuff right in my first post. (It was looked at through a more religious lenses rather than an H.P. Lovecraft lenses, though.) BUT STILL. MY EYES HURTING FROM INTENSE SQUINTING SESSIONS WAS NOT FOR NAUGHT! And I know I state some of these things as if they’re facts, but they’re ‘probably based on’ stuff.

Alright. I’m off to read about physics, the concept of nothingness, and the æther in the name of theatre kid.

tldr; the Lang bros made a the TTRPG Call of Cthulhu homebrew and turned it into musicals.

[tcrturedpoetsdepartment]

"𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐- 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚕? 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝?" - M.A. 8.11

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[acerathia]

Trick or Treat? TRICK!

@solerate viccccccc, here u go, elf kakashi hueheheh, also, i did almost mention the size difference bc u r small hehehehe

You're desperately looking for a travel companion, and it seems like you've just found one.

wc: 1.0k

cw/tags: elf kakashi, mention of fantasy racism, reader literally just picks him up bro like a wet kitten, fantasy setting,

Since forever, you have always wanted to go on a big adventure, to travel through the world and to discover new foods and games. And no matter how much time passed, this dream did not change, rather it became more developed, more thoroughly planned. The only thing you still need is a partner, someone to travel with, to build trust and a relationship with, because there’s nothing better than to share your joy with another person. Even if you have no idea where to get someone willing to travel around without a proper goal, and how to convince anyone to just start wandering around with you. But you decided to try nonetheless, so you tried asking around, asking the people you know if they might know someone willing. But nobody ever had the slightest idea about anyone. They only suggested you ask the guild, but you don’t want to do that, you don’t want to spend money for such a measly thing, and you wanted someone who really wanted to be there to be at your side. 

So, with no other option, you make your way into the closest pub, hoping to finally meet someone open to your idea. If this doesn’t work, well, you would need to think of something new. 

With a sigh, you take a seat and let your eyes travel amongst the masses, trying to discover someone sitting all alone, just like you. Only it’s a bit different, isn’t it? 

Finally, you spot a hooded person sitting all alone in the corner of this place, and you immediately know why: from that spot every possible exit is visible, and you cannot be surprised from behind. But you shrug, you have no malice, so why try to sneak up on them in the first place? 

After a couple of steps you stop in front of the table, leaning forward to press your palms against the table. “Hello there, mind me joining you?” you ask, and still sit down without waiting for a response. 

But he doesn’t seem to actually mind, as he barely reacts, aside from shifting his focus towards you, and you’re able to discern a dark eye, while the other is hidden by a patch. Half of his face is hidden behind the shadow of a cloth. He seems to have seen quite a bit, but what can you say, more experience is better for your endeavors, supposing he does join you. 

“So, you’re alone, I’m alone, let’s make a deal,” you almost wince when you realize the possible implications, so you make haste to continue explaining your plans for the near future. “You see, I plan on being a traveler, but I still need a companion. What do you say? Me and you, going on the adventure of the century, wouldn’t that be amazing?”

A sigh as he leans back, his gaze hovering all over you, probably calculating whatever worth or trust you might have, so you smile, while also trying your best to not look like you can’t do anything on your own. 

*Fine. Meet me tomorrow at the backdoor.” With these words he just stands up and exits the building, leaving you all alone to process what just happened. 

And once you do, you can’t help but let out a celebratory ‘yes’. You did it, you managed to find someone to join you for the biggest adventure of your life, the only and first adventure of your life, but hey, aim high to get the best results, or something. 

You hurry back home to finish the last preparation for the next day, barely able to fall back asleep after it, the nerves making your body feel too jittery. Yet you manage to finally take a bit of rest. 

The next day, you make your way back to the pub and go around it, heading for the backdoor he had mentioned yesterday. To your surprise he’s already waiting there, leaning against the wall with the hood low on his head. And the closer you walk to him, the more you realize how well built he is, even with the cloak hiding the definitions of his body, his broad shoulders tell you more than enough. Still, you’re not intimidated, rather this makes you more excited as his experience will definitely help you in the long run. 

You walk up to him and greet him with a good morning. He returns the greeting with a more causal one, before he decides to speak up again. 

“I wanted to clarify something first before we actually head out…” he explains before pulling down his hood, revealing strands of pure silver, almost like the moon had given him this glow as a present. Silver hair, something common within the volk of the elves, and then your eyes snap to his ears, to his pointed ears, poking out of the strands of hair. 

