#famous abusers /

[anthroxlove]

Depp: "Amber ruined my career." Also Depp: *shows up late to set.* *Requires earpiece to feed him lines.* *Assaults people on set.* *Shows up drunk/high*

(all credit to Depp Delusions)

[anetherealpoetess]

i am not going to say "one of the most terrifying things" about neil gaiman's abuse, because every last thing about his abuse is the most terrifying thing, but the fact amanda palmer weaponised her gender and her reputation as a 'feminist' to gain the trust of women just so she could introduce them to gaiman to abuse is so beyond insidious. to him, she detailed their vulnerabilities to excite him, to fuel his predatory interests. she groomed victims for him. she is pure fucking evil too.

[c-kiddo]

goddd the scene in ep125 of beau finding out that the cobalt soul has been investigating her paid kidnapping after she mentioned it to dairon and are actually going to take zeenoth to trial for it killlls me. the way that beau is so shocked that someone (dairon) cared enough to look into the abuse she faced and actually seek justice for her. oh my god beauuuu ily beau 😢😢😢😢😢😢

[bedtimegiraffe]

The relationship Aerin wants with his mother is not the one he had, despite all the smiling and hugs in this chapter.

So let's do a chronological deep dive of what we learn about Aerin's mother and their relationship.

This only covers up to Book 3, Chapter 9 because I'm playing general release. We still have interactions between these two ahead (I assume), so I'll update if we get anything major! The snippet we see in the divination scene has me very nervous (and excited) this is going to go one of two very angsty ways. NO SPOILERS PLEASE VIP PLAYERS Unless you're reading this in the future and the general release is already done. Then go for it.

Book 1, Chapter 8:

Our first mention of Aerin's mother (technically) happens in Book 1, Chapter 8 during Aerin's diamond scene.

As @the-unconquered-queen pointed out, parents is very much plural. Aerin has the father we can learn about in a Lore Tablet earlier and (presumably) a mother. And neither seemed to give him much attention at all, to the point that to his child self magic seemed like the only solution. That was how invisible Aerin felt to them. So we know neither of Aerin's parents went out of their way to spend time with or appreciate him.

TTRPG (Released toward the end of Book 2):

Aerin's mother gets a name and confirmation that she is dead in the Aerin's inventory list.

I've always found this ambiguity about the signet ring fascinating. It's not, "Signet Ring given by his deceased mother, Queen Aurinae," but, "from his deceased mother."

We don't know how Aerin got it from her. Did she specifically make it known before her death that she wanted Aerin to have her signet ring? Or did she die and King Arlan went, "Well, I guess the boy is technically a Valleros. Give him my dead wife's signet ring, she's not using it anymore." Signet rings were often passed down in real-world history, so that's not unlikely.

Especially because Aerin never brings this up. If it was sentimental because of the connection to his mother, why give it away so easily? When he gives it to MC, it could be a way to protect them, both for their own sake and to make sure they can get all the Onyx Shards. But it really seems like he could have just given them a letter with his seal to cover that.

And why not say it belonged to his mother? Wouldn't that be endearing and make it more valuable to MC? Maybe Aerin realized it was given to him as a practical thing, not a genuine expression of connection.

Book 3, Chapter 1:

It all goes silent on the Aurinae front until the floodgates open in Book 3. In the first chapter, you get this discussion (if you choose the non-romance option for Aerin's diamond scene).

Aurinae was very into alchemy, like Aerin is now. It made her popular in court, which is probably part of why it appealed to Aerin. He couldn't be a strong warrior like his brother, but maybe he could get some positive attention for making useful potions like his mother.

Crucially, based on what Aerin says here, she did not teach him. Not to say that she necessarily wouldn't have- I'm willing to bet she died pre-Dreadlord, so when Aerin was 9 or younger. (Future self correction- she seems to have died post-Dreadlord. I stand by the impression he learned mostly on his own.) But still, alchemy was something he picked up in earnest after she was already gone. He wanted to feel closer to her, to feel like he had that connection with her, something in common with his mother, and was doing something she could be proud of.

Book 3, Chapter 3:

This reads to me very much like Aerin's mother was the only member of his immediate family not lashing out at him. Which is good! But the bar is so incredibly low, this just tells us she wasn't the worst.

