#i cannot be held accountable for my actions in that situation

[mybodychoseviolence]

next time i see someone push in front of a person in a wheelchair to get on the elevator first i am destroying their kneecaps with my cane

[hoziersong]

wow i just saw. a Take

[mxtxfanatic]

Let’s talk Yi City Arc! I’ve seen a few posts since my time in the fandom that talks about the Yi City Arc as unnecessary or out of place in the whole of the mdzs narrative. I’ve even seen some suggest that the disconnect is because Yi City was originally a separate story to mdzs, a sort of prototype, if you will, to explain it away. I, too, after my first read questioned the significance of this arc to the overall story. However, the Yi City arc and its placement so early in the novel is actually just a huge and very clever spoiler to most of the important plot points of the overarching story… if you know what plot points to look for, which an un-spoiled first-time reader would not. So let’s talk about those spoilers:

1) The righteous cultivation clans’ refusal to stand against evil—and, really, their indulgence of it—leads to the wiping out of an entire clan and a monastery as well as the deaths of two powerful cultivators unaffiliated with any major sect.

The “righteous” cultivation clans happily ignore that fact that the Jin Clan is amassing power through unscrupulous guest disciples, and it is only when Xiao Xingchen, an outsider, brings the crime against the Chang Clan to light do they bother to pretend to do anything about it. However behind the scenes, the Jin Clan assassinates their only real opposition, and the other clans, great and small, continue to do nothing as Xue Yang is released to commit another massacre. The Jin are never held responsible for their actions. Likewise, all the clans turn away from Wei Wuxian, an outsider, when he calls out the Jin Clan’s crimes against the Wen remnants and accuses them of amassing power via poaching vassal clans and attempting to steal his tools. Behind the scenes, the Jin work to undermine Wei Wuxian’s reputation before joining in to massacre Wei Wuxian and the Wen remnants. The Jin are never held accountable for this, which directly leads into the Xue Yang situation.

2) Xiao Xingchen has his reputation slandered by Xue Yang killing others using his sword.

After Xiao Xingchen kills himself, Xue Yang begins using his sword to enact “vengeance” on the remnants of the Chang Clan, who he considers as having “betrayed” Xiao Xingchen. Finding the signature of Xiao Xingchen’s sword on the slain bodies leads the cultivation world to believe that a disillusioned Xiao Xingchen is killing in revenge. In much the same way, Wei Wuxian is used as a scapegoat by the cultivation world whenever bad things happen, such as the presence of walking corpses or the mass digging of graves. In neither situation does any clan investigate the true events of the situations, happy to blame the easiest suspect and allow the unrest to continue. In both situations, Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian are eventually found innocent of the crimes for which they are accused, and the true culprit is revealed.

3) Xiao Xingchen is betrayed by someone he considered close to him, which eventually leads to his death.

Xiao Xingchen, due to being literally blinded by his sacrifice, ends up running into, rescuing, and caring for his mortal enemy, Xue Yang. Taking advantage of Xiao Xingchen’s blindness, Xue Yang tricks him into murdering a bunch of innocents and his best friend, causing him to commit suicide. Wei Wuxian, similarly, is betrayed by a close friend he kept near, figuratively blinded by a former childhood friendship and the present debt he felt owed to said friend’s parents. This misplaced trust directly leads to his death.

4) Xiao Xingchen must give up his eyes for Song Lan to see again, because Baoshan Sanren is not magical.

This is probably the biggest spoiler of the entire arc, but by the time you get to where this information is relevant, you’d probably have forgotten that this was even said. Xue Yang blinds Song Lan after destroying his home, and to atone for this, Xiao Xingchen goes to his master, Baoshan Sanren, to beg for her help. However, Baoshan Sanren cannot make something out of nothing. Mxtx explicitly writes that tidbit into the narration. Song Lan goes up the mountain blind and comes down with eyes. Xiao Xingchen goes up the mountain with eyes and comes down blind. Song Lan was given Xiao Xingchen’s eyes.

Much later in the story, Jiang Cheng loses his golden core. Wei Wuxian offers the miracle solution of Baoshan Sanren “giving” him a new one. Jiang Cheng, obviously skeptical, questions Wei Wuxian up until the moment he must go up “Baoshan Sanren’s mountain” alone. Wei Wuxian descends, alone, looking pale and weak. Later, when Wei Wuxian is ambushed by the Wen, Wen “Core-melting Hand” Zhuliu touches him and is visibly shocked by a discovery that he then keeps to himself. Jiang Cheng emerges from the mountain with a new golden core, while Wei Wuxian emerges from the Burial Mounds with a new cultivation method wholly independent of the need for a golden core. The Yi City arc tells us why this is: “Baoshan Sanren” cannot make something out of nothing.

And these are just the major parallels I remember off the top of my head. However, while a reread makes a lot of these parallels directly applicable to specific plot points in Wei Wuxian’s own story, I would argue that the biggest role the explicit paralleling is meant to play for a new reader is to make you question the dominant narrative of the main story. The narration tells us that Wei Wuxian is a bloodthirsty man who may as well be a demon, known for cruelty and vengeance. We see none of that from his character when he is resurrected. Then we get a mini-drama where a man with attributes Wei Wuxian directly relates to, with a story Wei Wuxian directly compares to his own life, is scapegoated by society, killed, then eventually vindicated. If nothing else, the Yi City Arc is meant to make you, as a reader, stop and go “Hey, wait a minute, what if Wei Wuxian isn’t the bad guy here???” And once you understand that, you should start questioning everything the prologue told you, just like the juniors start to question what they were told about Xiao Xingchen post Yi City in their group debrief.

[hrizantemy]

me when i hear people defend feyre attacking the lady of autumn by saying she didn’t mean to/beron was her intended target: … how … how is that better?

like okay we all hate beron but he’s still a high lord, still someone you invited to form an alliance/negotiate with diplomatically. in a court where you are a guest might i add. you are a child they all saw practically naked two days ago, now playing house with a man (sorry, male) who willingly or otherwise tormented them for the better part of half a century .. because he gave you a pretty crown? how does one expect these old ass fae to not be condescending or reluctant? i’d have asked her to let the adults do the talking if she was piping in every two seconds telling me what to think and how to act.

the high lords’ meeting is my roman empire because it’s one of those instances where you have to let your jaw hit the floor because in what world - except one where sjm expects everyone to love her blorbo’s for all their correct opinions and positions - did any of that work?? with no consequences?? in fact they’re rewarded for their behaviour: tarquin rescinds the blood rubies, everyone’s chiming in about how they knew rhysand was the good guy all along, no one cares about the high lord who is why they’re all free rn (okay feyre broke the curse — tamlin’s curse. tamlin killed amarantha. he is why rhysand is free to rewrite history and the others have a future) i’m surprised there wasn’t a scene where the lady of autumn apologises to feyre for being in the way of her attack smh

This is one of the reasons I cannot like Feyre. The justification that she “didn’t mean to” attack the Lady of Autumn or that “Beron was her intended target” makes absolutely no sense and, frankly, makes the situation worse. How is it any better that her recklessness and inability to control her powers led to an innocent woman nearly being killed? The Lady of Autumn was already a victim of Beron’s abuse and violence, and Feyre—who should, of all people, understand the trauma of being hurt or manipulated by powerful individuals—just becomes another threat to her. How is that defensible in any way?

