#getting too old to go along to societies and stuff now

[qqueenofhades]

I don’t have any words right now for what’s happened. Where in the fuck do we go from here?

I don't know. I really, truly don't know. We can't sugarcoat how bad things are going to get, and we can't pre-emptively give into it anyway. This is going to be an unprecedented time in American history (if, sadly, not world history) and the forces conspiring to make you obey will gain much of their power from you doing so in advance, without a struggle. It seems fair to say that America as it has always been historically constituted is over, and may not return in our lifetimes, but we also do not know that for a fact. If nothing else, the fascists will find it very hard to cancel competitive elections, and we cannot sit back, throw up our hands, conclude that voting is clearly meaningless, and let them do that. There are a lot of other things that we need to do, but that's one.

There are various postmortems to be written and nits to pick, but Harris was thrown into an impossible situation and did the best she could in 100 days. Even her critics agree she ran a pretty much flawless campaign. But this country simply decided that a well-qualified black woman could not be preferred over the most manifestly and flagrantly unfit degenerate to ever occupy the office. They decided this for many reasons, not least because large swathes of the country now live in curated misinformation bubbles that, under Government Czar Musk, will only get much, much worse. They were helped by the cowardice and complicity of the "mainstream media" that could have ended Trump's career exactly like they did to Biden after the first debate, but chose to preserve the profits of their billionaire oligarch owners and did not do so, giving Trump the benefit of the doubt and normalization at every turn. They also hounded Biden relentlessly over the four years of his presidency, never reported on the good things he did, and drove him to the historically bad approval ratings lows for a president who was by any metric, quite successful (and will quite possibly be our last ordinary American president for a very long time). Along with the searingly ingrained racism and misogyny and misinformation, Harris could not overcome that.

Democrats clearly had a messaging problem, but it's also true that the country, quite simply, does not care about "democracy" when the economy is perceived to be at stake. Not to over-egg the Hitler parallels, but yeah. This is how Hitler returned to power in 1933 -- on the backs of widespread economic collapse of the Weimar Republic; voters decided they just didn't care about the overtly fascist stuff, which he then proceeded to you know, do with genocidal vigor. Except the American economy in this case was actually doing well, which makes it even more baffling and indefensible. Enough people simply memory-holed Trump's crimes (aided at every turn by SCOTUS, Mitch McConnell not convicting him after January 6, Merrick Garland being far too slow and timid, the corporate media), liked the racist fascist behavior or felt that it wasn't a dealbreaker, and decided that in this election, he was the "change" candidate. It's insane by any metric, but that's what happened.

The country is deeply sick. We do not know what will happen. It's going to get bad. Barring a miracle, we will not have federalized abortion rights again in my lifetime, and there will be widespread attacks on public health, women's rights, immigrants, transgender people, and other vulnerable people. Even and especially the ones who voted for Trump. Never Thought Leopard Would Eat My Face, etc. Alito and Thomas will swiftly step down and allow their seats to be replaced by 40-year old wingnuts hand-selected from the worst the Federalist Society has to offer. SCOTUS is gone for the next generation at least. There is very little prospect of it being ever fixed in the foreseeable future.

Trump will never face a scintilla of consequences for his previous crimes; all the open federal cases will be closed as soon as he takes office and fires Jack Smith. The best we can hope for is that he dies in office, but then we get Vance and the cadre of alt-right techno billionaires ruled directly from the Kremlin. Putin is celebrating this morning and with good reason; he's gotten everything he wants. Trump will egg on Netanyahu in Gaza and abandon Ukraine. Democracy across the world will remain even more fragile and badly under threat. Authoritarians will be empowered and American withdrawal from international systems will percolate in very dangerous ways that cannot and will not be fixed in the short run. I really hope all the leftists who celebrate this as the "defeat of the genocide candidate" will enjoy all the genocide and suffering that's about to come. And yes, I do think the Israel-Palestine war fucked us in a large way. Jewish voters perceived the Democrats as insufficiently pro-Israel due to the presence of far-left antisemitism, even as the far left attacked the Democrats relentlessly and never targeted the Republicans. Arab voters abandoned them, possibly deservedly. What would have happened without the war? We don't know. You get the historical period that you get. Netanyahu and Trump can now do anything they want. Hope it was worth it.

As I said, I can't sugarcoat it. We are going to be paying for this in some form for the next decade, and probably longer. I'm not as absolutely shattered as I was in 2016, but I am much, much angrier. We all thought, we all hoped, America was better than this. It isn't. That, however, is something that has also happened before. What we decide to do next will shape how the next chapter unfolds.

This would be a great time to stock up on needed medicines, renew your passport online, and anything else you need to do in preparation for next year. Many of us simply do not have the wherewithal, whether financial or otherwise, to leave the country. I don't know what will happen with me. I don't know what will happen to any of us. This was utterly avoidable and yet, America didn't want to avoid it. At some point, there's nothing else you can do. You can point to media cronyism, Russian influence, etc etc., but the fact that two of the most qualified presidential candidates who happened to be women have now lost to Trump twice makes it unavoidable. The virulent rightward shift of young men (of all races) in particular paints a grim picture as to how the reactionary misogyny of the 21st century is going to essentially undo most of the progress for social and gender equality in the 20th. The patriarchy has been a problem for most of human history. Doesn't really seem like it's going to change.

The end result of this, however grim: we're still here. We are still living within our communities. If (and this is a big if) Democrats can retake the House, they can put some checks on the process for the next two years. At this point, we are in full-out buying-time, trying-to-prevent-the worst mode. We could have continued fixing things, but we won't be doing that. We will only be trying to preserve ourselves and our friends and our smaller spheres of influence. It sounds very trite to say that we have to have courage, but we do. There's not much else.

It's going to be an awful winter. We have two and a half months to see this coming and know how bad it's going to be, and... yeah. I don't know how soon the buyer's remorse will inevitably set in, but it will. Tough luck, people. You voted for him. You get the country that you decide to have. But the rest of us are also here, and what Gandalf says is still true. We wish the Ring had never come to us, we wish none of this had happened, but we still have to decide what to do with the time that is given to us.

I don't have a lot more. I'll probably be logging off for a while. I don't need to look at the internet for.... yeah, a long time. (Will I do it anyway? Probably.) I don't know what else to leave you with, aside from again:

Do not obey in advance. Do not act as if everything is foreordained and set in stone. Fascist regimes end. They always do. We are going to have to figure out how, and it will suck shit, but the alternative is worse.

Take care of yourselves. I love you.

[antisocialsharky]

Hello! I have a question, so I have an OC that has ASPD and I feel like I'm struggling to show the symptoms of it in my writings for them, I don't want to make their whole personality their discord but I also kinda want to show that something isn't completely alright with them, is there any subtle ways of writing/showing ASPD? I'm really sorry if this question is confusing!

Hi ^^ That'll highly depend on your individual character and the type of ASPD symptom combination you're trying to portray, as well as the individuals personal stance towards their symptoms, their therapy progress and what type of society you're writing the character into! So these suggestions might not fit/you may need to adjust them regarding those points:

• having unconventional ways of showing love/appreciation/affection => imagine character A. struggling with something and character B. comes along, plops a cat in their lap, says "found that around the corner, now smile", cus B. knows that A. likes cats and that that may comfort them, so they grab a random cat to cheer them up, or yk stuff like that? just something that would make other characters around them go "wtf?" but that is at its core still motivated by wanting the other person to feel better and just not knowing how to do it in conventional ways

• a sort of possessive aggressive attitude that may have to be reigned in by the partner/friends/parents/etc. at times => imagine character A. talks about having been accidentally pushed by another shopper and character B. just aggressively mumbles threats immediately, or character A. wants to go out with friends and character B. asks if they need a bodyguard to bash the touchy douchebags into the wall. and character A. going "hey reign in the violence please, this situation doesn't require that" or sum? if you get the vibe? sort of in the way that shows that character B's first instinct is to react aggressively and that they don't know in which situation its appropiate, but A. casually reminds them of it

• casually throwing in an absence of prosocial reactions => mentioning them not seeming very moved by a catastrophe, remarking how their emotions dont seem to go very deep, touching on a lack of social skills, showing that their relationships dont seem to be too emotionally involved, etc. but just...casually? like "...everyone was crying, lying in each others arms, as the TV showed the bomb detonate and the rubble crumble down, burying bodies beneath it. it took a while for everyone to calm down, A. was wiping the tears of their cheeks, C. had their head buried in B's arms, who had been as unbothered as usual trough the whole thing and soon went to make tea for everyone, as D. declared they needed some distraction" => including B. in the group dynamic but still making sure to hint that they don't care about the event itself. you can alter how obvious you wanna make it and whether you'd like to leave room for doubt...like as to whether they just seem unbothered or actually are, whether they make insensitive comments or not, etc.

• showing impulsivity/irresponsibility as a sort of playful/funny thing to the group => "A. asked: 'where the fuck is this duck coming from', as they watched C. sitting on a blanket under a tree, with a duck nibbling away on some crumbs next to them. 'I dont know, I think B. stole it from the pond or something? He keeps dragging in new animals, can't keep himself from picking them up', C. answered, grinning at their friend. 'well at least hes no longer going after peoples pets...', D giggled as they plopped down next to C. 'remember how furious old Mrs. Maddison was when B. knicked her cat for a few hours to see how many mice it would chase before it got tired? that cat refused to move a single inch afterwards', the three broke out in laughter at the memory" => bit less subtle, but you know just casually remarking on how the ASPD character stole something, or is gonna be like "chill I'll give it back in a bit...probably", or is absolutely oblivious that they did something mean/against the law, because their friends think its funny? casually remarking on them not going to work, not turning in assignments a la " 'are they coming into work today?' 'its B. so of course not' " etc.

• showing the lack of remorse as an accepted not uncommon response while highlighting the way they go around it => " C. smiled at the roses in the glass vase on the table, carefully touching them with their fingers. 'Did B. apologize for what they did', A. asked, sitting down opposite of their friend. 'B. doesn't do apologies, but I woke up to these roses, so we're good', C. smiled, 'Its not like they'd feel sorry anyway, as long as they try to make me feel better I don't have a reason to complain', they added with a shrug" => depends on the dynamic and what type of apologies parties require ofc, but showing the alternative way of cheering the other up and showing that B. recognized its needed? casually throwing in that they wouldnt feel sorry anyway, but C. is satisfied with it and thats all that matters? that sorta stuff

• hinting at a bad family history that explains a behavior they show => " A. put an arm around C. and shook her head: 'I cant believe B. would just leave you here after a literal argument, what an ass, did not one teach him how to treat a partner?' C. put her arm around A.'s waist and laughed bitterly: 'Who should have? That absent father of his or his mother who'd just slap him for every mistake. No, its no wonder B. ran at the first opportunity. He'll be back, he always is' " => not too on the nose in regards to ASPD specifically, but giving background info that hints at trauma and having problems because of it.

And yeah...you basically do that with every symptom you wanna show. Making a condition less obvious and less central is usually done by giving the character people that are used to it and make it seem normal, by putting them in a society where those behaviors are less judged, or by showing some progress of working around it while still highlighting that it causes issues! Hope that helps, tho feel free to DM me if you need any advice for specific situations ^^

[lilacgaby]

day one

~2k

chapter select!

i do not got this.