With this, you realize why he had been alone, and why he revealed this to you just now. Some people have some sort of twisted prejudice against elves, one you just don’t understand, even if you never had met a real elf before. That doesn’t change your opinion one bit. He trusted you with this knowledge, and you won’t break his trust. So, you do what you always do.

“Oh, I love your hair. I don’t see a problem. Rather I’m excited to finally start, come on!” you grab his hand and start dragging him along, grinning widely at the prospect of exploration. 

His fingers clutch a little tighter at yours and if you had turned around you might’ve seen a smile twinkle in his eyes, even if his face remains hidden for a little while longer. 

This is the beginning of your journey, one filled with joy, excitement, a blooming trust, and most importantly, more than just being companions, maybe even more than friends. And maybe this adventure won’t be the greatest of the century, but it is the greatest one to you, one you will never forget.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Please share the ReBirth thoughts!

//Alright, if you insist!

//First off, I really like the cast. You can probably tell my favorite character is Marin, but I like Ayumu, Aruma, Maiko, Kego, and really everyone has their merits ^^

//I have to admit, though, that I take issue with a lot of aspects of the story itself. Not quite to the same extreme as SDRA2, as I don't think it completely derails its own plot, but there are still sticking points to me, some of them pretty heavy given the subject matter of the game:

(CW: Discussions about bullying, oppression and racism included)

I appreciate that they changed the reactions to Ayumu being a cross-dresser away from the grotesquely transphobic attitudes in the original Japanese version, but I'm not fond of the implication that Ayumu became an enby because of Emi's abuse. Even if it wasn't the intent, that's how it comes across.

Everything that happened with Maiko and Saiji is textbook fridging. It doesn't really do anything for the story beyond artificially setting up his death and lots of drama.

I don't like that they can talk to the dead. Kasumi having the ability to channel spirits is supposed to be unpleasant for there and that's why it doesn't happen often, but if they can just pull ghosts back to get information, that really undermines a lot of the deaths in a way the story never really recovers from. Chapter 1 literally ends with Maiko coming back, explaining the misunderstanding that got her killed, and hugging everybody. Come on.

The talent-switching machine Chapter 3 feels like it completely breaks the motivations of the villains just by existing.

The multi-kill for Seishi, very Murder on the Orient Express, where it turns out Marin is the one who accidentally killed him feels...I dunno, I think it's why I prefer DT's idea for the Blackened. Having the Blackened by the one who delivered the fatal blow feels far too easy to exploit for emotional manipulation.

Everything having to do with Narumi.

//Now, I have to say, I like that this game has two masterminds, one motivated by despair and the other by hope. It's pretty unique. My problem mostly has do with the motivation.

//See, Akira's motivation is purely self-centered, wanting revenge on Kego for the death of his grandmother, Sumiko Kamiya, the Former Ultimate Ghostwriter. A woman who became a despair during The Tragedy and, as a result, was swayed to that side himself.

//In contrast, Narumi is the daughter of Taizo Osone, the former Ultimate Chef, and is the middle child of a huge number of siblings. The two of them were very close, Taizo helped her hone her own talent, and he was an active member of the Rights For Ultimates (RFU) movement. This was a group that sought to promote equal rights against people who were blaming them for the Tragedy.

//And it was during one such RFU protest that a riot broke out and Taizo was gunned down by police. An event that broke Narumi's heart and drove her to seek revenge against the system that had caused all of this. That's how she wound up crossing paths with Akira.

//The problem here is that, in her quest to seek justice for her father, Narumi becomes another example of the "oppressed minority who goes too far" cliche. Instead of targeting the system that hurts people like her, she targets other Ultimates and puts them in a killing game, thinking that by causing another Tragedy, she and Akira can become the new heroes and getting people to love Ultimates like they did back in the day.

//Now, of course, Akira's actual goal is just to destroy society as revenge for Sumiko's death and to spread despair once again. But because he dies in Chapter 2, that ultimately means most of the blame falls onto Narumi's shoulders. And what happens to her by the end?

//She gets sentenced to life in prison, with Ayumu promising to finish what she started. This sounds nice and all, but coming at the end of the story, it feels more like an empty platitude. How will Ayumu dismantle this oppressive system? How will equal rights for Ultimates be earned? How will any of this get solved?

