#i know i shouldn't care but it confuses me and even though i respect them for it I'm still intrigued to know if i did something

[soothsayerlottie]

my period has me paranoid and depressed and jealous and super emotional in ways I don't want to be...

[cece693]

Protect (Hannibal Lecter x Gender Neutral Reader)

Summary: You didn't care if people were against your relationship with Hannibal, calling you all names under the sun for managing to 'bewitch' one of Baltimore's highest socialites, but Hannibal was a different story.

tags: teaching a lesson, Hannibal really just wants to protect you, murder (duh)

"Hannibal, please tell me you didn't kill him." You whined, looking at your lover, who couldn't even bother to feign confusion, simply letting one of those small, knowing smiles grace his face.

You turned back to TattleCrime, reading all about the mysterious disappearance of Alan Wright, one of Baltimore's more notable socialites. Theories of who could've done it, along with useless testimonies from people who 'loved' him and wanted him back, filled the page. With a frustrated sigh, you closed the laptop and stood up from the couch.

"We talked about hunting too close to home. What if they trace it back to you?"

"They won't." Hannibal reassured, his voice laced with a smugness that you couldn’t help but resent. If you were a normal person, the knowledge that you were sleeping with a cannibalistic serial killer would have sent you running for the hills, but you weren’t sane.

Hannibal's ideology, while disturbing, was understandable, honorable even. Rudeness was intolerable (something you wholeheartedly agreed with), but you could overlook it under special circumstances—this moment constitutes as one.

"Hannibal, you can't kill every person who speaks unfavorably of me. That would draw even more unwanted attention from the police and FBI."

Hannibal’s jaw clenched, a clear signal that your words had struck a nerve. He knew you were right—lately, Will and Jack had begun to suspect him, their eyes narrowing in on the smallest inconsistencies. There was no need to get sloppy and provide them with the evidence they so desperately sought.

"Alan Wright wasn’t just unfavorable." he began, his tone measured and calm. "He was a vile creature, filled with envy and spite. He demeaned you, reduced you to nothing more than a trophy, a shallow figure climbing the social ladder." His words were sharp, each one cutting deeper as he continued. "He dared to belittle what we share, to trivialize it. How could I stand idly by while he poisoned others with his malicious lies?"

"Lies." you interjected, your voice firm but calm. "You said it yourself—baseless assumptions that hold no power."

Hannibal’s eyes narrowed slightly, his jaw tightening again as he processed your words. "Perhaps they were lies." he conceded, though his tone suggested he was far from convinced. "But lies, when spoken by someone with influence, can become a dangerous truth in the minds of others. Alan had a way of manipulating those around him, of planting seeds of doubt and suspicion."

You could see the frustration building in him, the way his control was slipping with each passing moment. "But those seeds would have withered without attention." you pressed, trying to make him see your reasoning.

"They didn’t deserve your time, your energy, or your wrath. It shouldn't matter what others think of us. That would be pedestrian, don't you agree?" You knew it was petty, but Hannibal had to understand the irrationality behind his actions.

"Pedestrian." He echoed, the word seeming to weigh heavily on his tongue. "Perhaps so. But it is not merely about the opinions of others. It’s about the principle of the matter, and the respect I feel you deserve."

Hannibal’s gaze softened, but the intensity in his eyes remained. "You underestimate how far I’m willing to go to protect you, to protect us." he murmured, his voice low and almost tender, though a dangerous edge lingered beneath. "Alan Wright wasn’t just a man spreading lies—he was a threat, one that I could not allow to fester."

You sighed, your frustration growing as you saw no change in Hannibal's mind. "But at what cost? You can’t kill every person who sees us differently, who doesn’t understand what we have. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not worth the risk."

Hannibal’s expression hardened, the control he’d been holding onto slipping further. "I won’t let anyone take you from me." he said, his voice rising, the calm facade beginning to crumble. "Not Alan Wright, not anyone. They will not diminish what we share, what we could become. I will protect you from all threats, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to you."

His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his conviction. You could feel the storm building inside him, the way his emotions were beginning to spiral out of control. But even as he unraveled, you couldn’t help but feel a deep, conflicted pull toward him—a mix of fear, admiration, and something else you couldn’t quite name.

"Hannibal." you said softly, stepping closer to him, trying to bring him back. "I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. But we need to be smart about this. We can’t let emotions drive us to do something we’ll regret."

For a moment, Hannibal didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on some distant point as if lost in his own thoughts. But then, slowly, he seemed to regain control, his breathing steadying, the wildness in his eyes dimming. He looked at you, really looked at you, and the tension in his body eased.

"You’re right." he finally said, though the words seemed to come with difficulty. "We must be careful. But never doubt my commitment to us, to you. I will protect what we have with everything I am."

[rainydayathogwarts]

Hey I’m the anon that asked about the JJ fic. I’m so sorry i definitely should’ve checked who you wrote for. If it’s ok could you please do the same prompt but with Emily instead? Thank you so much and sorry again

Hey! It's absolutely no worries, there's nothing to apologise for! Your request just reminded me that I had made a list of characters I wrote for but when I went to look for it, I couldn't even find it, so how was I supposed to expect other people to? Anyway, I hope you like the fic!

summary: tatted!reader is new to the team and she talks back to Emily so one day after work Emily corners her and teaches her a lesson about respect. warnings: public sex (parking lot), bratty!reader (i think), fingering, dom!emily (who's also kind of a bitch:)) 1.4k+ wc

When Emily first joined the team, it had taken people time to warm up to her, so she knew the importance of showing kindness and respect to new members of the team. However, when she'd seen you walk through the bullpen doors for the first time, she knew she'd have a problem with you on the team. Not for any personal reasons per se, but rather due to the effect you had on her. Clearly a few years younger than the others on the team, you walked confidently, wearing an all black outfit; trousers and a top with elbow-length sleeves that put no effort in covering the tattoos snaking down your arms. Emily briefly wondered where else you had tattoos that she couldn't see.

"Well that's no good." Had muttered Derek, trying to hide his smirk while looking up at Emily's reaction to you walking in. It didn't take a profiler to figure out she was attracted to you, and unfortunately for her, you were able to read all her signs. Over the first month of you working at the bau, you had pieced together why she could barely hold eye contact with you, avoiding speaking to you altogether until her behaviour completely changed and she started acting bossy towards you, holding eye contact for perhaps a little too long, trying to intimidate you. She was unsuccessful. Even though you didn't mind that she liked you, sharing knowing glances with Derek, who you had quickly grown close to, you didn't appreciate being treated any less nicely than your other teammates due to a little crush.

One day, on a local case in Quantico, you and Emily had been put in charge of getting lunch by the big bossman Hotch, a list of everyone's order written on your phone. "Hey, y/n," Emily started, at the end of a very awkward drive. You hummed, turning your head to face her. "I'm just saying this out of care for you, coworker to coworker. I don't think your tattoos being on display is professional for work. Strauss wouldn't appreciate them." You tried not to let your annoyance show on your face, instead shooting her a smile and saying "Well I'm sure Strauss would appreciate the fact that they don't get in the way of my work, wouldn't she?"

It was obvious to the rest of the team when you returned that tensions between you and Emily were high. Emily tossed the takeaway bags on the table with an irritated sigh, her jaw clenched tightly. You sat on your chair around the circular table in the conference room, tugging your sleeves higher up your arm. "Hey guys," You started smugly "do you think Strauss would have a problem with my tattoos?" You got a mix of responses, starting with JJ's "Well, she hired you so..." And Derek's straightforward "No she shouldn't." while Spencer only stared in confusion, glancing between you and Emily. "Yeah, I didn't think so." You stated, looking straight up across the table where Emily sat, opening her container of food.

That night, you and Emily had been the last to leave, frantically finishing up your reports. It was a silent race, an unspoken battle. You slammed your last file close in victory, running up to Hotch's office to hand it in before packing up your things, hoping to get to the elevator before Emily magically finished her reports too. Fetching your keys out of your bag when the elevator doors opened, you clicked the button to unlock your car, jogging to pull the door open and dropping your bag on the driver's seat when a shout of your name had you shutting the door frustratedly, spinning on your heels. "Oh shit." You mumbled, watching the taller woman storm over to you. You could just get in your car and drive away before she got to you, but... you were intrigued.

You stumbled backwards when she kept on charging your way despite how close she already was to you, your back hitting the cold steel of your car. The woman stood chest to chest with you, a hand coming to rest on your car right next to your head, dropping the bag she carried on the floor next to your feet. "What, so you think it's funny to just call me out like that in front of all my coworkers?" She seethed, her face only inches away from yours. Your breath shook when you replied "Well I wanted to hear their insight on what Strauss would think of my tattoos before I did anything about it." Gasping at the hand grabbing your waist, you couldn't help but glancing down at Emily's lips, licking your own in the heat of the moment

Emily's breath hit your face when she chuckled and you swallowed, thighs clenching slightly. "It's so fucking obvious that you want me." She scoffed, hand on your waist lowering to grip your hip. "Says you. Couldn't make eye contact with me for a month." You squealed when her lips hit yours in a desperate kiss, both your hands coming up to cup her jaw. Emily pushed her knee between your legs, thigh pressing against your pussy, making you gasp. She took the opportunity to slip her tongue in your mouth, moaning when she felt you grind your hips down on her thigh. "Take this as a sign to respect people when they give you advice, okay?" She panted, biting down on your lower lip. You whined, pushing her away from you by the shoulders so you could bite back with "What kind of advice is telling me to cover up my tattoos?"

"Well unless you want me pouncing on you every day, I'd suggest you take it." She whispered before reconnecting your lips together, her hand lowering from the side of your face so she could unbutton your trousers. Tugging Emily closer to you, you briefly separated your lips from hers to whisper "Yeah, no way I'm taking that advice." Your words were cut off into a gasp when Emily slid her fingers under your panties, finding your clit in no time. "Emily, we're gonna get caught!" You whispered, all hints of sass leaving your voice. "Not if you stay quiet sweetheart." She kicked one of your legs to the side, making you spread them further as she rubbed your wetness around your entrance, pressing kisses on your neck.

Probing two fingers at your entrance, she slowly sunk them into your core, observing your face carefully. The second your jaw fell open, a loud whine escaping you, she slapped her free hand on top of your open mouth, quickly averting her gaze to the rest of the parking lot, making sure you in fact would not get caught. "What did I just say?" She angrily muttered, pressing herself against you even more, trapping you between her body and your car. Both your arms moved, one wrapping over her shoulder to help hold you up, the other coming up so you can grip her bicep tightly. Her fingers were quick to move in and out of you, the graphic squelching noises louder than the sounds of pleasure you were making, head leaning back against the cool steel of your black car with your eyes shut tightly.

Desperate for more friction, your thighs squeezed around Emily's hand, a silent plea for more. Her hand didn't budge against your mouth, even when you drooled on it, instead slowing the hand inside you so she could rub your clit with her thumb while thrusting in and out of you. You're sure her hand will start cramping at any moment now. Your brows furrow, and you moan quietly against her, accepting the forehead kisses she gives you as a compromise for trying to stay quiet. You try telling Emily you're going to cum, but your words muffle against her hand. However, she somehow gets the hint from the way you give her a desperate look and your thighs start shaking, moans getting harder to compress. "Shhh, good girl, good girl." She mutters, leaning so close to you her breath hits your ear.

