#i mean it was kind of triggering but like

[shamelesslymkp]

I mean, this is all very much accurate, obviously, but I do wish there was some better way to describe the impact media can have besides just 'upset' or whatever, because like... there are scenes from movies that I legitimately have flashbacks of, they come in when I'm getting flooded with other flashbacks of real things, they don't seem at all related to my own triggers, they're just scenes that out of nowhere became a bad part of my life. And while reading upsetting books is something I can do and get increasingly better at handling, I'm never going to be able to do that with visual or audio media in quite the same way, because if I'm not careful, I will end up with extra fictional flashbacks to go along with the actual real ones, and that's honestly just kind of embarrassing, ngl.

but none of that is inherent to the media itself. it's how my brain specifically responded to it, and sometimes, my brain DID respond like it was a trauma? I don't think it's fair in my case to say that the media itself traumatized me, but I think it's not impossible for that to happen - but not at anywhere near the casual level of use of the word would indicate.

I'm wondering if, as a society who cares about vulnerable people, we could stop saying "traumatize" when we truly mean "upset"?

I am sick of hearing sad books or movies "traumatize" their readers. I simply do not believe that happens. A traumatic experience might be adjacent to books (I have vivid memories of books I was reading around certain experiences and even how the contents of those books affected my processing of the experiences). But it's not caused by the book. And, y'know. The weather is Christofascist Censorship Attempts outside.

Meanwhile from the other side I continue to be surprised at just how badly people fail to understand trauma and traumatic experiences in general. Watering down the term isn't helping. Find other hyperbole to express that The Bridge to Terebithia gutted you, chewed on your heartstrings, and made you cry your first pair of contact lenses right out of your preteen eyes.

[howi99]

A Knight second chance 7.5

Pyrrha: *looking at Jaune and Penny walking hand-in-hand together* ... Am i allowed to be jealous?

Blake: You... Do know she basically had her mind fractured and he's doing everything in his power to repair it, right?

Pyrrha: ... Without context, it sounds like a premise from one of your books.

Blake: Mind-break plus healing BY the same guy? *Pensive* ... Sounds like something i'd write about the Rusted Knight. That's hot.

Pyrrha: *frowning* Could we please not imagine my crush having... *Sigh* Nevermind.

___________________________________________

Velvet: So... You want my help choosing a gift for your girlfriend?

Russel: *sheepishly* You're... Kinda the only Faunus girl i know.

Velvet: *surprised* You're dating a faunus!? B-but i thought- weren't you-?

Russel: ... You know, if you thought i was gay, you can just say so.

Velvet: N-no! I thought your gang... Didn't like faunuskind...

Russel: Oh. Ooooh! Well, Sky has a phobia of arthropods-like faunus, that's gonna be fun with my girlfriend, and Cardin... He has history with the white fang, from what i was told by Dove.

Velvet: O-oh! W-well, what kind of faunus is she?

Russel: She's a spider faunus...! Speaking of, she makes beautiful scarfs using her silk, and-

___________________________________________

Roman: *smoking cigarettes, one after the other* Neo, we are FUCKED!

Neo: *binge eating her ice cream*

Roman: Either we help Cinder and bring the end of the world, or we go against her and we fight an armada of grimm!

Neo: *double her speed*

Roman: *doubling the number of cigarettes* We are so DOOMED!

___________________________________________

Nora: *relaxing with Ren* Ah~ It's nice to take a break once in a while~

Ren: *drinking his tea* It's really hot for September, the perfect time to go outside.

Nora: Yeah, we should do that more often. Maybe bring Pyrrha and Jaune?

Ren: Well...

*pan out to the grimm cadavers covering the ground, slowly disappearing*

Ren: You think they like camping?

___________________________________________

Ozpin: *on the phone* Like i said, nothing bad has happened to your son, i just-. Ms Arc, i just wanted to know if anything bad could have triggered fear from him and-... Ghost? Really?.... Make up?... Wearing make up? Ms Arc, what in the gods name have your daughter done to your son!?... What do you mean, you have a book!?!

___________________________________________

Jaune: ...

Penny: *worriedly* W-What's wrong? Are you ok?

Jaune: I dunno, i just felt as if a part of my history i tried to repress as just been dug up.

[azazel-the-eldritch]

I had a thought recently: Silver the Hedgehog has to be one of the strongest characters in Sonic canon in terms of raw power.

It's often shown that he can use his psychokinesis to do some crazy things like fly, levitate, throw energy blasts, sometimes teleport, and any time he manipulate or moves things with his mind, it takes so little effort or energy to do so. Even things as big as buildings don't take much for him. Granted he does need to keep his focus on those things, but never seems to strain himself that much, if at all.

Upon first crossing paths with Sonic, Silver is dog-walking him. As much as we all shit on that boss fight, I'm convinced that's how it actually went in canon. Like yeah, Sonic is fast and knows how to scrap, but getting close to Silver just means getting caught in a psychic field and being yeeted across the arena.

It's implied that he's at least as powerful as Shadow, and seems to be just as naturally attuned to the Chaos Emeralds as Shadow is, evoking Chaos Control in a fit of rage after seeing Shadow do it once . And a lot of the things he can already do naturally are things Sonic and Shadow would need to go Super or use Doom Powers for.

That last bit makes me think about how the Chaos Emeralds, and by extension Master Emerald, are often lauded as "turning thoughts into power". And then you have Silver, who's whole power set revolves around thoughts being his power.

The biggest hints we have to his upper limits are the whole two times he has gone Super in the main series. The first time, he was aiding in fighting a rogue time god across multiple futures, handily throwing all of its attacks back at it. The other time was during the climax of the Metal Virus arc of the IDW comics where Super Silver just... psychically pulls the entirety of the virus out of the planet and its inhabitants, thus curing them, with what seems like minimal effort. He just... did that.

And all this power, all this world bending mental prowess in the form of a teenage rodent who was born in an apocalyptic future who is equal parts kind optimistic bean and seething hair-trigger crashout. And he has anxiety and struggles with self-worth, so there's that.

I love him. He is my son.

[josgalaxy]

MY PERSONAL RANKING OF BALDUR'S GATE 3 COMPANIONS FROM WORST TO BEST (spoiler alert!!!)

Of course this is just my humble and personal opinion, let me know if you agree! Trigger warning, I have a lot to say:

11. The Emperor

I know he's not technically a companion, but let's be honest, he is with Tav since day one. Let's just say this one is a shady bitch. From the get go I didn't trust the Emperor, and going forward with the game my suspicions were confirmed. Not only he literally exploited everyone that could help him reach his goals, but he shows no true loyalty to anyone but to himself.