//No idea! That's just how the story ends!

//I don't like this kind of storytelling because it often perpetuates negative and dangerous stereotypes, and even if the villain is functionally right, their actions within the narrative are effectively meant to get us to dismiss those ideals for change in favor of the status quo.

//The fact that Narumi is dark-skinned really doesn't help.

//RWBY, the MCU, Shadowrun, even The Last Airbender suffered from this in the episode where they introduced Bloodbending. I know a lot of people like that episode, but I really don't care for it. It takes a victim of oppression by an imperialist society, held captive and dehumanized for years, and turns her into an unrepentant villain that tortures random civilians and revels in killing. And then when she's defeated, she's returned to that same oppressive system as if that's meant to be justice.

//The irony is that, had Akira stuck around, all of this would've been easily solved. Make HIM the guy who hijacked Narumi's good intentions, lied to her, tricked her and pushed her too far. She still has a hand in all this without making her out to be another example of this cliche, and instead of being sent to rot in prison, she tries to actually change things for the better.

//Hell, you can include Seishi in that as well. Rather than just a hitman sent to kill Ayumu, have him showcase how much he's suffered under this oppressive system and how much he wants to be free of it too. You can still have the talent-switching machine, maybe as a promise for anyone who kills, and Seishi says Ayumu can escape with him and both of them will be free of their respective talents they hate.

//Yes, I understand this is all just an outline of how the story would've gone and the final product might've been different, but the greater-scope villains here should be the ones orchestrating the system that hurts people, not people trying to take a stand against the system and change it or bring it down.

//I don't think Rebirth is bad at all, it just suffers from a lot of the flaws and misunderstandings that come with trying to write nuanced stories about prejudice. Making the oppressed just as bad as the oppressor is not deep or complex storytelling when it's designed to get us to see challenging the status quo as bad.

[somethingbcrrowed]

🇭​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇩​​🇴​ ​🇾​​🇴​​🇺​ ​🇰​​🇳​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇼​​🇭​​🇴​ ​🇮​ ​🇦​​🇲​?​​ 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓁𝓎, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝐼 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝐼'𝒹 𝒹𝑜… 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝓊𝒾𝓁𝓉. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒? 𝒰𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓁 𝐼 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓏𝑒𝓃, 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝓇𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓁𝓎… 🇭​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇩​​🇴​ ​🇮​ ​🇰​​🇳​​🇴​​🇼​ ​🇼​​🇭​​🇴​ ​🇮​ ​🇦​​🇲​?

CONTENT WARNING: This blog contains material that some readers may find very disturbing. Reader's discretion is highly advised.

. Independent. Selective. Multi-Verse. Multi-Ship. . AU/OC/Duplicate/Crossover Friendly . Please read the rules before interacting!

. Cared for by Jamie / 30+ (she/they) / MINORS DNI

. ✩ Rules ✩ Backstory ✩ Universes ✩ Prompts & Starters ✩ . ✩Tags List✩

Wondering why on Earth I followed you if you're not in the Umbrella Fandom? It's probably for my sideblog below: tcrturedpoetsdepartment (multifandom multimuse sideblog including ASOIAF, HOTD, Outlander, Vampire C.hronicles, The MCU and more; follows from this blog, somethingbcrrowed)

Come Find Me At My Other RP Blogs:

intergalacticstarlight (doctor who multimuse ) therainbcwroom (stranger things multimuse sideblog ; follows from intergalacticstarlight, iconless) endcfanempire (star wars multimuse) kingdomsreign (padme amidala blog) inkwellsandbroomsticks (antijkr wizarding world multimuse, iconless) capitoldarlings (hunger games multimuse, iconless)

CONTENT WARNINGS & RULES (under the cut for mobile users):

CONTENT WARNING:

Please keep in mind that the potentially triggering content listed below isn't the entirety of what you might find here, but it does cover the vast majority of it:

graphic sexual content, prostitution, smoking cigarettes, heavy drug use, alcoholism, fictional religion and fictional religious propaganda or cults, fictional politics and fictional political propaganda, fictional classism, fictional racism/xenophobia/prejudice/color bias (time travel purposes ; nothing graphic, no slurs will be used), demonology, witchcraft, drowning, hanging, suicide, varying degrees of mental illness including C-PTSD, NPD and ASPD, graphic violence, graphic descriptions of gore, major character deaths, childbirth, child loss, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, blood, noncon and dubcon, reanimation, necromancy, torture, mind control, brainwashing, memory manipulation and implantation, medical experimentation, living autopsies, medical torture, psychological/emotional abuse and manipulation, domestic violence/abuse, CSA (nothing graphic, mostly flashbacks or implications/disclosure) and more.