[name] could barely sleep because of her nerves. she kept replaying the worst scenarios possible in her head.

what if he rejected her in front of everyone? she'd have to leave the school from the embarrassment. she'd be trash-- the trash of society!

maybe she just needed to eat.

she crawled out of bed, put on her house slippers, and made her way down to the kitchen.

she saw a couple other early risers along the way, momo greeted her and congratulated her on her successful mission, and iida told her not to stay out past curfew.

same old, same old.

she started to make some chai to drink. "maybe momo would want some, i should make her a glass." [name] pondered out loud while preparing the tea.

she went up to give the glass to momo. "ah, thank you [name]!"

"no problem momo."

she then on her way down, eyed katsuki who was heading to the kitchen at the same time as her.

okay [name]. stay cool.

she poured herself a glass. he walked up beside her.

"yo."

"hey, you want some chai?"

"sure."

she poured him some in a glass, and he nodded appreciatively.

so far so good. she didn't even need a third wheel.

katsuki looked around as if to make sure no one else was with them, then he said...

"did you see when usui kissed misa, and jumped off the building?"

"yes! it was so cute, he really is the best."

"how did he not break his legs though? he should've broken a leg, it would've been such an easy plot point to develop. she could've taken care of him and gotten closer to him that way."

[name] thought for a second. "i mean, maybe the author thought it was too predictable though? you gotta read the next volume. what happens next is so cool!"

"no spoilers [name]."

she sighed. "it wouldn't be spoilers if you weren't such a slow reader. hurry up! it's literally pictures!"

"you didn't even finish ouran high school host club loser. don't talk to me."

"pfft. i watched the anime, who needs the manga?"

"the anime didn't even go in depth to all the arcs!"

"whatever man."

"do you even remember the characters?"

"yes i do! i'm not an idiot."

"then who's your favorite host?"

"kyoya."

"why?"

"because-" oh no. "because sometimes he reminds me of--"

"heya guys! what're you doing? flirting over here?" kirishima exclaimed. expertly cutting her off.

she really did need a third wheel. and she did need to thank kirishima and call him the manliest man in the world, because he really saved her ass.

"no, shut up shittyhair." katsuki remarked, before going off to the side to cook something.

'thank you!' [name] mouthed.

'for what?' kirishima mouthed back.

she facepalmed internally, but mouthed back, 'i'll tell you later.'

he did a signature smile, before going to pester bakugo.

she was saved, for now. she went to go get cleaned up for classes. she did her hair, a bit of makeup, ironed her clothes, and readied her bag.

now, to survive school.

✧˖*°࿐

luckily, she sat next to mina the entire day. unluckily, all the girls in the class were avid gossipers. which would've been great.. every week except this one.

normally [name] would never be nervous while gossiping. she could read others like a hawk, and if she didn't have shoes on, she could focus to an extent and feel their heart beats to confirm or deny whatever they're saying.

of course, she wasn't a bully. she'd only ever think about whether they were lying or telling the truth to herself. she just wished she could keep it to herself today.

"hey [name]." oh no.

"we all always talk about our crushes and stuff-"

stop please.

"so we gotta ask,"

mina please step up!

"we gotta ask why you're so respectful? like c'mon! live a little and talk a bit of trash about some people. there's gotta be something or someone you don't like." mina cut in, saving the day.

who knew the third wheeling would extend to people she didn't even have a crush on?

"uh, well it's not that i don't like people, it's more i don't wanna bother myself thinking about them."

"really? well, who don't you like?" damn it jirou and your good questions.

"mineta." phew, good save me!

"that's too easy of an answer, like, do you hate anyone from 1-b?" Uraraka asked.

yay another easy answer! "i don't hate anyone from 1-b."

the girls all seemed to accept it, phew, nobody ask the opposite and we're good.

"hey, but aren't we asking [name] the wrong question?" tsuyu suddenly said

no! not when i was just safe!

"oh yeah, [name]. who do you like?"

"b--"

"who's ready to learn?" present mic yelled as he jumped onto one of the desks in the front.

"get down. alright settle down and get into your seats. class is starting." mr. aizawa said, the commotion effectively covering her answer.

the girls all went to their seats.

                                     --------

the next hurdle was lunch time. piece of cake.

except for the fact that she'd always sit in between katsuki and mina.

no big deal.

everything started out normal. everyone besides bakugo did their best to not question [name] directly, as they found out only when it was directed to her that she'd be forced to answer.

bakugo was luckily never much of a talker himself, only butting in to defend himself or jokingly insult others, even though majority of his insults held no weight.

but sometimes they'd catch themselves in the middle of their sentences, and have to fix their speech before [name] would be forced to answer. the goal post was moved from not confessing to not making her answer any odd questions at all. because bakugo would definitely notice her robotic answers.

"yeah like, didn't [name] totally-- i mean uh-- didn't we all totally flunk that test?"

-

"[name] remember when we-- uh-- i mean guys remember when we snuck out that one time?"

"which time?"

-

"dude, the convenience worker totally has a crush on [name]! right [na--] uh-- everyone?"

[name] focused almost unconsciously, and she noticed that katsuki's heart beat was speeding up for some reason. huh.

-

"you idiots are acting weird today." bakugo said out of no where.

"what? pfft. no way." sero said, trying to play it off.

"you're crazy man, i mean.. we're all acting normal. it's you who's acting weird!" denki said, before laughing awkwardly.

"yeah something is definitely up. how many of you dumbasses are in on it?"

"what? bakugo you're being uh-- irrational."

"since when do you talk like that raccoon eyes?"

"uh-- since i studied?"

everyone face palmed at that.

"okay the jig is up. the fuck is going on?"

"uh.. gotta go. i'm uh-- real hungry! needa get some sun y'know? see ya!" [name] left before anyone could stop her.

mina followed after her, leaving denki, sero, and kirishima to use the collective 5 brain cells they have to try and convince bakugo that nothing was up.

she was so gonna owe them more than a dinner for this.

                                       ၄၃

[name] didn't know what lie they were gonna come up with. and to be honest, she really didn't want to find out.

as she sat on the rooftop, she let the chloroplasts out on her skin, which made her have a couple green-ish spots all over.

"eating really does help." [name] murmured.

"watching you eat is so crazy! i mean you're literally turning green!" mina said, eyes wide and wonder filled.

"...you're literally pink.. but okay."

"hey, can't we ask mr. aizawa to nullify the quirk while we're in class?"

"... mina that is the smartest thing you've ever said."

"cool! we'll need to update everyone at our daily meeting today. as long as he agrees we'll only need to worry about other times!"

"we should go now, before class starts."

"okay! you go ahead, i'm gonna go see what our other agents said to bakugo."

"agents?"

"just go!"

                                        ‧₊˚✩彡    

"um.. mr. aizawa? may i come in?"

"yes." he grumbled sleepily. he was in his sleeping bag, barely looking up at her.

"what is it [name]? is this to clear up about you being on the floor? because i really didn't care."

"uh.. no. this is about something that happened while i was on the mission."

"go on." she could tell that even though he seemed completely uninterested, that she had his full attention.

"well, you see, i was hit by a quirk. a truth telling quirk. and it's going to last for 6 more days."

"oh?"

"and.. i'd really appreciate your help. if you could nullify my quirk during just time when we're sitting in the classroom, it'd help a lot." she bowed respectfully as she made her request.

the room was silent as aizawa was seemingly thinking it over.

"sure, why not."

"thank you! i won't forget this!"

                                      ೀ

the second half of the day went by like a breeze. because mr. aizawa was cancelling her quirk, she lived her life in temporary peace for the remaining hours of the school day.

she smiled with relief, everything is going good now.

she cleared up her answer with the girls while she still could,

"guys, i don't have a crush on anyone. im just too busy."

and then she relaxed fully.

the walk to the dorms was easy, she didn't have to worry about dinner since she didn't eat, and she could always call an early night to get out of uncomfortable situations.

easy peezy.

she had no time to talk to bakugo for the rest of the day, since he had such an early bed time.

at last.. the daily meeting was here.

"alright guys! great saves today! here are the rankings for best agents. [name] would you do the honors?"

"yes. unless the honors is a person. i do not know them well enough to do them.

...

just give me the damn chalk."

mina held back a laugh while she walked up.

"okay, on the bottom we have.. denki."

"what? no way!"

"yes way! you were being way too obvious earlier! which brings me to my next loser: sero."

"no way, this is rigged."

"no it's not! what point of no questions do you not understand! anyways

next up, we have kirishima. amazing work this morning!"

kirishima bowed jokingly.

"and lastly, one for one, we have alien queen mina!"

"this is so rigged!"

"obviously she'd win, they're best friends!"

"sounds like jealously! anyways-- thank you [name]! take a seat."

[name] took a seat as mina resumed her place as the leader.

"okay agents! we have a new addition to the team: mr. aizawa!"

"what?" everyone said collectively.

"correct! i came up with the brillant idea for him to use his power on [name] during class time when we're all just sitting around. that's how i earned top spot!

so now, our sub-operation is this:

plan [name]'s perfect confession."

"what?" [name] scoffed, "that's not part of this operation!"

"and besides.. with what denki told bakubro earlier.. we can't go on with that yet."

"what the hell did you idiots tell him?!"

"we just said you were embarrassed because you have crazy woman issues and don't want anyone to question you right now!  he interpreted that however he did!" denki defended.

"hey-- i didn't say any of that. it was all you man."

"way to throw me to the wolf sero!"

"just get out! all of you!"

"meeting over guys!"

"mina what the hell?! i thought you went to make sure they didn't say anything super stupid!"

"i did! but it was too late.. see ya [n/name]!"

my life is over.

prev | next!

[radiance1]

Ya'll know de-aged Danny, but get ready for.....

De-aged Tucker!

So, the trio has split up as they got older, still friends, but just going on with their own lives.

Sam went on to connect more with High society and becoming well-respected, as well as running multiple charity events and a botanist on the side.

Danny went ghost hunting with his family, then when he became an adult, his parents pushed for him to go to college to pursue his dreams.

Tucker?

Well, Tucker has been doing some... stuff. If he had to say.

Said stuff involved magic, another secret government branch, wizards and tech. Suffice to say, Tucker has been leading a very busy life in the dark, he's keeping it from Sam and Danny because he doesn't want to involve then in this when they have their own lives to look after.

This government branch has nothing to do with ghosts, everything to do with magic and ancient artifacts, however. He's been tracking them down for years now, constantly hacking into many of their bases and preventing them from doing whatever they wanted to do.

Eventually, however, they managed to catch wind of him and he, well, he kinda slipped up and they caught him. Not that he couldn't get out of it, nor was it the first time it happened, but still. However, this time they found him far too dangerous to continue to exist in this world, so what did they do?

Reverse his clock and banish him to another dimension, of course!