When your quiet moans subside, Emily finally removes her hand from over your mouth, instead using it to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. She lets you catch her breath before pulling out of you, buttoning up your trousers while you observe her quietly. "Thank you." You finally say timidly. Emily grins, leaning in for one last kiss. "How about you let me take you out on a date this weekend." You nod with a laugh, turning around to tug your car door open. "Oh my god, we're so dumb." You gasp, spinning to face Emily again. At her confused expression, you continue, stating "We could have done all of that in my fucking car." Emily laughs, leaning down to pick up her bag before she walks off, calling out "Good night!"

[tex-treasure-chamber]

F. Anderson & a vampire reader that kept their faith (this is Christian oriented, mind, for maximum angst)

G!n reader and relationship unclear; I used humour throughout because some of this can feel a bit well hurtful reading, even for me writing it jdjdjd

@tokoyamisstuff here is the post I said I'd make! I hope it helps satisfy those asking for this sort of HC post!

At first, you are an enigma.

No, not an enigma- you're not real to Alexander in the beginning; to him, you simply shouldn't exist (and not just because you're an 'abomination').

You defy his core belief system so succinctly, so precisely, that the moment you mention that you're a Christian (or heaven forbid, Catholic-- he'd prefer it if you were some 'dirty Protestant' than Catholic) he automatically thinks you're lying just to upset him.

I'm so sorry honey but he becomes a total neckbeard about religion toward you for a while :/

I'm talking, "Oh really? Name five parables, explain their meanings, tell me which books they're in, and recite them verse by verse then if you're a PROPER TRUE Christian...... Go on. I'm waiting." about Christianity toward you because you can't be a Christian, you're a bloody vampire! Act like it, damn it!

When you rightly call him out on his awful gaslight girlboss gatekeep behaviour he gets hellllllllllllllla defensive about it. Shuts down and just starts trying to (unsuccessfully) kill you again until taking his leave with a scowl. (Why are you so hard to kill anyway?)

He doesn't care if you didn't choose to be a vampire or if you did- not at this time, anyway. You're damned as far as he's concerned and he doesn't care (yet)

Each time you meet afterwards for the longest time, he calls you a false worshipper either to your face or inside his mind.

Also, each time you just smile that close lipped smile, politely hiding your fangs, telling him you forgive him for his hostility in that genteel tone, each time you 'turn the other cheek' and don't rise to the bait he tries to ensare you with to argue with you, the sight of it eats him up inside that much more.

He wants you to get angry-- no. He NEEDS you to get angry at him, needs you to lash out, to prove to him that you aren't as saintly as he thinks you're pretending to be. When you don't, when you just escape him, it leaves him feeling so hollow and confused inside.

'What's real? Surely Y/N isn't a real believer- how can they be?' He thinks when he should be sleeping, 'It's impossible- vampires are beyond salvation, aren't they? God has no love for creatures such as these, isn't that right? Surely I'm right, surely God--'

Wait. Is he ....? Trying to speak for God?

He closes his eyes. Goes to sleep.

It's not until you've managed to earn his respect just by being the you that you are that he even begins to consider that MAYBE.... you're telling the truth.

The implications that you even might be telling the truth only send Alexander deeper into a spiral of confusion as your very existence forces him to reevaluate what he knows of his own God vs what Iscariot has drilled into his head for years.

When he catches you praying on his behalf, praying to God and asking that He 'forgive Father Anderson' for his behaviour toward you..... that's when the change in his heart begins to start.

How could he cling onto the doubt fueled by his innate hatred of vampires when he's heard you ask God to forgive him?

It slips out of his hands slowly but surely like sand from the beach.

The next time you see him, he's... he's quieter. He doesn't stand as tall; he hunches in just a little as though trying to get a better look at you.

"Why do you still believe in a God who has forsaken you?" He asks, the usual contempt and arrogance in his voice snuffed out, replaced with only meek wonder.

There are so many ways to answer that; whatever way you do answer, it only leaves Alexander a little awestruck by you.

He asks for forgiveness. Truly asks. "Y/N, I... I'm sorry. Sorry for the way I treated you. Sorry for what I've said, what I've called you." he says, and it's clear from the slow, careful way he speaks that this is all a bit rusty on his tongue but he means every syllable.

Your forgiveness feels like a stifling blanket- it's too much; he doesn't deserve it. He knows he doesn't. He's already gotten to the point of thinking about how if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't handle the behaviour he had shown you with such kindness, such... grace.

From that moment on, he's there for you. He can't imagine the psychological stress of being a vampire and a person of faith might do to you, can't imagine the struggle you face daily with knowing what you are vs knowing what you believe in.

He knows what it's like to struggle with being oneself.

If you didn't choose to be a vampire, he reminds you gently that it's not your fault that you crave blood; it's who you are now, but it isn't who you have to always be.

If you did choose to be a vampire, you must have your reasons. He may not agree or accept them, but he quietly respects them because at the end of the day, your salvation or damnation isn't up to him and he understands that now.

When you express doubt that you'll ever get to Heaven, or that you'll ever see God's face because of your vampirism, he just reminds you that the fact you keep trying every day to be good and do good despite your vampiric condition should be enough to earn yourself sainthood.

It's not easy for you.

But it makes it easier now that he knows and supports you.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

how do you keep your faith even while such horrific things are going on in palestine? i've been a christian all my life and i understand that the question of why god allows suffering is one that people have always been asking, that we can never really know the answer to, but it's just so hard for me to see things like this, all of these innocent people being terrorized and murdered in such evil ways, and understand why god can't stop it from happening. in church we pray for both israel and palestine and it feels so pointless, and just makes me frustrated that i can't actually do anything to stop this. especially knowing that even bethlehem, the place of jesus's birth and home to many palestinian christians, is being attacked and churches are being bombed. it seems pretty clear that the people committing these atrocities are never going to open their hearts and stop, and the world leaders who would have the power to make them stop either don't care or directly support them. i do not want to believe that god doesn't exist, or that god would just sit by and watch all of this happen if it were possible to stop it, but it's such a struggle at times like this. i feel like it shouldn't be and like i should've had this figured out by now. it's okay if you don't answer this, i just love your blog and have learned a lot from it over the years, and am incredibly saddened by the state of the world right now.

Hey there, anon. I feel with you and stand with you in your struggle. I also gently suggest you work on letting go of the sense that you "should" have this figured out by now. Firstly because learning to release myself from "shoulds" is something my therapist taught me and it's been super helpful for showing myself love; secondly because I believe it is deeply, deeply faithful to ask these questions, to demand to know where God is in the face of evil — not just once, but continuously across our lives.

If at any point we think we have it "all figured out," if we think we've reached a fully satisfying solution to the problem of how a good God could "let" evil things happen, we're more likely to be numbed by fatalism or become complacent in the face of injustice. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (may his memory be a blessing) put it when asked why God lets bad things happen to good people,

“God does not want us to understand, because if we ever understood, we would be forced to accept that bad things happen to good people, and God does not want us to accept those bad things. He wants us not to understand, so that we will fight against the bad and the injustices of this world, and that is why there is no answer to that question.”

Ask the questions. Bring all that you feel — your grief, your confusion, your frustration, your doubt, your fear — to God. Study and pray and converse with others.

And while you're doing all that, and accepting that it'll be a lifelong exploration, act.

Let your love, your words, your actions be the divine response to injustice — because for whatever mysterious reason, God chooses to act through us, through all who follow Their call to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly" (Micah 6:8).

___

So yeah, I can't tell you why God doesn't just jump in and stop the evil, why God seems to limit Their own power to intervene (or even to lack that power to begin with), why God respects our free will even when we misuse it to such great harm (though you can see the bottom of this post for places to explore all those questions).

But I can tell you where I believe God is in the midst of all the questions, all the loss, all the suffering — and that's not on some lofty throne indifferently observing our pain; God is right there in the midst of that pain.

Where is God in the face of hate, violence, death? God is co-suffering with us, shouldering the burden with us.

In Exodus 3:7, God says They don't only see the enslaved Hebrews' misery, don't only hear their cries, but that They know the people's suffering — an intimate knowing, as of one who experiences it themself.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that when humanity fails to welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the oppressed, we fail to do those things for him — for he identifies so intimately with all whom the world calls "least" that he is one with each and every one of them.

So I don't know why God doesn't just fix everything, dammit! — it's the first question I'll be asking Xir when I die, because wtf!!

But I do believe, and I do draw some comfort knowing, that God does not leave us to suffer alone. God is one with the oppressed; God shows ultimate solidarity to the oppressed; and God acts with each of us who act for and with and as the oppressed.

And the good news in the midst in this horror is that there are things that all of us can be doing to act in solidarity with the oppressed!

Our efforts truly are making a difference. Politicians and whole governments across the globe have been startled by the resistance to pro-Israeli propaganda and solidarity with Palestine. The change is slow, but our protests are making an impact. Palestinians have been asking that we keep protesting, boycotting, educating, spreading the word. Because it is helping, slowly but surely.

As long as Palestinians refuse to give in to despair, we too must continue to fight. Palestine will be free. We will not stand silent as genocide occurs.

Boycott as many of the companies named by BDS as you can. Notice that they're focusing on a narrower, more targeted group of companies than some of the enormous lists people keep sharing — that's to help us avoid becoming overwhelmed! So boycott what you can from their list; these are the companies directly contributing to Israel's violence. And spread their list to anyone you can.

If you live in a country with a government that has yet to join the call for a ceasefire — and especially if you, like me here in the US, live in a country that is actively funding/otherwise supporting Israel's violence — call or email your representatives to demand a ceasefire.

Resistbot can help make that easy, in the US at least.

Educate yourself about the history of Palestine and Israel. It's important so that you can recognize lies and propaganda, and also so you can speak knowledgeably about the issue with others. It's also important because understanding and simply bearing witness are two big things Palestinians ask of us. You don't need to know everything, but know enough to bear witness, to remember the loss, and to debunk bullshit when you see it.

Here are some places you can get educated — link to free ebooks; article on current events; article with current perspectives from Gaza; and I've been reblogging news & resources as I see them over on @a-queer-seminarian

Post about what Gaza is going through on social media!! Don't let the fight die down! Talk about it with friends or others you think might be swayed to join the fight if they had the information that most media stations are failing to report on.

Stand up against Islamophobia in all forms.

Stand up against antisemitism in all forms. As Christians, this includes recognizing and uprooting supersessionism in our biblical interpretation, our liturgy, our hymns, etc. It also means learning about Christian Zionism.

One of Israel's primary arguments for the "necessity" of its oppression of Palestine is that Israel is necessary because nowhere else on earth is safe for Jews. They're right that nowhere else is safe for Jews; but they're wrong that Israel is safe for Jews — an settler-colonialist state, a war zone, a state that requires every civilian to serve some time in the military, is not safe for Jews either. But as long as they can point to the antisemitism rampant across the globe, they can use that as an argument. So to counter Israel, and much more importantly to stand in solidarity with Jewish people across the world, don't let antisemitism go unchecked.

Join in protests in your area. Follow Jewish Voices for Peace or Jews Against White Supremacy for info on such events.