No matter what your triggers may be, please blacklist them with the format used below and, unless it's something I don't realize requires tagging, it should work to keep it off your dash. Same for spoiler posts.

. cw alcoholism . cw addiction . cw dead dove . cw dead dove content . cw s04 canon . tua spoilers . s4 spoilers . spoilers

DISCLAIMER: WRITING IT DOES NOT MEAN ENDORSEMENT. I will never mock, insult, make fun of, glorify or romanticize any of the topics listed above, nor any of the other dark topics that may lurk on my blog. They will, however, be portrayed realistically which may include glorification and compartmentalization/victim blaming/predator apologia from the mind of Klaus Hargreeves himself as he experiences and processes these things first hand. These topics will always be treated with the most respect possible while still keeping it in character.

RULES:

If you're Mutuals Only (Private) and don’t plan to follow be back once I’ve followed you, please softblock me so that I unfollow you. I'm not mutuals only and even though I have a mutuals tracker, sometimes it glitches because this place loves to fix what wasn't broken.

If I follow you it means I want to rp with you and welcome you to interact, whether it be tagging me in a random starter, inboxing to plot or sending memes and prompts to me. Even if we owe replies and have already sent each other tons of stuff, please feel free to send more.

None of my prompts or memes ever expire, and I encourage you to send as many as you can/want to. The more the merrier. It gives me more to work with and lets me be more creative. Even if I haven't answered many, just send more and the likelihood will increase!

If you're following me from a main blog, please let me know which sideblog you run, especially if your main blog is a personal blog.

Minors DNI. I'm over 30 years old and will not write with anyone under the age of 18. Likewise, all muses must be over the age of 18 to write anything more than kissing, fading to black or implications. If you refuse to disclose your age or I find out you're lying about it I may block you outright.

I also write on Discord, Docs, Email and RPNation for Mutuals whom I've written with at least once or twice before. If you want to rp in any of those formats and we're not Mutuals, feel free to inbox me and we'll discuss it.

Shipping happens and smut will be present here. I ship based off of chemistry and I tag everything accordingly. I have no problems writing graphic, detailed smut and have no triggers when it comes to the written word (as of yet). I also use Read More cuts and Content Warnings on smut posts. If you don't write smut and/or don't want anything graphic, please tell me beforehand if it isn't in your rules/FAQs.

Don't assume Klaus is in a relationship with your muse, unless you write for David Katz. He also has no children that he knows of, though I'm fine with you sending pregnancy memes (so long as there's enough context).

Unless you're the one writing the thread with me, do not reblog it (liking it or commenting on it is fine, just don't reblog it). If you do, I'll inbox you to ask you politely to remove it. If you do, it's all good and if not, I'll send up to two more reminders (spaced out by a day or so in between, to be fair, as I know a lot of you aren't super active on here) before I block you. You can reblog anything else you find here, unless the tags tell you not to, so MIND THE TAGS!

No OOC hate or bullying of any kind will be tolerated here. This includes actively posting anti content, callouts (that aren’t warranted), sending “helpful” anons or anon hate, things like hateposts about cast members, faceclaims, musicians, showrunners, etc… I don't mind if you roast Klaus in my askbox, though, so long as it's in character. I ENJOYED S04.

No Godmodding, Metagaming or changing context completely without discussing it with me first, otherwise I'll lose inspo for the thread and it'll die out.

[fanby-fckry]

Tags to Block:

Please send me an ask if you need something tagged. New tags may be added as they come up; these are just the most common ones.