So now here Tucker was, a 10-year-old boy with none of his usual equipment and lost in an entirely other world without any help and any variety. He only had what he had on him at the time, his clothes-that were now too big for him- a highly advanced arm bracer that he regularly wore and uses for hacking- thankfully able to fit on his arm because of the nanobots it was made from- his beret and his glasses.

Well. Fuck.

So of course, he first finds a place that he could own as a child without being put in foster care, an abandoned warehouse, perhaps? Yea that would work, just needs a little fixing up.

Of course, if there's anything to bust along the way trying to find a way home, then of course he would bust it.

[mayonnaisemiscellaneous]

For more weird/unique possible alt-modes:

please be aware of autogiros/gyroplanes they look so cool and weird, especially the older ones.

I'll try!

Underrated Transformers Alt-modes:Gyroplanes

•Before the war they were mostly worked in delivering delicate stuff due to their safety features

•they were,and still are mistaken as a combination of a plane and a helicopter(kinda racist)

•they can fly in both root and Vehicle form for a long time

•the way they fly in root mode is similar to helicopter root modes(check my other post for that)

•they had slightly more freedom than others but were mostly pressured by cybertronion society to fit into the mold

•in Vehicle mode they are actually very flexible and can manage various environments,now in the present most Gyroplane Alt-modes are studying to become rescuer's in tight spaces,key word:most,not all

•they were stereotyped as predecessor of helicopters which could be considered racist in cybertronion standards

•in Root mode only their wings can be mistaken for helicopters,there is most likely kibble on their frames that can obviously tell them apart

•they consume less energon than other frames

•before the war they were mostly just viewed as a Modified and Efficient version of a helicopter

•whenever there's an argument between Helicopter frames and Gyroplane frames it's mostly one sided,but I never said which one hated which one hehehehheehehge

•old Gyroplanes in the entertainment industry are depicted as a weirder looking version of helicopters

•old Gyroplanes act nonchalant most of the time but if you annoy them too much there will be consequences

•they used to get along with other Alt-modes that worked in delivery like trains and planes, sometimes delivery trucks or vans,maybe drones

•They had no standard optic colours and could range from any

•the same could go for their servos,clawed,blunt,anything at all

•their height can range from small to bigger than average

[codenamesazanka]

I'm thinking. I'm thinking. it would be cool if all of my dislike and criticism of Deku's actions in this final war arc (and maybe before) was actually supposed to be the intended feeling. That he was supposed to be read as an arrogant little shit with no plan and failed at saving Shigaraki all along. Saving Shigaraki was his ego talking - him wanting to save that Crying Child, because it makes him feel good to be a Hero... in the easiest way possible. He pried open Shigaraki's lid with no regard for how questionable such an act is. He never understood Shigaraki at all.

Deku has the potential to be a great hero. When Yoichi and Kudou talked about his great qualities, it was because they can sense the seed of it at his heart. But it hadn't been cultivated. He does have a drive to save, but it was too early to call it that. He does believe everyone has the same heart, but he hasn't actually come to that conclusion himself. That's why they needed to speak about his own feelings for him. He's 16 years old and thrown into a war. How can anyone have proper development and meta-cognition in such a scenario?

I'm thinking. It was Stain who spared Shigaraki and told him he sensed the seed of a warped conviction inside of him, when all readers saw at the time was an erratic manchild. But Stain was right. Shigaraki's conviction grew and developed and became such a noble desire, but 'twisted' - A Hero, but for the Villains.

Deku just had the high of his life. What if he's about to enter the lowest? He failed to save someone. Society is getting rebuilt and where it goes from now on is absolutely crucial. He's "quirkless" again - that personality is gone so who is he now?

I'm thinking. There's a reason why his agreement with Overhaul hasn't been resolved yet. I'm thinking Compress and his vigilante ancestor's dream of reform can't be just ditched like that. I'm thinking how Deku can fail so incredibly at not realizing why Shigaraki stayed the leader of the League all through the end, and how Shigaraki tells him 'ganbare'.

I'm thinking about Shigaraki, and how he's a fair guy. But he's a Villain. He sensed Deku's intention, understood just how sincere it was, and can respect that. And the guy did just helped heal his childhood trauma. And thus, he's holding Deku responsible for making sure his destruction is permanent, and leaves with a semi-sardonic 'do your best'. I think that's actually just like him.

I'm thinking about Uraraka and Shouto getting two sad looking panels in this semi-celebratory chapter where All Might calls Bakugou and Deku the greatest Heroes. They were the two who actually considered the suffering their Villain went through. They acknowledged the whole of their Villain, their agency and desires, and they supposedly saved them. But there's no celebration for them. Maybe it's because they've seen the truth and can't be unaffected.

I'm thinking about Spinner, who saved Deku from a teammate at the camp raid because he believed in Stain who believed in Deku to be a true Hero. And then Spinner became Shigaraki's most devoted friend and Shigaraki left a message to him, via Deku.

I'm thinking maybe Horikoshi got out all the battle shonen stuff they wanted out of him and now he can do his own thing. He sucks at fight scenes and great at character writing and darker material.

The issue to this thinking is that this hope is sooooo dangerous. I had a similar thought that Endeavor, after the Touya reveal, was going to get some brutal atonement. I thought post-Jaku would be a really cool chance to examine the issues of Hero Society, and that Tartarus being recognized as a human-rights violations would end up somewhere. I loved what I felt was the subtly realistic built-up of the Heteromorph arc, and I still love it, but then it ended up the way it did. I thought AFO's tragic backstory getting revealed could be awesome. I've clowned myself again and again. I guess this is the latest clowning.

And none of this actually saves Shigaraki or brings him back. Rather, his death and last words is pretty much required for this brutal realization and haunting on Deku and the story.

Worse, this all has the potential to make me think Deku is interesting. What am I doing to myself. 🤡

[leadenn]

i'm not gonna SAY I think Mikey and Donnie would join the brotherhood because they don't want to wait for a world to feel safe enough to accept their loved ones, but I'm just saying

Mikey has watched his father scrounge and fight and work himself to exhaustion just to help them all survive for YEARS and he watches how despite all that work his father does they still can't have everything that splinter wants them to but he tries so HARD to do it. He sees how Leatherhead can never get the help he needs for his mental help after spending most of his life being tortured by the kraang but just bc of how they all look they're forced to live off of scraps in the shadows in fear for their lives while humans can seemingly do no wrong in their own society. Mikey thinks it's unfair and he's such a deeply caring and loving person and what if that's what pushes him into an extremist POV?

His father should be able to exist as he is now, rat or man. his boyfriend should be allowed to get the mental help he desperately needs for his PTSD. His brothers should be acknowledged for how often they risk their lives saving a world that doesn't want them. he thinks the world is such a wonderful place and so many different things about it make it that way, and it makes him so angry that humans can't seem to accept that because of blind hatred to anyone they see as different as them. It's just not fair to him and he wants things to be fair for his family. why should his family nearly die saving the world for humans who don't consider them worthy of life?

and Donnie? Donnie wants his family to be safe and he doesn't think any humans would ever want the same thing. he's seen the things the EPF does to mutants and it's like they're being treated as the enemy because of what they are perceived as instead of what they are and it infuriates him. He thinks about all the times his brothers almost died, how he almost died, all for a world that doesn't want them to exist. It's an emotionally charged conclusion and maybe too broad of a generalization about humans (Casey and April are right there, after all) but he thinks about every time him or his brothers got sick when they were kids and how he always knew it was worse than their father said because they didn't have medicine or a doctor. it's why he knows so much medical stuff now, because he watched Leo writhing in pain from shell rot when they were children and he couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if he died. he smells the stench of rot when he shuts his eyes and there's still a scar on his plastron.

he doesn't think his family will be safe in a world where humans are in charge, if the EPF exists and if the kraang aren't the sole bad guy in the mutant conversation he thinks that the world will always be the same way. he doesn't think humans are smart enough to make those changes so he figures the only way his family would be safe would be if the humans who didn't want them alive would be out of the way somehow.

so hypothetically if an old ass man with a silly helmet comes along, and the turtles fight him alongside a brand new group of mutant allies they made? they might hear him out while he gives the usual bad guy speech. he's defeated and taken to prison.

Mikey might go into his lab later, and they both sit in silence together. Mikey picks up a couple of little paper clips, and glances at Donnie. They're close, and Donnie doesn't always know how to read people but he can read Mikey. Mikey isn't people, he's Mikey, and Donnie picked up a couple paper clips too.

he shakes his head and takes out a box of staples and starts to break them up into smaller chunks to slide under their knee and elbow pads. he had surgical staples in his leg, they wouldn't be detected because of those.

Mikey smiles at him, because he's glad Donnie is with him. Donnie thinks that's silly, because he'd never not be with Mikey.

they're brothers.

[velvetvexations]

Really love how every time I argue with people on here about how actually trans men do not generally have it meaningfully better than trans women, people avoid actually explaining their points or providing sources and start calling me a little boy. Very fun. Love that. It's so fun to be insulted for asking asking people to explain their point

No one can actually explain that.

rhea ripley is so hot. and for what

for me to be all Weird Trans Woman about her

Honestly as an non binary person, I feel more and more pushed out of the community with the serious adherence to the binary. "if you Id as this you MUST be this thing, you're you're a liar and a faker and you're hurting other trans people" that, and the denial of trans men's oppression. It's just cruel and bitter, and seeing other trans people go down this path is pretty disheartening

it's so depressing

Well, you see, it's not like saying they're transitioning from black to white, because OBVIOUSLY, just like race, your soulgender is immediately apparent to everyone as soon as you plop out the womb

lmao so true

(also I've heard soulgender is a Black thing and it should be spelled with like, a space or a hyphen? so I'm probably gonna do that from now on)

"Trans men are the White People of the trans community" Oh okay so yeah this is just "Ace people are the White People of the Queer Community" all over again huh Begging other whities to stop comparing race and gender like this, makes you look stupid as fuck

pls

Fascinated to know if the "All trans women are nonbinary" crowd also believe all trans men are nonbinary

you'd think so the way they insist trans men cling to being AFAB lmao

Went to check /-/'s blog and she's reblogging pro Chat-GPT and anti-copyright posts now

I'm tapping the sign.

as a nonbinary thing i feel like so much tma/tme shit just completely fucking forgets us like im not „occasionally mistaken as a trans woman” its a fucking coin flip!!!!!!!! my „AGAB” doesbt matter 2 ppl outside the the internet!!!!! all that matters is no matter what i wear no one wants me i their bathroom!!!!!

people don't even just hate you for when they mistake you for a trans woman anon they hate non-binary people AFAB too

i kinda feel like the discourse is becoming more mainstream now. im seeing a lot of trans bloggers who dont post much about trans issues making posts about it (usually along the lines of "can we be normal about trans guys please" which is nice)

good maybe the backlash will finally kick in

Idk if this is me generalizing but I’ve started noticing that headcanons of canonically male characters as trans women that get traction are usually skinny and have trauma or coded with anxiety or depression. Like idk if that means literally anything but just a weird observation I had

a lotta people on here literally define being a woman as when bad things happen to you lmao

I was looking at the Patricia Taxxon stuff (funny enough, did actually see you @ ed in deleted replies) and I saw the sentence “However, being discriminated on the basis of being perceived as a manly woman is just an adverse effect of transmisogyny directed towards trans men.” Which. Hey now. What about butch women. Like how does that not uniquely apply to cis butch lesbians, even if we ignore trans men entirely.