This is before the party learns that anyone dead can look in on the living. So to Aerin, it seemed like Aurinae may or may not have been hearing from newly dead people that Aerin summoned the Dreadlord, killed his brother, got disinherited and thrown in prison, then died from wandering off like an idiot (according to the offical story).

Aerin's nervousness here is completely understandable. He knows his father hates him. He knows his brother hates him. But he doesn't know how his mother feels. She wasn't violent toward him and there is a chance she might actually love him.

Book 3, Chapter 9:

The woman herself appears!

Aurinae makes a pretty good first impression. Aerin has absolutely had it rough and it's good that she acknowledges that. Though thanking the group for "looking after" him shows that same mentality the rest of the family has that Aerin is weak and needs to be taken care of to survive.

This is where it gets extremely interesting. Aerin sounds almost concerned for Baldur. Like he feels bad that he's at the river. Which we know he very much does not. I'd be willing to bet Aerin wishes Baldur was somewhere much worse (seriously, does anyone go to the Hells? Does he get pity points for being murdered?) Something about speaking with his mother makes Aerin show concern for his abusive brother.

Aerin also doesn't confess or ask forgiveness for killing Baldur. Maybe he doesn't want to bring that part up?

As for Aurinae... this is not an apology. This is not an acknowledgment of any negligence or regret on her part. In fact, it's phrased in a way that makes it clear she has absolutely no blame for what happened. She had hoped Baldur would act one way, and he did not. Oh well.

This is also an incredibly tame reaction. Like he embarrassed her at a party, not ruthlessly beat and intimidated her child. I would think most people would be devastated and/or enraged, maybe so relieved that despite all that Aerin is okay. The most generous possible reading is that she still has that noble desire not to show her emotions in public and she doesn't want to upset Aerin by getting into it here.

First of all, I want to shake this man. Second, Aerin doesn't usually devalue himself like this. When alone with MC or as a quip while fighting unkillable monsters, sure. But not with a genuine smile. This feels like Aerin making the point that he'll try really hard but he might still be weak and useless.

And this is the end of the interaction. No reassurance from Aurinae. And for the record, Tyril's mother is far more complimentary toward Aerin than his own mother is.

During the diamond scene, this is part of the conversation if you ask for a story about Aerin.

It seems like Aurinae doesn't necessarily connect Aerin's interest in alchemy to her own. But it sounds like she did at least take some interest in his studies. So that's something!

But you get something else if you ask for a story about the mothers. They talk about an extremely spicy tea Aurinae makes. Apparently Aerin tried it as a child and...

Oh wow. If this isn't a metaphor for pre-Onyx Shards Aerin, I don't know what is. Literally in pain trying to please someone else, insisting everything is great.

If you choose to pull Aerin aside later, he admits that he's been acting differently with Aurinae around, describing it as "falling into old patterns."

One of the main reasons Aerin wanted to be close to his mother as a child was hoping that she would rescue him. Again, I think it's helpful to recognize what this isn't. This isn't Aerin saying being around his mother made him happy, or feel safe. It's him saying he hoped that if he could be "good enough" she would protect him. Because she had no innate desire or reason to do that. And at least she wasn't actively scaring him like his father and brother.

Aerin's reason it was a "foolish dream" is also very telling. Not because protocol wouldn't allow it, but because Aurinae saw no reason to leave. They didn't treat her poorly, so why would she want to leave? Certainly not to protect her younger son.

If she really had "no trouble putting her foot down," why no intervention between Aerin and Baldur? It sounds like she wasn't scared of the rest of the family. So did she not notice? Or did she not care?

What we've seen so far has not convinced me that Aerin and Aurinae actually had a loving relationship. Just that Aerin wanted one so badly he can almost see it that way. Because Aurinae is better than the rest of his family, but still far from a good mom with genuine affection for her child.

I will be keeping my headcanon that Aerin was desperate to connect with his mother, but she never particularly cared about him.

Screenshots are a combination of my own and ones from Neckrone Shen's playthroughs on youtube. I feel like I owe them a drink for all the time they've saved me looking for stuff.

[mikakuna]

twins!!!! <3

[mugloversonly]

Christmas Pie

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: DESSERT @steddiemas prompt: EGGNOG, BAKING wc: 989 rating: G CW: NA summary: Steve is back in Hawkins, missing Eddie. But at least he has Wayne to keep him company. ao3

Steve sighed as knocked on Wayne’s door. Last week went by too quickly and now he was back home, waiting for Eddie.