Even if Beron was her intended target, that doesn’t excuse the collateral damage of almost killing someone who was completely uninvolved in the fight. Feyre’s powers are vast, yes, but she constantly wields them with this mix of entitlement and carelessness that makes her more of a liability than a hero. It’s one thing to make mistakes; it’s another to make catastrophic ones and have people excuse them as if the consequences don’t matter.

And let’s be real—Feyre is never held accountable for these actions. The narrative either brushes it off or turns it into another moment for someone to coddle her and tell her how amazing she is. Meanwhile, the Lady of Autumn is left to fend for herself, as usual, trapped in her abusive marriage, and probably now terrified of Feyre as well. The complete lack of responsibility Feyre takes—or is made to take—for her actions is one of the biggest reasons I can’t root for her. She’s not a savior; she’s a wrecking ball with a savior complex.

The entire High Lords meeting was, without question, a complete disaster. It was supposed to be this grand gathering where the courts would come together to ally against Hybern, but instead, it devolved into petty squabbles, veiled insults, and outright hostility. Rhysand, for all his posturing as the most “progressive” High Lord, walked into the meeting with an attitude so smug it practically dared the others to disagree with him. Tamlin, true to form, took the bait and immediately turned the whole thing into a personal grievance fest. Beron was his usual insufferable self, Helion was flirting, and everyone else seemed more interested in holding grudges than actually saving the world.

Nobody trusted anyone, and honestly, who could blame them? These are the same people who’ve been at each other’s throats for centuries, and now they’re supposed to just shake hands and work together? Rhysand’s attempts at diplomacy mostly amounted to thinly veiled threats, Feyre’s speeches did little to inspire confidence. It was all spiraling into chaos.

And then came Nesta.

Nesta, who was barely even acknowledged as part of the delegation. Nesta, who didn’t care about politics, alliances, or playing nice. Nesta, who was so angry, so filled with righteous fury, that her words cut through the nonsense like a blade. When she stood up and spoke about what Hybern had done, about what they would do if the High Lords didn’t put aside their differences and act, she commanded the room. She didn’t appeal to their egos or try to manipulate them; she just told the truth in the most raw, unflinching way possible.

Her speech wasn’t about Rhysand’s court, or Tamlin’s grudges, or Beron’s smug indifference. It was about the people who would suffer and die if they didn’t unite. It was about the horrors she had witnessed and endured. It was about the cost of their pride and their inaction. And for the first time in the entire meeting, there was silence.

That speech was the turning point. It was the reason the High Lords agreed to set aside their centuries of animosity and work together. Not because of Feyre’s attempts to “inspire” them, not because of Rhysand’s threats, but because Nesta Archeron reminded them of what was at stake.

And here’s the kicker: even after she was the one who secured the alliances they needed, the credit still went elsewhere. Feyre, Rhysand, and their crew walked away looking like the saviors, while Nesta was left on the sidelines again. The meeting may have been a mess, but Nesta was the only reason it wasn’t an outright failure.

Bonus mention: My man Thesan was the only unproblematic one at that entire meeting. He showed up, minding his own business, probably thinking, “I am a healer, not a referee for this soap opera.” While everyone else was busy airing centuries of dirty laundry, Thesan was out here like, “So… about that war threatening all our lives?”

He didn’t come for the drama, didn’t throw unnecessary shade, and managed to keep his court from looking like an absolute circus. Honestly, if I were him, I would’ve been this close to kicking the entire Night Court delegation out.

If anyone deserved to walk out of that meeting with dignity, it was Thesan. The man probably, sat down with a glass of wine after, and said, “Never again.”

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

"Murder is Werewolves" - Batman

I don't got the SPOONS to do this thought train justice, I have seriously been trying to write this thing for MONTHS so just, idk, have this half baked skeletal outline of the essay I guess:

I don't believe that Batman's no-kill rule is primarily about rehabilitation or second chances.

His refusal to believe that Cassandra could have killed someone when she was eight years old because "how could a killer understand my commitment not to kill" is absolute fucking MOON LOGIC from a rehabilitationist standpoint. No jury on the planet would think for even a second that she could reasonably be held accountable for her actions in that situation! Her past cannot condemn her to being incapable of valuing human life under a rehabilitation centering framework. However, Batman's reasoning makes perfect sense if he believes that killing is a spiritually/morally corrupting act which permanently and fundamentally changes a person, and that corruption can never be fully undone.

Dick Grayson killing the Joker is treated both narratively and by Batman as an unequivocally WIN for the Joker. The Joker won by turning Nightwing into a killer. Note that this is during a comic in which the Joker transforming people was a major theme! Batman didn't revive the Joker because the Joker deserved to live; he revived the Joker to lift the burden on Dick.

His appeal to Stephanie when she tried to kill her dad is that she shouldn't ruin her own life. He gives no defense of Cluemaster's actual life. Granted this is a rhetorical strategy moment and should be taken with a generous pinch of salt, but it fits in the pattern.

When Jason becomes a willful killer, he essentially disowns him, never treats him with full trust ever again, and... Well, we can stop here for Bruce's sake. Bottom line is that his actions towards Jason do not lead me to believe that he thinks Jason can become a better person without having his autonomy taken from him, either partially or fully.

The Joker is, for better or worse, the ultimate symbol and vessel of pure, irredeemable evil in DC comics now. He hasn't been just another crook in a long time. He will never get better, he will only get worse. If you take it to be true that the Joker will not or can not rehabilitate, then there's no rehabilitationist argument against killing him.

Batman does not seem to consider it a possibly that he'll rehabilitate. Batman at several points seems to think that the Joker dying in a manner no one could have prevented would be good. Yet Batman fully believes that if he killed the Joker, he himself would become irredeemable.

Batman's own form of justice (putting people into the hospital and then prison) is fucking brutal and clearly not rehabilitative. He disrespects the most basic human rights of all criminals on a regular basis. It is genuinely really, really weird from a rehabilitationist standpoint that his only uncrossable line is killing... But it makes perfect sense if he cares more about not corrupting himself with the act of killing than the actual ethical results of any individual decision to kill or not kill.

In the real world cops are all bastards because they are too violent to criminals, even when that violence doesn't lead to death. Prison is a wildly evil thing to do to another human being, and you don't use it to steal away massive portions of a person's life if your goal is to rehabilitate them. In the comic world, Batman is said to be necessary because the corrupt cops are too nice to criminals and keep letting them out of jail. I don't know how to write a connector sentence there so like I hope you can see why this bothers me so damn much! That's just not forgiveness vibes there Batman!!

I want to make special note here of the transformative aspect. You don't simply commit a single act when you kill, no, you become a killer, like you might become a werewolf.

The narrative supports this a lot!

Why did Supes go evil during Injustice? He killed the Joker. Why did Bruce become the Batman Who Laughs? Bruce killed the Joker. Why was Jason Todd close to becoming a new Joker during Three Jokers? Because he killed people, to include the Joker.