Link to places to offer fin.ancial support

Want more ways to act? Check out https://www.palestineaction.org/

___

There is no easy answer to the question of suffering — but even so, it can be helpful to explore it deeper, to examine what conclusions others have drawn over the eras. If you want some resources for your wrestling, here are some:

This post goes into the basics of theodicy, the "the intellectual effort to jerry-rig three mutually exclusive terms into harmony: divine power, goodness, and the experiences of evil"

Then there's my #theodicy tag where I put all posts / links about this issue

I also have a long-ass YouTube video diving deep into "the problem of suffering"!

___

I hope this response brings you comfort and courage, friend. Don't be afraid of questions, of grief, of concern — let them galvanize you for the struggle. Solidarity forever <3

[eldritch-spouse]

holy shit pinnie you really know how to write angst. i was reading your posts about Krulu killing the self of admin and i was flat out crying in my bed.

couple curiosities abt it though, is there any possibility that Admin could ever come back to their full self and is Krulu ever haunted by nightmares of Admin? (if he does sleep and dream that is. but i’m imagining like, Krulu finally getting a fitful night of rest and the moment he closes his eyes he’s greeted by admin back to their full self before being forced to lose them again by his own hands) Thank you for the wonderful content pinnie<3 your blog gives me great joy

[You're welcome! Really? Because most angst doesn't really inspire me. Stuff like "well, what if you killed yourself" or sporadic events that cause death just sort of tire me out. "What if reader cuts themselves?"/"what if reader is depressed?". I've grown very tired of those. The thing with you and Krulu was new.]

There were times after that specific scenario where I humored you coming back, but wrong. Not as an undead, but just fucked up. Something happened to your soul during the process, as is likely- Krulu has no idea how difficult it is to pry an intact soul from Dorem's hands these days. And you're clearly not the same person, everyone notices.

You lose track of things, you say stuff that you never would before, you seem genuinely apathetic over most of what goes on, in spite of the way Krulu trained you to feign care and respect. There are moments where that carefully drilled facade falters and you just look... Empty. Confused. As if asking why you're still alive. You're not truly there, some part of you was forever obliterated in this process, memories are missing, your capacity to love is non-existent, as is the ability to hate.

Sometimes, when you have nothing specific to do, you'll grab things that can potentially kill a human and just look at them for a long time. It goes against your indoctrinated mind to hurt yourself, because Krulu would take it as an insult- But you also know that you shouldn't be here. The keeper is calling for your soul. You're lost. Return to him.

Your bizarre behavior doesn't end there, as you've also taken to being amongst corpses when nothing calls to you. It seems right, why aren't you rotting?

You can survive without food for so much longer than you should have. In fact, you hardly have an appetite. You hardly feel pain. Or pleasure. Or most things. Something both the staff and Krulu do their best to collectively ignore.

The bucket tips when Krulu calls you to his floor and silently shows you the raven figurine.

And you, blank as a canvas, with wind in your mind, simply put on the smile you know he likes to see. There's no hint of recognition, no crumb of genuine thought, not even muscle memory seems to have stuck with you.

He's livid beyond words and meaning.

The next day, no one questions what's happening when you start your shift with the very same figurine protruding from your chest in a bloodied mess, where your heart supposedly is. You don't look to be in pain, or care much about it, but it's shattering their illusion.

Because now, they have no choice but to admit that even more irreversible damage was done to you.

Not just your body, but your soul.

In his effort to bring you back, Krulu made sure that there will never be a vestige of you ever again.

And that's enough to make him want to bury himself under The Clergy to die and rot.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

hello! i was wondering if you still wrote for persona 3, could you do general hc's for minako arisato and her s/o that's also in sees?

(Persona 3) Minako's S/O being in S.E.E.S

I sure do! And as a bonus because I miss writing the Arisato's, there's also Twin!AU HC's added (aka both male and fem MC's are present as siblings)

Minako cares for S/O greatly. She'd do anything to not have them in harm's way, doubly so considering her line of work.

Shadows were a threat to humanity, but it comforted her at least to know S/O wouldn't be affected by the Midnight Hour.

Until one night, they were still in a human form when it the clock struck midnight.

Her heart nearly stopped when S/O used an evoker, and summoned their own Persona.

And following that, they were asked to join SEES, much to her dismay and relief.

On one hand, it meant that she could keep an eye on them without worrying if they would get caught in collateral damage.

But now she had to worry about S/O getting killed by a Shadow.

The greatest threat however had yet to come:

Meeting the rest of the dysfunctional squad that were the other SEES members.

===

(Junpei) "Hey, you're S/O, right! Minako here just won't shut up about you!"

(Yukari) "Please, you'd be doing the exact same thing if you were in her shoes."

(Minako) "I'm right here, you guys!"

(S/O) "Minako's told me a lot about you all as well! It's a pleasure to finally-"

Aigis examined S/O closely, her irises seemingly changing focus.

(S/O) "...U-Uh-"

(Aigis) "Confirmed. S/O will not be an issue to Minako's safety."

Noticing their confused expression, Minako stepped in, clearing her throat loudly.

(Minako) "Ahah...d-don't mind her. She's a robot."

(S/O) "She's a what?!"

===

If S/O ever got hurt during their operations, Minako would not hesitate to tear the Shadow apart, but knew she had to keep her head cool.

She was the leader, and the rest of the team would crumble if they saw her panic.

Fighting against innate instincts, even in the heat of battle, she tries to not let her emotions dictate her actions.

BONUS: Twin!AU

Minato knows that his sister wouldn't choose anyone to be her significant other lightly, so he doesn't bat too much of an eye.

Normally if a person was trying to hit on her, he'd interfere immediately with a death glare.

He's respectful, but doesn't show much emotion around S/O.

---

(Minako) "S/O, this is my baby brother, Minato!"

(Minato) "We were born at the same time-"

(Minako) "I was born a couple seconds earlier, so I'm the eldest!"

(S/O) "Hah, nice to meet you!"

Minato simply nodded, his face and voice remaining deadpan.

(Minako) "Don't worry, he's usually this emo around everyone too!"

(Minato) "And she's usually this annoying every day. Though you already knew that, considering you're with her."

(S/O) "Heh, I sure do!"

Minako pouts at the both of them.

(Minako) "Don't call me annoying! And YOU especially shouldn't be agreeing with him!"

---

Minato eventually lets his walls come down around S/O, showing a bit more emotion whenever his sister isn't in the room.

It's usually a gentle smile or an extremely quiet chuckle, but it's a sign of trust.

If his sister trusts them, then he can too.

In battle, Minato makes sure to watch over them for Minako's sake whenever she can't join the team.

He knows it'll give her peace of mind. It'll also shut her up too.

(Minato) "If you ever need some help, don't be afraid to call for me too."

[seangelfish]

Hi, For the flower ask can I request pink camellia and forget me not for izumi please? Thank you

Izumi Sena

🌼 pink camellia: how do they react when their s/o is gone for a week? a month?

– Izumi's actually very mature when you're gone for weeks considering the fact he's also away due to work. So, he isn't going to whine about your absence, but he will miss you a lot.

– He'll try to call you everyday to wish you a good morning or a good night. If he can't do that, he'll text you. His messages are short, but the effort counts. He does send you a few love hearts within them though. When you're away, he does video call you too. He wants to see how you're holding up, and if you're taking care of yourself properly. He wants to know about your day and your emotions. He's pretty attentive and he cares about you so much.

"(Y/N), have you been eating well? You know you shouldn't skip meals," he says, pointing a finger at you through the screen.

"I haven't missed a single one, Izumi!" you reply. "I promise you I'm fine, so don't worry too much, okay?"

He sighs. "Alright..." he says. "I miss you, my love. I hope your trip runs smoothly."

– When you return home though, he's already at the door to greet you with a tight hug. He's also going to scold you for taking so long to return home, but he's just happy that you're finally here with him again. He misses your touch, so he's going to cling onto you the whole day.

🌼 forget-me-nots: what do they do to get their s/o’s attention?

– He isn't going to ask you for your attention... he's going to demand it. It's as simple as that. His words are bold and strong, and he expects you to give him attention at the very moment he requests it.

"(Y/N), come over here," he commands.

You enter the room that he was in, looking at him confused. "What is it, Izumi?" you ask him. You assumed he needed help with something, but he was just laying on your shared bed, his hand urging you to come closer.

"Pay attention to me," he continues. You roll your eyes at this, but a slight smirk appears on your face. You think his little demands are funny.

You do as you're told as you get into bed with him. He automatically wraps his arms around you and a smile creeps up on his face. He snuggles into your neck as you kiss his forehead.

His tone may have been harsh, but he truly means well. He loves you a whole lot. Maybe once you get even closer, the way he gets your attention may be a little bit annoying.

– Of course, if you're busy, he'll leave you be. He respects your time, and will only demand you to give him attention when you're not doing anything important. Though, he wishes that this goes both ways... even when he's the one who's busy, you're still going to annoy him with whatever antics are up your sleeve. But since it's you who's doing it, he's okay with it... sometimes~

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist ; Enstars Plant Asks masterlist | Rules

[alteregomp4]

Lets talk about Lestat and Gabrielle relationship...

HUGE TRIGGER WARNING: for talks of incest. and spoilers for The Vampire Lestat I guess, but once again... talks of incest.

FYI: In no way am I trying to villainize Gabrielle and if it comes off that way that is not my attention as she is also clearly a victim, I view her as such and her story is an interesting one to also dive into especially with the aspects of gender and how society sees gender identity. But we should also acknowledge that victims can sometimes become perpetrators unknowingly sadly, especially due to external factors and deep seated trauma stemming from childhood or events that have happened to that person that are clearly established in the book The Vampire Lestat and throughout the whole series even if unintentional on Anne Rice part. And once again, this is just my point of view and how I interpreted it. I truly just wish people would approach a topic like this with nuance, seriousness, and finally respect as most of the time in the books these subjects are not.

Possible controversial opinion since people love joking about it and even want it in the show which I think that's rather odd to do or want since like you guys do know that victims of this actual stuff exist as well as the fact they could be consuming said media for multiple reasons but I think people in the interview with the vampire/the vampire chronicles fandom especially book readers and ESPECIALLY those that are also Anne Rice d riders should realize that the relationship between Lestat and his mother was and is emotional incest... something that is not often talked but just as harmful as overt incest. It is also very codependent but I will just be high-lighting the convert incest here, though the two overlap a ton in these types of relationships.

This is something that affects someone for life and isn't really that funny and something that shouldn't be seen as sexy like it has been in media recently due to House Of The Dragon plus some other things that's came out in recent years, it's quite gross how normalized it's getting to find it hot because incest of any kind affects not only the development of the child but how they handle their personal relationships after they've grown. Something that is very clear in Lestat's character throughout the whole series.

I do not think me picking up on this is far fetched since the term was coined in the 1980s by psychologist Kenneth Adamswhen (I will be pulling stuff from a interview he did about the subject which I will link as it's a interesting reading) when people first started looking into the subject and the book came out in 1985, though knowing Anne Rice she just probably had a fetish for this thing as it often appears in her books which is whole another thing on it's own. It appears a lot doesn't excuse btw since the topic of abuse of any kind is not handled well. (also before people start saying that these books are gothic fiction and that incest is a staple of the genre still doesn't excuse it in my opinion since there is better ways to handle the topic than make it obvious fetish work. Yes, art is supposed to make you uncomfortable and I actively consume art that does exactly that to the consumer but there is the line that can be easily crossed when dealing with certain subjects if you at least don't treat them seriously and with care like they need to be.)

