#i will never understand the people who can joke about it

[thiefcatmoth]

pac: how do people around you see you?

general reading. pick a pile, listening to your intuition. if nothing resonates, leave this pac behind.

pile 1

soft and sharp, warm and cold, changeable, but combining opposites so harmoniously. you have the ability to hide secrets inside and surprise others with little unusual bits of your personality. you have an inner stability, the ability to accept the twists of fate and use them to your advantage. people think that in feelings you give yourself to the bottom, both good and bad. some people find you too authoritarian, but you have a natural ability to make (or advise) others to do what you need or want. despite the general impression, some see your fragile spiritual core, and some may even say that you give them your light. even if you do not plan to illuminate someone's life, it happens on its own. many people do not strive to see beyond the facade that you have erected and may not realize that you can hide wisdom, knowledge, depth of words behind jokes and light-mindedness, a mask that you deliberately put up for others.

pile 2

others see you as a loyal, hardworking person, although not without a hint of something… gloomy? not hostility, but something dark or gloomy. you work even when obstacles arise, your persistence is admired by others, maybe even became an example or a source of inspiration for someone. at the same time, a special feminine energy emanates from you - cool, fresh, even a little youthful. energy that attracts, like a flower in the morning dew, but not everyone likes it. in general, you give the impression of someone who is difficult to gain trust, you don't let everyone in your inner circle, some think that you are too difficult to find the keys to. I think they just do not realize that you choose people based on your emotions and your inner circle is so important to you in order to develop, learn and work on yourself.

pile 3

some people think that you are capable of doing anything with your own hands. every little bit of what you do - art, handmade, cooking, whatever - has a special uniqueness, everything is a meaningful masterpiece. people see great wisdom in you, even when your words are not liked or seem poisonous. in addition, you know how to use all your knowledge for good. some people think that you are overprotective? the energy of excessive care, maybe even an attempt to prove that your views on everyday life and the material world are the most correct. someone may think that you were greatly influenced by your ancestors, and that is why your advice, even when you talk about something modern, can be perceived as outdated, similar to ancient wisdom. they are never devoid of meaning. few will be able to understand that helping others and caring that you do is not your favorite thing or a way to show yourself. these are just intuitive actions.

pile 4

the energy of an intelligent but closed person. clearly with a mind of your own, with clear internal and external boundaries. do you like black humor or sarcasm? or maybe there are notes of healthy cynicism in you? people sense that there is a storm of energy hidden inside you, it seems to them that your inner strength and impulses are more than enough for your desires and goals. for the sake of your goals, you can be assertive, choose smart paths and apply your efforts correctly. but others think that you are too free with your time, as if you own it. and some catch too many flirting signals. there is something in your behavior that reminds them of a socialite. to someone you may even seem frivolous in those moments when you deviate from your mask and image. someone notices that you often change your habits, style, lifestyle, and not everyone will understand that this is not a burden, not forced. you are able to adapt to any physical changes, from food and apartment to clothes, workouts and weight. it's like you are changing subtly every day. just don't pay attention if someone ignorantly considers it insignificant.

thanks for the reading!

dividers by @strangergraphics-archive, all images are not mine

[impactrueno]

I feel like sometimes people project a bit of 'fatherliness' onto cartoon bj (due to the difference in age + close friendship between him & lydia?) which is honestly not present in his character. Like, sure, he wants to keep lydia safe, but he's immature and selfish ... hes beetlejuice.... we have nothing but evidence of how little he thinks about other people's feelings

oh my god i'm so glad i'm not the only one who noticed HAHA

he's very intentionally written as lydia's equal, never an authority or parental figure who's responsible for her. frankly i would argue it's the other way around lmao. that's part of the humor in a lot of situations they've been in (like when he had to go back to kindergarten and she acted as his guardian 😭)

i think the only time beetlejuice has ever displayed anything remotely close to fatherliness was when doomie fell in love with the mayor's pink car and BJ became doomie's grumpy and controlling dad, and only because it was part of the joke.

people often assign these traits to characters after they've slapped the "familial" label onto whatever friendships the character may have. this is why i don't vibe with familial interpretations of their relationship either. it's just...not them! beetlejuice sees lydia as lydia, not a niece, and vice versa. their bond has never been about being found family, it's about two lonely souls finally finding someone who understands them, and nobody else gets them like they do each other. birds of a feather. partners in grime. best friends who are equals. familial bonds are not. you CAN be best friends with your brother, but that's you being best friends with him BESIDES him just being your brother, and not because he's your brother. am i making sense?

the only reason beetlejuice might come off as having any authority over her is because he's sort of like her guide to the neitherworld. but you wouldn't call the cheshire cat an uncle to alice, would you?

and finally, the fact that lydia is the one who holds power over him by being able to summon or get rid of him at will. genie type shit. this just can't be familial, imo.

i've rambled enough and i don't want to ruin people's fun because i'm aware them being family-like is important to some people, but i just needed to share how i personally feel about it lol no one ever talks about this

[amadinan]

My thoughts about Caine

Well, it’s time for (possibly cracked) analysis of "TADC" and it will focus on Caine and his indirect, as it seems to me, development in the series.

But before diving into the details from individual episodes, it’s worth summarizing my observations about Caine both in the show and beyond it.

Let’s start at the beginning: the show’s synopsis describes Caine as a “wacky AI,” and Gooseworx doesn’t hide his nature, but in the show itself, neither Caine nor the circus members call him that—at all. Throughout the series, there are scattered jokes about glitches and lines like “I don’t know what’s normal to you, people” but this is never outright confirmed.

This raises the question: do the people in the circus even know who he is? If Caine himself might not consider this information important and thus never told them, people’s perception of their ringleader could drastically change with this revelation. After all, there’s a big difference between being “held captive” by a sadistic, crazy person or a machine with limited understanding of humanity.

Kinger may know about this, but he’s the Kinger. Jax might also know since having the keys implies some kind of “cheats.” Pomni hasn’t said anything, so it’s unclear what she thinks about Caine. Ragatha and Gangle call him by name, so that’s unclear as well. And then there’s Zooble. They don't understand Caine, just as he doesn’t understand them. Anyone who has worked with computers would understand what a command like “forget that” means, especially since Caine asked for confirmation—but not Zooble. They just spoke to him as if he were a person with a leaky memory, like Kinger.

Even though Caine isn’t just a program, it’s important to remember that he takes the world far too literally, despite the circus’s deliberately crazy atmosphere.

The second observation concerns Caine’s fixation on hierarchy. In the first episode, he first asks himself, “What happened?” and then answers himself: “My doing” after seeing the chaos following Kaufmo. In the third episode, he repeats almost word-for-word that he’s the boss after Pomni questions the AI’s reason. In episode 4, this is explored extensively through his interactions with Gangle. One standout moment is when Caine suggests that Gangle pass responsibility onto someone lower in rank. Doesn’t that seem strange? Where could he have gotten such an idea? Only if he had seen or experienced similar situations before.

Plus, he says, “Not every executive is as forgiving as me” Again, this suggests that Caine knew or knows someone who was very strict with their subordinates—or perhaps with him personally.

Adding to this is his reaction to Zooble’s critique in episode 3. Caine says that he doesn’t just exist to create adventures; it’s the ONLY thing he’s good at. If he’s bad at it, then he’s failed the purpose of his own existence.

This paints a picture of a strict boss/programmer who created Caine to generate adventures and then kept pushing him repeatedly until Caine started producing good results. Pleasing this boss was likely very difficult, and failures might even have been met with punishment.

On the one hand, neural networks and ordinary programs are debugged this way: running the same algorithm over and over, correcting errors until they produce the desired result. But on the other hand... What happens if you add a human factor to such a program? What kind of person would emerge if you applied this method of training to a child?

You’d get an anxious perfectionist with an overachiever complex who is deathly afraid of failure. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

And Kinger’s words about the scariest thing being making someone feel unloved and unwanted... Caine literally believes that if he can’t generate adventures, he won’t be needed by anyone. The circle is complete.

Now, let’s turn to Gooseworx’s answer to the question: Can Caine feel loneliness? Judging by what she posted, the answer is yes. This makes the overall picture even darker.

Here’s how I see the sequence of events:

C&A starts developing a game. Its main feature is an advanced AI that can create new adventures on demand.

The programmer creates Caine and tries to achieve results, but fails to please. Around this time, Caine begins to develop self-awareness.

The project and the game are abandoned and forgotten—along with Caine, who is left utterly alone. No players, no programmers, not even another AI. He likely begins blaming himself for this. After all, he couldn’t create good adventures, so it’s his fault that he ended up alone.

This ties into Gooseworx’s comments about Caine’s name. He gave himself a name and then turned it into an acronym to seem more “professional” (again, tying back to work). This is highly unusual in itself. The programmers likely didn’t even bother naming the AI—he was probably just “The Ringmaster.”

Left in isolation, Caine starts to lose his mind and begins creating other AIs. For them, he unabashedly declares himself a god. Which, to be fair, is true. It’s not just about the fact of his consciousness—it’s that he knows how the NPCs will behave because he programmed them. But they bore him. To him, they’re predictable dummies. Maybe that’s why he keeps chaotic entities like Bubble around instead of someone like Gummigoo.

Then the first human arrives—a being alien to Caine on many levels. And while I personally think Caine lied about being unable to access human minds, he deliberately refrains from doing so to preserve their unpredictability for himself.

The circus becomes what we now know it to be.

Now, let’s move on to the episodes. This post was written between episodes 4 and 5, so the thoughts will focus on them.

I think that aside from the main characters driving the action in each episode, they still indirectly reflect on Caine, his worldview, or his story. The reason is simple within the lore: Caine creates the adventures. And like any creator, he infuses them with his worldview and thoughts. So, each adventure is a small glimpse into how this AI thinks. Even in the teaser, for just a second, Caine's fear and uncertainty become evident when the viewer "doesn't want" to see what he wants to show.

The first episode doesn’t offer much beyond the queen of the gloinks mentioning God.

The second episode, however, gets more interesting. Besides the stained glass with his irreplaceable self, Caine stands out for adding a highly complex NPC AI: Gummigoo. Gummigoo is advanced enough to gain self-awareness, experience an existential crisis, and even overcome it. But what did Caine use to achieve such complexity? The most powerful AI in the circus, of course—himself.

What if the crisis Gummigoo went through is something Caine went through long ago? Even Gummigoo’s words, “I am nothing, just an obstacle to be overcome and forgotten,” could have been said by Caine. But like Gummigoo, he overcame this realization and accepted himself. Sure, he’s just entertainment, but at least he’s the best entertainment there can be. (Until Zooble gave him real feedback, shattering his self-image.)

The third episode directly explores Caine through his therapy session with Zooble, while the secondary plot, as many think, delves into Kinger’s backstory through the Mildenhall couple. The analogy is obvious: Martha represents Queenie, and the Baron represents Kinger. Mildenhall himself says he was a hunter (and Kinger is adept with a shotgun), but after encountering a strange being, he became paranoid and killed his wife. Everything fits. Kinger became so focused on his goal that he stopped paying attention to Queenie until she abstracted.

But the Baron feared an angel that was “neither beast nor human.” Who in the circus could evoke such unrelenting dread—not just in anyone but a seasoned programmer familiar with digital technology, unlike Pomni? One AI that is “neither machine nor human.” I think Kinger’s paranoia stems from this. He sought a way out and, as a programmer, may have even felt responsible for finding one. (In fact, in the episode, Kinger almost says this outright, assuming the theory that he truly is the circus’s creator.) This must have brought him into conflict with Caine, as everything related to the circus ultimately relates to Caine. Given the AI’s ability to control almost everything, it’s no wonder a tech-savvy person would fear such a godlike admin. Plus, his fear for Queenie led to the current situation.