Even if these notions of redemption being impossible aren't the whole of his reasoning (people never have only one reason for doing what they do) it is a distinct through-line pattern in his actions and reasoning, and it is directly at odds with notions of rehabilitation, redemption, and second chances.

So why does he give so many killers second chances?

Firstly because this doesn't apply to all versions of Batman. Some writers explicitly incorporate rehabilitation and forgiveness into his actions. You will be able to provide me with examples of this other through-line pattern if you go looking for them. The nature of comics is to be inconsistent.

Secondly the existence of that other pattern does not negate the existence of this one. People and characters are complex, and perfectly capable of holding two patterns of belief within themselves, even when they conflict to this degree. You can absolutely synthesize these two ideas into a single messy Batman philosophical vibescape.

Finally and most importantly to this essay: he has mercy on killers the same way that werewolf hunters sometimes have mercy on someone who is clearly struggling against their monsterous nature, especially if they were turned in exceptional circumstances or against their will. They understand that they are sick, damned beasts, cursed to always be fighting against themselves and the evil they harbor within. It is vitally kind to help them fight themselves by curtailing their autonomy in helpful ways and providing them with chances to do some good to make up for their eternal moral deficiency.

I think in many comics Batman views killers as lost souls. Battered and tormented monsters who must be pitied and given mercy wherever possible. (The connections to mental health, addiction, and rampant, horrifying ableism towards people struggling with both is unavoidable, but addressing it is sadly outside of the scope of this essay.)

Above all, the greatest care possible must be taken to never, ever let yourself become one of them, because once you have transformed the beast will forever be within you growing stronger.

To Batman, it is the most noble burden, the highest mercy, the most important commandment: Thou shalt suffer the monsters to live.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Alright with all the great discussion today around Ed telling Stede in s2e5 "I never apologized for jack shit" when we literally saw him do that in s1e4, here are my thoughts on possibilities to explain this. I think any configuration of these explanations is possible and one does not negate the others

This is just a consistency error. someone goofed in the writer's room

Ed naturally apologizes very easily and genuinely when he fucks up, and does it so immediately and instinctively that he doesn't really remember it and considers it on a different level than his performative YouTuber apology

Feeling forced to apologize, especially for a situation in which he was doing so terribly mentally and cannot really be held accountable for his actions in the same way (not saying it's an excuse, but it's a different level than if he'd just been doing it for fun) is making him Very Uncomfortable and he's just in a weird headspace rn

This is another case where Ed's self-perception is skewed. He thinks Blackbeard was the type of guy who would never apologize for shit and assumes it's actually true because often his self-image begins and ends with I Am Bad

On a related note, Ed is trying to further distance himself from Blackbeard. He's already talking about how he's not the captain right now, and this is another way for him to draw a line and say he's not Being Blackbeard anymore, and the proof is in how he just made this big public apology

This is the same conversation where Ed looks two seconds away from creaming his onesie over Stede's captain voice so it might be flirting tactic. "heheh nooo I never used to apologize for shit. oh noo i'm so naughty. what are you gonna do about that Captain. are you going to need to discipline your naughty boy haha"

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

I’ll be writing a critique of the way Blitzø and Stolas’ relationship was handled more at length, but I wanted to stop and take a moment to look at this scene from the new episode, “Full Moon”:

This is the sort of power and control that Stolas has always had over Blitzø.

It does not matter that Stolas has never threatened to take away the Grimoire before, or that they were “friends” as kids, or that he offered Blitzø a few months off, or that he’s been nice to Blitzø in the past, or that Blitzø actually does have feelings for Stolas.

When you are in a situation where you cannot say no at the risk of losing your livelihood, you cannot give true consent.

This is the very BASIS of their relationship. It has always been the basis of their relationship—a quid pro quo relationship where Stolas holds all of the power.

I have seen countless people go over and explain in great detail why the full moon deal was not truly coercive, or a quid pro quo situation, or how it was completely consensual.

And it’s just not. It is sexual coercion where Blitzø cannot give meaningful consent. Because if he refuses Stolas, he’s at risk of losing everything.

I want to clarify that my criticism here isn’t with this writing decision. I’m not trying to say anything along those the lines of “because this fictional character did a bad thing the story is bad and people who like the character support sexual coercion!!” That’s not what I’m saying at all.

I am bringing all of this up because my criticism is not of this writing decision, but because of the framing of the Full Moon deal and of Stolas and Blitzø’s relationship.

The narrative often frames Blitzo as if he is the one who has wronged Stolas by not prioritizing Stolas’ feelings and needs above all else. Or, it frames both Stolas and Blitzo as being equally in the wrong for the conflicts in their “relationship”.

This framing, and the extent to which fans try to justify it as being ANYTHING other than what it actually is—Stolas coercing Blitzø into a relationship where he has no power and is at the risk of losing his livelihood—is baffling to me.

This framing, coupled with the writer’s absolute refusal to ever have Stolas held accountable for his actions (including Stolas still not actually apologizing for the situation he put Blitzø into—he acknowledges that the relationship being transactional is wrong, but does not acknowledge that he was wrong to coerce Blitzø into that relationship. He says “…it isn’t right…it never was”, not “What I did wasn’t right, and never was”) is why I can’t consider St0litz to be just a “complex” or “messy” relationship.

It don’t think it can be, because it’s not a relationship. Not a real one. It’s a transaction, where Stolas treats Blitzø like a sex object. And whether that was the intent or not, Blitzø’s reaction above and saying that he would do anything to keep the grimoire makes it really hard for me to see St0litz in any other light.

As a final note, I’m not saying that you can’t write dark relationships, or have complex and unsympathetic protagonists. You can ship whatever you want! You can have characters that sexually coerce and abuse others, you can write every dark and twisted thing your mind can come up with.

But it’s very clear that Helluva Boss’s writers want to frame Stolas as being the wronged party, and the one who we are supposed to sympathize with—and you just can’t have it both ways.

You can’t act like you’re writing a complex love story between two very complicated and real people, when the relationship that you’re describing is so utterly one-sided and unbalanced.

[sillybruja]

roasting your moon sign pt 1. (Aries - Gemini) p.s. this one's gonna hurt your wittle feelings 🥲

Aries Moon

OH MY GOD. SHUUUUUUT UPPP. Seriously, you don't have an off button and talking to you is very frustrating. It's kind of like you jut like hearing yourself talk, which is fine, but the rest of us are suffering. And Holy lack of emotional regulation! When you are upset, you are really upset, eh? Seriously, you cannot control your emotional reactions even if you tried your hardest. If you feel triggered, you have to let the whole room hear about it 🙄And one more thing -- why do you think speaking louder makes your argument valid? It's kind of like listening to a toddler start screaming because crying was not getting their mom's attention good enough. It's fine to have emotional outbursts once in a while, but try to remember you're an adult, not a six-year-old. Communication takes more than scream-crying until you are heard / get your way. Btw, y'all are some of the most delulu people out there! It's like, everyday is a rollercoaster for you emotionally and you kidnapped the rest of us to have to suffer with you. Yeah, that's right, you can be insufferable and the people around you feel it. Are you even aware of that, though? Or are you more focused on creating a narrative that makes you the victim? Your lack of impulse control is a whole other thing. We get that you react first and think last, but to have the audacity to blame others for your decisions/actions is wild. Oh you punched a wall? No, that person didn't make you do that, you did that. Oh, you're insecure so you acted out of character? No actually, it's not their fault because they are secure with themselves. It's all on you. Guess what? Accountability is not the same as being held at g*npoint. You will not die. You will not wither away. You are actually wrong a lot and that's fine, but you don't have to be such a tool about taking responsibility. It gives everyone in your life the ick, and people are probably tired of walking on egg shells around you. 🤷‍♀️