Their relationship is not enmeshment, something people confuse emotional incest to be and often mix the two up. But their relationship fits so many boxes of emotional incest that it is maddening I have seen no one else bring up the subject and just chalk it up to plan ole incest because of the kissing as well as blood sharing symbolizing sex for vampires in these works. (Which I have huge criticisms on how vampires are in the series plus I may be biased to not see kissing as inherently sexual due to being aroace and by the time the kisses happen Lestat has already faced stalking, literally being kidnapped by a strange man who had been watching him as well as talking to him through his mind referencing the fact he was known as wolf-killer plus having corpses that looked just like Lestat in a tower that Lestat had to stay in, turned Lestat against his will then watched said man kill himself after becoming a vampire, and sexual trauma from said man as well. So it is not surprising to me that Lestat would seek out some sort of affection from an older trusted figure in his life, even if it is negative and harmful. Most victims do this unconsciously or because the trauma makes them feel like this is the only way they feel like they can seek out validation and affection from others.)

"Any time there is physical sexual contact, and that includes things like inappropriate kissing or touching, we’re talking about overt incest. Basically, you���ve moved past playing a role and into being an object. It can be both, of course. When that happens, usually the overt incest lasts a much shorter time than the longer-term surrogate partner role. I should also state that in cases of overt and covert combined, it isn’t uncommon to see the victims involved as adults with incestuous fantasies – mother and son or father and daughter stuff online, or power differential relationships where a boundary is crossed. Or their lovers tend to be much older or younger, so much so that the age difference raises some people’s eyebrows. So, the incestuous dynamic is played out in some way."

"Frankly, I try not to draw too fine a distinction here because there is definitely a blurry line between things like sitting too close and making a child uncomfortable vs. kissing that child on the lips too long. Either way it feels icky. And the result might be that even though nobody touched my penis or breasts or vagina, when my lover tries to kiss me, I withdraw. That withdrawal is your evidence that something happened that was inappropriate and not welcome."

In the book we are shown things that check off boxes on known clear signs of emotional incest, and this is the first few pages of the book when Lestat first starts talking about his up-brining. Before I list five signs that I think fit and how I see Lestat and Gabrielle relationship as well as explain why I feel that way but let us learn what emotional incest aka also known as convert incest is.

"Covert incest describes a relationship between a parent and child in which the child feels more like a romantic partner. Typically the parent is motivated by the loneliness and emptiness of a troubled marriage, so he or she turns the child into a surrogate partner. There is not necessarily any kind of overt sexual touching, but the relationship feels too close for comfort to the child. The boundaries are such that there is an incestuous feeling. The child feels used and trapped, the same as with overt incest."

"Later on, covert incest victims tend to continue functioning in the role of a surrogate partner where they’re overly enmeshed with the parent [or] over-involved as a caretaker, even though they may have long forgotten the icky part that was present early on — usually during adolescence. As adults, instead of feeling icky, they might just feel frustrated, angry, obligated, and way too involved. This type of enmeshment is very common in terms of the adult-life characteristics. Basically, enmeshment describes the nature of the ongoing relationship; covert incest defines the earlier sexual inappropriateness."

In the first few pages after the opening of The Vampire Lestat once he begins to work on his novel we learn that his home life as a child and upbringing was not great to say the least. An abusive father, living clearly in poverty, brothers who couldn't care less if Lestat lived or died, and finally a mother who was often emotionally absent, avoided showing physical affection towards her children, and that also hindered her children's skills of being able to read as well as write out of spite because of the unfilling marriage she was forced into as well as life that she had to have because of being a woman in 1700s society.  Also I feel the disconnect she has from motherhood and being a mother affects her relationship with Lestat from the start as it is clear that she lives vicariously through him due to him having gotten most of her features and traits unlike his brothers, also because of her own struggles with womanhood as well as how society sees has always seen women and what it is to be a woman.

This situation is just brewing for a codependent relationship to happen, especially between mother and child as it's clear they both hold resentment towards the father. A simple codependent relationship can quickly turn abusive especially in a household like this and most of any kind of abuse that children can face is commonly more likely to be from family or people they know than strangers.

The five signs I wanted to point out that really struck me of fitting the two (only doing five as this post is already so long and I do not feel comfortable on trying to score points on it like how psychologists do for cases like these as I am clearly not one.):

Talking about sexual encounters or even dreams of one with your child: Gabrielle in page 39 of the book shares a dream she has of basically having a train run on her by the whole town, this is just after Lestat has opened up about his fears and nightmares he has of killing his brothers and father like he did to the wolves earlier in the forest. That he isn't the same Lestat he was and has come back as a killer instead of her son. He is still in the bloody clothes that he killed the wolves in when she shares this.

"'You know I imagine,'' she said, looking towards me again. ''Not so much the murdering of them as an abandon which disregards them completely. I imagine drinking wine until I'm so drunk I strip off my clothes and bathe in the mountain streams naked.'' I almost laughed. But it was a sublime amusement. I looked up at her, uncertain for a moment that I was hearing her cor-rectly. But she had said these words and she wasn't finished. ''And then I imagine going into the village," she said, ''and up into the inn and taking any men that come there-crude men, big men, old men, boys. Just lying there and taking them one after another, and feeling some magnificent triumph in it, some absolute release without a thought of what happens to your father or your brothers, whether they are alive or dead. In that moment that I am purely myself. I belong to no one." - Page 39, The Vampire Lestat

This is something really weird to just open up about with your child, especially after they open up about their fear of harming others and feeling like they aren't the same person they were after a traumatizing experience. I understand that she was trying to relate in a way about how she also feels these types of feelings towards Lestat's father and brothers but I full on had to put the book down out of pure shock that this was written right after a character was talking clearly about intrusive thoughts with your own ones that inherently sexual in nature, especially to your own child for that matter.

Sharing responsibility for adult decisions such as finances, employment, or where to live: Lestat and Gabrielle are the sole providers for the household. Lestat being the one that often brought in food due to finding comfort in hunting after being taken out of church as Gabrielle provided him the tools like his pet mastiffs, guns, and horse while Gabrielle was the sole reason they had any sort of money in the first place due to coming from a rich family, often selling her own jewelry to help get gifts for Lestat and just have money for the family. With this she also helped him run away to Paris with Nicki.

Because of this Lestat and Gabrielle have been sharing sole responsibility for adult decisions in the household and especially financial ones, which no child should be or feel responsible for.

Missing out on child-appropriate activities such as extracurriculars or time with friends: Lestat life was sheltered. To the point he didn't know how to write or read till he went to the church to study under the priest. The only friends he has had outside of his family up to this point are the people at the church, his dogs, the traveling theater company, and soon Nicki.

"I loved the monastery school. I loved the chapel and the hymns, the library with its thousands of old books, the bells that divided the day, the ever repeated rituals. I loved the cleanliness of the place, the overwhelming fact that all things here were well kept and in good repair, that work never ceased throughout the great house and the gardens. When I was corrected, which wasn't often, I knew an intense happiness because someone for the first time in my life was trying to make me into a good person, one who could learn things. Within a month I declared my vocation. I wanted to enter the order. I wanted to spend my life in those immaculate cloisters, in the library writing on parchment and learning to read the ancient books. I wanted to be enclosed forever with people who believed I could be good if I wanted to be. I was liked there. And that was a most unusual thing. I didn't make other people there unhappy or angry. The Father Superior wrote immediately to ask my father's permission. And frankly I thought my father would be glad to be rid of me. But three days later my brothers arrived to take me home with them. I cried and begged to stay, but there was nothing the Father Superior could do. And as soon as we reached the castle, my brothers took away my books and locked me up. I didn't understand why they were so angry. There was the hint that I had behaved like a fool for some reason. I couldn't stop crying. I was walking round and round and smashing my fist into things and kicking the door. Then my brother Augustin started coming in and talking to me. He'd circle the point at first, but what came clear finally was that no member of a great French family was going to be a poor teaching brother. How could I have misunderstood everything so completely? I was sent there to learn to read and write. Why did I always have to go to extremes? Why did I behave habitually like a wild creature? As for becoming a priest with real prospects within the Church, well, I was the youngest son of this family, now, wasn't I? I ought to think of my duties to my nieces and nephews. Translate all that to mean this: We have no money to launch a real ecclesiastical career for you, to make you a bishop or cardinal as befits our rank, so you have to live out your life here as an illiterate and a beggar. Come in the great hall and play chess with your father." - Pages 20 and 21, The Vampire Lestat

"When I woke up the next morning, she was gone and so were all the players, and my brothers were there. I never knew if my friends had been bribed to give me over, or just frightened off. More likely the latter. Whatever the case, I was taken back home again. Of course my family was perfectly horrified at what I'd done. Wanting to be a monk when you are twelve is excusable. But the theater had the taint of the devil. Even the great Moliere had not been given a Christian burial. And I'd run off with a troupe of ragged vagabond Italians, painted my face white, and acted with them in a town square for money. I was beaten severely, and when I cursed everyone, I was beaten again. The worst punishment, however, was seeing the look on my mother's face. I hadn't even told her I was going. And I had wounded her, a thing that had never really happened before. But she never said anything about it. When she came to me, she listened to me cry. I saw tears in her eyes. And she laid her hand on my shoulder, which for her was something a little remarkable. I didn't tell her what it had been like, those few days. But I think she knew. Something magical had been lost utterly. And once again, she defied my father. She put an end to the condemnations, the beatings, the restrictions. She had me sit beside her at the table. She deferred to me, actually talked to me in conversation that was perfectly unnatural to her, until she had subdued and dissolved the rancor of the family. Finally, as she had in the past, she produced another of her jewels and she bought the fine hunting rifle that I had taken with me when I killed the wolves." - Pages 34 and 35, The Vampire Lestat

Alternating feelings of love and hatred for your parent(s): This is shown in the first book as well as in this one, but now we get to see these feelings he has towards his mother rather than his father as well as brothers.

"She was silent for a while. And as I sat there, looking past her at the fire, I wanted to tell her a lot of things, how much I loved her particularly. But I was cautious. She had a way of cutting me off when I spoke to her, and mingled with my love was a powerful resentment of her. All my life I'd watched her read her Italian books and scribble letters to people in Naples, where she had grown up, yet she had no patience even to teach me or my brothers the alphabet. And nothing had changed after I came back from the monastery. I was twenty and I couldn't read or write more than a few prayers and my name. I hated the sight of her books; I hated her absorption in them. And in some vague way, I hated the fact that only extreme pain in me could ever wring from her the slightest warmth or interest. Yet she'd been my savior. And there was no one but her. And I was as tired of being alone, perhaps, as a young person can be. She was here now, out of the confines of her library, and she was attentive to me. Finally I was convinced that she wouldn't get up and go away, and I found myself speaking to her." Page 25, The Vampire Lestat

"And she almost laughed herself. Maybe in her own quiet way she was laughing. Curious moment. Some almost brutal sense of her as a human being quite removed from all that surrounded her. We did understand each other, and all my resentment of her didn't matter too much." - Page 27, The Vampire Lestat

Your parent(s) turned to you, instead of their partner or another adult, to unburden any feelings of emotional distress they experienced: Gabrielle is only open and shows any emotional towards her children if it is Lestat that she is talking to, she is closed off to everyone else in the household but him due to own her contempt and feelings around of being a wife and a mother. He is the first and only person to be told that she is sick and dying, that she doesn't expect to make it through another winter at best. This is a lot to put on anyone at any age, especially someone who is your child and after they have opened up a bit as well as their own traumatizing event.