MAINSTREAM SOCIETY LOVES TOMBOYS

Man. It really sucks when a popular-ish figure you look up to turns out to be transandrophobic. Should have seen it coming ig. She was intersexist too, and those often go hand in hand.

well I mean it sounds like you shouldn't have looked up to her already lmao

IIRC from old drama, Patricia Taxxon also thinks toxic masculinity isn't a real thing that can harm men because it's just splash damage from misogyny and they should get over it, lol, so I'm not surprised if she's turned out to be weird about trans men

lmao literally just that radfem-libfem feminism-is-for-women comic huh

Tragic: local man forced to actually read Serano's writing for the theory he's trying to make even though the way she talks about transmasculinity and female gender nonconformity gives him a headache

F

[redr0sewrites]

Since i saw that you are writing about ITSV/ATSV can i request something about Hobbie x F reader who has opposite life and aesthetic? They have so much in common but at the same time they are so oppositive like the reader play the piano and dress like old money girl aesthetic?

YESSSSS I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!!

🥀Cw: none, just fluff!!!

listen, we all know Hobie isn't big on labels or commitment, but when itt comes to you? he's genuinely WHIPPED like you are HIS girl

you guys definitely have an opposite couples aesthetic, with him being so spunky and outgoing while you are much more calculating and reserved. he's great at getting you to loosen up a little, and you end up being the one keeping him in check!!

listen, the old money aesthetic is all about looking classy and refined, and Hobie is the exact opposite of that. he probably thought you were a bit snobby when he first met you, but felt bad about making assumptions once he genuinely got to know you and realized how sweet you are

Hobie probably finds your style really interesting, the same way you find his style intriguing. whenever he sees clothes that you'd like or accessories that match your style, he always buys steals them for you!!!!

once he learns you know how to play the piano??? he's SMITTEN. he seems like he'd enjoy a partner who can play an instrument, and would love to just listen in and hum along as you play. he would let you teach him how to play piano, but only if you let him teach you how to play guitar as well!!!

Hobie would give you SOOOO many song recommendations to play, and in turn he'd play some songs for you!!

your guys' music tastes definitely make an impact on eachother. you've got him listening to lana del ray and laufey, which is SO out of character for him!!! he ends up actually enjoying some of ur music taste, even though he'd never admit it. in the meantime, you're music taste has now been expanded and bands like Three Days Grace, Meatloaf, INXS, and Green Day are now in your playlists !!!

Hobie keeps you up to date on a lot of activism and stuff like that, and would def bring you to punk rallies and rock concerts even though you don't fit in at ALL. everyone knows not to mess with you tho because he always stays nearby, and his hand is practically glued to your waist all night

since you're so fem, Hobie would TOTALLY let you do his makeup!!!! if you ever need to practice, or your trying out a new lip combo or mascara, he's more than willing to be your muse !!!

Hobie is the life of the party, he's genuinely so chaotic and all ober the place, and more often than not you're the one making sure he doesn't go too far. especially if you are in the spider society, theres been a multitude of times where you've had to put a hand on his shoulder and restrain him from fucking DECKING miguel (lmao)

on the flip side, he convinces you to loosen up a little and be yourself. you don't have to be perfect all the time, and when you're around Hobie, you can always be yourself. he genuinely loves you sooo much, flaws and all

you guys are genuinely SUCH a power couple- opposites attract fr ‼️

RAHHH THIS IS SO CUTE!!!! sorry this is so short i didn't really have any full fledged scenarios in mind but PLEEEASSSEEE feel free to request more!!!! i loved this req sm hehe- ive been FIGHTING a writing slump recently urgrhrhrg

[cupcakestreets]

Growing Pains…

Ben Drowned/Jeff the killer fan fic that you can read here or on AO3 for the full tag warnings and stuff. I’ll just be copying and pasting the work here along with my authors note. Tumblr does get the special art piece tho so here you go:

Warnings for Graphic depictions of violence in the beginning.

Summary: Jeff reflects on his life over the past decade. He thinks about the pain and some of the feelings he can never describe properly or he knows with perfect clarity. Ben is here though. He is always Ben. Ben makes those feelings numb. He can never truly hurt him… Right?

Author’s note: This writing is more of a character study/exploration, as I have not thought about Jeff the Killer or Ben Drowned in a decade. I was really into these characters when I was young, like the tween years, and I thought about how Jeff was like my age or older when I got into him. So I thought it would be interesting to put myself/the reader in his shoes, still using elements from his original text, and making my version of the slender house as I am using it more as a proxy so Ben and Jeff to be together. I did catch up on Ben Drowned lore and didn't even know about the ARG before, and I also explored him a little bit too. In short, this fic is for me and my younger self. I never had the skill and courage to write like this before, and I am hoping it will relate to someone else at some point. I don't know.

“Shhh… Go to sleep…”

I whisper to my latest victim, straddling them and placing my hand over their mouth to muffle their screaming. It was a young man, they seemed to be in their early twenties… Probably 23 or 24? That’s around my age now… Right? My leathery white hands are covered in his blood from the slits I cut into his mouth. I slowly pierce their chest with my jagged knife, it is old and dulled a bit, so it takes my full force to puncture him and his heart. His eyes widen, my heart races, and that familiar feeling returns to me. I start to stab him feverishly over, and over and over, AnD OvEr, aND OvER, AND OVER…Their body become limp and they bleed out.

I remove my hand from his face and take a good look at the man. Pale, his eyes were wide before but they became dull. The slits I placed on his mouth gave him a smile, similar to mine… He looked so happy… And at rest… 

I stand up and look around his room. He was a messy guy. Clothing around the floor, empty boxes stacked on each other, and pill bottles opened. I go over and steal some of the pill bottles and other drugs the guy had left around. Not like he needs them anymore. The medicine names over time are getting harder to read if I am honest with myself, but my middle school educated self can always recognize and read the word “ibuprofen,” and the bottle was still full. Jackpot!

“Thank you, random guy.” 

I climb out the window, and take the leap of faith into some nearby trash bags. Faith was kind to me as the bag was full of plastic plates and cups, mostly. I do remember there was a party here the other night… Party… It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of those… That feeling returns to me in full force whenever I think about parties. I grip my knife tightly before I loosen it again. I need to get back home…

I walk through the woods. My body always aches after my killings lately… I must be getting old, this walk felt a lot lighter before. How long have I been like this now? What was I when I started killing people? 12? 13? Holy shit… Has it been 10 years? Fuck dude… I am old. Within those 10 years I found out multiple people want me dead, my brother Liu is alive and pretty normal actually, some screws loose but society accepts him for the most part…Oh yeah and cryptids, ghosts, and gods exist I guess... I follow the crude pages that are tacked on to the tree trunks. My mind starts to fog and my ears ring… They’re nearby… Great! Maybe they can carry me back! Before my vision blurs completely a tall and slender man in a fancy suit and no face appears. I mutter some words before things turn black, and I feel my body hit the ground. 

I woke up with my sleep mask on. I pull it up to see I am back in my room! All my hoodies, black pants and shirts I’ve stolen! Lovingly in piles on the floor. All of my old sweaters that I grew out of have been hung up in the closet. I’m sure they still reek of old blood. I look at the analog clock on the wall and pretend it says 12 am, because it still looks dark out and I’ve forgotten how to read those. Honestly, this house has electricity, and it’s run by a tall guy in a suit. Why hasn’t he put a digital clock in my room yet?  Now that i think about it, this house is so weird. I think kids were killed here or the house itself is alive, because it has endless hallways, the boards creak and moan in some places. If you leave you black out and practically spawned near the road where the woods start. Which is really cool, but still feels weird. There are other human freaks in this place but I do not give two fucks about them. They’re all annoying and make that feeling of wanting to stab them extra strong!... I want to talk to Ben… Ben was the only tolerable freak in this place, and they’re a ghost stuck in a game cartridge. 

I step out of my room to the endless hallway. There are multiple doors lining the walls. Ben's room was the most obvious because of the tv light shining out of it. I strut down to his room and give the doorframe a knock. I don’t think this TV has ever been turned off… I remember CR-TVs like this start to degrade after a while, and the screen starts to warp. But this one is completely fine… I think the house does that to things. Like, keep things new? Or Heals things? I don’t know, but I'm sure I would be mostly dead by now if this house wasn’t so weird. Static can be heard coming from the TV and the ugly-looking elf statue appears. The text box appears, and I hear his staticky and muffled voice in my head. “Hi, Jeff!”

Ben’s static and spectral form crawls out of the TV. His polygonal form turned into this hyper realistic ghostly form with blackened irises, and red pupils. His bloody tears start to stream down his face. He was beautiful… Guh, whenever I see him I have the urge to stab him… But not like how I want to stab the others. This feeling was different. I like talking to Ben… I’ve felt like I’ve known him since I became like … This! I go and sit on the lone bean bag chair in the middle of the room. The way the room was decorated reminded me of Liu’s room when they were little. Game posters on the wall, a night stand that had a lamp on it, a bed with this sporty themed covering, the old TV propped up on a dresser stand, and the Nintendo 64 connected to it… The room still looks a bit worn, but I think that’s because the house itself is like that. Creepy, musty, and old. Ben floats above me smiling at me. I smile back.

“What are you so happy about?” I asked, cocking my head.

“I learned new ghost tricks today.” Ben chirps, eagerly floating around my head. I slouch back more into my beanbag chair and allow him to show me his ghost trick. Usually, it is just him possessing other electronic devices we place into the room or manipulating objects around him. This time, Ben got close to me and placed his hand on my cheek. I could feel it. This has never happened before. The hand becomes glitchy and just goes through most of the time, and I don’t feel anything. This time I did, and it felt exactly how it feels when your hand falls asleep. Basically, how I imagine static TV feels. Numb with pins and needles. After it took me time to process that feeling, I felt the static feeling on my lips. I feel my face getting hot!  Ben pulled away to look at my reaction, and it must’ve been priceless with how I heard his signature Skull Kid laughter come from him. My anger took over after the shock wore off.

“What was that?” I snapped.

Ben pokes my nose, making it feel numb.

“That was a kiss.” He said smugly. “It was probably your first one, right?”

I scoffed. He was right, but I hate how smug he looked about it. I got over my anger as I looked away from Ben and started to think. My first relationship ever is with a ghost… A guy ghost too. I Must be fucked in the head. Ben can never leave this place. Even in the game he haunts, he can’t do much because he’s a statue. Apparently, there are other ghosts in that cartridge, but they do not try to leave the TV like Ben does.

“There is actually something I’ve been thinking about lately…” Ben says floating near me, his face becoming more serious. This is not like him at all. He’s usually more mischievous and cunning. Like he has some practical joke that he’s dying to play on you. This felt off. I had to hear this.

“Remember how I told you that I do not think I am really Ben?...”

I just nod along. I remember him mentioning it before, yeah. Although back then it seemed to be in more of a joking tone.