Moon in 1st House:

Okay, drama Queen/King!🙄😅Besides the fact that you literally wear your heart on your sleeve, you are also so dramatic and for what, special effect? Seriously, you emotionally respond to things with the same voracity and urgency as you would an actual emergency. You can literally stub your toe and have a meltdown over it, saying that was your "13th reason" likeee y'all are D R A M A T IC and because I also have this placement, I know it's because it actually feels really dramatic but tbh it's not that deep. You just feel too deeply which is fine but guess what? You're still responsible for your emotions, no one else is. You sacrifice your power too often looking for acceptance and love, and then expect the people who you give said power, to reciprocate the same energy but they never do because what you are really expecting from them is you and that's pretty messed up tbh. You gotta let people be! your attachment issues are showing. BTW, being the sacrificial lamb in every situation does not actually gain you aura points, it just makes it obvious that you lack boundaries. The People around you take advantage of you because 9/10 times, you have made it pretty clear very early on that taking advantage of your kindness can be easy to do. Its insane that people have projected on you your whole life, and yet, you still can't detect when its happening. People are not mean to you because they hate you lol but the fact that you make everything about yourself makes it even easier for these people to project their problems onto you. Why wouldn't they? You are all consuming, and you take on the responsibility of everyone's actions, making yourself a stomping ground for ab*se. Your problem is, you are looking to find you in everyone and you will constantly be disappointed because that's something you will not find. Learn to be comfortable with others showing you how they feel, and accept it for what it is instead of for what you want it to be. Your scope of other's emotions needs work -- there's a whole universe outside of your own mind. You gotta learn to consider others emotional needs and try to walk in the shoes of other people once in a while and you will see that not everything is not in relation, caused by, or about you. Also, you have the same emotional regulation as a toddler sometimes. Stop making your problems, everyone's problems. Go to therapy.

Taurus Moon

OKAAAAAY, SLOTH. How do you expect to have the rich bitch bougee life you keep creating pinterest boards about if you won't even get off the couch and take small steps to reach those goals? Queen of "manifestation", all things "come to me naturally". Can we cut the bs and call a spade, a spade? You are lazy. You know deep deep down that you have the gift of the moon as your placement's exalted, but you have proven so many times that you prefer comfort over work. You're sitting there, waiting for the universe to deliver all the things you want in life, but your uninspired, bland, lazy ass won't even break a sweat for half of what you want in this world. YOU are the reason you do not seem to accomplish as much as you want to, because you do not challenge yourself. Do you feel incapable? I would if I'd rather live in repetitive and tired routines instead of challenging myself to grow. Speaking of growth.... do you even know what that is? Or are you still holding the same opinions of people that you had in middle school? Guess what, people grow and change... it is time to catch up! Why are you more comfortable with clinging onto the past, especially onto an old way of thinking? How is that actively helping your life? Be so for real. You cling & obsess over the past because its easier to revictimize yourself & build resentment than it is to take responsibility and make changes. Why is it more comfortable being stubbornly wrong, instead of owning up to your ways?

Moon in 2nd House

STAY OUT OF MY WALLET & GET A JOB! Seriously -- for someone who needs & craves financial stability, you sure will do a whole lot of nothing to get it. It's so weird because you manage to do absolutely nothing, and the people around you end up picking up your tab. What's it like being the community leech? And another thing... why is it that you feel you only have value when the 'yes men' around you over compliment you, or give you attention? Why is it that you cannot regulate your sense of self worth, but instead need to feed your self-esteem through manipulation, clinginess, and insecurity? Your relationships are probably prone to being unstable because of this. You are too much. Your expectations are too much, and they do not even match what you are willing to give back. You can't expect other people to pour from an empty cup just because You can't seem to fill your own. Your erratic self-esteem issues have an impact on your closest loved ones but your mindset is in the gutter because of how harshly you cling onto old mindsets and negative beliefs. Your greediness is not justified, no matter how much you have been hurt. You seem to never take your pain out in a healthy way, or on the person who actually inflicted the pain. If people come too close, you automatically assume there's alternative motives, even if there's no reason to think that. You act more like an 8H moon in your lowest vibration, and ironically enough, you are "triggered" and angry with other people who act this way. Your self-awareness is probably is as little as your confidence because you seem to live in your own bubble, and cannot understand how your own projections you put on other people are hurtful and make you look very weak. Your people pleasing tendencies will never grant you the stability you seek and until you take accountability, responsibility, and action to secure the life/lifestyle you want for yourself, you will always think shrinking yourself through people pleasing equals safety. But ya know, BE DELULU.

Gemini Moon

OHMYGOD CAN YOU SHUTTHEFUCKUP?! Yes, your friends do think you are annoying as fuck. It's because you never know when to STFU. And the worst part? It's not like you don't know you talk a lot... you do. you know you can dominate a conversation like no other. You are aware of the snotty asshole you sound like when you articulate and use word play to your advantage, and you don't care lol. If you're not that person, you're the opposite - you're weird af, you still never shut up, you have weird af obsessions, collections, and stories, and chances are you're easily forgotten about 😅 You share random facts with your friends all the time and at first it was really funny but because you never know when to stop, your friends are over it. When you talk, they sigh. It's because being your friend is exhausting. It's always the GEMINI MOON SHOW!!!! and you never give them (or anyone) the space to express themselves. You think you know what everyone wants and because you are lowkey controlling, you make decisions for others -- can you be any fuckin' worse? No wonder people don't really like hanging out with you lol. By the way, you are so dense. For being a mercury ruled moon, you would think you'd be better at reading people and yet, you constantly miss the red flags in others. What's it like being a door mat? It's like you know they hurt you, you know they are sus, and you don't care. LOL btw y'all are really big cry babies and so sensitive sometimes. You'd think that being a gemini moon would make you easy going, but you walk around and act like you have a stick up your ass. Your submissive nature is 10000% your decision but you have this talent of blaming other people for why you have codependency issues, let's call you the King/Queen of Projection. You act out, you push people away, you start fights and for what? For people to pay attention to you? lol that's sad. Why do you feel you are only worthy of getting attention when there's controversy? When you act out of character? Is it because you feel like no one cares about what you have to say unless you're being the worst version of yourself? Is that why you are so skilled at wearing masks with people? Maybe if you spent more time figuring your shit out, spending more time with yourself, and less time giving a fuck about others, you'd be able to heal the identity you shattered trying to morph into whatever everyone else wanted you to be. Basically, FIGURE OUT WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE SO YOU CAN STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE TO SECURE PEOPLE.

