#i would assume we as adults are all smart enough to NOT take them up on their offer to stay following them

[shocked-collar]

hey so @/r00uk is a minor and we should all probly stop spreading their art around and should just block them.

[ultimate-marysue]

This post inspired me to think about secret identity logistics and I think Cass being so cavalier with her secret identity would actually help. Like, it makes the rest of the family's secret identities better because Cassandra Cain is obviously Blackbat/Batgirl. By contrast they would look even more civilian and if someone is not going to realize their kid is a vigilante is Brucie Wayne.

"But wouldn't they connect the dots to the rest of the family?" Listen, If those were bats they'd simply get out of the kidnappings and hostage situations they get themselves into like Cassandra. The fact that they always need to be saved proves they're, indeed, civilians.

Also, I doubt the math would math unless you knew very specific internal things to connect each vigilante to their civilian identity. Brucie is, for starters, as civilian as can get and thanks to the Mandela effect everyone is convinced that he was caught on camera making out with Batman anyways. So that's a non-starter.

Dick Grayson is trying to be a regular person, so the public would know he exists and comes back to important things but he's mostly out of the public eye. Plus, he's a police officer, why would anyone assume he's in kahoots with his little sister that was adopted after he'd already left Gotham?? And when he came back to Gotham for a while to take care of things for his father, is not like there was a new vigilante. It was still batman and Robin (the Robin was new, but Dick Grayson is an adult so, not likely).

Then we get to the big one: Jason is legally dead. You can't assign him any vigilante because he's mmm super dead. I'm sure there's a true crime podcaster trying to argue that he was the second robin and died doing robin shit, that's why Batman and Bruce broke up. But even if it's compelling, it's also considered in really bad taste. Also, can't be tied to Cassandra because she arrived after his death.

Tim gets a similar reaction to Brucie in the sense that there's no way he is a vigilante. He's the immunocompromised Twink from Forbes "30 under 30". He's literally physically incapable of being a super hero due to both a lack of Muscles and a lack of time. That boy has to run an entire massive money making machine and, for all gothamites know, he may very well be asthmatic as well. Plus, he gets kidnapped like crazy. If he was a hero he would at least now how to avoid being put in those situations. They suspect he's covering for Cass though, since he's smart enough to realize his sister is freaking Batgirl.

This means that even if Cass is Batgirl they can't really trace Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin or Red hood back to the family (not to speak of Batwoman, Catwoman, Huntress, Batgirl a 1 and 2, Oracle or spoiler). So at this point why would you even try to connect the others? Clearly Cass is the exception, not the rule.

Like, sure, Duke did survive the Riddler ruling Gotham and if you put some effort, it wouldn't be impossible to tie him to the We Are Robin movement. But also ...is it because he's black? Is it because he's the only black person from Gotham you know of?? His sister is a vigilante, and he is black, so he must be the black vigilante of course (He would be the one making this comments in social media through his sock puppet accounts and the True Crime/conspiracy communities would be too scared to touch that one with a ten foot pole)

Damian is another one where I think Bruce would do what he can to protect him from the press (partially for his own good and partially because he's the opposite of media trained). Most of the info the tabloids would get is from people tangentially related to him. Like, sure, he does look a bit like the new robin, and his sister is Batgirl. But, unless you're one of the people claiming he's the lovechild of Bruce Wayne and Batman (test tube baby??? Batman trans???) it wouldn't make a lot of sense now, would it?

Like Cass is so fucking weird compared to the rest of her family's civilian identities it makes them look rock solid by comparison.

[lurkingshan]

Hii, hope you're doing well!! I've been meaning to check out more c-dramas. I've never really watched any, but I keep seeing them on my dash and want to start giving some a shot since I watch every other type of drama (BL or otherwise lol). I saw you post often about c-dramas, so I wanted to ask if you had any other recs besides Tender Light (which I'm planning on watching when it's done)? I'm more curious about c-dramas in general rather than any specific genre, since I'm so new to them

Hello, thank you for the ask! I'm glad my obsessive Tender Light posting has got you curious about cdramas. Some of my all time favorite dramas are from Mainland China, and I would be happy to share some recs! Since you are looking for a general sense, I am just going to give you a sampling of some of my personal favs.