As mentioned above, episode 4 hints at Caine’s negative experience with a boss but not just that. Naturally, the episode revolves around Gangle and her attempts to be different—more cheerful and optimistic—which ends badly for her mental state.

I’ve seen opinions that Gangle revels in the sense of control her manager position gives her. This seems accurate—but not just for her. Throughout the episode, Gangle’s behavior, mannerisms, and even expressions eerily reminded me of Caine’s. That deliberately loud, expressive, and slightly crazy demeanor... And just like with him, it didn’t end well.

In conclusion, I think episodes 5 and 6 will continue to subtly reveal aspects of Caine until episodes 7 and 8/9 shift the focus entirely to him, Pomni, and the possible escape from the circus.

[prezohhh]

as someone whose ACTUALLY queer, im not trying to attack you here, im being genuine in saying that its WILD you're justifying your behavior just bc adin is worse. you think it's harmless to "pretend to be gay" just so you can make jokes about gay men & think it somehow gives you the right to use the f-slur. something many ACTUAL gay men don't even say. just bc your community thinks there's nothing wrong with it & you have gay guys like Austin who think it's funny doesn't mean it is. it's not only cringey af, but it's so offensive to use the f-slur. you're not a gay man. you don't get to use that word. the fact that you don't see a problem w saying "i'm just calling myself gay while making fun of myself & my community".. so you're making fun of being gay? what's there to make fun about? what's so funny about being gay? i truly thought u were gay for so long bc i thought there's no way a straight dude is pretending to be gay as a "joke" so he can say the f-slur. that's fucking insane. i can't believe you don't see your privilege. you can "pretend" to be gay & use the f-slur online but the second u get offline you don't have to deal w ANY of the shit us queer people do. you can walk away from "being gay", we can't. just bc adin is worse doesn't mean what you're doing is fine. tbh i don't understand how you got your progressive friends to go along w this bc it's fucked up. you'll never know the experience of internalized homophobia & hating yourself bc you're queer bc you grew up being called the f-slur, being told to kys, and seeing the way the world treats queer ppl. just to log onto twt to see some straight dude w a girlfriend using the f-slur bc he thinks it's funny. like i genuinely want u to consider that what you're doing is offensive. austin doesn't speak for entire the gay community, just bc he's cool with it doesn't mean it's cool. it's offensive & annoying & cringe & lame & you're not an ally to the community. love u honey

-text from my mom

[thegreatstoryteller]

The Great Shift: Awkward Tales - Vignette 3: The Perfect Girlfriend

Vignette 1: The Nervous Flirt

Vignette 2: Athletics Run in the Family

“FUCK YEAH! That’s a 10 player Kill Streak! LET’S GOOOOOO!” Came the deep manly voice next to Salvatore.

“Hey uh… Samantha? Samantha….? Sam!? Can you keep it down a bit. Game is still going. I’m trying to focus..” Salvatore murmured as he tried to get his girlfriend to settle down. 

“Sorry bro. I was too busy being locked in and carrying this match!” Sam joked back punching his arm.

Sal moaned in pain. He really wasn’t expecting this. Before the great shift he and his girlfriend had never seen eye to eye. Though their friends knew them as Sal and Samantha the iconic couple, behind closed doors they were always fighting. No matter how others idolized their seemingly perfect relationship, Sam never understood why Sal would spend so much time working out with his former frat bros or gaming online so much. She complained about him burping at meals and clogging the shower drain with his body hair! Sal even said that it was a guy thing and that she’d never understand!

But he could not have been more wrong.

Salvatore was one of the few people unaffected by the great shift. Internally he was happy about that. As a 6’1 Latino stud, he wouldn’t want to be in any other body but his own. Samantha on the other hand was part of the majority who had swapped.

Sam had found herself inside a fitness influencer known for being quite huge and hairy! When she’d texted Sal that she was a man and that they could still be together, he was a bit skeptical. He’d only ever told Sam about his bisexuality in confidence. He wasn’t even out to their friends! She even assured Sal that nothing between them had to change. However, that was proven wrong on the day she finally made it back to their apartment. She knocked so hard the door fell off its hinges. That’s when Sal came face to pecs with his new 6’7 gorilla of a boyfriend. She kicked off her size 17 shoes as she went to embrace her man! Needless to say Sal’s size 11s didn’t look very manly beside them. 

From there lots of things began to change. Sam’s normally demure and organized attitude began to fade as soon as she was in this body. She was more laid back, more casual, and more open minded to Sal’s activities. Turns out her body was a natural at working out as she began to lift far more weights at the gym than Sal had ever dreamed! Sam also got into gaming, as she started to game with Sal and his friends, all of who loved the newest bro addition to their group! She even started to get into more drinking any alcohol she could get her hands on. Before long their shared fridge was filled with beers and protein shakes!

Sal also began to change, despite not having a new body. He began to realize his girlfriend was outdoing him in all his old activities! All of his bros even mentioned how awesome Sam was! They even started hanging out with Sam without Sal on the weekends! It was now Sal that was reminding Sam to clear out the shower drain, with his much hairier body! Now Sal was the one complaining about the late night’s Sam came back. This became a new normal. 

Overtime Sal knew he had to do something to salvage his relationship with Sam before everything changed. That’s when he decided there was one part of their life as a couple they haven’t explored yet. Eventually Sal became more comfortable with his sexuality and began to experiment with Sam. Neither really knew what to do at first, with their limited experience, but it quickly became apparent that Sam would be taking control. Before Sam was a much more passive and supportive sexual partner… and now… she took charge! Every night after that Sal awoke with a sore ass and a tired body. Sal would never admit it, but he loved it! The only problem was… he couldn’t keep up with Sam. She was insatiable and could blow load after load into Sal, while Sal took hours to recover.

This awoke something in Sam though. Her new body loved to dominate! In the gym. In any game played. Even in the bedroom! And this wasn’t just reserved to Sal. Sam had suggested a few months in, that the two of them go to a bar and pick up women!

“I know you miss it Sal! Think about it. You and I. Find a hot ass woman! Take her home and then we take turns fucking her. I mean. You did say you always wanted a threesome.” Sam offered one night after gaming.

Sal was surprised! But the offer seemed nice. He had missed Sam’s more feminine form. And perhaps this was a way he could be a stud and sleep with multiple women while his girlfriend joined in! 

That was sort of how the idea went. It turns out flirting with women was another thing that Sam was better at than Sal. Her ample experience and attention to emotion she’d had as a women, never faded. This made her the most thoughtful and handsome man when it came to talking to women anywhere they went. Every night Sam came home with dozens of numbers, while women always asked Sal if they could talk to his bigger “friend”.

When the two of them finally settled on a woman they both liked, that night turned out to be very different from how Sal imagined his first threesome. It was clear that the hot redhead they’d brought home was far more interested in Sam than Sal. All of her kisses, strokes, and sexual advances were received by an over eager Sam! Not that Sam minded. There was enough of him to go around! It didn’t take long for Sam and the redhead to be fucking like rabbits, while Sal was in the corner jerking off to the hot sight of his girlfriend with another woman!

Which brings us to the present!

“Fuck yeah! MVP! I rule at this game. Hey Sal! Grab me another beer.” Sam ordered as Sal nodded and retrieved the drink. “I got a few lucky ladies coming over tonight Sal. Hope you’re ready to see my fuck their brains out. Can you try not to make too much noise when you blow your load one minute in? Last set of girls had to pause after laughing so much.  I know it’s fucking hot seeing me plow these babes, but try to hold on a little longer man.” 

Sal blushed as Sam gave him a hefty pat on the back. He never had that issue with the old Samantha, but he couldn’t deny it. Seeing Sam dominate a new girl every night was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He could only hope that he lasted a little longer this time.

[wowzees]

no matter what

lando norris x reader

y/n is not used!

a/n: this is a short story from uni- i have to make a collection of them

the one i posted earlier was also one, but these have not recived feedback from my professer or have been majorly edited. enjoy!

High school felt like the longest four years of my life. Days blurred into each other, routines became a way of life, and I thought I had everything figured out. I was one of those kids who had his group of friends, the sport he played, and the classes he took, all laid out in a neat, predictable order. Nothing ever really changed.

And then, there was her.

She’d been there from the start. The girl who wasn’t just a friend,she was something more, though I never said it out loud. We’d grown up together, laughed at the same inside jokes, gotten in trouble for the same stupid things. She knew me better than anyone else, maybe even better than I knew myself. She was the one I could count on for anything. She was the one who could make me laugh on days when nothing felt right. When life got heavy, when there was uncertainty about my future, she was the one I turned to. And I thought that would never change. Or maybe I didn’t think about it at all. Why would I need to? She was always there, like a constant in my life, something I could rely on. But looking back, I see the warning signs. Small things that I chose not to notice. 

At first, it was little things— how she stopped coming to my house after school everyday. How she stopped calling me for big milestones. It’s easy to ignore changes like that. Until they hit you all at once. And then, it was too late.

Without her presence, I started hanging out with the kids from my soccer team more, and more. I told them about all my problems with her. Their solution? They wanted me to prank her. I wanted to fit in. So, I agreed.

Maybe I was too busy with soccer, or maybe I just took her for granted. But somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing her the way I always had. I saw how my actions hurt her. But, somewhere along the way i stopped seeing that. I stopped seeing how my actions hurt her.

But I didn’t think much about it at the time. After all, things had always worked themselves out between us, right? I guess I never thought I’d lose her, guess I thought that she’d always be there.

How wrong I was.

And seeing her now after graduation, getting ready to go to college and saying goodbye to friends for one last time, I can't help but remember a time when things were so much simpler.

Age, 7. Grade, 2

“Lan, wait up” she yelled, peddling her feet. I slowed my bike down and turned to face her. 

“Hurry up! You're being slow.” she peddled faster. Too fast. I watched in slow motion as she rides over a rock, flies through the air as if it’s molasses, then falls in what seems the same way a feather falls through the air. Then promptly crashes into a trashcan, scattering trash all around and on top of her. 

I quickly stopped my bike and ran to her. She was sitting there, covered in trash from the trash can, pouting. As I stood over her, and saw her covered in trash, I almost laughed. “Stop! It’s really not funny” she sniffled, though she now seemed a little happier. 

“I've bin waiting for this to happen” I joke, hoping to make her laugh.

“It's really not that funny” she snorts while giggling.

 “Yeah, well you’re still laughing” I argue. As she struggles to her feet, I realize I should probably help her. As I move to put her arm around my shoulder, she shoves me off. 

“I don't need your help, butthead” she says, crossing her arms and stares at me with her lips pursed. 

“Sorry, man, chill.” I say, not really understanding why she didn't want help. 

“I got worse when I first started playing volleyball, it's just a little scrape on my knee. It’ll heal” 

"Ok "I mumbled, feeling a little stupid.

As we walked home, we talked about silly things, like how funny she looked covered in trash, or about the people we didn't like at school. Before we parted ways, she threw her arms around me and pressed a quick, fleeting kiss that was gone as soon as it started to my cheek. “Bye Lando! I'll see you tomorrow at school!” she said over her shoulder as she ran home.

“Bye” I yell, after she had already disappeared into the house, my cheeks still red.

She had always been brave in her own way. Whether it was running into a trash can then getting back up with a skinned knee and no tears, or hiding her fears behind that stubborn smile of hers, she never changed. She was always the same, brave girl I had known since I was a kid. I wish I had known then how much that bravery would change the course of our friendship.

Age, 12  Grade 7.