Light Tags:

#not fandom — non-fandom posts

#eyestrain — potential eyestrain

#flash warning — flashing, strobing, or fast moving images

#undescribed — images without image descriptions

#artistic nudity — nonsexual nudity

#osha violation — not safe for work catchall tag

#suggestive, #not osha compliant — previously used nsfw tags for more specific categories; trying to sort them was hurting my brain

Heavy Tags:

In alphabetical order

#ableism cw — mentions/discussions of ableism; including saneism

#addiction cw — mentions/discussions of addiction; including substance addiction, gambling addiction, etc.; not including recreational drug use if addiction isn’t mentioned/implied in the post

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#arachnophobia cw — photos or other realistic images of spiders

#biphobia cw — mentions/discussions of biphobia and bi exclusionism

#discourse cw — fandom discourse, queer discourse/infighting

#fatphobia cw — mentions/discussions of fatphobia, weight bias, diet culture, etc.

#gore cw — fictional/illustrated/special effects gore

#homophobia cw — mentions/discussions of homophobia

#paranoia cw — anything that might trigger paranoia

#queerphobia cw — umbrella tag for mentions/discussions of bigotry against any queer identity

#racism cw — mentions/discussions of racism

#saneism cw — mentions/discussions of saneism, bigotry towards any mental illness or neurodivergence; including the concept of ‘narc abuse’ and similar hate towards people with personality disorders

#scopophobia cw — scopophobia triggers; images of eyes, implications of being watched

#sexual assault cw — mentions/discussion of sexual abuse, sexual assault, sex trafficking and rape

#transphobia cw — mentions/discussions of transphobia, trans exclusionism, TERFs, transmedicalism, trans gatekeeping, and other such nonsense

#unreality cw — anything that might induce a sense of unreality

[randomidiocyncrazies]

shortbox comics fair 2023

it's always really nice to see indie comics thrive as an art form, so here are some of the comics from this year's shortbox fair that i've really enjoyed under the cut

(lmao i wish i had to foresight to like. save the official synopsis and preview art for the comics before the event was over...)

CROSSED SIGNALS by mxiiha

f/f, 23 pages.

bro this comic rewired my brain

the use of color is really striking, and the contemptuous, desperate, unknowing yearning between the main characters is just. impeccable vibes. like. someone gets under your skin so much and you don't know why but you devote yourself to provoking them, getting a reaction out of them, and proving yourself to them... the single-minded drive to get them to acknowledge you as someone who means something to them *chef kiss*

French Exit by Elle Shivers

gen, 46 pages. potential cw: sports injury leading to retirement, discussion of institutionalized racism

it's described as a "sports story without the sports" and i was immediately intrigued. the comic is presented as a conversation between a retired skater and an interviewer working for an online news outlet on the verge of collapse, and i think the way it's laid out is so so so interesting!

this layout really effectively controls the pace of the conversation—unlike a more 'traditional' layout where readers can just 'skip' to the next moment of action/dialogue, here every pause is represented with a blank panel on the conversation side and forces us to experience all the silent moments alongside the characters, which is a really cool way to ground us in the conversation

Light Through Memory by Jean Wei

gen, 32 pages.

a historical story about two young astrologers in completely different parts of the world connected by their night time discovery. i found the story bittersweet but hopeful, and the mirrored structure of this comic is one of my favorite things about it. the two halves of the story fit together seamlessly even though the characters never interact physically and don't even know of the other's existence

Marrow by Solane Hong

gen, 39 pages. cw: body horror, gore(? internal organs but no blood)

a good horror gives you enough to realize the implications, but also leaves room for the audience to draw their own conclusions. i really liked that we don't get to see what the characters saw in the last page, but there are enough hints to imply what they were looking at.

and while the reveal would not surprise anyone who's aware of the tropes in dystopian fiction, imo the point and tone of this comic had never been about shocking the readers—it's about the characters finding out, and i enjoyed every moment of the journey

My Father was a Good Man by Adeline Kon

gen with f/f, 39 pages. cw: animal death, gore, parental abuse

a story of a hunter vowing to hunt down the wolf that killed her father, who was a very good man. but the beast she's hunting for might not be so simple after all...

i love how the reveal was handled here, made possible by the subtle foreshadowing laid down beforehand

stinking benjamins by Jade Armstrong

gen (with hint of romance), 28 pages. cw: discussions of death, suicidal ideation, animal death (not the dog)

the layout of this comic is a very cool way to see how these characters' inner thoughts alongside the conversation they're having. i love how not in-sync their inner thoughts are, and it's a good reminder that what your perception of other people isn't necessarily the whole picture

the body from the river by riotbones

gen, 32 pages. cw: death

the lovely preview art and synopsis immediately grabbed my interest. the story begins with the body of a stranger being washed up, and the villagers speculate on who this corpse might've been and what kind of life they might've led before their demise.