Moon in 3H

WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?! You wishy-washy bitch you lol. (pls don't take this seriously this is a roast ok? ily) But fr, who even are you? Because you switch up your entire personality depending on the group of people you're around. You think no one notices this but I promise you they do and they're tired of your shit. A lot of people probably find you unreliable because you also seriously lie...over dumb things too? Like, who lies about what they had for breakfast? Pfft. This need to maintain a certain level of "mystery" is actually kinda cringe because you are actually so transparent. Also, you do realize you cause a lot of your own problems, right? No one can drive people away better than you can, huh? :) Your need for banter and excitement is all fun and games until it became really fucking annoying. People do not like to constantly be poked and picked at and tested. Especially if you think you're some prize to win over. Speaking of being some prize... your ego though? It's like to feel intelligently superior, your say a whole lot of nothing polished in purple prose to humiliate others. Imagine being so insecure with yourself that you feel the need to verbally tear down the ones who are just plain doing better than you in life. Your problem is that you spend so much time focusing on the people around you, wanting to gain their approval, wanting to be the center of attention, that you actually end up losing sight of your identity and you become this annoying asshole 😅🙈 By the way, you definitely do talk soooo much shit about people, and yes it is so unnecessary. MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED YAPPIN YOUR TRAP ABOUT PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE WOULDN'T ALWAYS LEAVE YOU or fantasize about leaving you for your much hotter family member, sibling, or friend 🤭

Pt. 2-4 are coming x

[ghostzzy]

my turn to have a meltdown. several paragraphs of unhinged mommy issues under the cut.

(& because now i’m triggered and paranoid — mom, if ur checking my blog, you shouldn’t be, and also do not fucking read this.)

it’s so hard for me to believe i am Complexly Traumatized because especially for the first 10ish years of my life i was really well taken care of. i experienced no material neglect or abuse in that period of my life, at least not at home.

but then i think abt everything that came after i turned 10 and it’s like. did my mom really just completely fucking fall apart after she & my dad divorced? or was she always a disaster and i was just too young to understand that it wasn’t normal, and too young to blame her? i can’t remember. i can’t trust what i remember. she’s always loved me. i know that. but was she always this volatile? this changeable? this emotionally immature and stubborn? what did it look like when i cried, as a child? how did she comfort me? how young was i the first time i held her while SHE cried? when i was scared, did she make me feel safe?

and does it even matter? in the face of the last 17 years, does the way she held me as a baby make any difference now? should it?

it would be easier, maybe, if i could say conclusively that she failed me from the start. but i know she always Tried Her Best. was her untreated mental illness her fault? her untreated wounds? the way those wounds bled onto me? am i allowed to hold her accountable for that? to let it affect the way i treat her today?

i don’t know. but i know in my body that i just cannot trust her. cannot feel safe with her. and that’s devastating. and it’s a devastation i am facing down daily now. and i truly don’t know what i’m supposed to do with that. how to act. what to say. how to help her or not help her. how to protect myself without being cruel.

and then i read back over everything i just wrote and i remember a 10 year old is also a child. even if she was a perfect mom for the first 10 years of my life — she was not, after that. she did not take care of me in the ways that i needed, mentally, emotionally, psychologically. she did her best. she put me in strange and unsafe situations. she put me in the position of a friend or a partner, made me feel so important, so trusted, so mature. she isolated me from my family. she let me lose my best friends to her unstable relationships. she put me in the middle of things i shouldn’t’ve even known about. i was her favorite. i watched my brother be her least her favorite.

my brother doesn’t even speak to her anymore. hasn’t in years. when he chose to stay in contact with my dad but completely cut her off, at the time, the narrative of my reality couldn’t accommodate that - i couldn’t understand it. but now i look at it and realize that’s not an action he would take without ample justification. was he right? i think he was. is he still?

she’s sorry. but is she sorry for the right things?

does that matter? should it?

[falling-star-cygnus]

TALK ABOUT MURDER DRONES AND YOUR OPINIONS ON EVERYTHING IN THE SHOW OK THANK YOU

ON IT 💪 -> i was up north without my computer, but i'm here now!

Murder Drones, from a fresh off the grill watcher :D -> THERE WILL BE A PART TWO BC I JUST REWATCHED EPISODE 7 AND HOLY SHIT

y'all definitely make J out to be worse than she actually is -> don't get me wrong, she sucks. She's definitely an awful person, and i don't like her, but her writing is fan-fucking-tastic. It's an 'abused becomes the abuser' type situation, bc J is a victim too, and she's genuinely scared. She can't bully V about it bc yk.. V.. but she CAN take it out on N so she does I'm not excusing her actions btw, J should be held accountable. But some of y'all are making her say slurs and come on now. Media literacy cannot possibly be that dead

anyway, mini J analysis over, FUN STUFF -> like HCs n little details n stuff :D

Uzi REALLY likes stickers and N really likes being decorated by stickers [She makes a bunch of golden retriever ones] -> I like NUzi a lot more than I thought I would considering my tastes in ships, but I genuinely screamed into my pillow during that falling scene. They're so cute <3

I like to think N made tail!Cyn a mini bow so that she'd stop putting one on Uzi [it was giving everybody unneeded flashbacks..] but also bc -> 1. Big Brother Instinct -> 2. Uzi was getting far too close to putting a metal pot over her and asking V to shoot

"THAT WAS YOUR MOM!" *screaming* [ep.7] to "N! MY MOM WAS BACK THERE" *more screaming* [ep.8] this whole arc was amazing -> Uzi's voice actor is SO GOOD too?? i'm like- rewinding every time she talks

[magpod-confessions]

Honestly i wanna hear opinions on season 4, cus im gonna confess i could NOT finish it (didnt move on to season 5 either lol). Got to like ep 135 & i just couldnt tell any of the episodes apart it felt like such a drag; just a slog of misery with some offhand Important 5 Minutes once in a blue moon. I hate repetition & i got the sparknotes from fandom/wiki stuff so yeahhh i just stopped listening; i still love TMA & it’s story & characters, it’s just the execution that got to me RIP

Everything felt kinda forced to me ig? Like there was some shoe-horned “humans are more monstrous than the actual monster” that snuffed S1 Jon’s fun cockiness/jackassery just to make him ? The best one in the archive ??? & all of his wrongdoings are either off-screen or justified by him being tricked into becoming a literal monster against his will (who would STARVE w/o his ‘evil-doings’, which didnt even kill ppl). Also felt like everyone got needlessly dumbed down except for Martin (the Love Interest ofc, who got 180’d from his pre-established incompetency to be some mastermind in a playing field he should have REALLY been inept in) just so they’d be blind to Jon’s situation & be mean to him LMAO

They started trying to make Jon accountable for “choosing this” & i couldnt handle it, held no fucking water to me—the guy being explicitly puppetted & manipulated as the entire plot? That guy is expected to take responsibility here? Felt like some after-thought theme they threw on top of it all. Anyways uhh feel free comment either on what i said and/or your personal thoughts on the season, or nothing if ya got nothing lol

🗣️

Ehh disagree. S4 isnt my fav but I dont think its bad. S1 Jon to s4 jon feels like natural character progression to me. He starts as acting all high and mighty to try hide the fact he has no idea what hes doing and is terrified, and then experiences a lot of ppl dying that he feels is due to him and is his responsibility. At that point his thought pattern is 'I keep messing up and making mistakes and getting myself and everyone around me hurt, so other ppl surely know better'. Hes got a lot of black and white thinking around him, which has been consistent throughout his entire characterization