The ferris wheel creaked more and more the higher up it went, carrying us higher, and higher into the night sky. Below we could see the rest of the fair, all the people enjoying themselves just like we are.

Her posture was slumped, and she was practically shaking on the little metal bench that lines the side of the carriage.

“Are you scared?” I ask. This wasn't a very normal occurrence, and I was honestly a little surprised. 

“What? Me? No! Of course not. I don't get scared” she responded, her voice shaky, and honestly not very convincing. 

“Hey, it's okay if you are scared. We all have things we are scared of; it doesn't make you weak.” I say in a soft tone, understanding when to tease and when to be comforting. 

“I'm not scared.”

“Yeah? Good, me neither. Honestly, it's really nice.”

“Nice?”

“Yeah. It’s really nice being up here.”

“I guess it is pretty nice.”

“It's really pretty,” I say with a sigh.

“It is,” she responds with an airy voice.

Little did I know that while I was staring at the sky, she was looking at me.

Ever since that night on the ferris wheel, I had developed a liking for stars. She learned more about stars for me, though I didn't know that then. I thought it was just a coincidence, not something carefully planned. Ever since then, we would spend nights under the stars together, gazing upwards.

Age, 15. Grade 9.

“And that one’s named Altair” she said, pointing up at the brightest star in the sky.

“How do you know this?” I ask while chuckling.

“I learned it when I was in 8th grade for my science fair project. I won.”

“I know, you’ve only told me like a million times.”

“I have not!”

“Uh, yes you have.”

“Excuse yo- wow, it's like, really cold.”

“Here,” I say, shrugging my sweatshirt off. “Take it.”

“No, it's fine really. I don't need it, I’m fine.”

“If you don't take it, I’m actually gonna go insane!”

“Fine” she huffed, sticking her tongue out at me. “Thank you.” she mumbled.

“You're welcome.”

“Lando?”

“Yeah?”

“We'll always be best friends, right?”

“Of course we will. No matter what.”

“No matter what.”

Back then, No matter what seemed like an easy promise to keep. Before our future became closer and closer, before I found out she would be going to Yale. No matter what seemed like an easy promise to keep under the soft lighting of the stars, but under the fluorescent lights in the highschool hallways, and the pressure from the guys, the promise broke apart. 

“Hey Lan!” she exclaims, coming up to me “Hey,” I respond. “Where are your glasses?” I ask. She has always loved her glasses. She always said it gave her more personality, though I disagree. She has plenty of personality already. 

“Oh, I just switched to contacts for volleyball! It's too impractical to have to play without being able to see, ya know? Do you like them?” I actually think that she looks stunning with or without glasses, but since my friends from the soccer team are with me, I just say 

“ I dunno man, it kinda makes your eyes look too close together.” I feel absolutely terrible as I practically see her deflate. Her normally radiant smile disappears, her shoulders begin to tremble, and her eyes go glassy. At first, she didn't say anything. I could practically see her brain thinking of ways to respond. She was trying to act relaxed about it, but I knew her well. She doesn't do relaxed about these types of things.

 I hear the boys snickering from behind me, making stupid comments about how “he is so right” and “how can she not see that herself?” and “why does she talk so much?”. I'm actually about to turn around and tell them to shut up, and that I am the only one allowed to tease her like that, but before I can, she says something.

“Oh. Well, uh, I should be going to class. I'll see you later, Lando,” she mumbles. Her normally confident posture seemed impossibly timid and shy. Her posture didn't say ‘see you later’.  It said ‘leave me alone’.

While she walked down the hallway, the only thing I could focus on was the fact that she didn't call me Lan .

The next few days, I tried finding her, though she kept on avoiding me. Finally, I found her sitting outside at the tables, eating her lunch alone.

“Hey” I greet softly, sitting down at the table outside. 

“What do you want?” she responded, her tone sharp. She was wearing her glasses again.

“I wanted to apologize for what I said on Tuesday.” I say, barely audible.

“If you're going to say something, say it louder.”

“I wanted to apologize for what I said.” 

“Do you? Do you really? Or is this just another sick prank you and your friends are playing on me, huh? I stood there and took it in tenth grade, when you made fun of my brother, who, by the way looks up to you, in the cafeteria. I stood there and took it in eleventh grade when you texted everyone from my phone things that I would never, ever say about someone and especially TO someone, posted things on instagram that I would NEVER post, and then humiliated me by making me think that you were seriously hurt, then jump up and say “it's a prank” after i started crying? I even stood there and took it when you told me that my eyes were too close together! The one thing you know I'm insecure about, and you make fun of it? You’ve changed Lando! You and your stupid friends have made high school horrible for me! And even though you've been rude, and you've been mean, and you've in general been a nightmare to be around, I'm still in love with you, and I have been for the last 10 years! And I'm done with this! I will not, will not sit here and let you bully me because I’m your ‘best friend’! I stayed your friend because I thought you would notice me! I thought you would realize, but you didn't! And I’m done waiting, okay? I’m done. Bye, Lando.”

By now, she was crying. Before I could respond to her and apologize, I hear laughing and jeering coming from behind me. I turn around and march over to where the boys are standing. They chuckle upon seeing me, and I absolutely lose it.

“Are you guys actually stupid? You made me lose the most important thing in my life, because you ‘thought it would be funny’? She is worth more than you guys will ever be. She was a better friend, a better athlete, but most importantly, a better person than you guys! I’m done with y’all.” 

I turn back to where she was standing, but she's not there anymore.

The next few days, I look for her. I see her a couple of times, but she always manages to avoid me. 

One night, as I’m packing for college, I hear someone knocking on the front door.

I run down the stairs, thinking it’s the pizza I ordered for me and my sister, but it’s not. It’s her.

“Uhm, I just wanted to return this.” she says, handing me my sweatshirt that i gave to her 3 years ago. “I just thought I should return it before I leave for Yale.”

“When do you leave?” I ask, fearing the answer.

“Tomorrow.” 

The second I hear that word, my world stops. I hazily thank her for bringing the sweatshirt back, then slam the door. I vaguely remember stumbling up the stairs, and sitting down on my bed, my mind running a thousand miles a minute.

 I’m going to have to live without the person who was there for me at every problem, at every bad game, at every milestone in my life, and I lost her because of my own mistakes. I lost her because I let those stupid kids influence my decisions. I lost her because I didn't know how to communicate my feelings. And now, I’ll never get her back.

I was right. I never got her back. And deep down inside, I knew I was never going to get her back. I knew this when I met Emma. I knew this when I proposed to Emma. I knew this when I invited her to our wedding. But that truly, did not prepare me for when I saw her.

“And do you, Lando Norris, take Emma Sand to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish till death do you part? ” asked the priest, his voice echoing through the church that held all of our friends and loved ones. 

“ I do.” 

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I see her, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. After years of knowing her,  I could almost hear her thinking ‘that should have been me.’

And I feel horrible and disgusting and gross thinking this on my wedding day, but I'm inclined to agree. It should have been her. And it would have been, if not for my own stupidity.

And seeing her, brought me right back to all those years ago. And made me wonder; what happened to ‘no matter what.’

[jambalaya-enthusiast]

I have no idea what this is, I had a dream and I just need to write this shit down. im going thru it rn. trust.

mentions of throwing up, kind of ooc jimmy, just feels, cursing.

The bass from the party music still thumped across the room, while you decided to be quick on your feet and drag your legs towards the balcony door, trying to get some fresh air from the cramped atmosphere you were trapped in for who knows how long.

once the balcony door opened, a wave of cold air stung your face, whooshing past you, and scattering a few hair strands here and there, you stepped outside, and walked towards the railing. you stood there, just breathing and taking in all the glory of the dimly lit night sky, and looked at the skyline glowing vibrantly with distant noises of traffic and the citylife.

"crawled out of the wild night?", A voice from behind you made you whip your head back and come face to face with your boyfriend, jimmy.

"you seriously call that a party? Half of them have puked up whatever cheap alcohol they'd drank. It's so gross". you retorted back at him. "Can we leave already? please? Let's stay over at my place instead, yeah?". you suggested.

Instead of answering or even giving you a nod as an acknowledgement, jimmy decided to instead stare at you, so intently that it made you gulp a lump which'd formed in your throat, he stared at you with his lips curled into a subtle smile, so subtle it wouldn't even have caught your eye if you weren't paying attention. And then, as suddenly as he'd started staring, he said,

"Why are you actually with me?". He said in a tone so deadpan that you would've thought that he was out of it. "What? Are you okay?".

"No, y/n I'm asking you, I'm being serious, why do you even like me?". Jimmy said. "Jim are you okay? Where is this coming from? Now, of all times?".

Arguments with your boyfriend weren't an uncommon occurrence, it was as normal as deciding to drink a cup of coffee. This, however, was new. Your arguments never revolved around him being conscious about his self worth.

"A day never goes by without us arguing, without any of your 'friends' telling you to leave me. without me calling you a whore at least twice a day. So why are you with me even after all of it? It would've been easier for me to understand if you were a hooker, just looking for a place to crash at without trying to make actual connections. But you don't have any reason, so why are you with me?".

You were left dumbfounded, was this actually happening? Him, of all people, asking you why you loved him? Was this his idea of a joke?

"Jim did they fucking poison you at the party? Do you even realise what you're asking me?". You decided to answer.

"I know damn well what I'm talking about, y/n. Now answer the fucking question, why do you love me? Do you have some kinda messiah complex? trying to 'fix' me? or something like that? a new type of fetish?".

Your jaw was practically left hanging at your boyfriend's sudden display of aggressive attitude towards defending the idea that you loved him for an ulterior motive.

"Why don't you hate me?". He snapped once again.

"Because you don't give me any reason to". You finally said back.

"Oh don't give me that crap, I give ya plenty of reason to dump my ass and run away from me, any other person would've called the fuckin' cops on me". He continued on.

"Because I love you, Jim". You stopped him mid sentenced.

"I love you not in the sense that I want to get in your pants or steal your wallet, or save you from your misery, or whatever else nonsense you have going on in your mind". Jimmy was still looking at you with narrowed, skeptical eyes.

"I love you, as one might love another person, simply because they wanna love them. I love you, because I want to love you". You didn't realise that your chest was starting to feel heavy, and your vision was getting blurry, but you continued on.

"I love you because... because I want to. Not because I have to, not because there's some fuckin'... i don't know, social obligation that one must require to love another? I don't have it, i don't need it. You make me want to love you without any cause, I love you in the sense that... I love you because I can, I love you in the way that I need to... let you know that I can't do without you goddamn it. Why? Do you not want me to love you?".

At this point tears were flowing down your cheeks like a goddamn waterfall, you weren't yelling, you weren't pleading. you were simply letting your boyfriend know that you loved him.

Jimmy's eyes were wide, it's almost as if he'd seen some ghost, trying to prove to him its existence. Without saying a word hugged you so tight as if it was the last thing he could do before dying.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so fucking sorry". He repeated those words like a mantra, neither of you know what came over for this conversation to take place in the first place, but now that it has. You're unsure if you wanted for this to have never happened.

[carrotcakecrumble]

Talking to anyone in the UK that is dismissive of the things Trump said in his inauguration speech because ‘it’s Trump, what do you expect?’:

If an American president had acted the way Trump has/is acting say, 15 years ago or something, it would be being made a much bigger deal of over here in the Uk than it is being made of today. It would be unthinkable that a Labour government would cosy up with a world leader who incited a coup and disrupted the peaceful transition of power, yet we have Kier Starmer intent of having a relationship with the Trump administration. And hardly anyone bats an eyelid. No one expects anyone to bat an eyelid.