i go feral for stories where someone's identity—who they really are—is unknowable to the readers and other characters, so all we can do is use them as a vehicle to tell our own stories of what might've been

The Future Saints by Niv Sekar

gen with queer themes, 25 pages. cw: touches on homophobia

this is very much a queer story, featuring the adult protagonist looking back at their childhood watching a cartoon that felt "kind of gay" with their friend, even though the show might not have intended that interpretation at all.

i really enjoyed how well the art style and color palette fit the narrative about the half-forgotten memories of childhood, and grappling with the mixed feelings of re-encountering something that had a huge impact on you in your childhood, but you discover that it doesn't hold up as an adult

the quiet end of the mundane age by Theo Stuluz

m/m, 72 pages. cw: er... a magic equivalent of a terminal(?) illness? maybe?

the wouldbuilding here is fascinating, and it does a really good job of balancing the romance between the two leads (cute!) with the mystery of what's going on with the magic in their world. there's so much implied about their society here and i really like that they don't really indulge in exposition? i kinda wish it's a full serialized series because the world is so interesting!

[happysharkintensifies]

This constant repeat of humans being oppressed and/or enslaved is a recurring (and baffling) pattern in SJM's work.

While @ae-neon and @novaricewrites excellently summarize how SJM misuses themes of oppression and reduces them to set dressing, I think we should also bring attention to the portrayal of humans, and how it raises some disturbing implications.

@novaricewrites touched on this with the 'idea of inherited and innate supremacy', and I think it merits further observation.

(just to be safe, CW for mention of some disturbing ideology/topics)

Ordinary humans are not a prominent feature in SJM's works. In fact, they're given so little focus that readers easily forget they exist.

(quick aside: the fact that human enslavement is constant throughout SJM's multiverse is metaphysically horrifying. but that's for another day)

But when they are in the spotlight, the narrative in SJM's multiverse constantly paints humans as 'drab'. They're painted as less beautiful, less physically fit, less cultured, less important.

I visited the CCity wiki and this is their page on humans:

It's basically a stub. There are blank pages with more content than this. But that aside, this perfectly illustrates my point. We get barely any mention of human culture, religions, traditions or government. The 'physical description' section is laughable. And any history mentioned here is only as it relates to the Vanir.

The various magical beings, however, are described in more flattering light. They're fast and strong and cunning. They're hot and beautiful, with spicy personalities and powers beyond imagining. They're the ones with intricate backstories and heartbreaking trauma. They're more important. They're better.

And this juxtaposition reminds me of 'scientific racism' and eugenics. The idea that there are portions of the population that are 'naturally' more intelligent, more healthy, more physically fit than the rest.

We see it in CCity, where the Vanir are described as 'more civilized'. We see it in ACOTAR where humans are derided for 'bigotry' against fae. We even see small hints of it in ToG, with Aelin's colonizer fantasy.

Now, just to be absolutely clear, I'm not saying that SJM is a eugenicist. Nor should my points be taken as evidence of the same either, since it's inconclusive. It's very likely this happened by complete accident, and SJM simply didn't think before writing (which is actually on brand for her anyway, but i digress)

That, and there's a very, very, very big chance that I'm completely wrong about this and this take is just full of BS.

But the way I see it, (and keep in mind: this is just the way I see it, I could be wrong) the narrative around humans still hews disturbingly close to eugenics.

And I don't think enough people are talking about it.

Sarah Janet Maas is obsessed with the aesthetics of oppression and in particular loves some trauma porn back stories, especially ones where male love interests were subjugated by Wicked Women™

But she also dislikes actual rebellion. She thinks people have their place and the ones who get uppity are no good

So she writes protagonists and love interests who belong on top, who were born to rule and inherit overwhelming power, being forced down by antagonistic forces

Her wars and battles and story arcs are simply the world correcting itself by having the MC and their friends in power

No groups of people, no marginalised minorities etc are uplifted as a whole and anyone from an oppressed group who used or uses violence is cast as dubious at best and a flat out villain at worst

[voidselfshipp]

Bad Press

Cw:body horror, harrasing mention, implications of racism, implications of torture, and threats Lmk lf I missed anything.

☆Only mutuals allowed to reblog.