I dont think any characters were dumbed down either

Melanie was always angry, she only go worse bc she had smth making her think everything she did was justified and when that stopped she became avoidant and stopped lashing out. She was still angry, just managing it better

Basira has always been Daisys no1, the person to justify all of Daisys actions. She knows what daisy did and why its bad but she holds onto the idea that daisy is right in doing so. She blames jon for what he does bc logically she knows its wrong, hurting ppl who havent done anything is wrong, but still excuses daisy bc she needs to. Bc that was a fact of her life and it cannot be wrong. In the unknowning she focuses on facts to keep her grounded and to her 'Daisy is a good person' 'Hurting ppl is wrong' and 'If you hurt ppl you are a bad person' are all facts she needs in her life to stay grounded. How she justifies Daisys actions is by saying that the ppl who daisy hurt were worse and it ultimately helps more ppl to have them gone. Not only can she not do that with Jon, as she believes those he hurts are entirely innocent, she also doesnt care to. Shes not close with Jon and she doesnt have 'Jon is a good person' as a fact in her mind, so she doesnt need to work to excuse his actions. Its all or nothing with her, if you hurt and continue hurting ppl, no matter your reason, you need to stop and the only way you will stop is if you are gone. She also has a lot of black and white thinking, gotta love the autism podcast

Martin being a mastermind in s4 also makes sense bc him being stupid is an act. If ppl think your stupid theyll underestimate you and ultimately leave you alone. They wont scrutinize you, they wont attack every part of you, they will brush it off as just a typical normal thing. It will get you ignored and you cannot be hurt if nobody knows who you are or how to hurt you. Its a lonely miserable existence but its one martins used to. Martin rarely drops the mask of 'Sweet but stupid' bc he needs that to survive and tbh he probably learnt that from needing to survive his mom LOL. Martin just knows and picks the best method of getting ppl to like him, which for him is doing exactly what they want and keeping their expectations low so they wont hurt him as much when they mess up. Honestly in s5 I see him as hes finally got to a place where he doesnt care if everyone hates him, bc he has someone who does and thats all he needs. Hes survived the worst of it and he doesnt care anymore

Part of the reason everyone blames Jon is bc he is there and he is the one who is currently causing the most problems. Also they dont actually see the extent that Jon is manipulated. Elias talks and interacts with Jon differently to how he interacts with others. All of them met Jon when he was already at the institute, they meet him when it does actually look like he made his choice, entirely of his own free will. It doesnt help that daisy is there, someone who completed their transformation like Jon did and turned back on it, and she looks like shes managing well enough. She is surviving without feeding so why cant Jon do the same? Also basira does trust elias on some level. She trusts he knows more than she does and can be an asset if used correctly, which definitely doesnt help things. Also the idea of Elias is locked up, he cant affect Jon anymore so why is Jon still acting this way. Elias has very effectively vilified and isolated jon and jon doesnt fight back against it bc he believes it as well. Other ppl are normally right so why wouldnt everyone be right abt him?

Oh my god that was an essay and I absolutely missed sooo much stuff but idk take that - rosette

i literally have nothing to add . rosette sincerely you are insane and i love that . i honestly don't have a lot of s4 opinions that i could really put down , but i also disagree anon . s4 may not have been the best , but it certainly wasn't Bad or not enjoyable to listen to . coming from someone who has listened to the podcast twice now [ and who is planning on a third relisten ] , i really do enjoy s4 as a whole . martin's buildup and his manipulation of peter lukas is honestly one of my favourite parts , because it has been said that martin was originally going to be apart of the mother of puppets ! this shows that part of martin we didn't get to see but has been there . i got distracted and don't remember what else i was gonna type um . whoops - deceit

[not-glorfindel-stop-asking]

["Lindircident", S*xual harassement: update]

I need to address something very important for clarity's sake, especially for those who have been commenting or sending messages: @balrogballs is NOT responsible for the harassment I’ve been receiving.

It’s deeply unfair that some people are trying to pin blame on them when they have done nothing wrong. Balrog merely expressed their thoughts, and somehow, a twisted narrative has emerged in which they are being held responsible for the actions of others. Let me be clear: no one deserves to be dragged into this mess, especially when they were not the cause of it in any way, shape, or form. The blame rests solely with the individuals who have been sending degrading, inappropriate messages—not with anyone who is simply speaking their mind or offering their perspective.

Now, to those who have suggested that I should have just "deleted the comments/asks", mentioned I do not want this on my page, or done something differently, I need to make something absolutely clear: I did report many of those comments.

I added it in my pinned post.

I repeated it multiple times that I do not want sexual or nsfw messages in my inbox.

I do not stand for harassment, and I took the necessary steps to report the hateful, disrespectful, and vile messages I received. But here’s the reality: I cannot be a cop 24/7 on a roleplay blog.

This is not a platform where I should have to constantly police every interaction or be expected to monitor it like a full-time job. I do my best to manage my space and protect the people I care about, but at the end of the day, this blog is meant to be a creative, safe space for myself and others, not a battleground where I’m constantly fighting off disgusting comments and dealing with people who have no regard for boundaries.

The main issue here is not whether I deleted comments fast enough or did enough to prevent everything from escalating—it’s the fact that these comments were made in the first place.

People shouldn’t have to be policing their inboxes and comments like this. It shouldn’t be a situation where any of us feel like we’re walking on eggshells or being forced to explain why certain comments and behaviors are degrading, inappropriate, and completely unacceptable. It is not my responsibility to fix the issues caused by others who feel entitled to send disgusting, harmful messages. The core issue is the behavior of these individuals, not how quickly I can delete or block them.

Balrogballs is not responsible for the disgusting and vile things some individuals are sending my way.

There are people— for reasons I cannot fathom— who seem to view Lindir as nothing more than a fucktoy and feel entitled to send unsolicited, degrading messages straight into my inbox, because I rp as Lindir. This behavior is absolutely, unequivocally not a reflection of Balrog in any way, shape or form, and it is entirely on those individuals who have chosen to cross every boundary in the worst way possible. It is incredibly frustrating and deeply unfair that, somehow, some people are trying to associate Balrog with this level of disrespect, when all they did was express their opinion or thought.

The harassment, the nastiness, and the insults directed at them— those are the actions of people who choose to engage in inappropriate, unwarranted behavior. Balrog did not ask for this, nor did they do anything that would have made this kind of response in any way acceptable. It’s not their fault.

And let me make sure anyone reading this understands that no one should have to bear the weight of others’ unprovoked cruelty, especially when they are just minding their own business or expressing a simple viewpoint.

We should all be able to enjoy these spaces and interact with each other without fear of harassment. This isn’t just a personal issue; it’s a community issue. We need to stop normalizing this kind of treatment and start holding people accountable for their actions, rather than placing the blame on those who are simply trying to create or enjoy content.

Harassing Balrog or being nasty to them in any way is not the answer, and it won’t undo the hurtful messages or disgusting content that has been sent to my account. If anything, it only makes things worse and continues the cycle of unnecessary pain and suffering for everyone involved. I understand the desire to defend me or speak out against what’s been happening, but attacking Balrog isn’t going to fix anything. They are not responsible for what others have done, and taking that anger out on them only shifts the focus away from the issue in the first place, which is the harassment I’ve been receiving and the fact people do not understand that "no" means "no".