Proof that the Emperor is just a gaslighting bastard: 1. Lied to the whole party by changing his appearence to seem more trustworthy 2. Killed his dragon bestie Ansur that was just trying to find a cure for him. 3. Kept a Gith prince imprisoned to exploit his power and was willing to eat his brains out to get more powerful. 4. Tried to sleep with Tav and secure their trust (btw, a kinky bitch). 5. LITERALLY SIDED WITH THE BIG BAD NETHERBRAIN as soon as Tav was not okay being manipulated anymore (like babygirl, you spent the entire game telling me we had to kill that thing and now you're ending up siding with it? Excuse me??)

So, yes, The Emperor deserves to rot and I was very happy to fry that calamari.

10. Minsc (and Boo)

So, I haven't played bg2, so I don't have that kind of attachment to the old characters. I don't mind that he is juts this brainless hunk, and I like the fact that he carries a cute hamster with him. He kinda reminds me of Kronk, and I love Kronk so he gets a few points for that. But other than some muscles, dumb jokes, and Boo, what else is there?

Let's just say that he made me smile a couple of times, but I got bored of him (but not the hamster) almost instantly.

9. Jaheira

Same here folks, I appreciate Jaheira but I don't feel that attached to her as the rest of the companions (probably because of the fact that she and Minsc are introduced in the game quite late). I mean, you get this badass milf Elf (mother is mothering) that can turn into a panther and has a cute accent... how can you not like her? But do I find her as interesting as other chatacters in the game? Not really.

I would probably share a drink with the tho, to hear all the stories from back in her day.

8. Wyll

Before any of you come for me for putting The Blade of the Frontier this low, let me explain. I like Wyll, I like the fact that he is a dancer, he's romantic, and that his main goal is to help people. I mean, he made a pact with a literal devil to save his city! Don't get me wrong, I think I would be friends with him irl, but as for character growth and depth, I think he passes off to be more bland than the rest of the companions, probably for his too goody two shoes attitude.

Let's just say if he was a spice, he would be flour. Sorry.

7. Minthara

You see, a long time ago my first playthrough, when I met Minty, I seriously contemplated killing all the Tieflings just to be with her. This is just to let you have an idea of the hold this woman has on me. HAVE YOU SEEN HER? Apart from being a hottie, and incredibly useful in combat as a paladin, she is hilarious without even trying. When you see an [ ! ] over her head you know for a fact she is about to tell something UNHINGED. I'm gagging.

Anyway, just so you know I haven't sacrified the tieflings to recruit her. I'm not a monster. I simply knocked mommy out and found her in Moonrise Towers.

6. Lae'zel

I believe Giths and Drows are quite similar: they both crave violence and see any kind of kindness and compassion as weaknesses. But what makes Lae'zel a better character than Minthara, is the fact that she evolves from her prejudices and violence, while the drow doesn't. She starts off as this ruthless and closeminded character, but later on she learns to challenge authority and her tyrant, save her people, find compassion in others and fall in love.

I think her romance is one of the best ones in the game. It starts off as a simple one night stand where she tries to dominate you, pure physical, but then she starts to soften and open up to Tav. I mean the rooftop scene where she calls you Source of my Joy?? Sounds more like Bae'zel to me.

5. Gale of Waterdeep

To be honest, Gale is literally my type irl: a hot scruffy nerd whose ideal Saturday night is reading a book and drinking some wine in front of the fireplace. Also, he has a cat! He is a bit of yapper, I know, but I find him quite charming, even though he eats magical boots from time to time in order not to explode and kill everyone in the vicinity

I believe Gale had the potential to be a heart-throb, but the only thing that gave me the ick about him, was the fact that he is too obsessed with his ex! I get it, she is the goddess of magic, but that doesn't change the fact the she literally groomed him since he was a child. He was willing to go full Manhattan Project just to get her approval. You are cute magic man, but you need to get over your ex.

4. Halsin

May the Oakfather protect me. He is such a dreamboat. He is kind and forgiving with everyone, loves animal and nature - duh, is great with kids, and let's not forget he is absolutely gigantic (points for him). He even carves out a wooden duck for you at the end, so cute! I love the fact that he knows his boundaries and is particularly attentive to respect everyone, like when he flirts with Tav but will wait for them to speak with their partner in order to have an open relationship.

I know he may not have the same depth some other characters have, but who cares?? Teddy Bear over here is fine as he is. What can I say, I'm a sucker for big men that try to be gentle.

3. Shadowheart

Shar's favourite Princess is one of my favourite characters in the game. She starts off as being wary and skeptical about Tav, but she quickly opens up as soon as one shows her kindness. Which is heartbreaking since she led her life following the Lady of Loss, hence without any kindness or compassion. Her backstory is particulary well made, so that you can truly see her growth: from standoffish, she ends up being such a goofy and sweet character. From putting all her faith in a goddess that has literally taken everything from her, she then learns how to discover herself and prioritise her feelings for the first time. I love that for her.

She is quite frustraing sometimes since she keeps missing in combat, but we love our emo babygirl anyway.

2. Astarion

So, the only reason I didn't put Astarion in first place, is because I know for a fact that in real life I would LOATHE the man. But we're not irl, so his gaslighting and manipulative tricks are overshadowed by his witty answers, his flirtatious expressions and the incredible velvety voice of his (thanks Neil Newbon). And to think that I thought I had successfully avoided the Vampire phase... well, I hadn't met this diva right here.

His backstory is one of the most heartbreaking, and with the right choices, I believe he can grow more than any other companion, which is why he is such a fan favourite among the fans. He starts off as being a vain and manipulative twink, but as you get to know of his past and the horrible things he has been through, you realise he is simply a victim that doesn't know any better.

I just love his confession scene to Tav: "I had a nice, simple plan - seduce you and manipulate your feelings. All you had to do was fall for it. And all I had to do was not fall for you... which is where my nice simple plan fell apart." EXCUSE ME?? WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT??

1. Karlach

She's an icon, she's a legend, and she is the moment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Karlach officially is the most likable companion of this messy rank. From the first moment you meet her, it's so difficult not to fall in love with this fireball of energy and kindness. Her backstory is probably the saddest of them all: a hopeful kid that gets betrayed and forced to live with a deadly engine that will one day burn her from the inside, like a tragic metaphor for an illness.

She is also smocking hot (and not just because she is literally burning), I mean, the tats, the muscles, the badass hair and half horn?? Child, she ate and left no crumbs. She is a total smokeshow, and despite her bubbly personality she is not afraid to be a bit sexy and flirtatious. Can we talk about the: "I wanna ride you 'till you see stars" YES MA'AM, PLEASE MA'AM.

But in spite of everything bad that has happened to her, Karlach is always smiley, loves her friends deeply and uses every moment to be a goofball and dance around. She is too pure for this world, which is why you feel that her horrible fate is particularly unfair to someone like Karlach. To be honest, her scene in the harbour after defeating the brain is heartbreaking.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So folks, here it is my personal ranking from least to most likable companions of Baldur's Gate 3.

Let me know what do you think!