☆S/I uses they/them. Seer he/Him.

☆Lovely Taglist: @tex-treasures @jcraft @malewifepatrickbateman

->Summary: after Lisa Stone's interview where she tried to shift the blame towards seer, Him and his partner,Nova, are a bit weary of the press, And during a boring event, Nova decides to have some payback and leave Lisa with a warning.

A/n: I am tilted over this interview. Lisa Stone can go fuck herself.

Honestly Nova couldnt care less about this party.

It was a formal event, and all the legends were invited (And forced) to go there.

As they sipped from their can of soda, they scanned the room, looking if anyone they knew were free to talk. Because honestly, they were bored out of their mind.

--...haunter-- Revenant greeted them formaly.

--Ah, revenant, nice to see you--Nova gave the simulacrum a sweet smile.

Revenant chuckles--Bored?

--Yeah..

-- I can tell-- rev put a hand on their Lower back, Gently stroking it with his thumb--The press is going to get here soon, If I were you, i'd make sure to flee before then

--Hah, I wish we could rev, I wish we could--Hunter replies, leaning their head against his shoulder.

--Are you okay?--Revenant inquired, looking down at his companion.

--Just worried for Obi, thats all...after that bitch Lisa's interview well..--they made a pause.

--I understand, she is going to be here sadly, but that doesnt mean we cant have some fun with her...~

He mused with an audible smile.

--Youre right, you are right...--Nova trailed off.

Soon the press arrived, Haunter watched some feet away from the main Group where all the legends and press were.

As they approach, their black dress comes to life, galaxies climb from the bottom of the dress to the top, tendril Like bits of color and stars sway in a flowing motion.

Their presence is usettling, and they make their way towards Obi quite quickly, seer turns around the moment he feels his lovers hand on the back of his waist, apparently unfazed by their presence.

--Hello, my sun--the Man greeted.

--My love--Nova mused, in a way that let him know they were up to something-- May I join you?

Obi nodded, putting an arm around their waist and pulling them closer--of course~ --he leaned in,whispering-- what are you planning?

--Sit back and enjoy the show-- they replied simply.

After some pictures togheter (both looking absolutely stunning, by the way) it was time for some mini interviews.

The infamous Lisa was the first one to approach seer, probably ready to Keep up with whatever agenda she was given to shift the blame towards obi.

As soon as she asks seer for an interview, Lisa's hair on the back of her neck stand up, a feeling of dread and fear settled deep within her chest, her heart felt as if it was being squeezed.

--Seer!-- Lisa said trying to not let the weird feeling stop her-- the fans were talking about our last interview and I have to say that I did go overboard --She said with fake regret-- if you dont mind me asking though...., are you planning on more activism towards Borealis?

Before he replied anything, probably holding back some anger, Nova jumps in, her eyes are yellow like burning suns, around their eyes theres shifting purple colors, ranging from various hues.

--Ah, Dearest!--to obi their voice sounded sweet as ever, to Lisa and her camera and audio Man sounded distorted--If I May join you

--Of course--Seer replied-- To answer the question, I am, our last interview made me re think some-- He got interrupted by Nova.

--He is doing great things thank you very much, he is donating a lot of money to fix up the planet, though I do have to ask what are you and your people doing? Sitting on your asses and shifting the blame on Seer? Tsk, tsk,tsk, do you know how weird it is that a white woman is harrassing a black Man over something he has no control over? are you implying that his birth was the cause of the moons destructuon?, I mean you have a lot of reach through the outlands!, you must be raising funds...are you not?

Only Lisa and her team sees as haunter's face splits Open, eyes Burning like bright fires, New eyes opening up, their face covered in stars and mini planes, a large mouth with sharp fangs and teeth open. Their voice echoing through her brain-- I Will say this only once. Whatever agenda youre given...do not bother Seer or any other legend again, or I Will find you...--Nova leaned in, that mound of teeth forming into a wolvish smile-- I am Haunter, the haunting horror of the Apex Games, and I Will not stand any sort of harrasment towards My Protected, disrespect Him or any other legend under my wing and I will eat at your sanity piece by piece, I have been around thousands of years, now-- their voice sounded deeper, darker and much more menacing-- Flee Like the rat you are

, fix what damage has been done to Obi Edolasim's image...., and if you hear any noises tonight... do not Open your eyes

Then Lisa returned to the Real world--I uhm. We- we have to go! Goodbye Seer!