Tender Light

Obviously I will be taking this opportunity to talk up this drama some more, which will be ending its run this weekend. This is, hands down, my favorite drama of the year and easily going on my top 10 dramas of all time list. It's one of the most gorgeous and precise and unflinching pieces of media I have ever seen. This is definitely one for people who love smart mystery writing, dark themes (I mean this for real, if you have a lot of triggers ask for CWs), and explorations of the human condition. It will be staying with me for a long time.

Go Ahead

Another of my all time favs (and with cast crossover from Tender Light), this is a family drama that digs deep on the meaning of family, finding your people, and resilience through intergenerational trauma. I love it so so much (I am actually rewatching it right now).

Lighter & Princess

A fantastic romance and owner of a coveted spot on the ride or die drama couples list. In this story you get to watch these two fall in love twice, first in college and then as adults, and both times it's epic.

Reset

How about a time loop thriller? This is one of the best I have ever seen, and its relatively short run keeps it tight and tense all the way through. There's a romance in this one, too, but kissing is definitely secondary to finding their way out of this death trap.

The Rebel Princess

Let's dip our toe into historicals! Granted, I still have plenty of gaps in my historical cdrama watch list (there are just so many and they're so long, I am doing my best people!) but this remains my all time favorite to date. It's epic, it's shockingly well written and paced for its length, the characters are excellent and compelling all around, and it has one of my all time favorite male leads and drama couples (another from the ride or die list!). Don't let the episode number intimidate you, it will fly by much faster than you think.

The Untamed

You watch bl so I am assuming you already know about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but just in case I will also include this drama as a much watch. It's likely the best live action danmei we will ever get.

Love Between Fairy and Devil

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a show put all your favorite fanfic tropes in a blender, cast beautiful people to act them out, and put them in lavish costumes? Well, here is your answer.

Love and Redemption

This one's for us angst with a happy ending girlies. An epic love story with lots of pining and struggle and strife, and it's so worth it.

Falling Into You

Back to the modern era, this is a classic sports drama with a noona romance. Very unassuming but full of charm and very well executed.

Fake It Till You Make It

An unusually mature take on adult romance from a cdrama, this one is about two career focused permasingle love skeptics who meet, realize they actually like each other, and try to figure out what the hell to do with that. I love it a lot.

That should be enough to get you started! There are many many more recs to be had, so once you give some of these a try and figure out what you like, feel free to hit me up for more!

[shegeekery]

Reparenting Loki

I want to talk about a dynamic in the Loki/Mobius relationship (in the Loki TV-series) that I've seen touched on but not really discussed in depth.

Note to Lokius-lovers: nothing I say here in any way precludes a healthy romantic relationship. They're both consenting adults, after all, and this wasn't a formal therapist-client relationship.

There's a technique in therapy called "reparenting". The idea is that trauma and behaviors caused by bad parenting can be addressed to some extent if the therapist assumes the role of a "good parent".

I think we can all agree that the "All-Father" was crap as an actual father. Odin knew that Loki took after him even more than Thor did, but many of those shared traits were things that he tried to hide from everyone, while Thor better represented the image he wanted to project. The result was a cruel favoritism, which was picked up by Thor and the rest of the Asgardians. Frigga's love and support wasn't enough to counteract that cruelty, particularly in a strongly patriarchal society like Asgard.

Side note (because I'm that kind of geek): there were so many similarities between Odin and Loki (Odin's friend and blood-brother rather than his son) in the old Norse myths that some scholars have suggested that Loki was at one point simply an aspect of Odin. There's also evidence that the stories as they came down to us were manipulated by the Christians who committed them to writing to shoehorn Loki into something more like the Christian Devil.

Anyway, getting back to our guys... Within the context of the TVA, Mobius represented an authority figure to Loki, who had a long history of rebelling against (or betraying) authority for obvious reasons.

I think the first turning point in the relationship for Loki was:

Loki: I am smart!

Mobius: I know. Loki is rarely left speechless, but his only response to Mobius's simple affirmation was a very un-Loki-like "Okay..." He didn't know how to respond because he wasn't used to that kind of thing, particularly from someone who had power over him. It happened again with:

Loki: A villain.

Mobius: That's not how I see it.