[klorophile]

That would be sooo interesting, there would be so many good angles/questions/moods/themes/... to explore. - Jinxed!Powder talking to Mylo and Claggor like they're dead, like they're her dolls or hallucinations. Like they're not really here, while they'd be "?? Powder, we're physically here, and we're here FOR YOU, not against you? Why would you believe otherwise?" - Main Timeline Silco kinda just accepts or ignores Jinx's hallucinations and psychotic traits, I mean he goes with them, but I think AU Silco would question them and all of Jinxed!Powder mood disorders. Which might bother her, because I think Jinx could very well take that kind of worry as distrust or lack of confidence in her. Which is a bit triggery. - Obsessively looks for Vi, because last time Jinx was told her sister was dead she actually wasn't, who's to tell this isn't the same thing? (...is she with Caitlyn??) - Tries to do things she can do with her shimmer abilities. Fails because she does not actually have shimmer in this body. Tries drugs (looking for something similar to Shimmer). Triggers more psychosis. Triggers more worries from her family. Triggers more psychosis because interprets as distrust. - Fascinated by Ekko's face, keeps expecting him to put on a mask (and bash her head in). - Dabbles in hextech. Shakes the world.

ok, I want to write it.

Were they ever really that different?

[velvetvexations]

I have the forcefem meme blog blocked but someone I follow put a post of her's on my dash and she's just straight up saying "this isn't a kink blog, the way I do forcefem isn't kinky" and I swear my brain stopped working entirely for a second. I don't think there's anything wrong with kinks changing with a subculture or community or becoming memes but like. Come on. Forcefem is a kink, that's what it is. I try not to get too worked up about this blog because it's not good for me and my judgement does get clouded by the dysphoria it triggers but like, it really does genuinely worry me the way the meme-ification of forcefem has completely divorced the kink element from what is still very fucking clearly a kink. This whole "I'm not doing it in a kink way" is not a get out of kink free card, and it's a piss poor excuse for going around and flooding this website with kink stuff that now essentially cannot be avoided in trans spaces. No other kink that has like, a potentially sfw angle has a community that acts like this about it, people who do like bootblacking performances where no explicitly sexual acts take place still make it clear this is a kink thing so people can avoid it if they want, and there are huge arguments in furry communities over if you can even do "sfw" vore because vore is a kink even when no traditional sex acts are being depicted. Every other kink community gets that even when no one is fucking, a kink is still a kink and should be treated as such for the safety of everyone, why should THIS be the exception??

Ugh anyway sorry didn't want this to turn into a rant, I really don't think there's anything wrong with doing a fun sfw kind of forcefem with people who consent but like, as a kinky person who cares a lot about kink and BDSM history and communities the blatant refusal to consider forcefem a kink AT ALL is concerning. You cannot un-kink-ify it, this is a kink goddamn it and when you stop treating it as such you open up a LOT of unsafe grey areas on top of making it borderline impossible for people who are squicked out by it to avoid it because no one is going to tag for something they think is a harmless, gender-affirming, tgirl approved meme.

Idk tho maybe I'm letting my own dysphoria get in the way, feel free to check me if that's the case I will take the L with grace, but I just feel like this "It's not a kink when I do it" thing is...in poor taste, at the very least. I don't think it's intentionally malicious either I just don't like it when we stop recognizing that a kink is a kink.

I advocate tirelessly for being able to live BDSM relationships in public to the extent that "normal" relationships are allowed, but what I do not do is say I should get to snap a collar around a random girl's neck and drag her off because it's just a lifestyle. Like fuck off with "it's not a kink," IT IS, and it is NON-CON.

My biggest fan can't shut up about me supposedly calling trans women groomers because I think it's bad for trans men to say they want to cure trans women's "comphet," but you know what's also sexually coercive? Shoving your non-con fetish at people, many of whom are going to have reasons to be outright triggered by it, and then call it fine because it's so totally non-sexual.

SATIRE BEGIN

Well, okay, fine, start making indiscriminate forcemasc jokes at women. It's not a kink! There's nothing wrong with being a trans man! How could they possibly complain?

SATIRE END

That's a rhetorical question too, the answer is that they'd be massive hypocrites about it and say some dumbass shit like "transmascs just invented forcemasc to gentrify our fet I MEAN NOT A FETISH" or "trans men shouldn't care about being forcefemmed because there's nothing wrong with it but being a man is Bad."

[livmightlive]

2 Adventures AU

I think it would be kind of interesting if the chain went on two adventures. What I mean by that is the first one would occur while most of the chain have only been through one or a few of their games. This could also be seen as a childhood friends au? The chain is pulled together when most of them are pretty young.

Time has just finished Majora’s Mask and is in full young teen angst, trauma, mode. He’s extremely mischievous and poorly adjusted. He’s only around 12 or 13 years old.

Wind has just been through the events of Wind Waker. He’s only 12 and is pretty shaken up but still pretty similar I’d say. Maybe even more hyper and desperate to prove himself.

Hyrule has just been through the events of Zelda 1. He’s quiet and jumpy. Dawn has gently been spending the past two years trying to help him adjust to a more social life but it’s been slow going. He’s extremely anxious to be around so many people. I’d say he’s around 14.

Four has only been through the events of Minish Cap so he’s not even Four yet. His age is canonically the most confusing to me but I really like the headcanons that he’s a young adult who has a baby face. In this he’d be a kid though, so maybe around 11?

Legend I can’t decide whether he’d have only been through A Link to the Past and the oracle games or if he’s been through Links Awakening by this point. I think it would be more interesting if he had just been through Link’s Awakening and is severely jaded. He’s 16. (If he had only been thru the oracle games he’d be 14 and a lot more light hearted)

Wild would have gone through the events of Botw being 17. He’d honestly just be pretty baseline with no crazy changes.

Twilight would have also just gone through Twilight Princess being 18. I think he’d be really hung up on Midna. 

Sky has also just completed Skyward Sword, I think he’d also be 18? Pretty similar to canon. 

Warriors was plucked halfway through his game and thrust into this adventure. He’s very stressed, worried he left his people behind when they needed him most. He becomes the group leader being the eldest at 20. 

They come together, pretty much a platoon of child soldiers, defeat the evil, say teary goodbyes, and return home. 

Years later they’re all shocked to be pulled into a second journey across time and get to reunite with their brothers. 

This time Time is his canon Lu age of being somewhere around his early to mid thirties being much more cool and collected than the actual child nightmare he was initially. He falls easily into a leadership role. He seems to have mended many of his mental wounds despite him being prone to grumpiness. This adventure after so many years of peace is pretty triggering though. 

Wind has gone through phantom hour glass and is freshly 15. He’s a little more mature now but very much so the same kid except now he’s like: “I see dead people”

Hyrule is a lot better socialized this time. He’s almost easy going and has a mischievous streak that the chain welcomes. It’s a fine change from the scared scrawny kid he was years ago. He still is exceedingly sweet and has a plethora of new talents to share. He also has crippling paranoid and a blood phobia. He’s around 18. 