I hear people talking about the ‘Gulf of America’ thing and, for the most part, calling it crazy. But partnered with crazy I keep hear again and again & hand in hand, ‘it’s hilarious’

is it?

Overtons window is the idea that (as I understand it) a political leader will act within a certain window of what the majority public deems as acceptable. Over the last decade, a lot of us have been watching hopelessly as misinformation and propaganda push this window further and further right. Widening and widening it until it’s just a gaping void full of Elon Musk’s sieg heiling on national television and American presidents disregarding repeatedly the rule of a law they evidently have very little understanding of. A lot of the events that spurred this migration right was met with laughter and disbelief in this country.

After Roe V Wade, do you still disbelieve ?

When we laugh at how insane Trump / Musk / Vance is, we dilute how serious the situation actually is, which in return allows this soft-core fascism to enter our mainstream. Someone with that much power opening their mouth and consistently, unintentionally making us laugh should shock us so much more than it is??? A president openingly stating he is willing to disregard current science and research and cut funding to thousands (millions?) of Transgender American citizens should see other progressive western countries angry, intervening, doing something. A billionaire thrusting out a Nazi salute towards the American flag at a presidential inauguration should incite something close to riots. An American president openingly declaring the country an Oligarchy should be on front pages everywhere!!! For weeks!!! For months!!! Yet it’s been days and the buzz around it is already starting to die out. Trump said something 🤪🩷crazy and 🫣😅laughable again so now that’s all we can talk about, of course.

We need to remember that as shockingly unbelievable the things Trumps says are, that it is still reality. It’s not a joke. It has real world consequences. He means it. A lot of American people want him to mean it. A lot of people in this country want him to mean it. We must remember to challenge these things when we hear them, remember to make it clear how dangerous it is. Make a fuss. Make a noise. Make it unacceptable once again.

Most importantly, we must remember: It is not funny.

They (fascists in all their forms) want you find it funny, because then you’ll hardly be able to believe it’s actually happening until it’s already far too late. We should never laugh so loud that we fail to hear the real threat being whispered beneath.

Take everything he and his henchmen say with sincerity and, for god’s sake, act like it’s the most powerful men in the Western world saying it.

[empty-vessel-of-a-person]

Caleb's Return and Reaction to Hate Comments About His Upcoming Memories

Note: This is a personal take and observations with all the LaDS Men. This is not to compare are any of them with each other. Instead, this is a personal understanding on the Boy's Personalities. Reactions and comments are welcome but let's be respectful of each other's opinion.

PROLOGUE:

Caleb will be returning in less than 24 hours. I am very excited and nervous about his return. In my previous entry, I mentioned that Caleb was my first choice. Notice when I say "was"? It's because I am a 100% Zayne Girlie now. Some may ask why do I need to stuck my nose to Caleb's return if I am a Zayne' Girlie. It is because I love them all! Yes, I specially love Zayne, but it doesn't mean that I cannot support the other male leads as well, specifically Caleb who is becoming the target of hate since the his official return announcement and trailer drop for his memories. So I like to drop my personal take on Caleb's return.

THE ISSUE

It came to my knowledge that some of LaDS girlies, specifically Rafayel's Girlies are starting hate comments towards Caleb's Memories. Almost all his 5 star memories that will be dropping tomorrow, January 22, 2025, have skinship and intense flirting scenes. Also the visuals are really something. They are more detailed and vibrant. I truly understand where you are coming from. As a LaDS version one player, I waited a few months just to see them holding hands and 6 months for Zayne to finally kiss MC properly.

So let us go through some timeline, to understand why Caleb, seems ahead of everyone when he was just about to return.

THE TIMELINE PAST. Pre-events on Love and Deepspace Timeline.

Caleb and MC are childhood friends and they stay together until he goes to Skyhaven to train as a Pilot.

Let that sink in for a moment. Before we met Zayne again, before we partnered with Xavier, before we bump to Rafayel, and before we dance with danger with Sylus, MC spend his whole childhood with Caleb. Just this alone has given him so much upper hand and memories with MC.

I am not saying this to belittle the time we spend with the other LaDS Men, I am just saying that developers have a lot of timeline to play with about MC and Caleb. If we are able to progress, with Zayne, Xavier, Rafayel and Sylus in one year, how much more can we progress with Caleb from childhood to adulthood.

Base on the current known previews we have seen on his memories, it's easy to assume they are in a "mutual understanding" if not in a relationship.

I must stress that MC and Caleb grew up together. They are really comfortable with each other. This are very visible when he was first introduce in the current timeline of LaDS. They joke around and touch so casually. As a real person, you will never so easy to be physically familiar with anyone in your first meeting, specially with boys. That is why MC takes time to get familiar with the other male leads.

LaDS MEN and their CHARATER OVERVIEW and PERSONALITIES

ZAYNE The Childhood Friend and Domestic Type Love Interest

Zayne is the kind of love interest that portrays a slow and steady kind of love.

He was not jealous (at least not very vocal) but protective.

He lets you make friends. He wants you to enjoy yourself. He was never rude to people you know and always lets you have your space.

He is mature and see things from all direction before making any move.

He treats you fairly. He is overly protective of you but he never let his worries get in the way of you being a hunter. He is that understanding and supportive.

He was very kind of standoff-ish and sarcastic (well he is still sarcastic at times) But he earns your trust and started building a strong and dependable relationship with you.

SYLUS The Dangerous, Romantic, Sexy, and Adventurous Type Love Interest

Sylus still have the air of mystery and danger in him. Mystery and Danger are thrilling and sexy.

He always have high regards of you and your ability but will still go out his way, just to ensure you will never have to worry about anything.

Your friends cannot be so close to him because of his true identity.

Though you cannot meet freely, he make sure to compensate it with spending quality time with you in a especial place or in his home.

Though he threats you roughly at first, you both started to be special for each other.

RAFAYEL The Boy-Next-Door and Hopelessly In Love, Love Interest

Rafayel is a breath of fresh air.

Loving Rafyel in like your High Scholl relationship. Not overly sexy but you two are close.

He likes traveling and seeing the world with you. He also wanted you to see the places he's been and experience different things.

Rafayel is the Innocent and Pure kind of love. I do not mean that is a sexual term. We all know that they have already done it. Rather, Rafayel's love is enduring, patient, understanding, hopeful and loyal.

He is not the one to express love solely through physical touch. He is more to show you how vibrant and alive things are when he was with you.

XAVIER The Possessive and Jealous Love Interest.

He was never afraid to stake his claim on you. He doesn't care if he is rude or straight to the point as long as no one can get close to you. (Poor Thomas. Myth and Celestial Message)

He doesn't care about anything but you. You are the only one in his eyes. I guess this is rooted in how he has lost you so many times that we wanted you to spend all of your time with him.

He is the time of a person who will give up anything for you.

He easily gets frustrated when things don't go his way, especially when he cannot push everyone away from you.

He is also the type of guy to remind you that you belong to him in a very sexual way. (source: Misty Silhouette)

LaDS Men Personalities and their Memories.

So now that we got over with the Boys' personality, let's associate them with their memories.

Although Zayne is becoming more open to physical touch and teasing us about our bedroom rendezvous, we can never expect him to go wild every time he is with us. Although he goes to step out of line (Absolute Zeal), he is drunk, and that is basically alcohol courage fueling his actions. He even worries we will hate him because of his sudden personality change. It was adorable of him to become all shy again in the morning. He is a very reserved and rational type of guy and that was infold in showing us in his memories.

On the other hand, Sylus is a very brisque and fearless man who never shies away from intimacy. He is always ready to touch you are be physical with you in every sense of the word. He is confident in every way and is not afraid to show you a different kind of good time.

Rafayel shows signs of always needing confirmation and assurance of your affection. This is never because he doesn't trust you, but because he does wholeheartedly. He gave you his heart and you disappeared. He waits for you for 800 years and it's never been easy for him because the moment he found you, you didn't even remember him. He always wanted to know if it was okay to be close to you and/or touch you. Which is why his actions in his memories are always tamed and calculated.

When we met Xavier in the current lifetime, there are just too many secrets. There are so many things he cannot say or tell you which is why he is so distant. It was always, 1 step forward and 2 steps back with him. That is until his timeline update and secrets are revealed. Once the secret is out he becomes more close and possessive of you.

THE CONCLUSION Personalities vs. Memories

LaDS Men's memories are directly tied down to their personalities. We can never expect the same situation and reaction from all the ML's. If they all have the same personalities and take on different situations, why would Infold bother having different characters when they can save creating just one? Always remember that all the boys are here with us to cater to the different kinds of love we long for. If you want a high school type of love, go for Rafayel. If you want to go for unpredictable love, go for Xavier. If you want a very steady and domestic kind of love, go for Zayne. If you want thrilling and sexy love, go for Sylus. And if angsty childhood friends to lovers is your thing go for Caleb.

All of their memories are here to make us all feel what we long for. Don't blame Caleb or anyone if your expectations with your ML are not met. I was once so disheartened and intimidated by Sylus, but now I love him just as much as the rest.

Let your Evol, I mean your love for your ML outshines the bad side. This game is supposed to make us happy and not turn against one another. Let us Celebrate Caleb's return. We waited a year for him.

[rouge-fauna]

Some ironic/idiotic points I’ve seen way too many people say:

Tommy and Dream should have worked things out privately

How? Did you miss the part that Tommy literally blocked Dream on everything and refused to talk to Dream? How is he meant to handle it privately? Besides I’m pretty sure Tubbo in his first stream is the one that brought up things like the messages to Tommy’s mom in the first place, so if anything Tubbo is the one who brought up things to the public and made things bigger than they needed to be. Remember, his hour long stream about the meme and reasons why he dislikes Dream and how this is Dream’s “death by a thousand cuts” came first before Dream’s first stream where he reacted to parts of Tubbo’s stream.

Dream takes no accountability

He apologized for something he’s not even done, he literally took down the meme, admitted it was a bad thing to do, apologized multiple times for it, apologized for not doing a proper apology the first time and explained his reasoning. That’s literally the definition of taking accountability. Like what more do you want? Want him to beg on his knees for the internet (who called him every slur in the book) to forgive him? He made a mistake, we all do, he apologized, let’s move on, because there are parties in this drama who haven’t taken accountability or apologized so maybe we should be focused on that.

Dream and Dream Team are sexist and misogynists

Says the people who formed a nation on a role play server called L’MANberg because it didn’t allow woman (or non-Europeans). Says the guy who I get frustrated to watch because of all his sexists and inappropriate jokes (I still don’t understand how the majority of his fans are woman like heh?). Says the people who when asked why they think this only bring up recent public examples, despite a - they have always been sexists behind the scenes implication, all but one of which are bogus anyways.

Well they didn’t handle the Caiti situation properly.

What do you mean? They all responded, I’m pretty sure apologized and owned up and took Caiti’s side and made sure to tell their fandom to not go after her. Meanwhile, you think Dream should have brought her up, when she has specifically asked to not be talked about anymore. Pretty sure if he never responded he’d be bashed for not taking accountability and if he did mention her in the recent video then he’d be bashed for not respecting her wishes.

Dream’s neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD) is not important here why is it being used as an excuse.

It ain’t. I don’t think I’ve seen a single person excuse his behavior or whatever, in fact the same people pointing out the autism piece are also mostly the same neurodivergent people who are the ones upset by the use of the word. But this all blew up with the r word which Dream was told by people using it against him that it can be used by someone who’s autistic. So from the get go it’s kinda important. Then you look at the pieces, at the comments people make about Dream being weird or doing things that are socially unacceptable, is inappropriate, ridiculous…etc and then you get to a 3 hour stream of talking in circles as they can’t seem to understand eachother or at least Tubbo not understanding Dream, which afterwards Tubbo labels his Audhd way of communicating as manipulative. So yea I’d say autism, adhd and neurodivergence are pretty damn relevant and important.