The dynamic between these two people throughout Season 1 was like that. Mobius's genuine love (whether you read it as romantic, platonic, fatherly, brotherly, or a mix of any or all of these) for and non-judgmental acceptance of Loki was apparent from the start, but of course Loki's experiences during his very long lifetime made it nearly impossible for him to trust that until Mobius's actions convinced him that it was real. Learning to trust Mobius also allowed Loki to see himself in a new light.

For his part, Mobius consistently modeled what a good father would have been: loving and accepting, yes, but still able to apply "tough love" when that was warranted. Mobius didn't put Loki into the bad-memory loop to punish him because he was angry (though he was angry, or at least a bit hurt and disappointed). He was just trying to force Loki to acknowledge a truth about himself so that they could move forward — and it worked!

Mobius's instincts and experience as an actual father to two boys, one reasonably well-behaved and the other a mischievous troublemaker, served him well in this, even if he didn't consciously remember his life on the timeline.

Mobius all but confirmed this when he said:

Mobius:  I see a scared little boy, shivering in the cold... 

It's also significant that when Loki brought this up later, he called it "patronizing", which we usually use to mean "condescending", but can also mean "supporting" and has its root in the Latin word "pater" (father).

I see the hug in episode 1-5 as a sign that the reparenting had taken hold, and that Loki, while not completely healed (it would take a lot more than that!), was at least in a place where he could trust someone, accept love/friendship, and think beyond his own wants and needs.

By Season 2, the relationship between the two men was evolving into one of equals, but even then Loki still occasionally looked to Mobius for guidance. Mobius's approval had become important to him. When Loki witnessed the firm but compassionate way in which Don dealt with two boys who were so like himself and Thor (despite being a stressed-out single dad rather than a god-king with tremendous resources at his disposal), he had to have seen that this was at the core of who Mobius was. Moreover, Loki — and any viewers who had similarly survived a traumatic childhood full of emotional abuse and neglect — probably guessed that Don himself was a survivor who was determined to see to it that his boys would never have to deal with that. If that was the case, then Mobius didn't just see his own son in Loki. He saw himself and couldn't help but empathize.

Don wasn't perfect. His frustration with his younger son was very evident, but Loki, observing, could see the love that lay under it. He may even have thought of times when Odin was driven to anger by Loki's actions and realized that the anger didn't necessarily mean that Odin didn't really love him. Learning to forgive what can be forgiven is another aspect of recovering from childhood trauma.

It's worth remembering that Mobius knew Loki in much the same way we do. We got to see the things that Loki never let anybody see: the fear, the vulnerability, the pain, the longing, and the sadness. (Doesn't hurt that TH can turn a simple reaction shot into a freakin' soliloquy!) The difference is that, while we only get to see the highlights (and lowlights) of Loki's life, Mobius had access to all of it and he had centuries to study it.

Mobius literally knew Loki better than anyone else in (or out) of the multiverse. How could he not love him? And for Loki, knowing that somebody who knew him that well genuinely cared so much for him (same with Sylvie, who understood him in ways that only another Loki could and vice-versa) had to have shaken him to his core and made him rethink a lot of things. The fact that it was Mobius to whom Loki turned in episode 2.6 when he thought he might have to kill Sylvie shows how much he still looked up to Mobius in many ways.

This was a show about redemption, yes, but also about healing from childhood trauma. They did an amazing job with it.

[butmakeitgayblog]

Loving all the #awtr synopses! Thank you for indulging us 🥰 Would you be able to share one of the 365 letters that Lexa wrote to Clarke in the care package? Maybe one of those letters that Clarke return to over and over again?

You are a glutton for punishment

I like you 😈

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Dearest,

Each letter I start feels so awkward in the beginning. As though the blank page itself were mocking me. All bumbling sentences and half-formed thoughts vying for my attention, because how does one get to the point when there's so many things between us left to say? A lifetime worth of words live on the point of this pen, all yearning and jumbled in their haste to be written first. Each one wanting nothing more than to jump right into the thick of it; into the thick of being part of a lifetime with you.

And yet here I sit, struggling with exactly where to start.

I suppose I could begin with the most mundane part of this idea: the actual point of this letter. Forcing myself to tackle the 'why' of the whole reason you picked this one in particular sounds like the smart move here... Assuming, of course, you didn't tear through them all the first second you got... *wifely sigh* If that is the case, don't feel too bad. Your lack of patience is, bafflingly, one of the many things I love so fiercely about you.