By harassing or blaming Balrog, all it does is add more fuel to the fire and hurt someone who has done absolutely nothing wrong. It’s not going to erase the vile messages or somehow undo the harm that’s already been done. What it will do is hurt someone who has been unfairly dragged into this mess, causing more unnecessary distress and potentially putting them in a situation where they feel they have to defend themselves when they were never part of the problem in the first place. This isn’t helping me, and it certainly isn’t helping anyone.

I do appreciate the support, and I know people mean well when they speak out, but I need to be clear: this is not the way to defend me or anyone else involved.

There are better, more constructive ways to handle this situation without turning on others. We can stand against the hate, speak out against the harassment, and protect those who need it without resorting to more cruelty. What’s happening now only makes the situation worse, and I ask that everyone consider the consequences of their actions before they lash out in anger. The real solution lies in holding the people responsible for this behavior accountable—not in attacking people who aren’t at fault.

The awful things that have been said and the slurs that have been thrown around have nothing to do with Balrog. They didn’t send those comments, they didn’t encourage any of this inappropriate behavior, and they are in no way to blame for what some people have chosen to do. It is entirely on those who are sending these kinds of messages, who feel entitled to make others uncomfortable and violate boundaries for the sake of a joke. The people making these jokes about sexual assault or treating Lindir like a sexual disposable object to use and abuse aren’t the ones trying to be supportive or respectful—they are the ones spreading harm, and they need to be held accountable for their actions, not Balrog.

To blame Balrog for something that is entirely the fault of these anonymous individuals is not just wrong, it’s unfair. They are not the source of this problem, and they should not be dragged into it. The people responsible for sending these slurs and disgusting comments are the ones we need to focus on, not someone who simply expressed their opinion or engaged in discussion. Balrog deserves respect, not to be caught up in this mess. Let’s direct our energy to where it actually matters—against those responsible for these harmful actions.

So, let me say this once: Do not send hate to Balrogballs. Do not harass them. Do not turn this into a cycle of nastiness under the guise of “defending” anyone. If you actually care about the principles at stake here, then practice what you preach and behave accordingly.

Balrog, I am truly sorry that you’re receiving nasty messages and harassment in some misguided attempt to “defend” my blog. That is not what I want, and it’s not something I condone. No one should be treating you poorly because of this situation—especially not over something you were never responsible for in the first place.

I appreciate people speaking up when they see something wrong, I really do, but turning around and sending hateful messages to you does nothing to fix the issue. It doesn’t erase what’s been sent to me, it doesn’t hold the real offenders accountable—it just spreads more harm and drags innocent people into a mess they never asked for. That isn’t “defending” me in any meaningful way. It’s just creating more hurt, and that is the last thing I want.

You didn’t deserve to be pulled into this, and I hate that people are being nasty to you over something that had nothing to do with you. I can only imagine how frustrating and exhausting this must be, and I truly regret that this situation has led to you being treated unfairly. You should not be catching strays over this, and I hope people take a step back and realize that sending you hate does absolutely nothing to help anyone.

_ OP

[moonbunscafe]

Showtime server, community, fans, etc. Please read.

(Reblogs are encouraged)

It has seemed like they had not heeded their warning seriously.

After I had made that document, it appears the server has refused to cooperate with my ultimatum and has not sent me a single apology either publicly or privately. Saving for three members who had approached me by DMs to apologise about their behaviour, the admins and mods who are solely responsible for cultivating the chaos in the first place have yet to do the same. Every public action deserves a public consequence, which means a proper public apology post.

What I received instead is blatant denial of action and refusal to take accountability as shown here:

Side note: There were many more messages from the server users panicking about the fact they were caught and not actually acknowledging their behaviour. I only added these two for summary sake and to highlight how their mindset on all this went in a nutshell.

Please excuse my heavy language, but the attitude displayed in these messages by these people is deeply fucking abhorrent. Is it really this easy to brush aside someone you've been tormenting ever since they entered this fandom space? How aren't you phased when an entire document more than ten pages was made on you and exposed all your wrongdoings? How do you genuinely not feel ashamed?

I made a vow in my last document that actions have consequences and I will follow up on my statement. I know any follow up apology is to be disingenuous and they would not hesitate to do the same, if not worse, with another smaller artist.

Since this is their reaction to their victim calling them online stalkers/harassers, I doubt there is any need for hope held for this situation any longer.

It is simply over, and I am done.

As I had swore, I will proceed with reporting the Showtime server for their harmful and abusive actions. It genuinely pains me that has led to this, because it was never supposed to if they had owned up for their misbehaviour. But I refuse to be walked all over and not hold my ground, just as they did by refusing to admit to their flaws.

It is too late and you cannot stop me.

(For those unaware, please click here to understand the full story.)

[gunpowder-arti]

(Why I Think) Five Pebbles Is Not A Child

hello, all. it is 2am and i have An Opinion. you know what that means! essay

...okay, i might have lied; this will likely not be a proper essay because (upon looking through his dialogue on the wiki) this is very fucking hard to collect evidence for. not because it is unsupported in the text, but rather because it is attempting to refute a position that, in itself, i have seen little of others' specific reasoning for. It is a response, so to speak, to an argument that does not exist.

still, I will try, even though it's difficult, because this specific interpretation irks me and one thing about me is that when someone gets my blorbos slightly wrong I will attempt to write an essay about it regardless of whether i need to, want to, or should.

of course, mandatory disclaimer that you shouldn't, necessarily, trust me on this. I'm just some creature on the internet, what do I know? I'm not necessarily right about any of this, and you shouldn't feel pressured to change your personal interpretation because i, hollow gunpowder-arti, made a late-night post about it.

THAT BEING SAID,

I, personally, believe that Five Pebbles is not a child. I, personally, am somewhat uncomfortable with depictions of him as such.

the only proper 'evidence' I have heard for this stance is that he 'acts immaturely' (i believe generally referring to his behavior before and during spearmaster's campaign? i.e. the moon incident)--which I will concede, he does. but there is a difference between acting immature and being a child.

I will point out, also, that many times these narratives push either Moon, the Artificer, or both into a maternal role towards him--you all know my grievances with Fanon Motherly Arti, but even beyond that, it feels very.... iffy, to me.

I find that many times this idea attempts (either overtly or likely unintentionally) to absolve him of blame for his actions. which... five pebbles is not an unsympathetic or villainous character by any means. I mean that wholly and fully, in fact, I do relate to him in several ways (or... did, moreso when the hyperfixation was in full swing :P).

the situation is very complex, and Five Pebbles is not a bad person. That being said, he made terrible mistakes with terrible consequences. he acted rashly, impulsively, and, yes, at times cruelly. interpreting him as a child (and therefore not to be blamed for acting childishly), however, takes away a lot of this complexity--i would say almost as much, if not as much as interpreting him wholly villainously. because he was partially to blame. congratulations, you have made a perfectly good complex character and made him into a sweet innocent mockery of himself, who cannot be held accountable for his errors because he was a child and it was in his nature and he could not help it.