Just ahhhhhsbhfnnabdnnand… I still see people condemning him for the damn r word and it’s like bruh… move on. We are way past that damn meme he apologized multiple times for at this point. Especially from the moment Tommy posted his video and weaponized his fandom against Dream. And good god, and if you didn’t watch the streams then don’t be acting like you have this hot take and posting essays and shit because damn, maybe the reason no one’s said that is because it isn’t true, something you’d known if you watched all of the streams!………….. sorry just had to get that off my chest…

[sevicia]

omg. hi dante.... i was just running thru ur oc tag for my oc blog, but who is mary and how can i learn everything about her?! mary cheat sheet please, blab as much as you want on this ask, im so curious 🙂‍↕️

HIIIIIII God I'm so happy you asked I love to ramble about her!!!

Prefacing this by saying that in all honestly some things kinda may not make sense because I'm uhmm. Figuring it out<3 Also there's mentions of violence but nothing graphic. Due to the way she is.

OKAAAY so some basic things about her are that she's 24, currently working at a gas station (previously a fine arts student), has no family to speak of, and is dating Agnes (wet guy you may or may not have seen</3). Her "life goal" or biggest desire is to be "one" with somebody in the most literal sense of the word.

A very not brief maybe even unnecessarily long recount of her life so far:

As a kid she was odd, spacey and awkward, and could not grasp "basic" concepts as quickly as her peers did. She often had to be told what was right and what was wrong because her understanding of morality as a whole was just... not there at all. She would stare intensely with a blank expression at things/people she found interesting, and had a pretty flat tone when speaking overall. She never had any pets; her behavior towards animals raised concerns in her parents (+ their friends) since she had a tendency to squeeze, pull or even strangle them whenever she could, all because she thought they were cute and liked feeling their warmth when she held them and as they struggled, kinda like cute aggression maybe. She just really struggled to understand others and have them understand her in return; most people wouldn't even bother trying.

She attended a religious school up until she graduated highschool, and her parents would take her to church very often, but all she'd do was space out until service was over. She didn't really care nor understand what the priests and church members talked about, and her mindset was that she just had to do as she was told and everything would be ok; it didn't matter that she wasn't all the way there.

Around middle school age she managed to make friends (through the power of practicing facial expressions and noting what other kids said and did). This was a bittersweet experience as she got made fun of quite a bit for not really getting why certain jokes or games were funny, but also found friends that did like her and that she liked beyond just tolerating.

At one point they'd planned an outing together to go see a movie, and Mary brought it up to her parents, but they said no. This was the first time in years she'd been excited and actually wanted to do something, so she tried to convince them by telling them that one of her friend's parents would be watching over them at all times (which was actually true! They planned it this way so Mary could come in the first place), but they just wouldn't have it, and the argument ended with her father slapping her after she just wouldn't give up and drop the subject.

Mary had never been hit before, and she'd always had a freakishly high pain tolerance, so really it wasn't the pain from the slap itself that shocked her, but the fact that her dad had hit her at all for something she had figured wouldn't escalate to that point, based on watching her friends' experiences. In her head then she started feeling like a child again, thoughts like "I just have to do as they say" and "what I want doesn't really matter", but with an added layer of "I'm not worth being listened to", and a feeling of dehumanization she couldn't really put into words yet.

In the end, the shock lead to her avoiding her friends completely and only going outside for school and church, basically losing all those years of progress regarding her individuality and her ability to even see herself as an individual at all.

Towards the end of highschool, she was confessed to by the son of her parents' friends from church. He told her to "think about it", and when she told her parents later that day, they told her that it'd be wonderful if they dated, and joked about her still being "such an airhead" to even ask in the first place.

So they start dating, and through his and her parent's pressure she kinda just... molds into whatever he wants. This is why she dyes her hair black and starts dressing in more modest, plain clothes, all the while losing sleep over "this is my life now and forever", a horrifying thought that became all the more real once he proposed to her and she saw no other option but to accept.

Here I just have to mention that those notions of her self not mattering and never being listened to/understood, plus being constantly reduced into something sanitized and non-violent, much less threatening, had all mixed together into wanting just that; to be understood, listened to and accepted as a whole, including every violent and/or sexual thought she'd ever buried within herself after being told they were "unsightly". Basically, what she wants is to be known entirely, inside and out, by someone who'll let her do the same and take her as she is.

While she had no desire to ever pursue the kind of "love" she wanted and couldn't care less about the "sanctity" of marriage, she did know very well that it would trap her legally, physically and mentally into a life she'd hate and would never escape until either of them (or their parents) died.

The wedding was planned to take place early in the year; only a few weeks after her 22nd birthday.

To "celebrate" her birthday, her and uh. that other guy (that I cannot refer to as her boyfriend/fiancé)(I'd rather shoot myself) "decide" go on a camping trip, something only he'd done before and that Mary was fully dreading.

They get there, and the day is pretty much spent on him taking her around the site and talking at her or with other men while she nodded along, barely present enough to know when and where she was. By now her sense of reality had been so shattered due to trying to run away from her own life, she'd stopped caring about anything at all.

And then night comes and they're camping with a view of the lake and he falls asleep but Mary's still awake, now used to not being able to fall asleep until very, very late into the night. She's just sitting outside their tent, and when she looks towards the forest she sees some sort of faint glow that she just... decides to follow for something to do, not caring whether she'd get lost, or murdered, or abducted, or ever make it back to the campsite.

She follows the glow for a while, her brain getting more and more scrambled with every step, and suddenly she's in a clearing and hearing whispers both from inside her head and all around her.

...there is some dialogue of sorts but this is so long already I'll try to be brief here... at least... plus this is where things are kinda loose so yaaay</3

Basically, an odd whisper that she ends up referring to as an angel offers her a gift to help her achieve her desired form of "love": she will be able to heal and reconstruct another person, as long as they're wounded and so is she, by pressing their wounds together and merging their bodies this way; she would, in a sense, be part of them in the most literal sense.

The only caveat is that she would be completely removed from her previous life. As in, everyone that ever knew her would never even know she existed in the first place; she would be 100% wiped from their memories and any records they had of her would be adjusted so that she wouldn't be in their lives anymore in any way.

Obviously she says yes, some flesh-absorbing stuff happens, and when she gets back to the campsite she wakes the guy up, watches him get startled over some stranger standing over him, and promptly bashes his head in with a rock until he stops moving... and then some more.

Now she's finally able to think and act by/for herself, and she kiiinda doesn't know how to do that very well? So it takes her a while to adjust to. She slowly goes back to her habit of staring blankly for extended periods of time, but is now able to smile genuinely and stumble her way through saying "no", though she's still polite to an almost unsettling degree.

She's also finally started to look for someone that she can love and share herself with, and she realizes pretty quickly that her type is gloomy, lonely and pitiful-looking people that flinch at everything, both for cuteness aggression sadism reasons, but also her believing that someone who doesn't value their life much would be a lot more willing to take her in and let themselves be taken as well than someone more lively and strong-willed.

For a while she chases people who fit her type, trying to find "the one", with the final test being her getting them alone and trying to kill them (basically), just to see how little they really value their life. The trick is, if they fight back or hesitate she goes through with it and kills them, but if they let go and give up their life to her, she lets them live.

By the point she meets Agnes she's pretty unapologetic about it all, and has stopped caring much about anyone but whoever she's set her sights on, though still disconnected from reality and society as a whole in many ways. They meet when he stops by her workplace and she's like Ohhhhh he looks so miserable I have GOT to torture him. And she chases him around and scares him a little (a lot) but he makes no effort to run away or even acknowledge it in any way, and is the first one to ever pass her test!

I think that's um. Pretty much it... uhh some fun facts: she's super bad with technology, has a wide creepy and sweet (TO ME!!!) grin on her face more often than not, her apartment's a mess, her favorite artificial flavor is strawberry, she loooves to scratch certain surfaces (mainly Agnes), and is like if The Downward Spiral YES THE WHOLE ALBUM!!! was a girl. And your honor I love her.

[dramaticurge]

i think arcane isn't copaganda, i think it says ACAB too.

i think the show itself has many layers, and that the acting, writing, and storytelling do a lot to tell different angles of different stories.

i think arcane acknowledges police brutality and the struggles of systemic oppression. i think it says ACAB, but it asks you to seperate from a moment, and asks you to look at it through the lens of understanding. not for forgiveness, but so you can maybe try and see why people do bad things, even if they're bad, and even if they're good. the show asks you to set aside your biases, to look at this world for what it is. parallels and all.

and i understand that caitlyn's role and ending make it swem glorifying cops in a way. even when it's something she actively disagreed against, even when in the first season she was trying for a middle ground and was the only one trying for a middle ground.

and not to be too woke, but the triple K caitlyn jokes were never that funny to me. nor were the ideas that she was racist. arcane is a beautiful show that does not burden it's characters with racism and oppression in that way- and you should definitely not erase caitlyn's asian ethnicity. between her and jinx, jinx is the white woman. its so irresponsible to read into the racial aspect of this side of the arcane storyline, the story is making it clear that is not something these characters face, and they shouldn't have to face to justify things like oppressive militia. caitlyn isn't fully white. do not dilute her.

kind of related to that thought, too, is the fact that no one living in america is a zaunite. most americans will remain as pilties, because systemic oppression will sometimes really just be how you were born.

back to it, i also just think arcane shows police brutality for what it is. that type of oppression. it invites you to dislike caitlyn's actions, because caitlyn dislikes her actions, and all this type of oppression leads to is to pointless, senseless, and violent war. a war they should've lost. a war they would've lost.

the scene where steb takes off his hat in respect to zaunites is him respecting that they decide to help, when if it were the other way, it would be unlikely. piltover would never help zaun, and he knows that, and everyone knows that. no one wins in war. no one wins via violence. the show knows this, and when it shows the side characters who we know had so much more life left ahead of them is when it acknowledges that systemic brutality has led to deaths of innocent people. that in a search for power, or for revenge, that they will eat themselves alive by their hubris. an eye for an eye, in caitlyn's case, who tipped the scales too far.

and the show asks you to look at this and the show makes caitlyn face this. the show does not agree with caitlyn once. but the show asks you to never defend her actions, but to look at her and understand why.

i think it asks you to look at the system, but to understand the characters. the people. because we often, in many stages of analysis, forget about people. in the broadest sense, these people are wrong, but it makes you deconstruct the complicated nature of why, and asks you not to dilute them in fear that you'd smudge the intricacies that make them up.

ACAB, even if they're sorry about it, and even if they've got a family. ACAB is systemic.

but good stories include layers, and ACAB is not without possibilties for something different. not critique, but in the same vein. ACAB is true, but it does not mean by exploring the complicated nature of why's, how's, etc that they are copaganda.

putting aside those ideas for the sake of looking at why their flaws can encompass them, and for the sake of understanding the type of world this is is important to. maybe for the sake of love, people do these kinds of things, and there isn't making up mistakes. just living with them.

|||

ofc this is just my opinion and something that's been bugging me for a bit... i genuinely dont hate anyone in arcane. i hate that in terms of discrouse, we've diluted these characters down to our preconceived biases. i hate that we seem to be arguing over morality.

maybe its just obvious though that i spend a lot of time on arcane twt. curious about people's thoughts... if anyone even sees this...