“Steve! Come in.” Wayne smiled as he opened the door, waving him inside. “I just finished the eggnog. Eddie hates it, so the only time I can drink it in peace is during these few weeks. You aint gonna complain are ya?” He asked good-naturedly. Steve huffed a laugh.

“No, I actually like eggnog.” He knocked the snow off his boots before he tucked them into the corner. “Don’t tell Eddie I said that.”

“You’re secret’s safe with me.” Wayne chuckled. The two men made their way to the kitchen, one of the reasons Steve was here today was to learn how to make Eddie’s favorite Christmas dessert. But when he walked in, he was extremely confused.

“What are these?” He asked. Wayne pat him on the shoulder.

“Cranberries. Ed’s favorite is Cranberry Lemon Christmas pie. Granny Munson’s recipe.” Wayne stepped into the kitchen and waved Steve forward.

“Huh, for some reason I assumed it would be something sweeter.” Steve chuckled. Eddie had a sweet tooth like nobody’s business, so he thought it was a fair assumption. The two men washed their hands and began prepping the pie. As they worked they talked; this was one of only a handful of times Steve has talked to Wayne without Eddie present.

“What was Eddie like as a kid?” Steve asked as they kneaded the pie dough.

“Rambunctious as all get out. He’d get into all kinds of trouble.” Wayne laughed. “I remember this one time, his mama stormed into the trailer after church. Now, we was just at church together, mind. So, in the ten minutes we’d been separated, Eddie tore his new dress playing in the dirt with the other boys. I laughed and said ‘I told y’all to buy the kid some church pants.’” Steve paused his hands.

“A dress? But Eddie’s...Eddie.” Steve said confused. Wayne gave him a calculated look..

“Eddie didn’t have the words to explain that he wasn’t a girl, at least not that young. Now, I had some idea, but his parents were surprised as all get out.” Wayne said softly. “It’s why he lived with me.”

“You had some idea?” Steve asked. Was Wayne like Eddie?”

“When I was sent to Nam, I met a man. We was close, so close in fact that it could have gotten us kicked out of service.” Wayne raised his eyebrows at Steve. “But when we came back, he wanted to end it between us. Said, that he wasn’t all that truthful.” Wayne smiled. “Said he wasn’t really a man named Sean, but a woman named Sheila. Said she was sorry for making me think she was a man, but she couldn’t pretend to be Sean anymore.”

“What happened?” Steve asked, pie forgotten for the moment.

“Ask Eddie to tell you about his spitfire Aunt Sheila some time.” Wayne smiled fondly. “She died from cancer a while back. That orange stuff hurt a lot of people.” Wayne sighed. “I woulda married that girl, if the law looked past what a person looked like.” Steve thought about that for a moment.

“Did you know before Eddie told you?” Steve asked.

“Sheila did. Said she recognized similar behaviors from her childhood to Ed’s just..in reverse.” Wayne tried his best to explain. “She was the first person he told. Then me. Then his parents.”

“What did they do?” Steve asked when Wayne didn’t seem to continue.

“Not good things Steve. Like I said, there’s a reason Eddie finished growing up with me.” Wayne said, a certain finality in his voice. Steve took the hint and went back to safer topics.

It was after the pies were cooling that Eddie finally called. “Hey, Eds. How are you?” Steve asked when it was his turn, he let Wayne go first; partially because that was his son, but also because Steve didn’t want a timeline on his call with Eddie.

“I’m alright. Miss you, sweetheart.” Eddie sighed. Steve could hear him getting comfortable in the hotel bed.

“I miss you, too. But I learned how to make your favorite pie!” Steve said enthused. But instead of a happy reaction, Eddie groaned.

“Was it cranberry lemon?” He asked apprehensively.

“Yes?” He responded confused. Eddie sighed, resigned to his fate.

“I told Granny I liked it one time as a kid because she was old and I thought she was dying. Turns out she wasn’t I just didn’t know what old people looked like. Then she made it every year ‘specially for me, so I was stuck eating that pie every year while I hated it. I thought when she died the pie would die with her, but nope, here Wayne is making it nearly fifteen years later.” He paused for effect.

Steve burst into laughter. “Why not just tell him?”