“Well… The more I remember about my past the more it feels like it is true… Especially now…”

I don’t know what to say about all this, so I just let him speak. Ben looks at the N64 on the ground.

“I was promised something… Eternity?… I didn't know what that meant, but they said I could live forever in my favorite game. I loved Majora's Mask so getting the chance to be put into a video game seemed really cool! But now…”

His form began to blink in and out, glitching a bit as he thought about how he was basically trapped in that game forever now. I rub the back of my neck and give him a pat on the head. My hand did go through him at first, but he concentrated on making his head solid enough for me to really pat it. It made my hand go numb, though.

“The lies grown-ups tell us so we fall for their schemes…” I say, thinking about the words my mommy said before she ran to dad. The lies she spouts about caring about me or Liu… It was always about appearances and making sure we fit in… I carved this permanent smile on my face, because I couldn’t cope with my unhappy reality… I was in pain. It still hurts. 10 years later… And it still hurts. Ben laid on top of me and I felt my body turn to static. It was nice… the pain was numbed by his presence.

“Jeff… You will die one day.” Ben says. It was so matter of fact that I did not fully process what he just told me.

“ What?”

“You’re bigger now. You still have flesh and must eat… Soon your body will give up on you…”

This along with not being able to feel my entire body right now… There was this feeling…Fear?... Yes, it's when you can't control something… I am familiar with fear. Fear rushed over my body in an instant. Ben stares directly into my eyes. 

“I think… I am envious of that… You will die and your pain will be gone…”

There is a long silence. We only look at each other, I can hear my heartbeat, and then I hear myself laugh. I don’t know why. Ben starts to laugh with me and we just laugh it all out like psychopaths.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, still laughing really hard.

“I’m going to die!” I replied back, laughing extra hard before I turned around and began to puke. I don’t remember the last thing I ate… Might be meat and pills. Either way, it was gross and out of me now. I turn back to Ben, who looks grossed out, which is really something when the guy crying blood is looking at you like you’re the gross one here.

“Welp… That was dinner and lunch…”

Ben snorted a bit before floating above me again.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest after hearing that. He would forget about me, and the years we’ve been together… Now that I think about it… Ben was most likely around the same age as me when he was put in the game, right?...A kid? Would that mean he would just revert back to the mind he had when he was put into the game? Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, he sounded so different... I just look at him.

“Seriously though… I envy you… I wish I could leave this place… I was told that the house is the only thing that is keeping us conscious… If the system was unplugged or the cartridge tampered with all of our memories would be wiped… I would go back to being a lifeless statue. I will forget about you…”

“You sound… Older… Like… Grown up.” 

Ben did a little chuckle before looking down at himself.

“I’ve … Never been kept on for this long before… Maybe that’s why I don’t feel like I am Ben…”

I can’t help but think about that… Although I’ve aged… I don't sound all that grown up. Even Liu was able to grow despite the things I did to him… Ben literally is a cyber ghost, and he grew, but I… I wear the same white hood and black pants, I refuse to part with the same old dulled and bloody knife, my face can only make the same expression… I am Jeff, a killer, and still the same boy that was in pain all those years ago… That familiar dark feeling started to bubble inside me… The same one I got before I killed my parents… I can’t even express this pain that I am feeling. It hurts… He caused me pain… I feel Ben look at me, his expression twisted into a horrified look. It pissed me off. 

“Don’t look at me like that…”

Ben looked away from me and down at the N64. I stare at it as well. If it was broken or tampered with… Ben will go back to being Ben… Ben will not make me feel pain…My body moves to grab the console. Ben shouts something before I smash the console onto the ground, causing Ben to blink out of existence and static screams from the TV.

“Oops… Game over… ”

I stare at the console for a while… The cartridge still looked intact and the console started to repair itself…Will Ben be the same?... I hope not… Then he'll remember what I did… Fuck… Am I crying? My eyes are always so dry and irritated I didn't even know I could still… My brain begins to fog and I hear that familiar ringing go through my ears… The tall man is behind me. Before I can say anything, my vision turns black, and the fog takes over.

[lollytea]

Okay I just wanna dump a few of my headcanons, if you would be so kind as to allow that. Basically

The first thing I'm gonna get into is how witches came to exist in the Demon Realm in the first place. It's implied that every living thing on the Boiling Isles grew from the Titan corpse's residual magic like some kind of fungus. But I personally believe that witches themselves were originally an invasive species that eventually became one with the Isles over a period of time.

I think witches are too biologically similar to humans for it to be a coincidence. Obviously, there are significant changes. The bile sac, the ears, the fangs, sometimes additional eyes, tails, all that freaky stuff. But the blueprint is the same. These two species are cut from the same cloth.

It's heavily implied through comments from Eda and Hunter that glyphs used to be more commonly practised but have become so irrelevant that most of the population doesn't know anything about them anymore. Why? Why were glyphs so frequently used in the first place if all witches were born with a biological magic generator, and why did the practise fall off so hard in later years?

Well, I think it's because the original witches were human. Over the centuries, their bodies evolved for the sake of survival, the most significant change being the bile sac, rendering glyphs obsolete and forgotten to the sands of time.

I don't think humans were ever supposed to be a part of the Isles. But accidents happen.

Who's to say HOW they ended up there. The strongest theory is that during the war between the archivists and the titans, the latter shed puddles of blood, which resulted in hundreds of portals opening up that humans from all over the world ended up stumbling into.

The Boiling Isles originally developed as an anarchist society because its first settlers had to disregard the rules and laws they knew from their old life in order to co-exist with each other. Because they were all from different cultures and they functioned and perceived morals differently. A lot of them couldn't even communicate with each other because of language barriers. Plus, the Boiling Isles was dangerous and chaotic, and they had to adapt to that.

The unity between these people was crucial to their survival. They couldn't afford to be divisive and create bigotry in this new world they were inhabiting. A strict enforcement of authority is a slippery slope to civil war. They had to put the rules of the Human Realm aside and agree to operate under new rules.

Ultimately, bits and pieces of the developing Human Realm spilling into the Boiling Isles over the centuries along with Belos' influence was what caused that way of life to gradually deteriorate. Aka the introduction of cops and commerce etc.

I feel like all the language barriers that originally existed resulted in a new language being developed to make better connections with each other. I've been calling it Witchtongue but somebody else could probably come up with something more original. But also a huge chunk of the population spoke primarily English or at least spoke it as a second language (I know English is the language of trade but I'm not entirely sure if that was the case during this time period)

So, these were the two most common languages of the Isles that co-existed in the savage ages. Different communities spoke either one or the other casually, but everyone at least had a basic understanding of both

Now the second thing I'm going to talk about is the knowledge of royal titles in the Boiling Isles, implying that these are things that exist here. (Darius calling Hunter a Prince, Odalia calling Amity a Princess, things like Grom Queens and Kings etc.) This is strange considering that as far as we know their only experience with a monarch is Emperor Belos. Unless of course, there are others elsewhere. Which is the next thing I'm gonna talk about.

I think the gradual eradication of witch culture was intentional on Belos' part, because their principles made it a lot more difficult for him to seize control and execute his genocide plan.

He couldn't get rid of it entirely. That was too difficult. But he could contain it. And he knew how.

By this point in Belos' time in the Boiling Isles, he had noticed that the occasional book or item dripping in from the Human Realm could significantly change the way things operated. They adapted to money rather than trading. It wasn't even Belos that introduced that. Human Realm influence was a powerful thing.

He understood exactly how he could successfully put a stopper in the spread of Boiling Isles history and language so it wasn't as commonly known as it was.

He hand selected a small community of witches who were passionate about preserving history. And him being "Lord Belos" at the time, he had the power to grant them power too. He gave them titles (like Lord, Lady, Prince, Princess etc.) and he convinced them that they were special. That the Titan told them so. Descendents of the first witches of the savage ages who founded their rich, beautiful culture. They are so much purer and more attuned with the land than all these other modern witches who are letting their culture slip away. Giving them this massive superiority complex, basically.

And then these people have children. And their children have children. And the centuries go on. And now they're a large community of "royal families" living up in manors on the Knee, sending their children to St. Epiderm as it's the only school that teaches witchtongue. It's the only school that teaches anything worth knowing about the culture of the Isles. Because these families are the ones funding that school. And it's for their kind and their kind alone

Prehistoric Boiling Isles culture is in this weird stage where it's both erased AND gatekeeped. And it's different types of rich people doing both of them

I'm thinking of those old money, wealthy witch societies. Fluent in the language, have access to so much of the history, keep ancient artefacts. They're probably the type to host like fancy balls and festivals celebrating their culture. All while locking out the rest of the Isles who weren't born into these rich families, so are basically dirt in their eyes.

There was these ancient rules formed by the first settlers. Most of it is basic decency like "Share what you own with your family and friends." That rule was followed because of maintaining a sense of community. It was about helping each other out. Because there were not A LOT of settlers.

However, these old money families have twisted the meaning of that statement. They hoard their wealth, but they share it with each other. They're a community themselves, and they DO look out for each other. So they consider it blasphemy to share with anyone else.

MEANWHILE there's the direct opposite of this in the Blight family. I imagine that neither Alador or Odalia were born into money. Odalia is just a relentless capitalist. However the concept of capitalism is completely against all the rules the settlers established. It's parasitic and predatory. It is COMPLETELY influenced by techniques and practises done in the Human Realm.

Capitalism has no business in the Boiling Isles. But Odalia does not give a fuck. It DOES involve getting lower class witches involved in order for it to work. It's a machine. It need thousands of people involved in order to function. Odalia made her money by stepping over other people and leeching everything out of them. In doing so, she's scrubbing Boiling Isles culture away.

Basically I feel like the old wealthy communities would look down on the Blights. They disagree with how they make their money. It goes against the morals of the Isles. Meanwhile they're also shitty horrible people but in the opposite way.

It's a cycle of rich people being shitty

[thelesbianluthor]

Saw people talk about the fact that the trio knows every single threat they have to face before they have to confront them in the show vs in the books they actually fall into traps and then have to find a way to escape it.

This is one of the main issues i have too honestly. I understand the choice of making annabeth pick up on the statues and the name of the place and obviously guess "oh that is medusa". It works bc medusa is important and connected to her mother and like the context clues are staggering.

But comparing that moment to the start of episode 7 (which i actually really enjoyed especially compared to ep6) makes the show lose most of the tension they could have.

Like why make it an immediate exposition dump on "oh you are this and you do that and we are here for this and that" i don't mind the change of making the shop the entrance of hell but why can't they just for once fall into a trap like? They are 12 years old trying to avoid a war and fix a situation way bigger than them, they are smart and quick witted but let them make mistakes and NOT KNOW some things.

I feel like a lot of the potential of the first scene went out of the window and it just became a "here's an exposition of a scene that happened in the book" and that way even if you cut it you don't lose anything really.

Changes are a GOOD thing and that is not my issue with the show at all! I have already said that I mostly enjoy the changes that were made and I am not expecting nor want a scene for scene copy but it does make it a lot less interesting imo if they go into EVERY SINGLE SITUATION knowing what they are up against for no real reason.