You're 30 today.

30!

My wife is 30. I love hearing how that sounds. The thought alone makes my heart skip a beat. (In a decidedly joyous way, I assure you, as it so often does whenever you wander yourself across my mind.) You're 30 now. An honest God adult in every measure, and truthfully that blows my mind because I still vividly remember seeing you for the first time when we were only children. It was drizzling and you'd crashed into me on the playground while running, and I—

Well, you've heard this story enough times before, but my point remains.

You're sleeping peacefully as I write this. Safe and warm in my bed. Tucked to me so tight I can barely hold the pen well enough to get these words out, and yet all I can envision when I look over and see the youth of your face is who you will be when this letter reaches you.

Know, in every version of 'you' my brain tirelessly cooks up, you are as beautiful then as you are right now. If not more so.

I envision that same smile, with those lips that sweeten my dreams, nestled in the crest of newly discovered laugh lines. I see the kindness of your eyes in every universe, my love. The way those same stubborn and fierce blues that take my breath away hold a depth of wisdom far beyond your (30!!) years. You told me once how you hated your beauty mark as a kid, but my goodness, the things I do to wrap my lips around it. Believe it or not, I secretly have impeccable aim. Stop laughing, I do. It's just too tempting. I can't even begin to resist. And your chin! Your wonderul chin, that was surely made to hold my thumb so perfectly each time I kiss you. I imagine it's somewhat sharper now. More refined. More dignified.

Tell me, love. Does it hold another's thumb now?

It should. It deserves to be cherished.

I find myself so often in these quiet moments before sleep thinking of who you are - who you will be - at these stages of your life. And while I know in my heart I'll be right there with you when these times come, smiling and cheering you on along the way, for now, I am left woefully guessing.

I write this all to say: I hope you are happy. I hope you have a life filled with more love than you know what to do with. I hope it makes you feel even a tenth as timeless as your love made me feel. Being loved by you is a miraculous thing in that way.

It's funny, as I've written these letters, I already feel as though I've lived an entire lifetime with you. And even then, it's still not enough. In the earlier ones I worried so much, as I'm sure you remember (again, that's assuming you actually followed the directions for a change and didn't binge them all at once), but I find myself writing this one in particular entirely calm. Make no mistake, I still feel the urge to dote on you. To fuss at you as I do with questions of 'have you drank enough today? Eaten enough? Take a nap with me, dear. You never seem to get enough sleep.' I will always worry about these things no matter where we are in the universe. But understand, love, it's only because I wish to take care of you.

Not that you need it. You've never needed me to take care of you, but I'm so very grateful you let me try all the same.

You're gonna do great things, Griffin. I already know it, but for posterity's sake, I'll write it just to have one final 'told ya so' moment with you. I hope your life is so damn big now that you look back on the walls of this room that held our love in its sanctuary, and it impresses you how we managed to fit the both of us in here along with it. I hope with each dream you accomplish, it's replaced only by what great thing comes next for you. Because while the world is cold and terrifying and beats us down in so many ways, I know you, my darling girl. I know you're the one who can always best it.

I love you, Clarke. I've loved you since before I knew I could have you, and I'm going to love you long after I'm gone. I hope I made you know that in the time we had together, well enough to last this lifetime and into the next. I'll be here, love. Patiently waiting for you to crash into me again.

Wherever you are in this moment, know that I am so proud of the woman you've become. I want you to spend every last second of today celebrating the wonderful, stubborn, charming, passionate, fearless, tender person you are.

Don't ever let that fire inside of you die. I couldn't bear it. The world needs more people like you.

Lord knows I sure did.

Thank you for teaching me what selfless love is. Loving you made me a better person. And I'd like to think I played at least a little part in helping you become who you are too. So celebrate today. And every single day after. I mean it. You deserve it.