Four, despite being the youngest the first mission, is now a young man being in his early twenties. He doesn’t talk much about his last adventure but he’s noticeably scatterbrained. Despite that, he can think outside the box like nobody else. It’s like he can think with the power of four people! He also goes by the name four now. 

Legend who has completed two more quests now is incredibly frustrated to have been yanked out of retirement/his wedding planning. Legend was able to manage a lot of healing over his last two journeys. He got engaged to the one and only Ravio who he was supposed to be working on wedding invitations with. He’s lighter now but still a grouch at times. He’s in his earlier twenties.

Wild has completed his mission from TotK and somehow his iPad can do EVEN MORE now. If lobbing bombs wasn’t enough last time, now he can crawl through walls. He is noticeably shaken in a way he wasn’t last time and has almost an unwilling clarity of the world around him. He’s 21 now. 

I so sorry but I don’t think Twilight would be much different. If anyone has thoughts pls lmk. He’s been able to move on from Midna and has thrown himself into shepherd work. I think he’d be courting Ilia and would be living a good country life while getting to brag about having tea with the princess. He’s fairly okay with being on another mission.

Okay this is totally just a headcanon but I picture Sky as that guy you knew in highschool who gets married really young and starts a family right after school. Sky is stressed after getting sent on another because he’s in the middle of building a kingdom and his wife, Sun, is pregnant. 

Poor Warriors. As mentioned the first journey happened for him when he was halfway through his war. Unlike many of the others, when he returned to his f ‘n c z timeline it was like no time had passed at all. For the second half of his war he met many new people and old friends. Mask (time) joined him, an older, almost grown version of Wind as his best friend and second in command, Ravio, Midna. When the war ends he’s saddened to say goodbye to dear friends once again. Warriors is whisked away to his second journey with the chain the moment his war ends. For him, it’s only been a year or less in some circumstances that he’s seen the chain. For most of them to had aged so much is jarring to him. The last time he saw them all it was him and a mostly non verbal group of children. Now it’s a group of almost all adults bar Wind, who was Warriors’ age last time he saw him. Most shocking of all is to see his baby brother all grown up and older than him. 

I haven’t put much further thought into the AU but I thought the dynamic of splitting the chain up by the amount of adventures they completed would be interesting. Most of the chain also had started their journeys as children so I thought it would be a fun dynamic for them to have all met younger. Poor Warriors though, leading 6 mentally ill teenagers and children was a huge task. And now they’re all either older than him or roughly the same age. I imagine they hit the pubs hard 😭

[gothicxreylover]

𝔊𝖞𝔲𝖙𝔞𝖗𝔬 𝔞𝖓𝔡 𝔇𝖆𝔨𝖎 𝖄𝔞𝖓𝔡𝖊𝔯𝖊 𝖍𝔢𝖆𝔡𝖈𝔞𝖓𝔬𝖓𝔰

These headcanons contain themes that could be sensitive or triggering to some readers.

Warnings:

Possessiveness and Obsession Descriptions of extreme possessiveness, unhealthy attachment, and obsessive behaviors.

Jealousy and Violence,Mentions of jealousy escalating into violent actions or threats towards others.

Manipulation and Emotional Abuse, Depictions of characters manipulating and emotionally controlling their object of affection.

Self-Deprecation and Guilt-Tripping, Themes of self-loathing used as a means to guilt others into compliance.

Toxic Relationships, Exploration of unhealthy, one-sided dynamics with harmful power imbalances.

Physical Threats and Dark Imagery, References to physical intimidation, harm, and an overall dark tone associated with the characters’ actions.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

Gyutaro (Yandere Headcanons):

• Gyutaro’s obsession stems from his deep-seated inferiority complex. If you show him kindness or even pity, he becomes hooked, convinced you’re the only one who can see past his flaws.

• He becomes overwhelmingly possessive, convinced that the world is too cruel for you to handle alone. He insists on “protecting” you, whether you like it or not.

• Gyutaro’s jealousy is deadly. Even a fleeting smile at someone else can send him into a rage. He doesn’t just want your attention—he needs your entire being.

• He talks down on himself constantly to guilt you into reassuring him. Your words are like a lifeline to him, and he craves them obsessively.

• He has no problem with threats or violence to keep you by his side. He sees himself as a monster, so he doesn’t bother pretending to be good—he just makes sure no one dares take you away.

Daki (Yandere Headcanons):

• Daki’s obsession is rooted in her vanity. She views you as a beautiful, perfect possession—a reflection of her own worth.

• She’s manipulative and controlling, using her charm to keep you wrapped around her finger. She’ll make you believe that leaving her would shatter her fragile heart.

• Daki has a tendency to lash out at anyone she perceives as a rival for your affection. Her yandere tendencies often manifest in cruel and calculated outbursts.

• She expects constant admiration and devotion. If you don’t shower her with affection, she becomes petulant and sulky—but there’s always a dangerous edge to her tantrums.

• Daki justifies her actions by saying it’s all for your own good. She genuinely believes no one else can love you as perfectly as she can, even as her obsession turns destructive.

Dynamic as Yandere Siblings:

• Together, Gyutaro and Daki are suffocating. They constantly vie for your attention, each trying to outdo the other in showing their “love.”

• If someone threatens to take you away, they work together to eliminate the threat—Gyutaro takes care of the dirty work while Daki ensures no one ever suspects a thing.

• Daki might play the role of the sweet, doting partner, while Gyutaro intimidates you into compliance. They’re a perfect storm of manipulation and menace.

• Their sibling bond strengthens their possessiveness. To them, you’re not just someone they love—you’re part of their twisted, dysfunctional family now.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

You tried to slip away unnoticed, the cold moonlight casting a faint glow over the narrow alleyway. But you weren’t fast enough. A familiar voice—low and raspy—echoed behind you, making your heart lurch.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gyutaro’s sickles scraped against the cobblestones as he stepped into view, his hunched figure silhouetted by the eerie light. His gaze was wild, green eyes narrowing in pain and fury. “I told you… you don’t need anyone but me. So why were you talking to them?”

Before you could respond, a lilting, venomous voice chimed in. “Brother, don’t scare them too much,” Daki cooed, stepping gracefully from the shadows. Her smile was sweet, but her eyes burned with dangerous intensity. “After all, they probably didn’t mean to ignore us, did you, darling?”

Her delicate hand reached for your face, her touch icy yet suffocating as she tilted your chin up to meet her gaze. “You wouldn’t betray us, would you?” she asked, her tone dripping with faux innocence.

“I— I wasn’t—” you stammered, only to be cut off by Gyutaro’s laugh—a bitter, self-loathing sound.