“He’ll be mad he wasted so many years making it. Promise me you’ll take that to the grave Harrington!” Eddie groused down the phone. He thought about dragging it out, but Steve remembered how happy Wayne was and couldn’t do it.

“Alright, alright. I won’t tell him.” Steve held his hands up as if Eddie could see him. “It’s late, I should let you get some sleep.” He whispered.

“Still want to move to LA. Stevie?” Eddie asked like he does every night.

“Yeah, see you at Christmas?” Steve asked hopefully.

“See you at Christmas.” Eddie promised.

As he laid in Eddie’s bed, he closed his eyes, imagined himself in LA. A band husband, a small business owner, with an amazing house, a kid or two they adopted, some pets. He saw the two of them with a rock solid foundation that wouldn’t have been possible if Steve moved in at the beginning of their relationship. The ability to be individuals was freeing.

He hated he’d have to admit Robin was right.

tags

@katyawriteswhump

buy me a coffee

[thealogie]

Daniel Radcliffe being a good actor and having genuinely one of the best comedic timing of any actor I’ve ever seen is funny because he was bad in the movie franchise that made him famous* and then incredibly good in everything after that

[anthroxlove]

"They might not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us but that doesn't mean they didn't do horrible things and to discredit the abused is a crime. People we know as ‘awesome guys’ can be predators and abusers. It’s tough to accept but we have to. If we say we support victims — women, children, men, boys — then we must be able to take this stance." 

[br1ghtestlight]

the ii neg tumblr blog is like my actual personal #1 enemy i cant BELIEVE they followed me over a joke ask i responded to over a year ago (i blocked them and have blocked every account they've remade lmao) just such hateful bullshit looking for ANY excuse to attack this random youtube webseries and the ppl who work on it including MANY STATEMENTS that are just straight up not true. someone could send them an ask like "hey justin is actually homophobic and called me slurs irl i hope they all die in a car crash <3" and they will post it without any questions. no further research cuz it isnt about what's true or actually offering constructive criticism on the writing of the show it's about being hateful and cruel and spreading lies & death threats. some actual famous people dont have accounts as dedicated to attacking them and every aspect of their identity and career as these random ass guys who make a YOUTUBE WEBSERIES do like why are you actively wishing death upon them?? are you insane?

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SHOW THEN STOP WATCHING IT. DONT ENGAGE? like do you seriously have fucking nothing better to do than spread lies online about literal nobodies with the smallest amount of online influence. for reasons i cannot even fathom. be so fucking serious

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

oh who’s this DIVA 💚

TWs FOR THIS BOOK FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED IN READING IT: Heavy Character Death, Sexual Assault, Sexism, & overall Violence

[to-be-a-dreamer]

To everyone else supporting Shelby, make sure you only talk about the things she has personally come forward about and watch her entire VOD yourself to make sure you're not using incorrect or exaggerated information from second-hand sources. Do not repeat anything you hear or read online without fact-checking it first. Do not use clips of old VODs unless it has been confirmed by the CCs themselves that they weren't staged and/or consensual. Do not speculate about what he might have done to other CCs and do not speak for them (especially Techno, I've seen people bringing him up a lot and it's really disrespectful to put words into someone's mouth when they aren't able to defend themselves. No matter what has happened you didn't know him and you don't know what he would have thought or felt about what is happening). Unsupported claims and poor behavior from supporters will only be used to discredit Shelby's story and the known facts. It's also just bad practice in general; misinformation that supports the cause is still misinformation and is not okay. Focus on Shelby's story and the things she has confirmed, not speculation or rumors.

It's natural to be angry but try to be as civil as possible because there are people who want to feel sorry for him and will take any excuse to see him as the victim. Even if you believe he deserves it, focus more on supporting victim's voices and do not use unrelated insults. Do not send anyone death threats and do not dox anyone. Even beyond how unhelpful and harmful it is to Shelby's story, it's also just not okay to do to someone, no matter what they've done. I also responded with anger at first and I understand the instinct to respond with unhelpful and unrelated hate bombing, but it will only hurt the chances of Shelby's story being taken seriously.

[mugloversonly]

Santa is coming to town

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: FORMAL wc: 860 rating: G CW: NA AO3 summary: Steve gets an invite to the Band Christmas Party.

It’s Christmas Eve and Steve’s so excited to see Eddie again. It felt like it’s been years since he last saw him, when really it’s been two weeks. The knock at the door startled him slightly. He thought he was meeting up with Eddie at Wayne’s?