You can have them know some things and guess who they are up against but like if it happens every time the tension of the danger gets lost a lot and it becomes repetitive imo.

On the good side of things tho I think you can see in general that the trio has gotten a lot more comfortable in the characters and the improvement it's very visible. I already said how I really love the casting and I only expect them to get better at portraying the characters that is a no brainer.

The flash backs were probably my favorite part of the episode along with the way they decided to visually represent Hell.

I love that we get to see a peak of Sally and Poseidon's dynamic and how hard it was for Sally to raise Percy, not only bc of the risks his godly heritage brings but also bc she was a single mother and society in general tends to give up on people that don't fit the mold.

Small Percy thinking his mom wanted to get rid of him and saying "I would never do that to you" even tho she has spent every moment doing her best to protect him vs an older Percy having to choose to leave his mom behind so he can do the right thing even tho everything he has done has been fueled by the desire to save her. That was beautiful and tragic.

Casting in general is incredible bc even with the little we saw of Poseidon (I knew the actor from black sails so I knew he would be great) I think he really nailed it.

Hades is maybe a BIT too silly but I can live with it honestly. Like we'll have time to explore and make other characters deeper later on so i don't see this as an issue.

The decision to make them aware of Kronos and tell Hades is interesting and I do like that he offered to protect Percy if he believed to be at risk.

I understand that with how things are now you never know if a show will be renewed and if you'll get to actually finish your story so I don't mind them making certain stuff known sooner and sprinkling references to future events or call backs (MOA percabeth reference I am talking abt you).

Overall I think that the strongest suit of the show right now is the cast and the way they show characters dynamics and their potential.

Like I have said before my criticism stems from my love for the material and my wish for it to do well. I have opinions that maybe will not match with others and it's okay! Not everyone has to like something! I WANT the show to keep going and grow and evolve into a better adaptation with each step because I really love the basis they laid down, the story and the characters and I see the potential most of all. I can't wait for the last episode.

[crisis-takesover]

NEW OC TIMEEE [oh and an old oc too but redone?redo?]

MEET uhm...A-14 but also nicknamed Sage for some reason i don't even know why I chose that name for him

A robot built for warfare gone sentient? I think? who roams a land that was once so grand but is now in ruin from the consequences of violence and blah blah- still working on the setting AND the story so nothing's permanent for now-

Sage's goal is to follow their recent protocol and that was gather info on the now ruined city plus eliminate anyone on the opposing side but too bad home base[?] Didn't pick up after trying to report back

And yes he is in fact inspired by that certain blue robot from that one game...

More under cut

This is Azel! Who basically pestered Sage into dragging him along for the sake of finding other surviving people amongst the ruined city or heck get back to his normal life before the city got this bad so now these two are sort of like survival companions although reluctantly because Sage isn't fond of company but they'll get used to eachother eventually

Reason why Azel dragged Sage along was because Sage is a robot and has information on how to navigate where to go and stuff which is really helpful when trying to look for people or any sort of society and Azel needs that because gadgets busted and couldn't find a way to fix it so a robot was the next best thing

[ngjasper]

Spoilers for sotr (I need to vent about it sooo if you don’t want spoilers skip)

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I read the spoiler about Effie in sotr and im so conflicted about it and lied to in a way (or Susan is preparing us for the fact Effie is lying about who she is)

Apparently she is coming to help the d12 stylist, who is her younger sibling with the outfit (so called). And apparently she is older than Haymitch!!! Which was a surprise in itself cause I feel like we’re given the feeling that she is on the younger side - like the fact she wanted to be promoted. From what I understood she has at least five years on Haymitch, which mean she is at least 45. And if the Capitol is an allegory or a reflection of our modern society - in no way a 45 year old woman would get promoted from the lowest level at that age, they would keep her at her position, and she would have known that (or she pretended to what to get promoted - katniss said in thg about her something along the lines of “as if she have to say something insulting”) before she said she might finally get promoted. And Susan is an exclusive producer of the movies. She could have guided the casting towards an older woman for Effie (I can think on a few, non is as good as EB) and not at the time 38 years old Elizabeth banks, who is ten years younger then woody Harrlson.

So the kiss and the flirting in the movies does not make since anymore, then why allow it? You knew their age difference for awhile, soWhat’s up with the teasing Susan🙃

then the hayffie of it all. (which I’m a huge fan of cause it makes so much since as a sexual relationship, at least one thy started in THG) now it doesn’t make any since to date/sleep/whatever with someone that you first met as a minor when you are not, it is weird. Especially when she is represented is both the trilogy and as of what I heard in sotr as generally good person, so she would not use him. And we know they do have some bond - otherwise why would he save her? And keep her out of the loop of trouble in CF (katniss said something about the silent agreement of keeping Effie unaware) Because she was helping in his games? I don’t buy it. It’s too random. And even if it’s true - they known each other of 25 years. It had to mean something, but they were never the friends type in my mind. They are allies (which is stornger in my opinion).

The whole thing is so weird to me, cause technically we really know almost nothing personal about her from the OG books. We know her character traits and her fashion facade, her caring about her team. Personal stuff? Only her interest in architecture, which shown to us by her knowing a type of balcony 😂 we really know her, but we can assume she is hiding a lot, maybe that’s why she wear wigs (if I remember she is the only one who we see with wigs) she is hiding something from us.

And there is one other thing - in THG when they watch the scoring from the game makes she says something about the fact that katniss and petta are from 12 is not a reason to ignore them, and then she is aware suddenly of what she said but she does not regret it. From other spoilers I saw, it’s not standard for an escort to respect her tributes like that. It’s must have come from within her upbringing. Not just from her working close with the game.

In short, I will wait for the sunrise to assess my thoughts, and confirm the whole thing but I’m sure that something is going on there that we don’t ever consider (maybe we will get a book for her IDK, but she is the most interesting character to explore in a new book)

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

And may the odds be ever in you favour ✨

[clumsiestgiantess]

Survivors — people barely a foot tall who were forced to take refuge in our world — have become a normal part of society. Unfortunately.. it’s not in the way they were hoping.

(original story here)

There’s no way I lost my 90 dollar ball.  Are you kidding me?!  I spent months saving up for that thing; how could I lose it?  I’d torn up my bedroom in search of my prized possession: a professional-grade soccer ball.  It had come with me to every practice session since the day I bought it.  I stormed out of my room, heading towards the garage.  Maybe I’d left it with my gear.  

“Woah!  Where are you headed so grouchily?”  My older sister asked snidely as I stormed past her in the hall.  “You wouldn’t care,” I huffed.  She shrugged offhandedly, “That’s probably true.”  Digging out all of my equipment — even my old stuff that I knew couldn’t possibly have my ball in it — I still couldn’t find it.  Ohh wait…  One of my friends had shown up halfway through practicing at a nearby park.  He’d dragged me away to a local store because one of our favorite games was on sale.  Dang it, I left it there, didn’t I?

“If Mom gets home early, tell her I’m at the park!” I yelled through the doorway.  “Why are you going to the-?”  The door fell closed on my sister’s voice and I rushed to my bike.  The park wasn’t too far from my house; I could be there in 15 minutes if I hurried.  

“Hold it.”  Julie stopped me as I wheeled it to the garage door. “Mom told me to keep an eye on you today.  Where are you going again?”  “The park,” I responded innocently.  “For?”  “I think I left my soccer ball there.”  “Oh?  The survivors have probably taken it by now.”  I sighed at her joke.  Ever since the little human-like creatures had stolen the phone right out of her purse while she was distracted — true story — she was constantly referencing it.  At first it was out of spite, then it became a habit.  “Come on, I’ll drive you.  It won’t be long, right?”  I shook my head, grateful for the lift.  

As I rode along with Julie, I begged the universe for things to work out in my favor.  Please let it still be there.  Don’t let someone take it.  By the time we reached the park entrance, my anxiety was calmed.  I could see the white spot of my ball towards the end of the field.  “Yes,” I cheered quietly as my sister pulled into a space.  “Alright, go get it,” my sister nodded.

I stepped out of the car and ran across the field in a half-jog-half-walk.  But I stopped as I got closer — staring in open-mouthed horror.  My ball was lopsided; punctured toothmark holes of a large dog pierced the sides.  “Are you kidding me?!  At least if somebody took it I wouldn’t have known they’d done this!”  Angrily, I ran up the last few feet and kicked the deflated ball as hard as I could.  It sailed across the field and hit the fence as a startled yelp reached my ears.  Below me, a survivor was hunched over on the ground, looking around in fearful confusion.  He gasped, scanning the sky above him intently.  

“Huh?  What are you-?  Oh.”  Following his gaze up to the sky, I watched a hawk or some other large bird circle around overhead.  “Are you hiding from that bird?”  The survivor glanced fearfully at me, then back up at the sky, whispering something I couldn’t understand.  “Right,” I sighed, “You have your own language.”  

The survivor was.. different than the ones I’d seen — maybe because they looked to be about my age, or maybe because they were actually alive and well rather than the few depressed half-dead ones I’d seen before.  Whatever the case, I didn’t feel like leaving them there to get picked off. 

I went to go collect my ball so the survivor would have cover again, but he yelped and rushed after me, cowering under my shadow.  His gaze finally tore away from the sky and landed on me.  Eyes wide, he asked me something I didn’t understand, but I could guess.  

I sighed, but nodded.  “Come on,” I gestured for him to follow me, and began walking back the way I’d come.  The survivor sprinted after me.  Halfway across the field, he wheezed something that vaguely sounded like he was asking me to stop.  Oh man, even when I’m walking I’m going too fast for him.  Poor guy.  I stopped and let the little guy catch up with me.  He sat down on the grass, out of breath.  However, that bird noticed we’d stopped moving.  I watched as it swooped down and landed on the telephone wires beside the field.

“Dnimreven!  M’i enif!  S’tel tsuj teg tuo fo ereh!” the survivor gasped, scrambling to his feet.  He walked on and I kept up with his pace, walking beside him at whatever speed he wanted.  It was slow going, but when we reached the parking lot, he stopped.  “I.. hhu.. t’ndid yllaer kniht siht raf daeha.”  Glancing around the lot, he looked over at the bird, then glanced up at me.  “What?” I asked, “It’s alright, I’ll follow you.  Just go back to the woods or something.”  I waved a hand at the woods, but he slowly shook his head.  “You.. no?  Don’t you live there?”  He just pointed at the bird and shook his head.  I squatted on the ground beside him.  Still he was shorter than me, but not by nearly as much as when I stood.

“Hey, it’s alright!  Just go hide in the woods for a while.  That bird will have to stop following you eventually.”  A car horn startled both of us just as the survivor was about to speak.  “Hey!” Julie called, “What are you doing?  I thought you said you’d be quick!  Stop pestering that little survivor and get in the car!”  “Alright!” I shouted annoyedly back, standing up again.  “I’m coming!  One second!”  I started walking to the trees nearby and the survivor raced after me.  When I got to the edge of the parking lot, I stopped and pointed towards the forest.  “Go on.  I’m sure some other survivors will come along and help you.”