She scrambled alongside her team, walking away.

--What did you do?--Seer asked raising a brow.

--Friendly chat is all, shall we get something to drink?--novas hand pressed against his Lower back, making him blush slightly.

--We shall...--He muttered wrapping an arm around their waist and walking to the bar.

The event finished with no other altercations, the legends went back to their homes.

Wind blew mercilessly, Howling And screaming.

Lisa heard rattling as she slept, she opened her eyes and felt someone crawling on her ceiling.

Revenant hung like a spider, his eyes cutting through the dark like a Sharp butcher knife-- I think you were told to not Open your eyes...anyway.My objective here is done... I hope youre good for something else than spreading lies...,you messed with the wrong person....

And with that, he was gone...

Seer on the other hand, had a much more pleaseant night. Half asleep, he traced his hand over his lovers skin markings, all over their left side, haunter had images of a Galaxy with thousands of planets And stars, on the outside of their thigh, near the side of their butt there was a flaming sun.

In His fingers wake they left trails of purple, pinks and blues covered in white dots.

Obi put his hand on the sun marking, it lights up, its rays Sway to a Non existent wind and the bed feels warmer.

--I appreciate you standing up for me, my dear-- he said softly.

Nova had Fallen asleep a while ago, he simply admired their Beauty, this eldritch being chose him to be his partner. He was grateful for that.

The Next morning he woke up to a nice handmade breakfast, the house felt cozy and warm. Sun filtered through the blinds.

He made his way towards Nova's office/ recreational room, And knocked on the door, this ways their sacred personal space, he knew how much they needed their alone time and their own place to wind down, so he didnt want to invade it.

--Come in!--Nova replied

He pushes the door Open softly and Gently, as he enters he closes said door, hearing a soft clicking noise.

There they were, wearing black thigh highs that had two white stripes along the hem, a short and and oversized sweater. They were playing some cozy homey game.

--Good morning!--haunter chirped.

--Good morning my love-- he Walked towars them and gave them a soft kiss.

--Come sit--They patted their lap.

Obi nodded and complied, leaning his body agains theirs.

The Tv was on, as he Turned to it he read "Lisa stone and her program are being cancelled. A scandal involving secret emails reveal a hidden plan to shift the blame towards Seer".

--Did you have to do something with that?--He asked amused, pointing at the TV with his thumb.

--Nope!-- Nova replied happily-- Rev did

--But you two were in kahoots to terrorize Lisa...

--Yeah! And rev said that we should let the public hang her!, hes great honestly--They confirmed not looking away from their game.

Seer chuckled and Turned around, his legs on each side of their waist, hanging loosely from the gap between the Seat and the back rest of their chair.

Nova let out a series of noises, he recognized them, they were stimming with vocal sounds.

They were a series of clicking noises, squeaks and squeals, which means they were happy.

--You are chaotic--Obi says, resting his head on their shoulder.

--I know-- haunter answered with a smile.

--I love you-- Seer muttered fondly.

--I love you too~

[shallowseeker]

In season 15, after he exhausts his Scooby-Doo DVDs, Dean hate-watches Gone with the Wind.

When she catches him, Eileen gives him a sympathetic look and brings him some bacon.

Sam, on the other hand, immediately launches into a lecture about the societal problems with the movie, its stock characters, and its creation. When Dean stays silent and he fixes him with a death glare, Sam makes a hasty retreat.

///

Weeks later, when Cas comes back to the bunker, Sam is horrified when Dean starts passively-aggressively asking Cas if he's planning to "Rhett Butler" them again, or "Not giving a damn" his way right out the bunker door in the middle of the night.

And Sam’s face does this D8 (omg)

Dean fuckin' hates the Confederacy, too (as he should), so the movie puts him in a horrible mood overall. A "nothing matters / life is terrible / it's always been terrible" mood.

[ladyloveandjustice]

awwww fuck, these pages aren’t graphic violence, but it’s likely to be VERY raw considering current events, so I’m putting it under a cut. Content warning for something that evokes of the threat black people are facing, with a threatening cop and everything. click with caution

i’d say fuck this timing but the fact is this shit is constantly happening so this comic is just...alluding to something that is happening and hurting now because this is constant and yeah, I won’t say more.

you know I’d welcome giant robots about now.