Until we meet again,

- Lexa

P.s. Have a whiskey sour for me 🖤

[chocottang]

I forgot to send this before but. I'm interested in your take for Golden/Deuz 👀

hiii!! so it's not very elaborate because i haven't analyzed deuz a lot, but from what i understand + what I've heard from deuz enjoyers i think him and golden could get along

like imagine if the nightmares found golden when he ran away and took him in... honestly at first golden would probably be shitting his pants out of fear, but once he realizes they don't want to hurt him and actually want to help him, i think they'd become friends.

i consider deuz to be a "idc abt ur past, if u need help I'll help u" type of guy so i don't think he'd ask golden why he was living on the street, which would be a HUGE relief for him because he doesn't want them to assume he's a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum like everyone else seems to think. golden is also just not prone to talking about his issues, so he'd feel comfortable not telling them. and even if golden did tell them eventually, i think they, and deuz especially, would understand that being homeless is ROUGH and nobody, espcially not a spoiled rich kid, would do it just because, and especially not for the amount of time golden does. sooo i think golden could find a safe and supportive space

enough of that. let's talk the actual ship. deuz and golden are both hugeee loverboys. i mean, golden fell in love with a girl because she helped him once and deuz is still trying to get meg back and gifting her flowers after god knows how long. these guys never let it go, so if they liked each other, dude? they'd always do romantic things for each other, and they would never, not in a million yeras, give up on the other or move on. some call it codependency-

they're also both quite flirty, and although deuz can have an edge to him, we know from golden's interactions with fox that he can keep up. if golden can't earn deuz's respect though his strength (and we know from the halloween special that he can't cause he's a weak bitch) he definetly can through his smarts and his unwillingness to let anyone tear him down, he knows what he's worth and i think deuz would respect that. and golden would definetly admire deuz for not just surviving on his own but helping others and creating his own little family. i mean, golden tried to live on the street and was not doing great, doing that as a KID? that's insane.

also they would both fucking hate rich old farts, they both have trauma with adults mistreating them and taking advantage of them. i can imagine deuz enabling golden to let out his frustrations and spite on fun light crimes against the rich. golden has always been the one to organize and plan what the animatronics would do, so i think it'd be fun to see golden use that ability to help the nightmares in their shenanigans. and yes this is jsut me wanting to see golden be more of a rebel when he runs away ok.

all of this assuming the nightmares are actually not bullies anymore. cause otherwise i don't think golden woukd like to hang out with the guys that beat up his friend. well i mean it's still kinda fucked up even if they stopped cause they still have beat up bonnie in the past. so uhh drama!! lmao. no but really, golden wouldn't want to lose the animatronics for ANYTHING so if there's tension between them and the nightmares that would actually be a huge drama. and then there's fox in the middle which both golden and deuz have a bad relationship with lmao.

uhhh i think that's all i have!! thanks for the ask!! thinking abt this was fun

[pokemon-ash-aus]

Yea I think I remember in a video boys are more likely to be born during times of stress, I can't remember what the video said about it though but I'm assuming like something to do with obviously females need to like age grow reach sexual maturity before they can continue the next generation and if they get murdered cause war or famine or something welp there goes the potential of next generation since like eggs be a hard resource to get or something finite resource and takes a lot of energy and if war famine general struggling they won't be able to like actually like grow babies and because biologically boys have better chances of surviving out the womb or something? So better to have fewer girls hope they make it

But yea I dunno, I agree though theres probably stuff going on within gendered lines. I guess with Combee Vespiquen it reduces competition within the hive they'll have their main queen to focus all their efforts on entirely and then her princess daughter to ensure successful continuation of the colony, better to protect one princess than have like 6 and have 2 eaten by Beedrill or something wasting all those previously used resources and then another gets caught and one flies away from home dramatically no you're down to two and well we don't know how much of a cain instinct princess Combee have.

But the Gallade point was also pretty interesting, I'm not 100% confident but isn't it achieved by a dawn stone? So maybe it's like, an environmental necessity thing if they find a dawn stone clearly somethings up earthed it so somebodies gotta step up for the big boy man time or its like competitive thing like male unfezant but a whole new mon achieving something different in a way that's advantageous in battle and for attracting partners able to fight and protect better while also being attractive for lady Gardevoir. I did have a clever reference in mind or I thought I did but unfortunately that's gone now but I can definitely see Gallade as an alright time to put on my big boy britches moment somebodies gotta adult and regrettably it's me

Peach: Glad to know you skipped my EXACT explanation on why i know the reason between male dominant species- okay.