But would they?  He gave me a solemn look and trudged towards the underbrush like I was exiling him.  The car horn startled him again and he ducked away into the foliage.  “Ok!  Ok!  I’m coming!”  The whole drive home I was, according to my sister, ‘unnaturally quiet’.  I blamed it on my popped ball — and normally that would make me angry — but I was just too caught up thinking about that survivor.  I tried to remember every time I’d ever seen one.  Surely one of them looked like they were doing ok, didn’t they?

Yet, as much as I wracked my brain, I couldn’t think of a time when I’d seen one happy.  They always looked scared.  At best they seemed kinda.. out of it.  At worst they were, well, dead.  I hope that survivor doesn’t end up like them.  He was my age.  Surely he’ll survive better than the older ones, right?  But there was that bird…  I was up the whole night coming up with a plan to sneak out of the house and return to the park.  I had to go find him again — to make sure he was safe.  

I’d never actually interacted with a survivor before.  It wasn’t at all what I expected.  My friends said they were little scavengers who liked to steal.  All the articles about them said they were a kind of mimic of us from a whole other mimic of our world.  But everyone made them sound like little animals.  The guy I met today — he seemed so familiar in a weird way.  He spoke to me, gestured for me to understand, and even his expressions were so human I could understand him just by reading them.  Then again.. maybe he was just a really good mimic.

During lunch the next day, I passively mentioned going to hang out with some friends at the soccer field, and was thankfully met with little opposition.  My mom reminded me to wear a helmet when I went out, but that was all.  I wrapped up half a grilled cheese I made for myself, tossed it into my bike basket, and pedaled off.  I think I beat my previous record of biking to the park by a few minutes, that’s how anxious I was.  I scanned the sky as I arrived.  No predatory birds in sight.  

Stepping over to the place where I left the survivor the other day, I made my way into the woods.  I searched the ground with every step until I came across a survivor laying on the ground.  A sickening feeling lurched in my stomach watching flies buzzing around them, landing on unmoving limbs.  Shit...  I’m too late.  I carefully stepped over to the body and knelt beside it.  I turned away after only a moment, but as I went to cover it with dirt, I realized their hair was much too long to be the survivor I saw before.  Holding my breath, I bent down to get a better look.

Firstly, their chest had been torn wide open, and their arms and legs picked clean down to the bone.  The position they were in looked painful, as if they’d been struggling.  I realized in my examination that the survivor was a female, and let out a relieved breath.  Whatever had caught it.. caught her — had eaten her.  Wait.  I shouldn’t be relieved by that!  What the hell am I thinking!?  I was just glad that it wasn’t my little friend who’d died, but I felt extremely guilty about thinking of this survivor’s death in that way.  She’d died likely being hunted — eaten.  Was she still conscious during all of it, or had the animal killed her by then?  I just hope I’m not too late to help the other survivor.

Gently taking a few handfuls of dirt, I covered the little corpse.  With a quick glance around myself, I spotted some wildflowers, picked one, and laid it carefully on the small mound.  “I would’ve helped you too,” I said softly, as if that were any consolation for how horribly they’d died.  No wonder the guy I’d met yesterday had given me such a desperate look when I sent him out here.  I was basically sentencing him to a horrific struggle for survival in a place where he wasn’t meant to live in.

Standing back up, I backed away from the little grave and headed in a different direction.  “Hello?” I called, “Survivor dude I met yesterday?  I’m sorry I don’t.. know your name.  And I’m really sorry I left you alone out here!  Please be alright...”  I walked through the forest along the outskirts of the soccer field, watching my every step and calling out once and a while.  I began giving up hope as I rounded the end of the field, but something stopped me before I could turn around: my popped soccer ball.  It wasn’t left where I’d kicked it earlier.  It was tucked beside a tree a little ways past the wooden fence that separated most of the park from the overgrown trees and whatnot that I’d been trekking through.

Heart pounding, I raced over to the ball and yanked it away from the tree.  A fearful yelp came from beneath it as the survivor from the day before huddled up against the side of the tree with his arms over his head.  “Hey!  Hey, it’s alright!  It’s me!  Remember me from yesterday?” I asked excitedly.  The little guy looked up at me with a bewildered expression before his face slowly fell into shock — recognizing me.  “Tahw?  S’tahw gniog no?  Tnaig edud, t’nod llet em er’uoy ereh rof ruoy llab niaga…”  I had no clue what he said, but I was too relieved to even listen.  He was alive — still using my ball for shelter.  “Oh, here!  I brought you something.”  Digging into my pocket, I pulled out the bag of my half a grilled cheese and took it out.  

“I wasn’t sure if you had anything to eat out here, so I brought you this.  It.. might actually be a bit too big for you.”  Laughing slightly, I handed the piece of sandwich off to him.  It was half his height, but he took it eagerly.  I sat down lightly, keeping watch for anything that might hurt him as he chowed down.  “Yeh tnaig?”  The survivor startled me from surveillance.  “Hmm?  What’s wrong little guy?”  He pointed to his throat, then cupped his hands and pretended to drink.  “Oh!  You’re thirsty?  I have some water, but it’s back with my bike.  Sorry, I should’ve brought it.”  The survivor gave me a confused look.  He didn’t understand me.  I knew he couldn’t, but I kept forgetting.  He looked so normal that I expected him to speak a language I knew.

“Come on,” I gestured for him to follow me like I had the day before.  He promptly got up and headed after me.  The pace was even slower than yesterday.  In the field, the little survivor could easily keep walking all the way across, albeit his steps were much shorter than mine.  Here in the uncut forest, he had to weave and duck through the foliage like it was a jungle.  He was exhausted after only a short time, and made the same gestures for a drink again, as if I hadn’t understood him the first time.  I wanted to go and bring him one, but that body I’d found had me scared.  What if I left him and something attacked?  I’d feel awful if I came back to find a similar scene to the first survivor.

I.. I can try taking him there myself.  But is he going to run away from me if I do that?  Wild animals generally don’t like being held.  But he wasn’t some wild animal.  Surely he was smart enough to understand that I was helping him.  Taking a knee, I slowly reached for him.  “I’m just gonna help you out, ok little guy?”  The survivor backed away from my hand uncertainly, but he didn’t run.  “I'm just taking you to get a drink, like you wanted,” I told him, pointing towards the edge of the woods and the parking lot.  

The survivor glanced between me and the distance he had to travel several times, then eventually glanced down at my hesitating hand.  I came closer again and he held his hands up slightly, squeezing his eyes shut.  However, he stood perfectly still. 

His reaction hurt slightly.  Doesn’t he know I won’t attack him?  He looks scared of me, but I’m not a predator.  I’m a person; I wouldn’t eat him or kill him for no reason.  Slowly, I gripped his torso in a light fist and lifted him into the air.  He yelled — dangling legs instantly pulling in against himself as he rushed to grip my fingers.  The survivor’s eyes were wide open now, looking around himself fearfully.  

“Hey, come on, really?” I asked, causing his head to whip back around towards me.  His breathing picked up against the palm of my hand.  “Is it really that scary?”  Apparently it was.  He readjusted, trying to cling even tighter to my fingers.  I sighed, “Man, you’re like.. the same age as me!  Can’t you tell that I’m not some big scary animal?”  I headed back to my bike with him in my hand. He struggled so much I nearly dropped him accidentally.  It wasn’t violent struggling like he was in danger, but still.  

Finally, I reached my bike and released him on the asphalt.  He scrambled backwards and tripped over his own feet, glancing around at the sky before taking a few steps closer to the bike, shying away from the open space.  “It’s alright," I assured him, taking out my water bottle and pouring him a capful.  “I’ll shoo away anything that tries to get you.”  “I- I t’nod tnaw ot eb tuo ereh,” he said nervously, ducking closer to the bike’s wheel until he was pressed against it.  Tsuj- t’nac uoy ekat eht retaw revo ot eht sterof daetsni?  Stnaig t’nod yllausu ekil em gnignah dnuora ni eht nepo, dna eht sdrib ekil ti a elttil oot hcum.”

I chuckled and shook my head.  “I have no clue what you’re saying, but you sure are talking.  Here, have some water.”  I handed him the bottle cap filled with water, but he only pointed to the woods.  I didn’t move until he begrudgingly took it.  Sitting on the curb beside my bike, I watched the little survivor.  A few dogs passed by on the opposite side of the lot.  Both of us eyed them warily, but they were well-behaved pets.  They ignored us and continued on after their owners.  

Wait.. pet.  I glanced down at the survivor.  He’d relaxed a bit once the dogs passed us, but he was still on alert.  I’d been thinking about that body — the poor survivor who could do nothing to save themselves from such an awful death.  “Hey little guy?  What do you think of becoming my pet?  Some people keep survivors and train them, you know.  You’d be a lot safer with me!  I’d have to hide you from my family, though,” I grumbled.  “Maybe I can make you a little home in my backyard or something.  What do you think?”  He just gave me a blank, confused look.  “Right…” I sighed, “Before I teach you any tricks I think I’m gonna have to teach you some words first.  At least you understand gestures.”

The only thing my musings were met with was a small gesture for more water.  I thought for a moment as I refilled the survivor’s bottle cap.  “I guess I should start with a name.  Hmmm.. should I give you a human name or more of a pet name?”  I thought for a moment, “What if I name you Bandit?  Because you took my soccer ball?  My sister did warn me that your kind likes to steal things.”

Once Bandit was done with his drink, I stood up decisively.  He startled, but calmed down soon after.  That was until I reached for him again.  Bandit dodged away from my grasp and stepped away from my bike.  Pointing towards the woods, he told me something and started walking in that direction.  “No, look!  I’m going to give you a real home now!  Your name’s gonna be Bandit and I’ll take care of you.  You don’t have to fight to survive out here anymore.”  I stepped over to him and tried to pick him up again, but he took off at a run — surprisingly fast for something so small.  Thankfully, it only took a little jog to catch up with him and corner Bandit with my hands.

The survivor began yelling as I stood back up.  His legs were pinned in one hand and his torso in the other.  “Tahw eht lleh?!  Tahw era uoy gniod htiw em?!  Tup em nwod!  I t’nod tnwa uoy ot yrrac em dnuora; I nac klaw tsuj enif!”  He sounded angry, but he just didn’t understand.  He probably thought I was taking him back to that sad little spot I’d found him tucked up in.  “Man, you gotta calm down!” I told him surprisedly, “You’re yelling like I’m going to murder you or something.  I’m literally saving your life!”

As gently as I could with all his struggling, I placed Bandit into my bike basket and hopped on.  He peered over the edge for a moment, confused.  However, he gasped and ducked down inside as I lifted the kickstand.  “Yeh!  I- I thguoht ew erew sdneirf!  Erehw era uoy gnikat em?”  “That’s right,” I said softer than before, “I’m getting you out of here.  Now hold on tight!  We’ll be at my house before you know it!”

I biked slowly through the parking lot and across the road, but once I hit the bike trail, I took off — excited to bring home my new pet.  Bandit yelled a few more times, and I slowed down each time.  However, I kept forgetting and speeding back up again.  About two-thirds of the way there, my little pet finally had enough.  While I was focused on a blind turn up ahead, the little thing lept out of the basket.  A heartstopping thwack resounded off the dirt path as he hit it.  I came to a screeching halt a few feet further and dropped my bike to the ground, rushing to his side.  