“Don’t lie to us,” he growled. “You’re ours. No one else gets to have you. No one else deserves you.”

Before you could back away, Daki’s arm snaked around your waist, pulling you close. “You’ll stay with us, won’t you?” she whispered, her tone shifting to something dangerously sweet. “It’s for your own good. The world out there is cruel, but we’ll keep you safe. Forever.”

Gyutaro’s sickles gleamed as he loomed closer, his presence oppressive. “If anyone tries to take you from us…” His voice dropped into a chilling growl. “They won’t live to regret it.”

Their suffocating attention made it clear—you were trapped. Not just by their strength, but by the twisted love that bound them to you, and you to them.

[bekolxeram]

Unfortunately, I don't have the means to donate this time, (Stupid expensive health issues🙄) but I'd still like to express my gratitude to Bucktommy and this fandom for the occasion.

Not that my life has ever been sunshine and rainbows, but 2024 has been particularly difficult for me. I started the year the sickest I've been for years, then one of my uncles passed away in February. He was 88. He had been slowly succumbing to dementia for quite some time, so almost everyone agreed a cardiac arrest was a blessing in disguise.

I wasn't close with him, but my mother was, and naturally, I had to spend pretty much the entire March accompanying her to all sorts of traditional ceremonies for the dead. All my uncle's children, my cousins, came back from abroad as well. They enjoyed hanging out with me back when I was a toddler, but then I slowly grew up into this weird, moody kid of few words, and we kind of drifted apart from there.

Family reunions were never awkward despite my gloomy existence though, they had their fun aunt who never ran out of things to talk about. To them, my mother's the life of the party and an exemplary woman, who went through tragedies in life but still manages to come out stronger on the other side, who unfortunately had to re-enter the workforce later in life to support her physically ill husband and her mentally ill teenage daughter.

What they don't know, is that while she's a fun aunt, she's not a fun mother. She was dealing with the stress and frustration so well because she always had an outlet at home. Someone she had total ownership over, officialized by a piece of birth certificate. Someone she could do whatever she'd like to, emotionally and physically, because in my culture, it's simply an alternative, maybe outdated method of parenting, not a crime.

I've had time to process my messy relationship with my mother, I've come to (mostly) accept it for what it is. Watching my cousins all rushing over to my mother with open arms to console her, watching my cousins' children playing around, having fun with her, while my existence was barely acknowledged, was actually more triggering than I expected. It acted as a sobering reminding that not only do I have merely a handful of friends since I left church, I in fact don't have any family left either. They're all my mother's family, not mine.

It was probably the most lonely and isolating experience in my life. It's like I was trapped inside of my head, my head that was gradually turning into a bottomless pit of nothingness.

Then Tommy Kinard drove through cross town traffic just to clear the air in person. He expressed how much he wanted to be a part of a family. Then he took his shot and got the boy in the end.

I just felt... understood. Watching Bucktommy's story play out on screen gave me some rare moments of joy and much needed hope. I felt like if Tommy could find happiness later in life, maybe it wasn't too late for me either.

If you've had experience with depression, you'd know how sometimes getting out of bed, brushing your teeth feels like an uphill battle already. Motivation is precious and hard to come by. I was so motivated creatively by Bucktommy and people in the fandom who resonated with the story just like me, that I wrote series of posts analyzing every scene in S7, I learned how to make gifs to illustrate the humor I found in all of us, I figured out how to edit video especially for my vision of a Brad-nado, I even wrote and posted my first fanfic ever.

And I just love how we refuse to give up hope, even after the breakup. We cried, we whined, then we doubled our effort writing fix-it fics, continuing their story on our own terms. Now, we even manage to raise thousands of dollars for charities in 24 hours in the name of love.

Sorry for the wall of text all about myself, I hope I don't come across as a self-absorbed jerk. I always thought I would never make it to 30, it started feeling like a real possibility in March. What happened instead was that my 30th birthday came and go because I was too busy screaming about Buck batting his eyelashes at Tommy when he was receiving a medal.

I'm sitting here, typing this out, looking back at my 2024 at the end of the year, only because Bucktommy happened and I had the pleasure to cross path with you all. I know, it's stupid, it's just a TV show, but I can't really imagine how my life would turn out if I never had Bucktommy, where I would be right, or even if I would still be at all.

So, thank you, for making life worth living for me again.

[daniiiboo]

day 12 - a christmas proposal - qh43

summary - On christmas day, quinn takes you to a beautiful, snow-covered park. He tell you that this is the place he first knew he was in love with you. As you stand there, he pulls out a small box and ask the most important question of your life: will you spend forever with him?

trigger warnings - cuteness

dani's thoughts - im so sad this has to come to an end, but im glad it ended w/ this fic <3

word count - 518

find the rest of my 12 days of chrismas here !

The air was crisp and fresh, the kind of cold that made your breath visible in the air as you stepped into the quiet, snow-covered park. The world around you was a winter wonderland, with glistening icicles hanging from tree branches and snow blanketing the ground in a peaceful silence. Everything felt still, except for the gentle crunch of your boots in the snow and the sound of Quinn's footsteps beside you.

It was Christmas Day, and Quinn had insisted on taking you somewhere special. You couldn’t deny the magic of the moment. The park was beautiful, the soft glow of the Christmas lights strung between the trees adding a warm touch to the otherwise chilly surroundings.

He stopped by a frozen pond, where the snow had gathered into perfect little mounds. The world seemed to fall away, leaving just the two of you standing there in the silence, the only sounds the distant chirping of winter birds and the occasional rustle of the wind through the trees.

“Do you know why I brought you here?” Quinn asked, his voice soft but filled with something you couldn’t quite place.

You turned to him, your heart skipping a beat at the look in his eyes. “I’m guessing it’s not just for a walk in the snow,” you teased, though your voice betrayed the curiosity building inside you.

Quinn smiled, but there was something deeper in his gaze, something more serious. “This is the place,” he said, his voice quiet but filled with meaning. “The first time I knew I was in love with you.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

You had always known that Quinn had a special way of making ordinary moments feel extraordinary, but hearing him say those words,especially in a place so perfect, so serene, took your breath away.

“Really?” you whispered, your heart swelling with emotion. “Here?”

He nodded, taking a small step closer. His hand brushed against yours, sending a jolt of warmth through you.

“Yeah. We came here last winter, and I remember looking at you, the snow falling softly around us, and realizing that I wanted to spend every moment of my life with you.”

You felt your pulse quicken at his words, and your gaze softened as you held his eyes.

“I had no idea,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I didn’t say it then,” Quinn said, his voice filled with a quiet intensity. “But I knew. And now…”

He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small, velvet box. Your heart skipped, and your breath caught in your chest.

“Quinn, what are you—”

Before you could finish, he opened the box, revealing a sparkling engagement ring that caught the light of the setting sun. You couldn’t speak for a moment, your eyes locked on the ring and then back to him.