Peach: But the reason you gave for Gallade would have been an avenue, but that's not the case with the Gardevior line. Gardeviors can and will be infatuated wih the Male Gardeviors in the area that dont fight or mess about. The Ralts line is an incredibly smart species that can take care of themselves and dont seem to have a need to fight over females and vice versa.

Peach: Gallades also dont fight for dominance, they fight to train, Male Gallades in a controlled environment dont actually fight for the female gaze but to sharpen their own wit. Dont forget that Gardeviors are typically stronger than males and have often been seen putting them in their place. There is not such thing as 'little boy stepoing up to the plate' because that's not a thing within pokemon.

Peach: Its strange to me when Humans decide that Pokemon are going to mimic humans if they look human enough because that's not the case. Its not a thing, and you're projecting.

[altocat]

After grinding for HOURS to get my FS trio strong enough to beat the boss to complete the closed beta chapter, no Seph. He only just appears in that opening cutscene with the cellphone. We probably won’t be seeing him until the full story releases. My estimations for that are probably Late September, early October. So there’s still lots of time.

Chapter ends with the random boy calling the FS trio out on their bullshit as being “peaceful SOLDIER emissaries”. My guess is that this is going to serve as a reveal for Sephiroth’s take no prisoners power throughout the era of the Wutai War. The boy is said to be “entangled” with Sephiroth somehow. Likely he’s heard or witnessed Sephiroth’s destructive deployment. It’s either that or he’s just a smart kid who knows exactly what the score is. We’re just going to have to find out.

Glenn, Matt, and Lucia are...okay. Glenn is really the only one with an actual personality and even then, he’s kind of a doof. Sorta like Zack, but without the puppydog charm. Glenn is more of an actual dumbass. Matt is kind of just...there to be the no-nonsense straight man and Lucia basically functions as diet Tifa but with a bit more sarcasm. They’re sort of blank slates that I assume are all doomed by the end of this story. I doubt even Glenn is going to survive up against an adult CC era Seph.

The random boy never gets a name, at least not yet. I am willing to bet my left hand that Sephiroth probably pissed all over his village and/or has been building his reputation little by little to the point where stories have leaked. While this island isn’t Wutai, it’s basically just another place SOLDIER is looking to colonize. Which means Seph is likely to show up very soon to rain on everyone’s parade. 

My predictions? The chapter might switch back and forth between Seph and the trio, as Nomura mentioned that teen Seph would be playable. It’s likely going to be some sort of rivalry between them, with Glenn’s group probably getting killed and Glenn himself defecting. Sephiroth barely seemed to recognize him in the opening cutscene despite Glenn’s “long time no see”. So they likely didn’t have an actual strong relationship. And given EC’s apparent lack of narrative depth that comes with a mobile atmosphere, I’d be very surprised if the FS trio wasn’t just a casual observer of Seph in future encounters at best. I don’t think they’re going to be sharing very meaningful dialogue, other than a “STAHP” when Sephiroth inevitably burns the place down. Sephiroth is a tragic figure and a complicated person. But he’s also a destructive force of nature and I wouldn’t put it past Shinra to dump him across random islands and villages to get shit done on their behalf.

(Also Sephiroth was definitely crying during the cellphone scene over Genesis SHHHHHH it’s not rain his face is wet IT’S NOT RAIN LET ME HAVE THIS)

[finnritter]

Fingon or Húrin for the ask game?

-@outofangband

Ask Game:

Thank you for the ask @outofangband! Finally getting around to do this. I’ll gladly do both, Fingon is under the cut.

Húrin

one aspect about them i love

This is cheating a bit because it’s not really a character aspect and more like… plot, but. The ending of CoH with him wrecked me on a level not many books have managed. Not going into detail here in case someone reads this who hasn’t finished the book yet, but I’m sure everyone else knows what I’m talking about. Idk why this touched me so deeply (after all the pain the rest of this book was I would expect to be inured to the tragedy) and it’s such a short scene but I was not expecting that ending and the dialogue and then the book is just over and you’re left alone with all the pain and feels for Húrin.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