"I made some little anguished sound. I think I leaned forward and said, "Mother! " "Don't say any more," she answered. I think she hated to be called mother, but I hadn't been able to help it." - Page 27, The Vampire Lestat

"I just wanted to speak it to another soul, " she said. "To hear it out loud. I'm perfectly horrified by it. I'm afraid of it. " I wanted to take her hands, but I knew she'd never allow it. She disliked to be touched. She never put her arms around anyone. And so it was in our glances that we held each other. My eyes filled with tears looking at her. She patted my hand. "Don't think on it much, " she said. "I don't. Just only now and then. But you must be ready to live on without me when the time comes. That may be harder for you than you realize. " I tried to say something; I couldn't make the words come. She left me just as she'd come in, silently. And though she'd never said anything about my clothes or my beard or how dreadful I looked, she sent the servants in with clean clothes for me, and the razor and warm water, and silently I let myself be taken care of by them." - Page 27, The Vampire Lestat

"I began to feel a little stronger. I stopped thinking about what happened with the wolves and I thought about her. I thought about the words "perfectly horrified, " and I didn't know what to make of them except they sounded exactly true. I'd feel that way if I were dying slowly. It would have been better on the mountain with the wolves. But there was more to it than that. She had always been silently unhappy. She hated the inertia and the hopelessness of our life here as much as I did. And now, after eight children, three living, five dead, she was dying. This was the end for her. I determined to get up if it would make her feel better, but when I tried I couldn't. The thought of her dying was unbearable. I paced the floor of my room a lot, ate the food brought to me, but still I wouldn't go to her. But by the end of the month, visitors came to draw me out." - Page 27 and 28, The Vampire Lestat

"She did not laugh often. She could look profoundly cold. Yet she had always a little girl sweetness. Well, I looked at her as she sat on my bed-I even stared at her, I suppose-and immediately she started to talk to me. "I know how it is, " she said to me. "You hate them. Because of what you've endured and what they don't know. They haven't the imagination to know what happened to you out there on the mountain. " I felt a cold delight in these words. I gave her the silent acknowledgment that she understood it perfectly. "It was the same the first time I bore a child, " she said. "I was in agony for twelve hours, and I felt trapped in the pain, knowing the only release was the birth or my own death. When it was over, I had your brother Augustin in my arms, but I didn't want anyone else near me. And it wasn't because I blamed them. It was only that I'd suffered like that, hour after hour, that I'd gone into the circle of hell and come back out. They hadn't been in the circle of hell. And I felt quiet all over. In this common occurrence, this vulgar act of giving birth, I understood the meaning of utter loneliness." - Page 24 and 25, The Vampire Lestat

Finally to conclude this post, this is just my point of view on their relationship and how I interpreted it but I really hope the show handles something like this with care instead of making a joke out of it or making it seem like a normal vampire thing since that's what Anne Rice did. I would love if they went at with this angle of emotional incest or even just a strong codependent relationship between mother and son as I feel like it could open a lot of great conversations on the topic as bring it more into the spotlight which could lead to others realizing their not alone. But we'll see when season three is released.

Important links:

Kenneth Adamswhen interview

RAINN

[ihatepeoplesomuchuwu]

@abyssleaves GIRL I FUCKING LOVE YOU HOLY SHIT. You dropped this queen 👑

This person right here, you have said it so perfectly and have inspired me to say something. I will also probably get hate but you know what? That's fine at this point 😎

This carnivorekitty situation? I'M SO OVER IT!!! I don't even 100% agree with tom but, most of you guys are getting upset at OPINIONS AND DARK HUMOR LIKE HOLY SHIT. I want you all to think about this. What part of it is beliefs? The belief of not understanding neopronouns? No no no he didn't say "hate." he said he didn't agree with them and wasn't going to hate people for using them. But nah, instead of maybe sitting down with a cup of tea, you all jumped the gun and said, "THE NERVE?! HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH ME?!". Pssst hey lean in close...... I don't understand them either 😐 If you approached me, though, and told me your pronouns, I would never hate you for using them. It is YOUR life and I will respect/use your pronouns(I use any pronouns btw UwU) and I can't tell you what to do, and as long as you're not hurting anyone, who cares right? But don't demand me to understand or get why because I don't want to, and I'm just too stupid to care.

ANYWAY TO THE TRANSPHOBIC TOPIC!! Okay, this confused me for so long on why people called him transphobic because even I understood that people of the lgbtq+ have different opinions on things and deal with stuff differently. Him saying that kids/teens having medication and surgeries are life changing and then most definitely are. Most medications are safe, but did you know that their was a birth control that was FDA approved and it worked for a long time! Until women started having babies missing limbs and parts of them. Medical stuff can happen at anytime, it being safe of not it can still happen. And the surgeries? I agree that people shouldn't have surgeries until they are 18. Why? Because you have jackasses that aren't trans/have medical needs who take advantage of that for their own benefits and you have people who find out that they are not trans/non-binary/so on later in life and detransition.

Also, can no one like dark humor anymore??? A trans person likes a dark humored trans meme it's end shattering, but people still adore famous people making 9/11 jokes? Yeah, okay, love you guys ❤️ and don't get me started on the nazi shit because WOW WE GOING FOR IT WITH THAT ONE!!! Did anyone read the post Tom made at all? Hm? He said, and I quote, "I don't see anything on how he's a nazi however, that seems like a stretch. However, if anyone can provide actual proof of these claims, you can let me know." He ASKED for proof and said he doesn't agree with all of his posts, yet all of you jumped on him instantly calling him a "nazi sympathizer"? I literally saw one, FUCKING ONE PERSON show him the proof of it instead of jumping him like zombies 🧟‍♂️ 🧟‍♀️

My last take is the pride parade stuff which is just silly to get mad about?? As a person who has basically raised my siblings as my own children and wanting kids of my own some day, I can understand about the not wanting children to see half naked people and honestly who would? What I get is that it is a pride parade and they are mostly known for people doing that, they usually make a flyer or post saying if it's going to happen orr not so please look first. What pisses me off is when people defend that and call them something-phobic for not agreeing 😑 "Agree to disagree" is perfectly put for this, People can have opinions on this without being hateful. You guys come OOON

That is all I have to say for this, I would touch on the racism aspect but I must say out of that whole thing I could understand why people were mad/hurt and I am a pale ass white-irish person who has never experienced racism(only the "HA HA YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC" jokes due to me being irish 🤣)so I have no right to say anything in that.

Anyway, I'm gonna just rant here, so feel free to hate on me in my inbox because I could honestly just chill with anyone even if they scream at me UwU

[floralifetime]

Toruk Makto's Sister

Warning: very bad writing, some grammatical error (English is not my first language so please be kind), mentions of death, mentions of racism, some bad words.

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⚠️⚠️Phrase and images are not mine, all credits to their respective owners.⚠️⚠️

Orange means Na'vi language.

Chapter n.5 Omaticaya of the Forest.

Not welcoming the guest is shame, driving him away is cruelty.

As we walked Jakey passed me, despite the bandage on my arm I still felt very weak, I probably strained my body too much, but I can't do otherwise. Behind me I hear the little ones giggling, I turn towards them quickly, stroking the black tufts on their heads that should be their hair. “It's okay, little ones. I won't let anyone hurt you, I'm here with you." I whispered, trying to calm myself more than them, even though she saved us and showed no sign of wanting to attack, that doesn't mean other Na'vi don't want to, it's unwise to follow her, but Jakey I don't know what he's thinking with currently…And I don't know if I want to know.

“Hey, well, I just wanted to thank you for killing all those…Beasts, yeah.” Jakey took her arm, forcing her to stop. I sighed heavily as the woman just hissed at him, her bow aimed at his chest. “Don't give thanks for something like that.” she limited herself to saying while I joined my brother, which was not easy between the fact that I no longer have much strength and that I also have to be careful because of the little ones on my shoulders. “Jakey, don't thank for something like that, you know? It's just… Ugly, sad. She has blood on her hands because of us.” I try to make him think while she looks at me intensely. "You're right, it's a sad thing." she answered, while my brother bounced his gaze, confused, between her and me. "Our fault? But sorry, those beasts attacked us and it would be our fault?” he asks, still not knowing who to look directly at. "Jakey, they shouldn't have died, and if you had listened to me from the beginning, with that blessed flashlight, we wouldn't be in this mess and she wouldn't have bloody hands." I pointed out. My brother, still not understanding, he realizes it's best to back away from his beliefs, so he throws his hands up in the air with palms showing, "Okay, okay…Sorry, I didn't mean to, whatever I did, I didn't mean to." The Na'vi woman stopped looking at him and returned her gaze to me, who smiled at her. "You see, listening to me isn't so bad, brother?" I retorted as he turned to me. "Why can't you be like her?" the woman hissed, her tail wagging excitedly. I looked at her confused, like me in what sense? I don't have…Anything special.

“She see, she hear, she understand!” she paced each word as if it were obvious, as if she had lost the patience to explain the same thing over and over to people, or Na'vi, who were dumb. “Reckless, but capable. With children on her shoulders she managed the situation better than you, knowing how to protect them, herself, you and even the Viperwolves!" she looked like she was about to scream and I wondered how she lunged given that she continued to hiss. “While you…You are a child! You cause confusion and damage, not knowing what else to do and where to go!” she finished and given my brother's intelligent expression, I understood that he didn't understand what she had said at the end, better, I don't think he likes to be offended at random. “Have you… seen the little ones?” I asked shyly, she looked at me, sighed and nodded. “They weren't easy to spot, you hid them well.” “Um…Thanks, I did my best, I didn't want the little ones to experience such a dangerous experience.” I say while stroking the little head of both, the boy just stared at my fingers and tried to take them with a concentrated expression, while the girl smiled. “Okay, I understand.” he begins, though I doubt he fully understood what the woman said. “So, if you love your forest friends so much, why save our asses?” he asked and I could hardly keep myself from slapping him for having said those words, I don't want the little ones to learn to swear rather than speak. “Why save you?” she repeats, staring at him inquiringly. “Yes exactly. Why save us? I can understand her having little ones on her shoulders, so they don't die you save her too, but why me?” my brother insists, I don't know what to think, I don't…Like him talking so openly about the risk he took, I don't know why. His words cause me to squeeze close to him as he turns and wraps his arm around me, squeezing me lightly. “Why save you?” she asks, taking his eyes off me and fixing her stern gaze on my brother. Who knows what she has suffered, what or who she has lost, what she has seen and heard, to be so rough in her tone of voice, to have so many edges…Her gaze softens slightly as she approaches and places a hand on my brother's chest. “You have a strong heart, you are not afraid.” To my brother's bad luck, the compliment does not last long. “But you are ignorant and incompetent! Just like a child!” she takes her hand away abruptly, hissing at him again and turning to leave again.