...if you cannot tell, this interpretation is very, very frustrating to me.

I... would like to go on, but I feel like I would just end up restating what I've already said. So. That's it, I guess.

One last reminder (which i do not think will be necessary, but you never know) to please not harass people on my behalf of course. This is not to say those who follow this interpretation are Problematic, simply to explain my reasoning for disagreeing with and even disliking it.

...how do I end this post. Bye, I guess?

[thehauntingsofficial]

(Not aimed at you, just everyone in general! <3)

If there are people going around into accounts ask boxes/dms to warn others of asgards-trickster-god, please take into consideration that trickster can use this and twist it to their narrative under ‘proof of harassment’ to the very people you are trying to warn.

I know it is likely done with the best intentions, to genuinely want to warn people and make them aware, but unfortunately, you cannot force someone to listen to those who have come forward with their experiences and believe them - which sucks, but that’s the internet! These people are also not your responsibility, they have access to the documentation and the evidence, and if they still choose to support them, then unfortunately, that’s their prerogative.

Eventually, they’ll figure it out when/if history repeats itself and it happens to them. I know people want to save them the hurt and possible trauma of that, but the more you try to warn and push them to listen, the more likely it is that they will blindly believe trickster and continue to support them.

This isn’t meant as a mean comment, this is just a genuine observation of how trickster works and how your actions can and will be held against you and twisted, even if you did it with the best of intentions :-( I spent most of my childhood living with a manipulator, manipulators rely on their victims lashing out/breaking/doing something about it so they can twist it and use it as a ‘gotcha’ moment and wield it as a weapon/defence.

If no one has been sending such asks or dms, then we know who likely did, for the exact reason I listed above - to fabricate evidence that people are indeed harassing their followers/and them.

Again, this isn’t meant to be mean or having a go, just a genuine bit of advice and perspective. /genuine <3

Hey there! I will say, we've warned people via dms earlier (If I recall, three), but we've since moved past that due to the realization that LLD thrives off all that attention, no matter how bad. I can't say that no one else is sending out warnings, but it's out of our control and certainly not me.

If anyone who is sending the messages is reading this, we don't condone harassment- that includes bringing others into this drama. My best advice is to take a step back, support from the sidelines is very important in these situations :)

[sabineelectricheart]

Lipstick Marks

Summary: Crius has a meeting today. An earlier encounter might lead to an embarrassingly pleasant situation.

Rating: K+ - Suitable for more mature childen, 9 years and older, with minor action violence without serious injury. May contain mild coarse language. Should not contain any adult themes.

Words: 1000

Notes: Heheheh silly little man with his silly little feelings...

While there are several things Crius loves about Anastasia, by far his favorite is how she just cannot seem to keep her hands off of him.

Where he was accustomed to being the affectionate one, the needy one, she're apparently determined to make him seem downright aloof. It is funny, yes, to see that wilful girl, self-sufficient and impetuous, mewl like a little kitten when they are alone together, yes, but it is, more than anything, it is quite pleasant for himself to be the subject of this devotion. It made him a silent sort of giddy, the greedy demands for her time and love disguised into a light and soft tease over the hands and mouth that pepper and pin him down, unrepentant, in position. Not that he resisted too valiantly, or even resisted at all.

His estate might not be particularly large, even with the trickling addition of whatever comes as inheritance from the Lynzel marquisate, but his darling wife had no interest in managing it. It is all fine and good for him, let the accountants and butlers handle the boring business that interest neither of them. Likewise, she was not one for a life of leisure, swinging between salons, gatherings and courtly life, such as her stepmother used to do long before.

Oh, no. Anastasia’s place is with the Knights of Garuda, and of that she made everyone quite clear with that same imperious temperament he loves so much. Which means, much to her husband’s satisfaction, that she would come into work with him every day, and, well, Crius found that caring for the goddess’ birds can be a part-time job if you are good at it.

Which is not to say that he is very assiduous at even that. Already late to his next appointment with the royal treasurer on the ever pressing and seemingly-always relevant subject of funding for the order, his wife has him stuck at the stables, giggling like a pubescent schoolgirl struck with her first passion. Her lips are warm and ticklish at his neck, his jaw, his cheek, and she has both her hands tangled up in his hair, holding him in place for her relentless assault.

Of course, he could get away if he wanted to. His wife is a talented hunter and bower, but is half his size. He just does not. He certainly will not.

"Lord Commander, sir!" One of the squires addresses nervously, a bag of fodder held up to his chest like a shield. The poor teen was probably taken off his task to face the commander’s wrath by his cowardly company. "Sorry, sir, it is just that the master is waiting for you at your office, and he looks impatient. You are due…"

Before Crius can threaten bodily harm on the squire, who is shivering like an anxious little dog, for the interruption, Anastasia relinquishes her hold on him, laughing a little breathlessly.

"Sorry, sorry, it is all my fault.” She apologises amiably, feeling bad for the squire, but not truly regretful about her own transgression. “Please, regard my excuses to the master, but I must get going, too. There are chores to be made.”

He does wish to say something undignified, but he settles on, “Waiting might just be an elucidating experience for a man like the master.”

The redhead suppresses a smirk. “Go, Crius. I shall see you tonight, yes? With good results, I hope. I will miss you!"

"Very well, then." The man answers with a dazed, lovesick smile, that seems to both spook and charm the poor squire standing awkward to the corner, still unaccustomed to how things functioned up there. "I miss you already."

Anastasia kisses her husband once more on the lips, and Crius cannot help but watch as she goes off. The squire seemed to have something else to say, but a harsh look communicating his perilous position shot by the commander and the teen boy suddenly seemed awfully interested in his bag of fodder and how the garudas must be very hungry indeed.

On the way to his office, knights, squires and servants kept doing double-takes as he passes. Some, the older ones in their employ, snicker to themselves and gossip like wives as he passes. Others, gawk with their mouths open, too scandalised to avert their prying eyes. The envoy from the royal treasury, on his part, has his cheeks coloured and an expression of deep displeasure when he reaches the office.

He is used to attention, after so many years there would be no way not to be, and he even welcomes it at the measure it can help in his aims. It is easy for him to disregard the look of others, but he does not fully realize why they were looking at him like that until, some fifteen minutes into a discussion about budgetary limitations of the Crown, he happens to run his eyes through the mirror he keeps off to a wall.

Just about every inch of his face is stained with distinctively lip-shaped red marks. His once neatly combed hair is mussed into a wild curve that makes him laugh as soon as he sees it. Even his clothes, if he bothered to look down, he would see that he is missing his holster and his tie is undone.

The conversation immediately falls into a lull. Crius just leans back in his chair, admiring the undeniable proof that he belongs to someone. He huffs a little chuckle, lifting a gloved hand to almost reverently touch one of the kisses painted on his cheek. Anastasia certainly knew what she was doing.

Looking at the master, he just offers a giddy little shrug. "Life of a man in love, am I right?"

Crius grins through his entire appointment. Even after the lipstick is wiped away, he can still feel the lingering warmth of her love on his skin, in the beat of his heart, and in the butterflies fluttering about his stomach.

*_*_*_*_*

Even If Tempest Masterlist