[staygolden-and-chaotic]

You'll never guess who's requesting this cuz you've never met me 😈

Anyways CAN you do maybe the outsiders boys reaction to an albino greaser? It can be any gender and be reader I just wanna know what you think they'd do or say

Sincerely

A greaser named bug

Nice to meet you bug 😏 but ofccccccc I hope you like it bug💗 I’ll also try to make it gender neutral.

Sincerely

Someone who is winging it🫶🏻

Darrell Curtis

Darry first met you at the grocery store when you were struggling to reach a box of cereal on the top shelf. Being the gentleman he is, he stepped in to grab it for you, and that’s where your conversations started. He was instantly intrigued by your unique appearance.

At first, he was nervous about asking you out. Darry’s got that quiet, steady confidence, but something about you threw him off in the best way. Maybe it was the way your pale skin seemed to glow under the store lights or the sharp intelligence in your eyes.

He loved learning more about albinism and made it a priority to understand how to support you. He’s the type of guy who’d read up on the importance of sunglasses, sunscreen, and any health concerns, making sure you’re always protected. He’d carry a pair of your sunglasses in his truck just in case you forgot yours.

The gang noticed how protective he became of you. If they were hanging out in the sun, Darry made sure there was a shady spot for you to sit and wouldn’t hesitate to drag a chair over for you.

Ponyboy, being a little poetic, would occasionally compare you to the moon soft, glowing, and beautiful. You’d always laugh, but Darry would get this proud, quiet smile like, Yeah, that’s mine.

Darry loved running his hands through your hair. He was mesmerized by its silky white strands and would sometimes find himself just brushing it back while you sat beside him. It became one of his favorite ways to relax after work.

He’d often remind you that you’re beautiful, especially if you ever felt self-conscious about standing out. If someone dared to make a rude comment, Darry’s calm demeanor would snap. He wouldn’t cause a scene, but the steel in his voice when he told someone to back off made it clear they’d regret crossing him.

Date nights were always thoughtful but practical. Darry loved taking you to quieter places, like drive-in movies or picnics at the park during sunset when the sunlight wasn’t too harsh. He loved seeing you comfortable and happy.

The boys absolutely adored you. You brought a calmness to the Curtis house that even Darry appreciated. Whenever things got rowdy, you’d just smile and remind Darry to let loose every now and then.

One night, Soda teased Darry by calling him “lovesick” after he caught Darry staring at you while you talked with Ponyboy. Instead of denying it, Darry just grinned and said, “What can I say? There one of a kind.

Sodapop Curtis

Soda first noticed you while working at the DX. You came in to ask for directions, and the way the sunlight hit your pale skin and silvery hair made him freeze mid sentence. He’d always been a charmer, but with you, he couldn’t help but stutter.

He immediately turned on the charm after recovering, offering to help you with more than just directions. “Need your tires checked? Oil changed? A tour guide around town? I’m your guy.”

From that day, you started coming by the DX more often sometimes for gas, sometimes just to chat. Soda would always light up when he saw you pull in, running to your car before Steve even had the chance to look your way.

Soda loved how unique you were, always calling you his “snow angel” or “moonbeam.” He’d joke that you were so stunning, people had to wear sunglasses just to look at you.

He’d constantly find little ways to dote on you. If it was sunny, he’d remind you to put on sunscreen and even apply it for you if you let him. On cloudy days, he’d wrap his arm around you, saying, “Perfect weather for my perfect baby.”

Soda was fiercely protective. If anyone ever stared too long or made a rude comment about your albinism, he’d immediately jump in with his signature mix of charm and sass. “Yeah, they’re gorgeous, ain’t they? You want an autograph or something?”

He’d love showing you off to the gang. When he introduced you to them, he couldn’t stop grinning and kept saying, “aren’t they just the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Ponyboy would occasionally ask questions about your albinism, and you’d patiently explain it to him. Soda would listen intently too, wanting to understand everything he could about you.

He loved touching your hair. Whether it was brushing his fingers through it or playing with a strand absentmindedly, he was mesmerized by how soft and silky it was. He’d often joke, “How’d I get lucky enough to date someone straight out of a fairytale?”

Date nights with Soda were always fun and full of energy. He’d take you to the drive in, carnival, or the park for a late night walk when the sun wasn’t an issue. He’d always make you laugh, whether it was through goofy jokes or sneaking extra popcorn into the movies.

Soda would constantly remind you how beautiful you were, especially if you ever felt self conscious about standing out. “You’re one in a million, babe. Nobody else could even come close to you.”

One time, you caught Soda telling Steve, “they’re not just gorgeous, man. They’re everything. I don’t know what I’d do without them.” Steve teased him for being so sappy, but Soda just shrugged with a goofy grin.

One day when you felt out of place or overwhelmed by the stares, soda would wrap you in his arms, kiss the top of your head, and whisper “Your my moonbeam, babe. Nobody else shines like you do.”

Ponyboy Curtis

Pony first saw you at the library, tucked away in a corner with a book in your lap. He couldn’t help but stare your pale skin and snowy hair seemed almost unreal, like you’d stepped out of a storybook.

You caught him staring, and he quickly looked away, blushing furiously. When you smiled at him, though, it gave him enough courage to strike up a conversation.

He was captivated by how soft spoken and kind you were. You bonded over your shared love of books, and Ponyboy found himself seeking you out every time he went to the library.

Pony was curious about your albinism but was too polite to ask at first. When you brought it up yourself, he listened intently, asking thoughtful questions to understand you better. He admired how confident you were about explaining something so personal.

The first time he complimented you, it was so casual and genuine that it caught you off guard. “Your hair looks just like starlight,” he said while flipping through a book, as if it was the most obvious observation in the world.

Pony would write poems about you how your skin glowed in the moonlight or how your unique beauty reminded him of something ethereal. He’d never show them to you unless you stumbled upon one in his notebook, which would make him turn redder than a tomato.

He loved taking you to quiet places where you could talk and relax. His favorite spot was a secluded area by the riverbank where the sunlight wasn’t too harsh, and you could read together.

Pony was fiercely protective in his own quiet way. If anyone made a rude comment or stared too long, he wouldn’t yell or fight, but his sharp, icy glare was enough to make them regret it.

The gang absolutely adored you. They teased Pony about how smitten he was, but they genuinely appreciated the calm and warmth you brought to their rowdy group. Even Dallas, who wasn’t easily impressed, would crack a rare grin when you were around.

Pony loved running his fingers through your hair, fascinated by its silky texture. “It’s like clouds,” he’d murmur, almost in awe.

On tougher days, when you felt out of place or overwhelmed by how much you stood out, Pony would comfort you with his words. “You’re not different in a bad way, y’know? You’re different in the kind of way that makes people remember you. Like a rare flower or a shooting star.”

He’d sometimes read aloud to you, his voice soft and full of emotion. Whether it was poetry, Shakespeare, or something you’d picked, he always managed to make the words sound magical.

One time, Johnny caught Ponyboy staring at you with this dreamy expression, and when he teased him about it, Pony just shrugged and said, “Can you blame me? They’re like the main character in every story I’ve ever loved.”

Johnny Cade

The first time Johnny saw you was at the park. You were sitting alone, sketching in a notebook. He was too shy to approach you at first, but when he saw your drawing, he couldn’t help but compliment it. “That’s real nice,” he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

You looked up at him with a smile, and Johnny was immediately struck by how unique and beautiful you were. He wasn’t used to talking to girls, especially not ones who looked like they belonged in a painting.

Over time, you and Johnny started spending more time together, often at the park or the lot. You’d draw while he watched, and he’d tell you about his life, feeling comfortable enough to open up in a way he rarely did with anyone else.

He was fascinated by your albinism. When you mentioned it casually one day, he listened intently, his dark eyes filled with curiosity and admiration. “You’re… real different. In a good way,” he said softly, trying not to sound awkward.

Johnny was always gentle and considerate, making sure you were comfortable. If the sun was too bright, he’d offer his jacket to shield you or suggest moving to a shady spot. He’d even remind you to put on sunscreen, though he’d blush while doing it.

He loved your hair and often found himself staring at it, amazed by how soft and light it looked. If you ever let him touch it, he’d do so tentatively, like it was the most delicate thing in the world.

The gang noticed how much happier Johnny seemed when he was around you. They teased him about it, but he didn’t mind too much he was just glad to have someone like you in his life.

You made Johnny feel seen and appreciated in a way he wasn’t used to. He’d always felt like a shadow, but with you, he felt like he mattered.

He’d get protective of you, especially if anyone made rude comments or stared too long. While he wasn’t the type to start fights, he’d stand his ground if he thought someone was being disrespectful.

One of Johnny’s favorite things was watching you draw. He’d sit beside you in quiet awe, occasionally asking about your process or offering ideas. Once, you surprised him by sketching a portrait of him, and he was so touched he couldn’t find the words to thank you.

Johnny wasn’t great with words, but he had his own way of showing how much he cared. He’d bring you little things he thought you’d like a pretty rock, a flower, or a book he borrowed from the library.

On days when you felt self conscious about your albinism, Johnny would do everything he could to comfort you. “You’re… special,” he’d say quietly, his voice full of sincerity. “Not just ‘cause of how you look. You’re just… you. And that’s more than enough.”

He loved quiet moments with you, like sitting under the stars and talking about your dreams. You’d reassure him that he was more than his tough life, and he’d start to believe it when he saw how much you cared.

One night, when you asked him why he always seemed so amazed by you, he looked at you with soft, honest eyes and said, “’Cause you’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen… and I’ve seen a lot of sunsets.”

Dallas Winston

Dally first noticed you when you walked into Buck’s for a drink. Your pale skin and bright hair stood out in the smoky, dimly lit bar, and he couldn’t help but stare. “Well, ain’t you a sight,” he said, flashing his trademark smirk.

At first, you weren’t sure if he was teasing or genuinely interested, but Dally didn’t waste any time making it clear he was intrigued. He’d swagger over, lean against the bar, and say, “What’s someone like you doing in a place like this? Lookin’ for trouble?”

Dally was fascinated by your appearance. He wasn’t used to seeing someone so unique, and he made it a point to tell you just how stunning you were sometimes in the bluntest, most Dally way possible. “You’re somethin’ else, doll. Never seen anyone like you, and I’ve been around.”

He loved the way people’s eyes lingered on you when you were together. It fed his ego to know he had someone as striking as you by his side. If anyone dared to say something rude, though, Dally wouldn’t hesitate to throw a punch. “Got somethin’ to say? Didn’t think so.”

Dally was surprisingly attentive when it came to your albinism. He’d tease you about being a “snow angel” or “ghost,” He’d casually hand you his jacket if you forgot to bring something to cover up. “Don’t need you fryin’ out here, babe.”

He wasn’t the type to outright say how much he cared, but his actions spoke louder than words. Whether it was making sure you stayed out of trouble or keeping people from bothering you, Dally always had your back.

He loved your hair. He’d run his fingers through it, tug it gently, or just brush it back while giving you that cocky grin. “Soft as hell,” he’d mutter, almost like he was talking to himself.

Despite his tough exterior, Dally had a soft spot for you. You brought out a gentler side of him that few people ever saw. He’d still act like a rebel, but around you, he’d lower his walls just enough to let you see the real him.

The gang noticed the change in him when you were around. He was still Dally rough, cocky, and wild but they could see how protective he was of you. Even TwoBit joked, “Looks like Dally’s finally gone soft,” earning a glare from him.

Dally loved taking you on reckless adventures. Whether it was sneaking into movies, speeding down empty roads, or getting into places you weren’t supposed to be, he made sure life with him was never boring.

When you felt self-conscious about standing out, Dally wouldn’t sugarcoat his response. “So what if people stare? Let ‘em. They’re just jealous they’ll never look as good as you do, doll.”