“Hey! Wait come on!" Jakey started following her again, I want to tell them to slow down, but I don't think the woman would do it and I don't want to burden my brother with my whining, so I just try as hard as possible to follow them, always being incredibly careful where I put my feet. In a certain respect, however, I am lucky, the pain, fatigue and tiredness do not make me lose agility and the ability to move as if I had always walked on the ground of this verdant forest. “If I'm really like a kid then how about…I mean, you could teach me, right?” my brother insists. “You can't teach humans, they don't see.” she replied sharply, dryly. “Then teach me how to see.” my brother replied. “No one can teach you how to see, Jakey… It's something you can't learn or teach, you feel it inside, you just have it.” I try to explain to him. The woman whose name I still don't know, turns to Jakey as she continues walking “It's the truth, you can't see. You are like blind men wandering in the dark, without light, all of you except…Except her.” she said, nodding at me with the simple, yet elegant, movement of her head. Jakey looks at me and smiles, giving me a conspiratorial wink as the woman finishes. “She seems able to see, understand Eywa's will.” I lower my eyes and smile shyly, in their culture only the Tsahik has the effective task of interpreting the will of the Great Mother, a Na'vi would hardly tell someone else that he is able to fully understand it, as just she did. It is an honor to receive such a compliment. “Irayo, you are very kind.” I say in a soft and calm voice, if there was a little more confusion, my voice would get lost in the sounds of the forest.

“Listen, you speak excellent English, where did you learn? I know Grace Augustine designed a school, were you taught there?” my brother asks, trying to satisfy his curiosity but the woman doesn't seem to want to satisfy it. "Excuse me, can I ask you something?" I ask her after stroking the baby's little head that he had let out a whimper. The woman stops again and nods at me. “Could I…know your name?” her beautiful golden eyes widen, while I smile softly. It seems to me a bit of a duty to know at least the name of who I see, who I hang out with, it's more respectful and empathetic as a thing, I find it right to show interest in others, in their stories, it's my way of showing respect. Of course always if you respect me in turn, otherwise my kindness turns into indifference, and even the latter reaps many victims. “Neytiri.” she said briefly. She doesn't seem willing to talk much, she starts walking again before Jakey can introduce us, and since she still doesn't understand anything about her, she follows her again.

“Hey, really, can't we just talk?” my brother asked while he reached her again, I, on the contrary, remained slightly further back, I felt my veins throbbing, despite everything I don't know how long I will hold out without calling my brother and asking him for a hand. I accelerate to reach them and I succeed, I even overtook my brother who, trying to jump from a branch, slips and risks falling to the ground from a height that wouldn't leave him much escape if he fell. “Jakey!” I scream in fright, but luckily for us Neytiri simply reaches out and grabs him, saving him from a possibly fatal fall. “Oh, thank the Great Mother you are well! You gave me a stroke, man!" I say excitedly, terror filling my entire being, not just my voice, as I wrap my arms around Jakey's neck. My brother sighs and, not being able to hug me otherwise given the presence of the little ones who have been calm so far, he tightened his arms around my hips, filling my head with kisses. “Irayo, I don't know what I would do if I lost my brother.” I thanked her, she simply nodded and, with an indecipherable gaze, she observed us for a couple of seconds and then turned around and resumed her path. “I need your help.” my brother tries the kindness card. “You are just a child, one of those who have gone too far into unfamiliar territory.” she finished and then resumed walking quickly towards what I assume is the direction of house, for her.

“Jakey, I don't think she wants us to follow her, can we give up? She might be downright annoyed by our insistence, don't you think?" I asked, hoping he understood the woman's feelings, but apparently, I was hoping wrongly. “I just want to figure out who she is and learn, little sister. Nothing more." he whispers back as she still tries to get her to teach something that can't be taught. An alarm bell rings for me regarding my brother, he has never been passionate about studying and learning, he is more practical, about manual and war things, not so much into studying…It's not like him to be eager to learn something. Seeing her stop abruptly, we imitate her. She is looking up but I can't pay attention to her. My shoulder and wrist really hurt and I have to take advantage of the moment of pause to be able to rest, so I look around and, once I have identified a trunk large enough to lean on, I did it to catch my breath. I felt better enough to face the rest of the journey without feeling sick, but a perceptible glow even with my eyes closed made me open them to try to understand the cause.

The first thing I saw was Neytiri's astonished gaze looking at both me and the tree I was leaning against, my brother was also staring at that tree, so I turned around too, as the glow I had noticed was coming from there. The light came from all over the tree, which lit up in alternating rhythms, as if following its own melody, its own rhythm, its own specific reason, as if someone else were telling it what to do and how to do it. After a couple of seconds, I realize that the glow glows in rhythm with my breath, with one of life's major indications. When I remove my hand, because I feel well enough to continue walking without having to stop every second, the tree stops glowing and returns to its natural color during the night, an incredibly dark blue, passable for black to the less attentive eye, or lightly colorblind. “What…What was it? What happened to my sister?” Jakey asks, finally letting go of the air he's been keeping stuck in his lungs. “I have no idea, I didn't notice what tree it was.” I said smiling because I had heard the giggles of the children. A sharply released breath drew both of their attention to Neytiri. “Wow…” she just said, as she looked at me with a look I couldn't decipher, but she had nothing negative, I felt reassured by this lack of negativity. “So, which tree is it?” my brother persisted and the Na'vi answered him “It is Utral Tsaheylu, also called Utral Tirea.” she didn't even look at my brother, her eyes were locked on mine, or at least on me in general. “It's…Very rare, isn't it?” I asked and she simply nodded. “So can someone explain to me?” my brother asked, unable to understand why he was being ignored. “I have never seen Utral Tirea react like this with any Dreamwalker. You have to…be particular.” she said approaching while I, slightly uncomfortable by her intense gaze, stroked the dark tufts of the two little ones, who laughed and reassured me.

After this 'incident' Neytiri looks up again, while I just feel a slight tickling sensation on the front of my shoulder, thinking it was a pet or a light drooping liana, I turned around and started to gently brush it away and it's It was then that I realized that it was none of this. It was a Holy Spirit, a seed of the Tree of Life, an Atokirina, also called Woodsprite in our language. If I had to describe them I would say that they resemble a jellyfish, of those found in the depths of the oceans, totally white in color with small protuberances at the end of the long filaments, these protuberances are covered with a delicate hair, always white. They move by floating in the wind, retracting and stretching these long filaments, they are incredibly important and sacred to the Na'vi culture. I slowly slipped my hand under him and stroked the long bumps with my fingertips, carefully, gently. The seed immediately settled on the palm of my hand slightly moving the threadlike protuberances that I touched with such attention, feeling a bad sensation I looked up only to see my brother being the idiot he always was, abruptly sending away an Atokirina who had approached. “No!” Neytiri yelled and grabbed his arm. “What are they?” he still asks amazed. “They are Atokirina, pure spirits, seeds of the Tree of Life, considered incredibly sacred by the Na'vi. In our language they are called Woodsprite.” I explained as so many specimens of these sacred seeds piled up near me, I breathed deeply and felt at peace, calm, as if everything was following a predetermined path, the will of a benevolent higher being. I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds, then began interacting respectfully with the Atokirinas. I carefully placed the tips of my fingers on their protuberances, stroking them with care and delicacy, I allowed them to rest on my body and to stay there for as long as they wanted, when they go away I gently accompany them upwards, so that they are facilitated in reach their next destination.

“Thank you for your kind visit, Pure Spirits. It has been an honor to be able to see and interact with you, Holy Spirits.” I whispered in the language of the Na'vi when all the Atokirinas had risen to the sky and were leaving, the most latecomers had lingered on the noses of the little ones, while they laughed amused and observed that strange "thing" with awe and curiosity typical of the little ones. They were so adorable that I couldn't help but smile too. After this mass demonstration Neytiri grabbed my wrist and started pulling me along with her. “Come with me, follow me.” I barely held back an aggressive hiss, she had a grip on my injured wrist. “Hey, be careful!” my brother yelled, stepping protectively in front of me, after forcing Neytiri to let go. “Sorry Neytiri, but my wrist still hurts a lot, could you please grab the other one?” I ask her, leaning my head to the side, she nods taking her good wrist, without however ceasing to pull me after her, Jakey shamelessly takes advantage of Neytiri's change of opinion to follow her again, as if he hadn't done it before.

“Neytiri, but where exactly are we going?” I asked her as I did my best to keep up with her, the tiredness starting to take over again. She didn't answer me and we passed through a path surrounded by bioluminescent plants and a small, but quite steep, cliff. Plants are not dangerous, they are also to be used in healing, not hearing my brother's footsteps next to me I turned around seeing that he couldn't help but annoy them. “Jakey, leave those poor plants alone and get moving!” Jakey listened to me, for once, and joined me. “Jakey, please don't separate yourself from the two of us, okay?” I asked and the little girl seemed to want to scold Jakey too because she pouted at him. “Lovely little one, it's okay anyway. I couldn't help myself." he smiles justifying himself. He was about to stroke the little girl's head when a thick rope wrapped tightly around his legs, trapping him. “Jakey!” I yelled and pulled my wrist out of Neytiri's grip, and she stopped and whirled around. My brother lifted his face off the ground and frowned at me as I ran over to him and knelt in front of his face. “Jakey, are you hurt that much?” I asked as I examined him, looking for signs of any injuries. “I'm fine but I could have been better, sis” he said as if it were obvious, i took his knife and cut the rope, just before he could stand up we heard the distinct clatter of hooves so we all turned around.

Many Na'vi surrounded us, pointing their weapons, bows and spears at us. A good number were on foot but even those on Direhorses, or Pa'li, were not few. One in particular, with the most frowning and hateful expression of all of the others, seemed to lead the whole group. His eyes rested on me for only a couple of seconds as Jakey, recovering from his stupor and fall, had taken the knife from my hand and positioned himself protectively in front of me, the blade poised to strike if it were been necessary. In a desperate attempt to protect the little ones, I leaned my back against my brother's, careful not to crush the children, took a deep breath and looked up, staring fearlessly at them. I moved slowly, until I was back in front of my brother, keeping all three of them behind me, even though my brother didn't seem to like it. "Calm down, calm down guys." Neytiri came to our rescue. She approached what seemed to be the leader of the group, while I adjusted my hair to better cover the little ones, thank goodness they're playing with it, at least they're calm, even if I don't know how long it will last. The man dismounted from the Pa'li, disconnecting his tail from the antenna of his steed. "What does all this mean, Tsu'tey?!" He looks at her for a second, then turns his gaze back to us, weighing us up and down, disgusted. I frowned further, he must know that I'm not afraid of him, otherwise he could take advantage of the situation and I don't want that to happen, if I'm going to die, I want to do it with dignity. “These sky demons are not allowed here.” he just said, hatred permeating every word. Who also knows what he has lost, who has been taken away from him, what has been stolen from him, to prevent him from seeing a little further. What did he go through to make him so harsh and judgmental? I don't know how Neytiri is going to get us past this handful of Na'vi warriors, but I have to trust her, I don't think she would have dragged me here herself if she wanted to see me die, they aren't that bad. If we only learned to look, we'd have a lot to learn from them. “There were various signs that it had to do with both.” she just says, with all the calm in the world. “They deserve to be looked into by the Tsahik.” she just concluded, while Tsu'tey looked us up and down, again, he seems not to want to look too much since he looks away quickly. “Take them with you.” he just said as he remounted his steed and started to move back. Neytiri approached me, effectively protecting me from the onslaught of the other warriors, gently took my hand and urged me to follow her. “Come on, we're almost there.” she whispered, as if she wanted to soothe me as I, in anguish, constantly turned on my brother, hissing and screaming at anyone who attempted to grab him. “Stop. Let him walk alone, he will follow us without constraint.” again Neytiri with a calm mixed with enviable authority, came to our rescue, so Jakey too was let go and was free to join me and Neytiri walking without anyone pulling him from side to side. I thanked her but I didn't have much strength to speak after that, the only times my voice was heard again was when I had to reassure the little ones.