His hand was steady as he held the box out to you, his voice filled with sincerity. “Will you spend forever with me? Will you marry me?”

Your heart raced as you stood there, the snow swirling gently around you, the world falling away until there was only Quinn, only the two of you in that moment. You couldn’t help but smile, tears threatening to well up in your eyes.

“Yes,” you whispered, the word coming out like a breath of relief, joy, and love all at once. “Yes, Quinn, I will.”

His face broke into a grin, and without missing a beat, he slid the ring onto your finger. In that moment, everything felt right, everything you had ever wanted, everything you had ever dreamed of, was standing right in front of you.

Quinn pulled you close, his arms wrapping around you as he kissed you gently, the snow falling around you both like the world was celebrating with you. As you kissed him back, you realized that this was only the beginning of forever, and there was no one else you’d rather spend it with.

[karl-von-moor-official]

Adding to this, here's some advice that actually helped ME and prioritised ME on how to deal with my tics:

try to sleep. Seriously. A good sleep schedule (and also regular meals) will go a long way. And I know that's fucking hard, I know it's hard to maintain a sleep schedule (I'm sleep deprived rn as I am writing this) and I know it can be hard to fall asleep with tics. But it helps when it works!

Get to know your triggers. Whether it be cold air, itchy fabrics, soft mattresses, prolonged sitting/standing, certain noise, it can be many things. But if you find out things that trigger your tics, you can actually actively work against these triggers. E.g. wearing warm clothes when it gets cool, avoiding certain loud areas/getting headphones, buying softer fabrics or a different mattress, taking breaks from long sitting whenever possible. These are just examples from my own experience, but getting to know your own triggers can really help manage everyday life!

Channelling tics into different tics. Now, this one's a little tricky (or should I say ticy) to explain. (Sorry for the pun.) But basically when I can't sleep because I keep getting tics in my back, I try to move my foot instead (which is a common tic of mine) and basically I try to shift a larger tic (such as clenching my back muscles and curling my whole body) into a smaller tic (such as moving my foot/ankles). This doesn't feel as horrible as suppressing tics and isn't as difficult imo, but it helps me fall asleep sometimes.

don't tear yourself up about them. Probably every person with tics knows that stress can influence tics, but we all know that "just relax" is stupid advice! Of course it's amazing if you can minimise stress or at least try to do so in your everyday life, but it's often not possible. What's super important though is to remember not to get mad with yourself for feeling stressed. When I'm stressed and my tics get more frequent, I often slip into a sense of self-resentment. But in the end, all that does is increase my stress! It's silly and I know it and when I can catch me beating myself up about it, I try to stop it. Don't make this harder on yourself than it already is. Be kind to yourself. Which brings me to my next point:

Self-soothing. This is maybe my MOST IMPORTANT ADIVCE because it does WONDERS for me! Find something that actually soothes your nervous system! For me, I rub my fist on my chest in a circular motion. The contact and the movement is soothing to me in a way that helps me relax which actually helps with my tics very often! If you need to have a smooth stone in your pocket at all times to self-soothe, then by all means - do it! Anything, as long as you're not hurting anyone. Literally anything you can do to make yourself feel more at peace will help. Again, don't make it harder on yourself than it already is!

Don't think about it so much. I admit, this advice sounds about as helpful as "just relax", but bear with me for a second. Firstly, tics are often increased by talking about them/thinking about them/giving them attention (I know, because mine are increasing while writing this post). It doesn't have to be like that for every person with tics, but if you are, like me, one of those people whose tics get worse when you talk about them, then don't! In many cases, you don't owe people an explanation. Don't put your tics at the centre of your thoughts. I know that's not easy when they are quite literally a disruption, but the more you can tell them "fuck off, I don't even care, I don't care what you do or what other people think" the less they might bother you. Again, not as simple as it sounds and I'm aware, but sometimes giving a thing too much attention actually makes the thing worse!

All of these are just my own experiences and might not work for you, but if this does reach even a single person who finds it helpful, I'd love that!

Much of the time I find the way that we’re told to manage tics very much prioritises others rather than the person with tics.

Oftentimes it’s about how to make us more palatable to those who don’t have tics, whether that is being in good humour and allowing them to laugh at us regardless of whether we are comfortable with that, locking ourselves up at home so people don’t have to see something “icky”, putting ourselves in the constant discomfort of suppressing tics for no reason but the fact that other people are ignorant.

Justifying ableism as “well what do you expect going out and yelling swear words?”. When my tics first developed my parents threatened to never let me leave the house, go to school or see friends saying that I have to “think of others”. It is always seen as my responsibility to educate and jump through hoops to be treated with basic decency. People make it very clear that their few seconds of discomfort are priority over my entire life.

[hannahhook7744]

Are You, Are You, Coming To The Tree?

Summary: Grin and bear it. That was the mantra Harriet kept repeating in her head.  Grin and bear it.  Trigger warnings: Inhumane conditions, swearing, perceived discrimination, drinking, childhood trauma, etc. Merry Christmas @panthera-tigris-venenata .

------------------------------------------------------------

It would come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Harriet Hook hated Christmas. 

Christmas on the isle was cold and dreary and it usually snowed horribly or hailed—making it harder to find edible food and durable shelter for those of the isle who had nowhere else to go but the horrid great outdoors. 

Many didn’t survive the long winters. 

And while the isle mourned and fought amongst themselves, Auradon showed cheerful movies about reindeer, talking snowmen, and Santa Claus—movies that were chalked full of things the isle kids would never have like unspoiled eggnog, freshly baked christmas cookies, gingerbeard men, and presents in good condition handed out by smiling parents who loved their children and had the means to give them such things. 

Harriet hated the holiday. 

And she didn’t believe in Santa. 

At least, not the version presented in the cartoons and movies they would show. 

In her mind, it was all bullshit.

The real Santa Claus wasn’t a kind man who rewarded truly good children. No, the real Santa Claus was a holier than thou bastard who only rewarded children who were perceived as good—not accounting for the abused or neglected children who would never be considered good by those around them or for the children who had no choice but to be bad by society’s standards to survive. 

He didn’t care about any abused children in Auradon, if there were any left and he certainly didn’t care for people like Harriet. 

The real Santa Claus hated Isle kids and that was apparent. 

Harriet was almost eleven by the time the Isle’s Santa started distributing presents to every living kid on the isle and fixing up the graves of the dead kids after all. Old enough to know that The Isle Santa wasn’t the real deal. 

She’d had several Christmases of disappointment by then.

Several Christmases of the adults in her life barely being able to scrape by and find enough food to keep her and her siblings alive. Christmases that usually ended up with them all getting drunk till they passed out when they thought she and her siblings couldn’t hear. 

Her and Harry and CJ had all gotten presents, sure, but it wasn’t anything magical like what was shown on TV—no, it was just stuff they needed and if they were lucky, a toy that wasn’t too far damaged when it was donated to the barrage. 