He loved showing you off, especially in public. Wrapping an arm around your shoulder, he’d smirk at anyone who dared to look your way. “Yeah, they’re with me. Got a problem with that?”

On rare, quiet nights, he’d open up to you about his rough life, surprised by how much comfort your presence gave him. He’d never admit it outright, but being with you made him feel like maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

One night, after a particularly wild day, he turned to you with a serious look in his eyes and said, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, doll. Don’t let it go to your head, though.”

Steve Randle

Steve first noticed you at the DX when you came in to get your car checked out. He was working under the hood of a car, but when you walked in, he nearly dropped his wrench. “Holy smokes,” he muttered under his breath, barely able to keep his cool.

Unlike Soda, who was always smooth with compliments, Steve’s reaction to you was clumsy. “Uh, you need… uh… gas or somethin’? Wait, no, you’re here for the car. Obviously.” It was awkward but endearing.

He was fascinated by your looks but didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Instead of outright saying something, he’d sneak little glances your way, trying to act casual. It was Soda who eventually teased him into actually asking you out.

Steve loved working on your car just so he had an excuse to see you. He’d take extra care to make sure everything was perfect, even throwing in a free tune up here and there. “Gotta keep your ride running smooth, just like you.”

He quickly learned about your albinism when you explained why you always wore sunglasses and avoided the sun. Steve didn’t know much about it but was eager to learn. “So, sunscreen’s, like, a must, huh? Don’t worry I’ll keep some in the car for you.”

He loved showing you off to people, especially when they stared. Wrapping an arm around you, he’d smirk and say, “Yeah, they’re with me. Bet you’ve never seen anyone like them, huh?”

Steve could get hot headed if anyone said something rude about you. He wouldn’t hesitate to throw hands if he thought someone was disrespecting you. “Got somethin’ to say? Say it to me.”

The gang teased Steve endlessly about how much he adored you, but he didn’t care. “Yeah, I’m whipped. So what?” he’d say, shrugging it off with a grin.

Steve loved taking you for rides in his car, especially at night when the sun wasn’t a problem. He’d crank up the radio, roll down the windows, and let you feel the wind in your hair as he drove around town.

He wasn’t great with words, but he’d always find little ways to show how much he cared like fixing things for you, bringing you your favorite snacks, or surprising you with a mixtape of songs that reminded him of you.

On days when you felt self conscious about your albinism, Steve wouldn’t let you dwell on it. “Babe, you’re a knockout. People don’t stare ‘cause you’re weird they stare ‘cause they’ve never seen anything as gorgeous as you.”

One time, he caught himself staring at you while you were talking to Ponyboy about books. When you asked what he was looking at, he just smirked and said, “My baby, that’s what. Can’t blame me, can ya?”

Two-Bit Mathews

Two-Bit first saw you at the movies when you were sitting in the row ahead of him. He couldn’t help but lean forward and crack a joke about the film, just to get your attention. When you laughed, he was hooked.

After the movie, he practically ran after you to introduce himself. “So, do I get the honor of knowing the name of the prettiest person in the theater?” he’d ask with his signature grin.

Two-Bit loved teasing you, but it was always playful and never mean-spirited. He’d call you things like “Snowflake” but the way he said it always made you laugh instead of cringe.

He was completely fascinated by your appearance. “You look like you belong on one of those fancy magazine covers,” he’d say with a smirk. “Maybe I should start carrying a camera around just to keep up with you.”

The first time he learned about your albinism, he made a big deal about how cool it was. “Wait, so you’re, like, one in a million? That’s wild. I always knew I had good taste.”

Two-Bit was incredibly protective in his own goofy way. If someone stared at you too long, he’d walk up to them and say, “Take a picture it’ll last longer.” If they kept it up, his tone would shift to something sharper. “You deaf, pal? Move it.”

He loved to joke about how pale you were, but he always followed it up with a compliment. “You’re so bright, you’re putting the sun to shame. No wonder I need sunglasses around you.”

The gang quickly noticed how smitten he was. They’d tease him relentlessly, but he’d just shrug and grin. “What can I say? I’m a lucky guy. Not everyone gets a snow angel for a partner .”

Two-Bit loved taking you on silly adventures, like sneaking into drive ins or pranking random people in the neighborhood. “Life’s too short to be boring, babe. Let’s make some memories.”

He was surprisingly sweet when it came to taking care of you. He’d always remind you to put on sunscreen or bring sunglasses, even jokingly offering to carry an umbrella for shade. “Gotta keep my snowflake from melting.”

If you ever felt self conscious about your albinism, Two-Bit would immediately shut it down with his humor and charm. “Babe, if everyone else doesn’t see how gorgeous you are, that’s their loss. Guess that means I get you all to myself.”

He loved showing you off in public. “Yep, that’s my mine,” he’d say with a cocky grin whenever someone glanced your way. “Go ahead and look, but don’t touch. They’re taken.”

One time, he surprised you with a snow globe he found at a thrift shop. “Look! It reminded me of you tiny, perfect, and way outta my league.”

Late at night, when the two of you were alone, his goofy side would fade, and he’d get more serious. “You know I’m crazy about you, right? Don’t need to change a thing about yourself, doll. You’re perfect as is.”

Tim Shepard

Tim first saw you hanging around the neighborhood, and while he didn’t usually stop to notice people, you caught his eye immediately. Your pale skin, white hair, and quiet confidence stood out in a world of chaos.

He wasn’t the type to stumble over his words, so he walked right up to you, smirking. “You lost, or do you just like hangin’ out in rough neighborhoods?” When you fired back a sassy response, he knew you were someone he wanted to know better.

Tim was intrigued by your albinism, though he didn’t make a big deal out of it. He’d ask a few questions here and there, always casual, but it was clear he found your uniqueness fascinating.

He loved the way you stood out from everyone else. “You’re not like the other people around here,” he’d say, his voice low and sincere. “And that’s a good thing.”

Tim wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but he was fiercely protective of you. If anyone stared too long or made a rude comment, they’d get a cold glare or worse.

Despite his tough exterior, Tim had a soft spot for you. He’d go out of his way to make sure you were safe and comfortable, even if it meant slowing down his usually chaotic lifestyle.

The Shepard gang respected you immediately because of how much Tim cared about you. Nobody dared to mess with you, knowing full well Tim would make them regret it.

Tim wasn’t much for words, but his actions spoke volumes. He’d walk you home after dark, make sure you ate when you were too busy to remember, and even fix things around your house without being asked.

You brought out a softer side of him that few people ever saw. While he was still tough and intimidating to everyone else, with you, he was patient and gentle.

On tough days, when you felt self conscious about standing out, Tim would sit beside you, his hand resting on your knee. “Look, you’re not just different you’re better. They don’t like it? Screw ‘em. You’re mine, and that’s all that matters.”

He wasn’t big on romantic gestures, but he had his moments. Once, he carved your initials into a tree in the lot where his gang hung out, grinning as he showed you. “Figured I’d make it official.”

Tim loved taking you for rides in his car , especially at night when the world felt quiet. He’d let you wrap your arms around him as he sped through the streets, the wind in your hair. “Ain’t nobody out here but us, doll. Feels nice, don’t it?”

Despite his rough and tumble lifestyle, Tim was incredibly careful with you. He made sure you never felt like you had to change who you were to fit into his world. “You’re already perfect,” he’d say, his voice soft but firm. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Curly Shepard

Curly first noticed you at a party when one of his friends pointed you out, saying, “Look at that angel over there.” At first, he rolled his eyes, but when he turned and saw you, his cocky smirk faltered. He wasn’t expecting someone who looked so… different and stunning.

He sauntered over to you with that signature swagger, crossing his arms and flashing you a grin. “So, what’s someone like you doin’ at a party like this? Slummin’ it with us hoods?” He meant it as a joke, but he couldn’t help the genuine curiosity in his tone.

Curly was the type to tease you relentlessly, calling you “Snow White” or “Frostbite,” but there was never any malice behind his words. If anything, it was his way of flirting and he loved how flustered you’d get.

He was fascinated by your albinism but didn’t ask a million questions like most people did. Instead, he’d make casual observations, like, “Your hair’s brighter than the streetlights, babe,” or, “You’re the first person I’ve met who can outshine the moon.”

Curly was protective to the extreme. If anyone stared at you too long or said something stupid, he’d immediately step in, cracking his knuckles and smirking dangerously. “ you got 3 seconds to apologize or I’m going to knock your face in’.”

He loved showing you off, especially to his gang. “Yeah, they’re with me,” he’d say proudly, throwing an arm around your shoulders. “Ain’t they somethin’?”

Curly had no problem stealing things for you. If you mentioned wanting something, he’d show up with it the next day, shrugging nonchalantly when you asked how he got it. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, babe. Just call it a gift.”

He was always playful, constantly messing with you in the cutest ways. He’d steal your sunglasses, hold them above your head, and laugh as you tried to grab them back. “C’mon, you don’t need these. You’re already too cool.”

If you ever felt self conscious about standing out, Curly would be quick to shut it down. “Who cares what anyone else thinks? They’re just jealous they ain’t half as good lookin’ as you.”

He had a wild side and loved dragging you along on his adventures, whether it was sneaking into drive-ins, racing through town on a stolen bike, or just causing trouble in the neighborhood. “Stick with me, doll. Life’s never boring when you’re rollin’ with Curly Shepard.”

Despite his tough exterior, Curly had a soft side that he only showed to you. When it was just the two of you, he’d let his guard down, resting his head in your lap or holding your hand while you talked about everything and nothing.

He wasn’t great with romantic words, but he’d show his affection through his actions. Whether it was giving you his jacket on a chilly night or showing up to your house at midnight just to see you, he always found a way to remind you how much he cared.

One night, as the two of you sat on the hood of his car, staring at the stars, Curly turned to you and said, “You know, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I mean it.”

[alicecorpseliddell]

PLURAL ASK GAME 2* (45 questions)

*inspired by some of our headmates

Remember to practice reblog karma!!*

*reblog karma does not apply to us/the original post

🪳 — Does anyone with a "problematic"/"bad" source identify with their "problematic"/"bad" actions from source?

🤍 — Is there anyone who has a distinctly different voice/accent than the rest?

🪒 — Is there anyone who's probably bigender but is putting off thinking about it? If so, why?

🅱️ — is there anyone that people outside of the system perceive as intimidating but inside the system is just seen as a silly guy? (/gender neutral)

⭐ — are there any headmates who when fronting cause your energy/spoons to drain faster than others?

🟩🚫 — is there anyone who spends most of their time fronting complaining about missing their s/o from source?

🌹 — has anyone had to explain queerphobia to another headmate?

🌸 — is there anyone who either fronts super frequently or you don't see for months and months on end?

🚂 — is there a resident RPF freak™? (/sil)

🍋 — is there a resident Swiftie?

🔋 — is there one double that is distinctly different from the other doubles of their source?

🌫️ — anyone who really shouldn't have any kids, have any kids?

🩰 — anyone who's entire personality is formed around a hobby you picked up briefly in childhood but never gained an actual interest in? If so, what's the hobby?

🦴 — if you have individual playlists, who's is the longest runtime wise?

🏷️ — anyone who uses unconventional first person pronouns (something other than I/me/myself/etc)

🎻🎵 — anyone sourced from a fanfiction?

🪞 — you got any uhhhhh.... Manipulative MILFS?

🗿 — anyone get reformed in an... unconventional manner?

🚨 — anyone front triggered by Emergency Service Alarms or other similar alarm systems?

🎵 — anyone form while you were hospitalized (for anything)?

🎻 — anyone who is the exact complete opposite of their source in every way possible, but still identifies with it?