I don't know how long we walk, the only thing I notice is that no one dares to get too close to me, even Jakey is left alone but he is always more threatened than me, I make myself heard every time it happens. We arrived in front of a huge tree, wonderful and that they all call "home", Hometree. It is even more beautiful than the images that Grace had shown me and I could not help myself “Wonderful… This is your house, am I right Neytiri?” she turns to me and nods with the look that she hides awareness, like it's obvious that I like her home, I don't know how she could tell. “What is that, a tree?” my wit master brother asks and I roll my eyes in a sigh as Neytiri hisses at him again. "It's called Hometree, it's not just a tree, Jakey, it's their home." I explain to him with all the kindness and calmness I'm capable of. Neytiri led us in and we were surrounded immediately, the Na'vi looked at us suspicious and wary, what did our kind do to them, precisely? What crimes have we committed to make them feel so suspicious and so agitated? Jakey walked up to me and started checking how I was and if the kids with me were okay. I smile at him as I see him loosen the band on my shoulder, hearing a rustle in front of me, I turn around and find myself in front of the clan leader. Grace told me about him a couple of times, while she told me anecdotes and answered all my questions. “Oel ngati kameie, father.” Neytiri greets him, which explains her authority over the others and why they listened and obeyed her words so blindly. She is a kind of princess of the Clan, if we are to speak in terrestrial terms. The chief, whose name is Eytukan if I remember correctly, looked us up and down, his nostrils flared and his furious expression became disgusted. I turned my gaze to my brother who still hadn't raised his, he was looking at my wrist, as if he was undecided about something, he probably didn't know whether to try to look at the wound or leave the Taxax leaf wrapped around my wrist. “I said these demons should never come back here!” he screamed so loud that the frightened little ones let out soft whimpers. “Shhh, it's okay, it's okay…” I whispered tenderly, as I ran my hand over their little heads, turning mine to kiss their cheeks. I glared at him, I don't care who you are or what role you play, I owe you respect if you show it towards me and if you make helpless and innocent children cry then you don't deserve my respect, for now, at least. “You should have killed them on the spot, why did you bring them here?” he lowered his voice slightly, I don't know why he did it, definitely not because of my look which he might have found offensive, but nevermind. “I was going to, but then…Various events happened, various signs from the Great Mother, I couldn't kill them.” replies his daughter, her calmness and self-confidence are to be envied. “How long has she been watching us?” my brother whispers and, in order not to get both of us in further trouble, I decide to shrug my shoulders, still paying attention to the little ones. “The smell of these demons fills my nostrils and disgusts me.” he said in his language thinking, probably, that we didn't understand anything but the movement of my ear and my eyes must have convinced him otherwise as he began to examine me again with a furious look.

“Someone is going to explain to me…? Sister?" my brother asks, looking at me confused, and before I can actually give him a logical answer, Neytiri beats me. “My father is deciding whether or not to kill you.” she says, always with a cold blood that is disturbing. I immediately stiffen and whisper comforting words to the little ones so they don't realize the terrible emotions and thoughts that go through me. I wonder how Neytiri is so quiet, but I can't focus on this aspect of Jakey playing the idiot, again. "Oh, your father?" he starts and I don't like how he's going to end it. "Pleased sir." he extends his hand to the leader and approaches him, while the other Na'vi surround him growling and hissing I rub my face violently, in an attempt to calm my anger mixed with disappointment, a more stupid thing Jakey just couldn't do. But didn't you see me greet Neytiri before? I sigh, deeply irritated by the situation and the turn it's taken, I open my eyes to see if the situation is getting worse and if Jakey is in danger, and it's because he doesn't understand that he should back off.

My body stiffens further and I also feel that the children perceive my anger and unease, I have to hurry up so they don't cry. My breath catches immediately, my heart races, the blood pounds in my ears, my eyes widen and the tail behind me starts to move in an agitated manner, slamming the ground violently several times. A sound comes out of my mouth that is a mix between a deep hiss and a half scream from a Na'vi pissed to death with the other clan members in front of her when in reality, the only person object of my anger currently is my brother because he never listens to me and doesn't reflect on what he does and the consequences his actions bring. I love him so much, but sometimes this attitude of him drives me crazy. I walk towards my brother, hissing and growling at anyone who dares to get too close to me, the little ones or my brother himself who backs away quite frightened, he knows me and knows that provoking me is never the best choice to make despite my nature sweet and kind. I grab him by the shirt without saying a word and drag him away from the circle that had closed around him. Once he's brought to a safe position I let him go but not before growling at him. “Now you stay here and stay still, is that clear?” I hiss and he nods with his ears retracted. I breathe deeply a couple of times, my body relaxes, my heart slows down, the blood in my ears stops and I calm down a bit, even if the tension around us remains incredibly high. “Listen to me for once, is it that difficult?” I scold him by running my hand over the little heads of the little ones, they're all too good at sitting still all this time, I expect they'll soon burst into tears. Before my brother can answer me, someone else's voice is heard. “Stay back! I will control these aliens!”

Well, here is the fifth chapter of the story✨. I hope you like it and, if you want, see you in the next chapter, number 6👋.

©️Floralifetime May 04-2023, please do not republish, repost, steal, modify, translate or claim my work as your own. All rights reserved.

Taglist: @avatarbyamara, @sweetirilly.

[groven4]

Markiplier Egos with an Asexual DA / Viewer

a/n: I decided to write this specifically as you coming out to them after you've already been dating for a while so it'd be different enough from the Aro hcs thing I already did. We cool with that? Alright.

WILFORD WARFSTACHE

Like I've already said, he doesn't care what your sexuality/gender is, he's immediately accepting of you and your identity.

That really doesn't change if you're dating.

Boundaries can take a lot of getting used to for him; he's a very physically affectionate kind of person.

He tries his best tho and always apologizes if he realizes he's touching you in a way that you've said makes you uncomfortable.

There's really not much else to it, things just continue as normal.

DARKIPLIER

Doesn't care. (supportive)

It really doesn't affect your relationship at all.

He doesn't usually like people touching him apart from specific circumstances with those he trusts, so boundaries aren't really an issue.

Again, not much left to say.

GOOGLEPLIER

He'd probably recite the definition of asexual except it's like the one for reproduction.

He's not being a dick for once though, he's just genuinely confused.

After explaining it to him, he finds the right definition and is kinda just like: "...Oh yeah, me too."

BINGIPLIER

"...Like a plant?"

Yeah, he doesn't get it at first either.

"Ooohhhhh! Same, brah. Same."

ACTOR

I can't not see him as a little aphobic before the events of wkm, but considering he's now lived for over like a hundred years or something, he outta be a little less ignorant now.

I mean, he might not fully get it at first still, but he'd try his best to for you.

He'd never force you into something you're uncomfortable with like that anyway. If you really don't wanna have sex, he's not gonna throw a hissy fit over it. (even tho that does feel like a very actor mark thing to do)

Just remember to assure him that it has nothing to do with him specifically or it's gonna make him insecure. He's a narcissist, the love of his life not finding him attractive is gonna make an impact.

Very respectful about your boundaries despite being a touchy kinda person. If you're not okay with certain kinds of touches, just let him know.

Overall, it might take a bit for him to adapt, but his effort is at least endearing.

YANCY

As previously mentioned, he'll most likely already be familiar with it due to his very inclusive friend group.

He's at least knowledgeable enough to know that asexuality is a spectrum, so he'd probably ask you to explain what flavor of it you happen to be.

Very supportive!

He's never really felt like he needs sex in a relationship anyway.

He's honestly just happy you gave him enough of a shot to wanna be friends let alone date him.

Would stab an aphobe for you<3

ILLINOIS

Honestly surprised at first, he had no idea that was even a thing.

He's totally okay with it of course! He just didn't know you could have a relationship where sex isn't like...mandatory.

Similarly relieved as I've described before when you explain it to him. It's a welcomed change to be sure.

He'll hold back on flirtatious comments if they make you uncomfortable.

Tries his best to respect your boundaries. He feels lonely if you don't cuddle him at night tho.

Sexual intimacy has become something he dreads with meaningful relationships. He likes getting to focus more of his time on you as a person, making sure you feel loved, and just treasuring your time together.

Overall really supportive.

HEAD ENGINEER

A little awkward around the topic of sex I imagine.

Mostly cus you're still the captain so power dynamics and all that.

You're already risking a lot just by being together romantically, that kind of workplace relationship could definitely get you both in some hot water. No matter how temptingly scandalous it can seem.

This was basically the stuff that first came to mind once you told him and he almost felt relieved because of it. I mean, that's certainly a headache you shouldn't have to risk dealing with now.

Outside of logistic nonsense, he's very supportive all around.

Like I've said, he can sometimes overcompensate when it comes to boundaries, so assurance helps if that's not something that bothers you.

He came up with this like dorky way of quantifying things where basically he says any energy he'd put into sex he instead puts into cuddling you twice as much and- just- yeah-

MURDOCK

Very calm and reassuring if he sees you were anxious while telling him.

Even if you weren't he's pretty chill about it.

Every action of his is typically very calculated no matter the situation, even if in more of a purposely sporadic kind of way. So needless to say, he's pretty good about boundaries.

I mean, if you're in the middle of making a quick get away and end up having to get uncomfortably close to hide or something, that can't really be helped, but yk. (he'd make it up to you later anyway, probably something dinner related)

[olderthannetfic]

Goyim goysplaining shit to me is why I don't write Jewish characters anymore. "Well actually that name is this AGAB so the character isn't NB they're *insert AGAB here*" "well actually according to Google you shouldn't have used the word candle you should have said this" "well actually goy is a slur and it's not bad of commenters to use 'Hebrews' to refer to all Jewish people even though I *will* get mad if you call Catholics 'Latins' in response" "well actually it's a kippah not a yarmulke you can't use the word yarmulke it's a kippah" "well actually Jewish people are white so why is this Beta Israeli character not white Jewish = white" "uh excuse me but your Jewish characters didn't exchange Hebrew names that's really unrealistic" "uh excuse me why is your character breaking kosher to stay alive? everything I see on TV says Jews would rather die than break kosher and live - no I don't know or care that pikuach nefesh is a thing I just wanted to correct you on the proper way to write a Jewish character" etc. Whether it's goyim commenting on Undertale fanfics to say all Jewish people would be Red souls (because we don't have individual souls, personalities and colors like the non-Jewish characters, that'd be silly) because we survived the Holocaust or goyim saying Jewish Bruce Wayne makes sense because Jews have all the money, or being confused on how you can headcanon anyone as Jewish who isn't white because Jewish people are white (which is a surprise to my Iranian Jewish self but go off I guess) there is always someone there to tell you that you're not human like other people. These people would never go "oh Latinos all have Red souls and the same personality, definitely" or "Muslim Bruce Wayne makes sense, those people all have oil money" but they'll say antisemitic shit right to your face and then have the gall to be annoyed when you don't like it.