Her dad was always drunk in the days after. Ashamed, angry, and bitter about the fact he couldn’t do more for them. 

By the time the fake Santa started leaving gifts, Harriet was able to tell that the gifts weren’t from a workshop in the North Pole but handmade by someone inexperienced or fished from the barrage and the ocean. 

All it only made the pirate captain hate the holiday more.

Why wouldn’t it? 

Harriet only had bitter memories of the holiday. 

Memories where she knew Santa  and Auradon hated her. 

Harriet hated Christmas. 

But if there was one thing that could make Harriet celebrate it?

It was her crew. 

------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m sorry. Did I just hear that right?” Sammy asked, staring at her—and for some reason, he looked a bit nervous. 

“I need your help to make Christmas special for the rest of the crew, the twins, and Owena—the kid Uma’s crew took in.” Harriet gritted out. Eye twitching slightly. 

She didn’t like having to repeat herself. 

Especially not when it came to this situation. 

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the only one who can keep a secret.”

Sammy snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “that’s what you think” but Harriet didn’t question it because she was nowhere near drunk enough for that conversation. 

“Now. Do you have any ideas or not?”

------------------------------------------------------------

“How the hell are we supposed to hide a whole ass tree from the entire crew?” Harriet asked, taking in the tree Sammy had apparently chopped down with her eyes. 

It wasn’t a pine tree. 

Not like the ones on tv anyway. 

Nothing on the Isle was anything like it was on Auradon TV. 

The tree was long, skinny, and battered with sparse, discolored leaves that were just barely hanging on and looked like it had been dying long before Sammy or her was born—which, since it had been growing on the isle, it probably had been. But still, it would be heavy and if it was just going to be the two of them carrying it then it would be hard to sneak it onto the ship without anyone noticing. 

“By carrying it in when everyone is out.” Sammy said blankly, as if it was obvious—shaking a can of green spray paint before he started spraying the tree. “Now. Keep an eye out so we don't get jumped.”

Harriet bristled slightly. “How, exactly? Someone's always on the ship. Nikita, Raymonda, Na’vi, Nova, Henry, and Anais live on the ship, and it's a coin toss on whether your brothers or any of the crew’s siblings and cousins will be on the ship or not. Not to mention our actual crew and don't even get me started on the youngin’s in Harry's crew.”

It felt like the ship was never empty these days. 

“Which is why I called in a favor Homicide, Kai, Ula, and Uziel owe me and got them to agree to distract everyone for a couple of hours starting at exactly 6:00 O’Clock.”

Harriet raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “And why exactly do three of my cousins owe you a favor?”

Sammy let out a long suffering sigh before giving her an unimpressed look. “Do you really want to know or do you want results? I can only give either or. Not both.”

“Just shut up and paint the damn tree.” 

------------------------------------------------------------

Grin and bear it.

Grin and bear it.

Grin and bear it.

That's what Harriet had to do. 

Grin and bear it.

Grin and bear it.

Grin and bear it.

GRIN AND BEAR IT. 

‘It was for the kids and for the crew,’ Harriet reminded herself, grunting as she backed up the gangplank with the top half of the tree gripped firmly in her hands. Trying her hardest to keep a decent grip on it knowing that it was likely to break into pieces if the damned thing was dropped—it would be the luck of an isle kid, after all. 

It was for the kids and the crew, and Harriet was not going to quit until the stupid tree was hidden somewhere in the ship and decorated so nicely that all of her friends would weep in delight from the sight. Achy back and creaky neck be damned.

------------------------------------------------------------

The tears the crew of the Queen's Fury and the children would be crying would not be tears of joy. 

Of that, Harriet was sure, as she looked at the newly decorated Christmas tree with a barely disguised grimace. 

Sammy had managed to dig up three Christmas bubbles (two of which were broken) and some flickering fairy lights in the barrage but that hadn't been enough to fill the tree. 

So they'd had to take some…. creative…liberties. Like tapping a couple of lanterns to a couple of the branches and breaking into Madam Medusa, Eq, & Cruella’s jewelry boxes for the best earrings the isle had to offer to hook onto the tree next to shiny bottle cups, broken glass bottles, and fish bones. 

They'd thrown one of Harriet's old hats on the top as a tree topper and used a moldy bite ridden rope as garland. 

It looked more like a crime scene than a Christmas Tree and joy was the farthest thing from what the pirate captain felt when she looked at it. 

And Harriet could just tell by the look on Sammy's face that he hated how it looked too, no matter how much he tried to claim otherwise. 

Christmas was going to be a disaster.

------------------------------------------------------------

“What are you lot doing here?” Harriet asked with an exhausted stare, too tired to speak above her ‘inside’ voice. 

Homicide (Morgie's eldest son) shrugged, a big red sack draped over his shoulder.

Behind him were Kai (Morgana of the sea’s daughter) and Ula & Uziel (the son and daughter of Uliana), all three with big red sacks of their own as they walked up the gangplank.

“We owed Sammy a few favors.”

The raven haired girl just let out a long suffering sigh, deciding that she just didn't want to know why that was at this point. Harriet wasn't scared to ask, per say (lie), but she figured that this whole thing was likely something she would need deniability on. 

Even if she'd end up stuck dealing with the fall out regardless.

“That doesn't really answer the question but come aboard, I guess.”

------------------------------------------------------------

Presents and enough food that they could have a feast. 

That's what Harriet’s cousins had brought on Sammy's behalf.

“You crazy son of a bitch, what do you have on them?” Harriet’s eyes didn't stray from the pile of presents tha nearly filled the storage room they'd hidden the tree and food in. 

Christmas was in the morning. 

Sammy definitely had to be blackmailing them. 

The blonde didn't even deny it, not looking away from the (mostly canned) food he was looking over. “You don't want to know.”

“Sometimes, Sammy, you scare me.”

“Not enough to keep you sober, apparently.”

Harriet snorted. “No one scares me enough to keep me sober.”

------------------------------------------------------------

The next day the pirates of the Queen’s Fury and the Lost Revenge came together and feasted on badly made Christmas cookies, crepes, slightly used candy, rum, slightly out of date eggnog, and much more.

They danced, they sang sea shanties, they told stories, and they laughed when the roughhousing broke out. 

Nobody had cared what the tree looked like and Diego had even laughed when he recognized some of the earrings on the tree as his aunt’s. 

It was a good night.

Harriet would even call it a merry one. 

It was the best (and even only, for some of them) Christmas any of them had ever had. 