He ran to open it to see...a fed? A man in a three piece suit with an earpiece stood on his porch, sunglasses on even though it was getting dark already.

“Can I help you?” Steve asked, barely opening the door. The man stared for a moment.

“Are you Steve Harrington?” He asked. Steel immediately went up his spine. His hand inched behind the door for his bat.

“Who’s asking?” The man didn’t respond. Instead he reached into his coat pocket and handed Steve an official looking envelope and a garment bag.

“Correspondence from, Theodore Munson.” He said before he walked away without a backward glance. Steve furrowed his brows as he opened it.

Steven Harrington,

You are formally invited to the Crossroads Records

Annual Christmas Party, Christmas Eve, 1986.

Dress code is black tie.

William D.

Steve tossed the bag onto the couch and stared at the message for ten minutes before his phone rang. He ran to answer it. “Hello, Harrington Residence.” He said on autopilot as he reread the letter.

“Stevie! Did you get my letter?” Eddie’s voice boomed through. Steve chuckled...he must have timed it.

“Yeah.” Steve sighed.

“So, you’re coming?” Eddie asked hopefully. He wanted to say yes, he assumed the garment bag had formal attire for him, but…

“I don’t want to cramp your style, Eds.” Steve said softly. “I’m just a regular guy, I don’t want to make it weird.” There was a long pause.

“You listen to me Steve Harrington. You are not ‘just’ anything. You are not some groupie or something. You are my boyfriend. And I want the people to know you, to see you.” Eddie answered. Steve’s breath hitched.

“Are you sure?” Steve whispered.

“I want everyone to know, that you’re mine. And I’m yours.” Steve gasped softly as a few tears escaped.

“If you say so.” Steve whispered.

“Thank you, I’ll pick you up tonight?” Eddie asked. Steve agreed on a time and they said their goodbyes.

Steve opened the garment bag on the couch and gasped. A beautiful three piece suit, complete with a silk neck tie, stared back at him. He reminded himself to thank Chrissy.

~~~

Steve stood outside to wait, not willing to give up a single moment of time with Eddie. That turned out to be a great idea when an honest to god sleigh came to a sudden halt in front of him. It was pulled by three reindeer, thankfully it had a top, and it was bright red. The door thrust open and Eddie stepped out in all his glory.

Steve imagined what Eddie’s formal wear would look like, he’s seen the magazine covers, he knew the man didn’t really ‘do’ black tie. But, he was stunning. Black suit pants and coat to match Steve’s but his had glitter in the seams. No shirt underneath, simply a few necklaces with his signature rings on his fingers. Eddie pulled him inside and he was shocked to see Wayne and Robin.

“He send you a fed to invite him too?” Steve asked the two.

“He drags me to this thing every year. I told him don’t bother sending an invite, just the suit.” Wayne sighed; resigned to his fate.

“Yeah! Talk about scary, I mean...who sends a random dude with an earpiece to hand someone an envelope and a fancy suit.” Robin said. Steve smiled at Eddie. He made sure to put Robin in a similar suit to all of theirs. Her tied was a bow tie, though.

“Sorry! I didn’t know he looked like a fed!” Eddie said as if this wasn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation. “Besides, I needed you there, Chris will stress herself out and I figured, you could relax her.” Eddie said slyly. Robin froze at that.

“Chrissy! She’s going to be there? Why didn’t you say anything?” Robin shouted. As she worked herself into a real panic, Wayne reached over to reassure her. Steve took the moment to kiss Eddie softly.

“Merry Christmas.” He whispered.

“Told you, I’d be here.” Eddie said smugly.

“And springing the party on me?” Steve asked with pursed lips.

“I didn’t want you to have time to think through that we’re going to a label party. So, there will be a lot of famous people.” Eddie rushed out.

“You’re lucky, I love you.” Steve said. The three other people in the sleigh gasped, but Steve ignored two of them. “Really?” He asked quietly. But Steve heard it, he heard the insecurity.

“Eds I’ve had a crush on you since 1980. Since the talent show in the eighth grade.” Steve said. “Even if you didn’t do what you do now, I would still want to be right here.” Eddie chuckled lightly. “Of course I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He whispered as he kissed him again. God it was good to have him home.

tags

@katyawriteswhump

buy me a coffee

[anthroxlove]