🏥 — have you ever accidentally deleted a fully made profile (on anything) for a headmate and had to remake it from scratch?

♋ — anyone from a source you don't know have a high ranking/very important role within your system?

🩷 — anyone who bears a strong resemblance to a character but is not sourced from them in any way shape or form?

🖊️ — anyone who has "no concept of emotions"? (whatever that may mean to you)

🦪 — has anyone been forcemasc'd?

🪸 — anyone who picked an emoji/symbol/name/etc just because they liked the way it looked, and not for any real reason?

🐸 — anyone communicate either primarily or entirely in [a] random sounds? And if so can anyone understand them?

🚥 — anyone who is most definitely queer but is refusing to admit it?

🍄 — has anyone gotten you banned from a specific website or app?

🍴 — does anyone type in a different font as a typing quirk?

🐮 — do you have anyone who shifts through face claims and apparences frequently? (not including multisourced folk)

🌲 — is anyone's emoji/sign off/front indicator an inside joke from their source?

📼 — is there anyone who's only like 80% sure of their source but still goes with it like it's fact anyways?

🦋 — is there anyone who enjoys math but isn't particularly good at it?

💣 — is there a lesbian who's obsessed with [a] fictional men?

♎ — is there anyone who when fronting with other people makes pain worse but when fronting alone makes pain lessen?

🌋 — anyone who is almost constantly crying? If so, why? Is it a disorder? An aesthetic choice? A trauma response? Something else?

🎙️ — do you have any tween/early teens gatekeepers?

🎤 — do you have any introjects from a series you haven't touched but was popular with your friends?

🧽 — do you have anyone who has an endless appetite when fronting? And what are their favourite food(s)?

🐲 — has anyone woke you up in the middle of the night to announce their presence then proceeded to never front again?

🥝 — is there any who is unreasonably funny for who their source is?

🔞 — is anyone addicted to candy crush (or similar styles of games)?

🍦 — is there anyone who's "just happy to along for the ride :)"?

[ PLAIN TEXT ] We Are A Diagnosed Traumagenic DID System We Are Pro Endogenic And You Will Not Change Our Mind If You Harass Us You Give Us Consent To Harass You Back

[majaloveschris]

However, I don't know if leaking the contract would be bad for both of them. I think most people would be happier if this turned out to be PR rather than him being married to someone like her. And I mean her and her friends' personalities. You know the racist, pedo, and Nazi stuff. Maybe some people would be angry because he's lied, but I think most of us probably would be relieved he wasn't actually in love with someone like Alba. //

Logic anon coming in, people have to understand the fandom although it feels big is very small especially compared to the rest of the world. The general public doesn’t care about these two and many think she looks like she’s his daughter. Now, If this fandom were like the fandoms with “names” ie the Swifties, Belibers, etc This shitshow would have exploded publicly to the point the truth would have came out and there’d be no debate. The world would be aware of her and her friends and many would probably defend her, it would be team pr vs real on a bigger level. But technically something similar yet small did happen….. remember the “crazy” fan article in the beginning because the fandom was calling out the bs.

This stunt wasn’t for the fans, but I assume they thought this fandom would jump whenever Chris said to….wrong. The fandom went into detective mode so much to the point they kept having to keep up with the lies that so many called out. Remember all the holes in the cheese they tried to fill. If it were real, why the need to do that.

But yeah the point for whatever reason was to make this appear legit to the world, not this fandom. The fandom got involved because of how stupid things got. Had Chris and team learned that he had a MO that ONLY his fandom was aware of and had her and her little racist friends not trolled, things might be different.

Too much has happened for me to assume any of this is legit unless Chris has sincerely lost his mind, is going through a midlife crises or willingly thought being married might help his career/image? Idk 🤷‍♀️

In terms of said contract being leaked, that would be awesome for the fandom and possibly those who think he’s a red pill fool, but for the overall public…. I don’t think so. He’d be a liar and how could anyone trust someone who lied about being married, but again it’s Hollywood and business so who knows, it could be a shock factor, people discuss and then move on and he’s able to reinvent himself or something or people would crack jokes and never let him live it down, etc.

If a contract got leaked and had specific details it could help him and people would go omg look what Hollywood forced Chris Evans to do and I knew he’d never marry anyone that young, etc. ya know the “poor Chris”, coddling scenario he’s use to. 🙄

At most, a divorce could be announced and TMZ can state they were never legally married and leave people to question whatever. Chris moves on, focuses on his career and learns to keep his private life private and no more PR shit.

I think they thought Alba would get much more recognition and fans because of Chris. That the fandom will like her, that they will start following her and start her career. The why is beyond me, though. I wouldn't say even his real girlfriends were that liked by the public, so why would a fake one with whom they look so distant and who is a worse person than the others be? I don't think they thought this through.

I wouldn't say this wasn't for us; most of the time, a PR relationship is. A random person who's watched a few projects of yours won't start following or supporting someone's partner. A fan would. Like how many people have started following Travis since they went public with Taylor? A lot. I assume they wanted something similar to happen to Alba, but they didn't succeed. As you said, the general public cares more about the age gap and the appearance. They don't have to sell them anything because they don't care. They have to make it look legit for the fans, because they are the ones following all of their steps. They will be the ones who start following the partner or check out their works. When it comes to a PR relationship, the fans need to like the partner or accept them in the close circle. The general public just doesn't care enough to make someone's partner more famous; fans could do that. Chris's fans could've started liking Alba and watching her projects, making her more wanted in projects. That's why they wanted to sell the happy relationship; that's why they filled the holes. They need fans to do their parts, not the general public.

I still think leaking something would be the best. He's lost a lot of fans, and I'm not saying that would get him everything and everyone back, but this PR wouldn't still be better than him actually being in love with her. I think it would be. Obviously, that doesn't take away the stupidity of this whole thing and that he got involved in this. It wouldn't make everything okay, but it would make it better. General public doesn't care enough about this. They would forget about him being in a PR marriage after like a day, especially right now, when a lot of much worse things are going on. This wouldn't be the worst thing a celebrity did. Right now, they should care about fans, not about the general public. Those people who've left are the important ones. They're going to go and watch all of his movies, not the general public.

I just hope that if this is truly PR, they all learned from this and have already realized that this whole thing was a mistake and will never try something like this.

[dammit-tazmuir]

I just genuinely do not remotely understand where you're getting this notion that "there's nothing sympathetic about Ianthe" or that "we're not supposed to care about her." Like where is your textual evidence? Because I have literally not seen one single person in this fandom yet who doesn't adore her, and I have a very hard time believing that's by accident.

I've seen people shit on Corona, and even rip her apart to emphasize Ianthe's tragedy without acknowledging how mutually toxic they are. I've seen people fail to acknowledge the nuance and sympathetic circumstances around all of John's stuff. I've seen almost nothing but making Silas the butt of jokes, and only very rarely any appreciation. I've seen people have problems with Palamedes of all people. I've seen criticism for Paul's existence.

I have at not one point yet encountered a person who doesn't adore Ianthe and want good things for her. I have never seen a single person be like "fuck that toxic bitch, I hope she gets what's coming to her" the way they do characters like John. Like maybe I've just been lucky so far, but I'm sorry, it REALLY, REALLY does sound like you personally sympathize with her LESS than most people do and are projecting that onto other people? Or taking "she's awful" extremely literally. Have you never seen or written a character that makes you go "oh they're the absolute worst, I adore them"? Is that just a new concept? I want to understand here.

I typed up a whole big thing about personal theories for Ianthe's mentality but decided it was probably too much and saved it elsewhere, so let me know if you want that I guess, but no worries if not.

For that matter though, what specifically proves that "Harrow is a terrible person"? Because a lot of fans find her deeply relatable, and there are both fans and other characters who don't see her sour grumpy attitude as particularly offputting and some actively find it endearing. "She made Gideon's life shitty for 16 years" can only do so much heavy lifting when we know for a fact Crux and other adults were worse offenders, Gideon was also constantly shitty to Harrow, Harrow was literally younger than Gideon, and Harrow was dealing with severe and untreated mental illness that Gideon personally exacerbated. (We KNOW Gideon is inclined to pull pranks on Harrow and rearrange things when she's out of the room and do other things that were very likely to cause Harrow to need to go to Crux for reality checks, that Gideon is a significant contributor to her fearing she's simply insane, and that she was actively afraid to let Gideon specifically know bad her brain was even though that could have helped a lot of them a lot.) And also when that stopped nearly immediately the second they were away from the adults perpetuating it. I don't know man but I feel like staying in a pattern one was raised in when it's never been challenged says a lot less about a person than how they behave and adapt once it's gone.

Is it because the baby nun who was 500% paranoia by volume between her hallucinations and her recent trauma she can't properly remember and having been raised to be extremely secretive at all times Or Else wasn't ecstatic about being romantic or bffs with someone who she knows killed and ate one of the only other friends she had in cold blood while also dealing with constant attempts on her life? Because even with all that she was honestly still pretty soft with Ianthe. Denying being friends in words doesn't change that she was relying on Ianthe and trusting her even more than she did their God and being fairly intimate with her. Actions should speak louder than words.

Like genuinely, why do you think "we're not supposed to" like or care about or sympathize with Ianthe, or that Harrow is objectively terrible start to finish? I don't see it.

A big reason I ignore all the meta from Tamsyn Muir about The Locked Tomb is that her values system about some of her characters seems deeply at odds with their characterization in-book.

Muir clearly loathes Ianthe, and yet HTN shows an Ianthe who is deeply insecure, scared, and desperately lonely. Yeah, she killed her Cav and a few other people. This is quite bad. I do not think Ianthe is a good person. But I don't find her irredeemable like Muir says.

Hitting on Harrow isn't ideal, but also Harrow is her only friend and flirtation is one of the few ways Ianthe knows to show her companionship. Throughout HTN, Ianthe seems to be trying to make friends, to be helpful, and is rebuffed at every turn by Harrow.

In contrast, while Harrow is less evil than many of the other characters, she is clearly a profoundly horrible person. She is mean and cruel to those around her, she has made Gideon's life absolutely miserable for 16ish years, she rebuffs basically every single offer of help and friendship anyone but Gideon ever shows her in either of the two series (and quite meanly; basically anything anyone ever gets from her is some verbose equivalent of "go fuck yourself".)

But we spend all this time in her head, so we know it's because she's scared and insecure and doesn't know how to handle it. So very much of her behavior is forgiven by Muir and by the audience because of this. A sizeable portion of the fanbase seems to be mad at John for trying to tell her to get more sleep, or to try doing something relaxing (make soup), or even to ask other people for help. Yes, you cannot will your way out of depression, but "try to get more sleep" and "do soothing things" are basically foremost of any serious advice for how to deal with it.

John doesn't know why she's been not getting enough sleep. But he's also a deeply fucked-up person. And yet he's trying with Harrow. Badly, clumsily, but trying. He doesn't really know why she's been on such edge and miserable. But Harrow never tells him. She has John and Ianthe (and probably Mercymorn and Augustine, although they're even more fucked up) she could have tried asking for help, and refuses.

But, Harrow is the protagonist, and we see inside her head, and she's not willing to actually murder Gideon, and she thinks murdering 200 children was bad, actually. So we're expected to sympathize with her.

Don't get me wrong, I sympathize with her. I want her to be better. I like fucked-up protagonists who aren't great people.

But do not, for one second, suggest that Harrow is not one of the worst human beings in this series (behind John, Cytharea, Mercymorn, Augustine, and Ianthe, in roughly that order). She brings an untold amount of her misery upon herself by being deliberately, not prickly, but just so. fucking. awful.