[vampirefangs]

i know "i saw the tv glow" is very metaphorical but also if you are/have been mentally ill/delusional enough in just the right ways it can be relatable in a literal sense too

[vaguely-concerned]

are. are you telling me that if the romanced mage warden dies and alistair is king, he deadass stares greagoir down over her dead body and grants the circle of ferelden its autonomy after ordering it rebuilt somewhere safer. first you have to deliberately leave him behind so he won't die for you and then he does that for you once you're gone, even when you're broken up??? absolute and literal king behaviour of the highest order????? the actions speak louder than words of it all??????? I think I hauve covid

[greyplainsttrpg]

This has gotten me to think a lot, so I hope you do not think that I'm arguing for the sake of "being right on the internet." I have a lot of opinions about horror in TTRPGs that I haven't fully materialized I guess, so this is kind of eking those out.

This is my bad: when I say that the players "do not have an answer to the problem," I meant that the players do not have 'ready-baked' answers to the problem (because the solutions are extant in other media). Like, the final resolution of games that I run which I consider to be "horror-esque" are about making a bizarre moral decision with no 'right' (as in objectively correct) answers. The players absolutely have all the information they need to make the decision (which they gathered during the adventure), but pulling the trigger on any answer requires the players to question their engagement with the fiction. You can disagree with that as well, but that is closer to what I meant to say.

I think we do disagree on the nature of games. I do not believe that games NEED to be fun to be good or valuable. Like, what makes a game is that you play it---not that it is fun. I think games, TTRPGs in particular, are held down by their supposed need to be "fun." Horror is, as a genre, not fun. I do not have "fun" watching most horror films. I did not have "fun" reading Frankenstein. I enjoy horror because it provides experiences that do not require them to be fun to be meaningful. Like, is the Blair Witch Project fun? Is I Watched the TV Glow fun? Would a TTRPG adaptation of those pieces be fun to play? Should they be? In the case of horror video games, is Silent Hill, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, or Pathologic fun? Not really, no. They're something else which can result in fun as a biproduct, but the initial intent is not fun.

So long as the horror is not obscene, most people who come into a tabletop game are usually prepared for some amount of it to crop up, so it has not been an issue for me. Like, at what point is "you're fighting a werewolf" shift from action-adventure to horror? I argue it is the pacing and presentation of the scene. When do fairies go from fun-fantasy to fae horror? It's all about context. The difference in what I'm trying to do is that I do not tell the players "hey, this fight with the werewolf might be scary." Another example: is it absolutely wrong to premise an adventure on "investigate how this noble was 'murdered'" only for the party to learn that the supposed victim is actually a vampire that lives in a ghost house (and the party is locked inside)? Nobody has had an issue with it yet because it is introduced in pieces. It just sounds worse in theory than the actual practice. Greyplains, my system, is not specifically a horror game, however it works really well for horror elements I tend to use because the mechanics support a feeling of disempowerment (and provides an emotional reward for overcoming this).

My point about comedy is that TTRPGs tend to be rooted in some degree of 1) improv and 2) probabilistic failure. Both of which tend to produce humorous results. Funny and horrible are not antonyms though, so it really does not matter that much. I retract that point as being useful. My bad.

I don't know what "If it's not a game and it still forces you to do things inefficiently, that's just A Job." means exactly. I don't know what you mean by "inefficiently" in this context.

Sorry if this annoying lol.

I think that a flaw in a lot of the more ambitious horror RPGs I've read is that they all tend to go for the pitfall of Lovecraftian horror, but mechanize it, so it very often seems to end up as "roll to see if you lose sanity."

Some games, like Absurdia, handle this fairly well by not making it about your mental state along the way. It's more like... You can only handle pushing yourself so much before something bends or breaks.

but others, like Call of Cthulhu, seem to kind of operate on a "because I said so" type logic. From the APs I've listened to, at least, the GM seems like they just have the power to call for you to roll to Stay Sane or whatever. But it ends at the same destination, that dealing with The Horrors has a negative mechanical effect on your character, and if they experience too much Horror, you lose your character. the same as if they just die.

While this is interesting to think about from a narrative perspective, I think it ironically discourages players from playing like they're characters in a horror story. Which means everyone is operating on, like, Scream logic, where everyone is playing as The Guy Who Knows He's In A Horror Movie, even if they don't say it out loud.

What I'm MUCH more interested in, although I'm not sure how compatible it is with long-form play, is a game whose whole reward structure is built around Getting Your Player Characters To Do Stuff That Gets People Killed In Horror Movies.

Split the party! Go have sex in the guest bedroom while people are dying downstairs! Give in to the monster's threats/demands! Hide the weird not-quite-dog thing that followed you home under your bed for the night! Yeah, the killer will DEFINITELY fall for that trap! Wander off alone without telling anyone where you're going! It's FINE! If you survive, it's how you LEVEL UP!

[velvetvexations]

Re the anon talking about ppl claiming that you can do forcefem in a way that isn't kinky and therefore is sfw & shouldn't be tagged – THANK YOU. As an ace person who is both somewhat sex averse and mildly involved in kink (basically I like erotica (of the fantastical, impossible to do in reality variety) & write some of it but I have to be in the right mood and I'm uncomfortable with actually having sex or having sexual interactions that aren't clearly roleplay), I was a little upset with some friends a few years ago for making sexual comments about me (like joking about whether I'm a top/bottom or saying things like 'step on me', etc). I asked them if they could stop/tone it down a little and my actually close friends did but a few kept getting defensive about how it was clearly a joke and they were saying I was a bottom in a slang/meme way and didn't mean anything sexual by it. And like... the point isn't how you intend for something to come across, the point is how it's received and the words you're saying are clearly sexual and it's starting to get weird. Something doesn't stop being rude or straight up sexual harassment if you mean it as a joke/in a nonsexual way.

I'm not a Puritan by any means. All kink (involving consensual adults) is fine by me but being sex-positive also means respecting that some people aren't into your kinks or sex in general and to not get offended if someone unfollows you because of untagged kink/nsfw or leaves a conversation because they're squicked out. (Seriously, we need to bring back the concept of 'squicks' to communicate that there's nothing morally wrong with certain kinks but some can still gross you out and you can choose to avoid them.) Rebranding what's clearly a kink and is understood to be a kink anywhere that's not this website, especially one that can clearly be triggering to people, and calling anyone who doesn't want to see it transmisogynists is just... weird.

(Also while I have 0 problems with people who transition for kink reasons or people who have gender-related kinks, it sets a kind of dangerous precedent for seriously claiming something like forcefem is trans praxis when one of the most common transphobic & specifically transmisogynistic lines of attack is that being trans is sexually motivated & trans people are groomer pedophiles, etc etc. If you think of your transition/gender as forcefemming then cool! Good for you! Kink is an important part of queerness. But maybe try to not apply that to the entire community when there are people who don't feel the same and there are people who are put in real physical danger because of those assumptions that being trans is inherently sexual.)

This is especially true of forcefem because "nonsexual forcefem" is literally just transmascs being forced to detransition. People with non-con kinks kinna have a big responsibility to not go about it in a way that's triggering to other people.