This is why I pulled all my fic without leaving copies up for archives. "B-but I love your fic it's the only multichaptered one for this rarepair!" Well you didn't respect me enough not to say Jews have all the money, so fuck you. "Nooo I loved that fic it had such a good magic system!" Yeah well I didn't love being told my "race" shares a single personality type/soul color so tough shit.

And then afterwards of course they write "Jewish Batfam" fic where there's 1 line in the entire thing where one character mentions Hanukkah once and they pat themselves on the back for being such good, diverse, inclusive writers. They're so woke and accepting and galaxy brained, devoid of prejudice, aren't you going to pat them on the back for clogging up Jewish related tags with fic where skipping one line could erase all presence of Judaism from it? No? Well then why don't you go write your own fic then?!

It's a rhetorical question, but here's the non-rhetorical answer: I don't go write my own fic because I'm tired of having to hear Jewish people talked about the way y'all talk about Tolkien's elves or Undertale's monsters and having to advocate for the idea of treating Jewish people like people is exhausting work.

Literally the only fandom I've ever been in that didn't go "oh well that's just fandom! if you don't like it don't write fics lol" was Star Trek. And even then, you venture outside of AO3 at your own risk.

--

[sixty-silver-wishes]

Your mentions of Zootopia's failure as an anti-racism metaphor made me wanna gush about how Birdboy skirts around this predator/prey dynamic.

In Birdboy, our outcast heroes are a bird, a mouse, a rabbit, and a fox; all animals considered pests to some degree and all of them trapped or hunted. The school bullies and all the cops are dogs, with the dropout rookie cop's character arc being this progression from questioning his mentor's bigotries to becoming complicit in the police corruption.

Dogs are trained to hunt and aid in the hunting of birds, rodents, foxes, and small game like rabbits. Prey drive is innate to a degree, but dogs can be encourged or discouraged from acting on it

Also all of these pest animals representing our heroes have been kept as pets, even foxes (though they shouldn't be, but that's it's own topic), just like dogs. And these characters in the movie aren't perfect kids. They can be rash and selfish and insensitive, but they're vulnerable to the ones deemed protectors and all are to some degree neglected by the ones who should be caring for them. They're targeted for not being what's expected of them whether due to racism or the stigmas attached to being mentally ill, homeless, or an addict and yet they can't rely on anyone to help because they know they're seen as pests even if this isn't explicitly stated. It doesn't have to be. Look at the way they're treated and the world they live in. How could they see it any other way?

I dunno, man, Birdboy did so well with the animal symbolism aspect and is critical of police as an institution and treats addicts and the mentally ill with tenderness and respect and nobody talks about it. None of this even touches on the garbage rat cult.

I’ve heard of “Birdboy;” thanks for sharing!

I haven’t seen it (just the Steve Reviews video lol) but animal allegory stories definitely aren’t anything new; we can go back to Aesop’s Fables, for instance, to see animals used to illustrate human issues. In examples such as “Maus,” it’s clear that the story isn’t about mice and cats, but they’re used to illustrate power imbalances enforced by the Nazis during ww2.

The issue I have with “Zootopia” is it doesn’t seem to be sure what it’s trying to say through the use of allegories. In the movie, the “predator” animals historically oppressed the “prey” animals, but in the modern society, they’re the ones facing oppression. And as I said earlier, if the animals used to hunt each other in the past and the predators are used as an allegory for racism faced by POC, it implies the validation of extremely harmful stereotypes about racial minorities being inherently violent, specifically towards white people. even the film’s use of the words “predator” and “prey” imply a power imbalance in its modern world, when they could have opted for a far more neutral “carnivores and herbivores.” Zootopia also tries to steer clear of racial coding by making all the stereotypes and tensions in the movie based on animal stereotypes (ie, “sly fox” and “dumb bunny”), but it also gets confusing when it makes clear references to specific racial issues. for example, when Judy says “a bunny can call another bunny cute,” we’re supposed to understand that as a reference to the reclamation of racial slurs among the people they were used to target, or when someone tells a cheetah to “go back to the jungle” and the cheetah replies, “I’m from the savanna,” referencing discrimination against immigrants and their descendants. So whether the movie is colorblind or not in its coding is hard to say, along with who it’s coding as what.

I want to say that Zootopia had good intentions, but is a flawed allegory. I don’t even think I would call it a bad movie; if it wasn’t trying to be an allegory for human racial issues, it has a fun plot, beautiful visuals, and clever dialogue and characters. I think the writers wanted to tell a story about why racism is bad (especially considering this was during the Trump presidency, when backlash to his ideology meant a widespread national interest in various social issues), but didn’t think hard enough about the implications of the allegories in the story. It’s also probably not something the average viewer is really going to think about when watching the movie as a piece of entertainment, but I think if we tell racial allegories, or any sort of allegory, they need to be handled with clarity in order for them to be effective.

[thefirstknife]

It's starting to feel like there's an implicit understanding in the community that complaining about the game is one of the main ways to engage with it, and maybe is something newer players pick up as part of the 'haha even diehard destiny players hate destiny' narrative. =\

Im happy to see the playerbase growing, but dang, I wish there'd be a bit less of 'if you love this thing you'll be passionate about criticizing it' among some of the big personalities

Yeah. Destiny always had that whole joke like "The one thing Destiny players hate the most is Destiny." I never understood it. When I mildly disliked Destiny, I stopped playing. Genuinely cannnot fathom playing a game religiously while hating it. Mindboggling. I'm also somewhat salty that a lot of people "criticising the story" and latching onto this whole vibe have never actually been fans of the story or have never really paid attention to it.

Like, it feels somewhat strange to me that suddenly every single content creator, including those that were openly NEVER into the lore and even content creators who literally only play pvp and those that openly play with voicelines and subtitles off, are suddenly great experts on how this story apparently sucks. And of course followed by a million of their fans who have until yesterday only ever cared about meta weapons for Trials, but have overnight become lore masters who understand that the story was "bad."

I know people who ARE into lore and who had issues. I also know that there's a lot of new players who were probably utterly confused, though that's to be expected when you tune into the 9th year of the franchise. I'm totally fine with that and respect people who have a different view of the campaign and how it felt to them. And of course if any new players are super confused and have no idea where to start learning more... I sympathise. Greatly. And I'm happy to help! Obviously a lot of what people are discussing right now is really complicated and draws from super specific lore that might not be easy for a new player to understand right away. It will take some time and that's okay!

But when I see the amount of people blasting the story, I'm left thinking... Really? There were so many lore enjoyers out there all this time? You're telling me that twitter user xxTrialsHunterMain69420xx understands the problems with the narrative and can talk with authority on obscure lore references and how Bungie fucked them up? This is absolutely news to me, as most players have been dissing the story for years and if they weren't dissing, they just weren't engaging with it at all.

Obviously every player has a right to say how they felt playing and how they vibed with the campaign and if they didn't vibe with it, that's fine. They didn't vibe with a lot of campaigns that I would die for, like for example Shadowkeep. But there's a distinct feeling like a lot of these people are just latching onto the hate train for no real justifiable reason of their own. Like, it's popular to shit on the campaign now and people will do it to fit in, even if they personally have never ever had any stakes in what Destiny's story is about.

They've been given not only permission, but encouragement to blast the campaign over something they barely understand and something that a lot of people reacted to out of their basic impulses. And I get it because my basic impulse was negative too. I feel like maybe a huge personality who influences the entire community shouldn't post the first thought that comes to their mind uncritically to social media. Or at least that they should feel like they can change their mind and correct that later. I feel like a lot of them would never do that now because it would mean alienating their audience. "Oh yeah I told you all that this sucks, but actually no it doesn't, just listen." Yeah, not going to happen. Not to mention that outrage brings clicks.

And of course, now the whole discourse has been completely ruined by the outrage so it's incredibly hard to find and filter who actually has decent feedback and who is just riding the hate train. Frustrating and draining.

[safifonhasstrel]

what's your thoughts on sd's newsletter on witchshadow and ppl's reaction to it? art's meant to be analyzed and adored AND criticized and imo it's reasonable to express frustration when the book we paid for with our hard earned money doesn't live up to what's promised

Yeah honestly I am with you on this, anon. I think she's taking the criticism a bit too personally, which she really shouldn't. It's hard, I know that all too well. I am on my way to unlearn that too, so i know its easier said than done.

Every piece of media can, should, and will be criticised. That's just how it works. It's also very valid for the people who payed for said piece of media, not just with their money but also with their time, to be upset about things. I feel very bad for her and I know she went through a lot. I am glad everything worked out fine for her. But if I want to truthfully review something, I cannot think about what the creator might have went through. Then I wouldn't be able to give my honest opinion and we would have a whole bunch of 5 star rated books and reviews would no longer be valuable.

I myself have tried my best to be respectful in my review and give valid examples. I cannot speak for everyone though, and that people have contacted her personally is nuts. But people should be able to post freely on their own social media. I think, or I hope, that she knows that.

I am a bit annoyed about the bit saying it's fine if the book is confusing at first and readers will be able to catch up. It wasn't just confusing at first. Witchshadow genuinely made me feel stupid. Because some plot points were never mentioned before! Like the paladin who has taken over Aeduan, whose name I have already forgotten because that felt so random, and the hellbard loom. I did an entire reread of the series before starting Witchshadow, and non of these things were mentioned before. I even went back and checked again. That was one of my main complaint. Things that have never been mentioned before suddenly being more important than what we already know, and we as reader are just supposed to roll with it. Same with retconning relationships, and focusing on the wrong things/characters. Why was Iseult's book, a book she's been most excited for, centred around the Hellbards??? I genuinely couldn't care less about them, but I know a portion of the fandom loves them, but really? I was expecting to learn so must about nomatsi culture but we got so little. It didn't really feel like Iseult's book at all. I think that's incredibly valid criticism. I am not sure if she would agree with this, but it is what it is. Again, not to be taken personally please. We are all adults.

Also, taking advice from someone about a series you are writing, who hasn't read said series, even if they are your friend, is a CHOICE. While I loath time jumps in general, they CAN work for some stories. But the Witchlands is simply too complex for that.

And oh boy, that got way too long. But valid criticism is supposed to help you grow. And as my boss told me when I was facing a lot of difficulties and hard choices, that, too, is incredibly valuable for you to grow as a person. It sounds harsh at first, but it's true.

Anyway, I hope no one is going to come after me or any person who has criticised the book. I really don't want Susan to feel bad, but readers negative feelings are valid too.

Now I am gonna shut up.