Blood had begun pooling through his pant leg as he hastily scrambled to his feet before immediately falling back over again.  “Bandit!  Holy shit!  Why’d you do that?!  I thought survivors were smart enough to know not to jump out of a moving vehicle!”  An agonizing cry stopped me from scolding him any longer.  “Shit, I..  I gotta get you home and bandage that up.”  Scooping him up in my arms, I drove the rest of the way single-handedly — Bandit gasping and whining the whole way back.  The sound made me sick.  I don’t understand!  He knew it was moving!  They’re supposed to be the second smartest creatures in the world besides humans!

I drove straight into the backyard when I got home, rushing for the back door.  However, when I threw it open, my sister stood in the doorway, arms crossed.  I had quick enough reflexes to hide Bandit behind my back, but that was all.  “I knew you were up to something when Mom told me where you were going!” she accused.  “No!” I yelped, covering up a groan from my little injured pet.  “I was at the park!  I swear!”  “So why are you sneaking in the back-”  Julie’s face paled mid-sentence.  “Ritchie?  Is that blood on your sweatshirt?”  Shit.  It was.  Bandit’s leg must’ve bled into my clothing while I was holding him tucked against my chest.

There was no use trying to lie.  Julie was a veterinary major — specializing in surgery.  She knew blood when she saw it.  “I- I can explain.”  Before I could explain anything, she grabbed my arm and fearfully yanked it out from behind me.  Bandit cried out in pain as he was jerked forward.  Protectively, I tucked him back against myself as my shocked sister let go of me.  “I knew you would go back for that survivor,” she said under her breath.  “But what the hell did you do?”

“I- I didn’t do anything!  He jumped out of my bike while I was riding it and-”  “Give him to me.”  “What?  No!  What are you going to do with him?”  She held out her cupped hands, “What do you think I’m going to do with him?  I have to stop him from bleeding like that or he will die.  Please, just let me have him.”  “I- It’s not that bad!” I lied, backing away, “This stain isn’t even that big!”  “It is to him.”  Julie’s voice suddenly turned hostily serious.  Hesitantly, I tried to give Bandit to her, but he gasped and tried to avoid her hands.

I was about to tell her that I should just bring him wherever she wanted him, but Julie spoke first.  “S’ti thgirla; I t’now truh uoy.  M’i ereh ot pleh uoy.”  I blinked, dumbstruck.  Even Bandit stopped struggling.  “Did.. you just speak survivor language?” I gawked.  Less than a second later, Bandit practically flung himself out of my grasp and into Julie’s arms.  He started speaking so quickly, even she gave him a confused look.  “Tsuj gnah ni ereht,” she said gently, “Ll’i teg uoy dexif pu.”  She rushed off into the bathroom.  The rumbling of medicine bins filled the air along with the sound of rushing water.  I was so stunned I stood in the doorway for several minutes before quickly closing the back door and rushing after my sister.

[dcdreamblog]

[QSandA] Hello to Mr. Hawkins! Here are a few questions from Ms. Fredricks' fourth grade class in Opal City. The students decided together on ten questions to ask him.

1) What does swimming through the earth feel like?

2) Have you been to Opal City and do you like it?

3) Did you have to go to school when you were a sidekick (and did you like it)?

4) Did you ever meet the first Starman?

5) What happens when you get wet- do you get mushy?

6) Do you stuff have to eat and if so is food different now?

7) Why do you wear a gas mask? (Ms. Fredricks' context: There was a hot debate over whether Mr. Hawkins breathes)

8) What video game would you want to be a skin in?

9) Do you have a best friend?

10) Is fighting villains ever scary/is being a superhero?

Thank you both so much for your time! We hope to get to read aloud the answers on the last day of school.

-Ms. Fredricks' fourth grade class.

Sandy and Me both: AWWW

Sandy: See now, that's a good source for questions

Me: I must agree, I must agree. Let's see here...

S: (Thinking) ...I assume you've been swimming in a public pool before.

M: Sure, of course.

S: Have you ever done it with your clothes on?

M: I'm sorry?

S: Maybe just your shirt, or your pants. Maybe you forgot your sunblock or were just not feeling like getting your trunks on.

M: Sure, I suppose so.

S: That's what it reminds me of its...heavy. Billowing. Every little shape and curve is getting pulled on with every emotion. There's so much weight and yet its moving out of your way as soon as you push. It's like moving in slow motion and there's no bottom

M: No bottom?

S: If I let myself I could just sink deeper, and deeper, and deeper. For MILES. It's like a swimming pool where the bottom is the height of a skyscraper or more. You have to keep moving just to stop sinking.

S: Who the he-, rather, who the heck doesn't love Opal City?

M: I've only been once in transit, do tell

S: It's like the city Art Deco made. Every building doesn't just have a story its got a STYLE. Like you folded out a little Nemo pop up book and used it for planning instructions.

M: It is known as a city with a distinct vibe

S: My god is it ever. I mean, that's Jack Knight's business not mine but if there's something obscure. Some knicknack, some collectable, some out of this world hobby, you can find exactly what you need in Opal.

M: Sounds like you got some good memories there.

S: We went every so often back with the old Society, we go every so often now. It's always a struggle to keep the team from scattering into the shopping district if we get 10 seconds of downtime I don't know how anyone who lives there keeps enough money to pay rent.

S: Say what you will about Wesley Dodds but the man considered education the fastest path to Nirvana.

M: So that's an answer to one part of the question...

S: Of course I didn't like it. What kid DOES at that age?

M: What a sentiment to share with a 4th grade class

S: What I mean is, a lot of schooling is skills you appreciate as you get older and any kid should try to have fun with it in the moment but...

M: buuut...

S: I was out there with the Justice Society, giving Nazis a punch in the nose, sending gangsters scattering like cockroaches under a street lamp. I guess I may have felt like I was too good for it at the time.

M: Too good for it, huh?

S: It was also never a good time when I was running on about 2 and a half hours sleep, a cross country flight and 15 new bruises.

S: of course I did! Ted was a lovely soul.

M: You were on the JSA together

S: Da-...Darn right we were! He and Wes got along like a house on fire.

M: Sounds like a good thing

S: Oh it was. They were curious people those two, and I mean that both ways. Whenever either of them made an upgrade to their great they would mumble about it on and on and on for HOURS. And they just were the kind of men with their own...

M:...Idiosyncrasies?

S:...really weird personal habits. Ted moreso back then before he met his own wife, Wes always had my Aunt Dian to stamp his feet back on the floor.

M: Did you get to see Ted Knight when you "came back"?

S: A couple times. He was at Wes' funeral. I did my best to look after Jack. We're family, you know how it is.

S: I generally try to keep my human shape as tightly wrapped as possible.

M: What do you mean?

S: Just like skin, my outer layer is tightly packed to keep things out. Otherwise there'd be like. Pine needles stuck in my shoulders or beetles digging around in my hair.

M: Not a fun thought.

S: Not really, no. I also don't take anything with me when I shift if I don't want to, so any water I suck up in sand form gets left in the ground when I put my pants back on.

S: Don't need to but like most metahumans that were born human, I still kind of have to.

M: Explain.

S: Well obviously I didn't starve to death while I was a giant sand monster in a glass tube for 60 years straight.

M: Right.

S: But I'm still used to the sensation of eating every so often and I tend to get a little scruffy if I don't do things like eat, sleep and bathe same as anybody else.

M: So you don't get hungry but you DO get hangry.

S: Generally, yes.

S: (Leans forward) I don't. Have to, I mean. Like I said though I generally still do because its a physical habit I don't have much control over. Its less that I've STOPPED breathing and more that I can hold my breath as long as I want if I choose to.

M: Alright so-

S: But, and this is important kids. I wear this gas mask because my Uncle Wes wore it. He created the Sandman, brought me into that world, was my mentor, my teacher, my friend.

S: He left it behind for me when he passed away. Not the specific gas mask I mean...he left the Sandman behind for me. The symbol he made the legacy he created. When I stepped into those shoes I wasn't just taking over for him because he wasn't here, I was accepting something he always meant for me like...

M: An heirloom?

S: Yea, or a family business. I don't need it the way he did, my identity is public and I could shift through my own gas if I wanted to. But this gas mask is the Sandman, and I have a responsibility to that, to be The Sandman, to be the kind of guy he believed I could be, the kind that could make him proud.

M: (I had to spend about 10 minutes explaining to Mr. Hawkins what a "video game skin" even is. It seems that between being a sand monster for 60 years and having been a busy superhero for the many years following he hasn't had a lot of time for online gaming.) S: Stargirl and Jakeem are never gonna let me hear the end of this one...

S: Hawkgirl. The um, the new one.

M: Not HawkWOMAN then.

S: No no, she scares the heebies out of me sometimes. No I mean the one I've served with all these years.

M: Why her?

S: We were similar varieties of confused at around the same time.

M: Oh?

S: I was just coming back to civilization, she was getting used to the idea of being a reincarnated superheroine. We spent a LOT of time complaining to each other so we didn't break down sobbing

M: Didn't you two date for a little while?

S: Oh yea, like I said we were both confused. I don't regret it but it didn't go anywhere, we still "date" now as much as we did then just because we go out so often.

M: Very nice.

S: Yea, and I mean. There's lots of others. Back in the day it was Star Spangled Kid. I mean, now its easier for me to say Wes was the best friend a kid ever had.

M: And your other teammates?

S: For sure, you get close with everyone you serve with. Become a mentor to the younger ones. I'll never get used to being on the same "level" as Jay and Alan and Ted but they're great guys, always.

(Sandy speechified a bit here, so I won't interrupt.)

S: Course it is. I mean back when I was a kid I was taking on guys 2 times my size just to start, and that was before I was taking on death robots and superhumans and alien invaders and god knows what else. And now I'm here and I'm taking on the kind of guys we couldn't have even imagined back then. Guys who make the Red Panzer look like a girlscout.

S: I go out sometimes and I have NO idea what I'm gonna do. Sometimes it feels too big, or too fast, or too bleak and I'm sure that it's gonna crush me like a bug.

(Pause)

S: But here's the thing kids. Anything worth doing is worth doing even though it terrifies you. Especially if that thing is helping others and I'm going to tell you exactly how I do it, exactly how my Uncle Wes always did it even back when we had no superpowers at all.

S: He would tell me "Sandy, we're going to go out there. And we're going to do what we can." That's it. No big, inspiring super words. He would just get down on my level, hands on my shoulders and say we were gonna do what we can. Even if we couldn't fight the guy the others were fighting, we could evacuate people, we could take on the goons, we could put out fires or stabilize injuries or throw a rock at the back of the bad guy's head so Green Lantern could nail him one right upside the nose.

S: When helping people is what you've gotta do, that's the most important thing. Even in your own lives. Even if you're scared. Do what you can. And when the dust clears, you'll be standing there, and the bad guy wont be. And you'll be surprised every time just how much "what you can" turns out to be.

S: I mean I'm still here after all, and where are the guys who seemed so much bigger than me?