Nothing really comes to mind here, I don’t think/know enough about him to have an informed opinion on this. But I always, always love posts that define the parallels between Húrin, Huor and their children, and how interconnected they are. Had they never found Gondolin, Húrin’s whole story had not happened. But neither had Tuor’s and in turn, Eärendil’s, which would mess up the whole timeline of Middle Earth. Húrin and Huor (and in turn Túrin and Tuor) are like two sides of the same coin and I love reading takes on this by people who have deeper thoughts about this whole topic than myself.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

This is only gut-feeling, but I’d imagine him as a rather quiet type of person. Not in a brooding kind of way, and he is also not afraid to speak his mind when necessary, but he’s the “few words but silent comfort” kind of quiet. The “smiles and meaningful looks” kind of quiet. The “I’ll go on a hike alone, see you in five hours” kind of quiet. He also likes to be around louder/more easily excited people as well as equally quiet ones – which is why he clicks so well with Morwen. They can spend hours either apart or in the same room but not talking and never feel like they’re losing touch.

one character i love seeing them interact with

This kind of slips into the territory of the next question already, but to be fair, there are not really any characters we see Húrin interact with much, so: Huor and also Fingon. Honestly, Húrin is not a character I have many thoughts about, but I am super intrigued by the posts about Fingon and Húrin’s friendship I see sometimes, and the dynamic with his brother, albeit also not very popular in the fandom, interests me also!

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Morwen! His children!! The people he did not ever get to spend enough time with. This is not necessarily a “I wish they would interact more” and more a “I wish they would get the chance to interact at all after his capture”. I’d love to see how they would work as a family, even though that obviously takes away all the meaning from the story. But on a slightly more realistic note, I would love for him to get the chance to just once talk to his children, the children that he knows so well, whose lives he sees in all of their details, why they never really get to know him. I’d be so interested in what he would say to them, if he could.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

Okay okay okay I just read parts of his wiki page to check something and was reminded that Húrin and Huor were only 16 and 13 when they came to Gondolin??? I had somehow wrongly remembered/assumed that they had been young adults, but THIS CHANGES THINGS. So yeah, give me absolutely overprotective big brother Húrin, please. I mean, they obviously have been raised in a very harsh environment, they knew how to fight before they came to Gondolin and Húrin completely trusts his brother even at that age to stand his ground and make smart choices – in the forest they grew up in. Not in a strange, gigantic city full of elves that are probably all extremely curious about them. Huor, if he is at least half as chill as his son, is probably very happy to be there, explore everything and taste all the good food. Meanwhile Húrin, who has been cast into the role of the lone adult, frantically tries to keep him from wandering off, drills him into saying please and thank you All The Time because he is terrified of accidentally offending a super important elf-lord or something, and meanwhile also tries to stumble through conversations with an actual King (!!!) without embarrassing himself, his House and his whole species. He has a stressful couple of weeks before he finally manages to relax and enjoy his time there a bit more.

Fingon

one aspect about them i love

His presence!! He seems like a person who enters a room and everyone knows he’s there. He’s pretty social, confident and also knows how to carry himself and together with the sort of roguish charm he radiates, he always leaves a strong impression on people. This, obviously, are in-universe personality headcanons, but honestly, the very same thing happens just by reading the book. He doesn’t have an extremely huge role in it but he just manages to break his way into the memory of the readers. This guy just has +100 charisma and is just unhinged enough to be insanely likeable (if a little intimidating sometimes) imo.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

I have the feeling that everyone who analyses him on an even slightly deeper level will say this but: He’s not only a happy-go-lucky guy who wants everyone to be friends. He’s honestly doesn’t seem carefree to me at all (if rather reckless at times), at least not as his main character trait, and especially not in Beleriand. Yes, what I just wrote above is (supposedly) all true, BUT, as I said, that’s mostly charisma. He seems more impulsive and at the same time very persistent to me, which seems to drive almost all of his big decisions, rather than him being a cheerful foil to Maedhros’ gloom. He’s probably easy to like (as a leader, king and acquaintance alike), but surprisingly hard to be close friends with.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

Very random, but he loves flying. Which is a shame because elves don’t actually get to fly a lot and it’s not like you can just catch one of the great eagles and make them your pet. If you could, Fingon would have been the first one to do it. After Thangorodrim, when they were flying and Fingon could take off 1% of his attention off making sure Maedhros doesn’t die for the first time, he fell in love with the feeling instantly and was honestly a little bit sad that he never got to do it again under less stressful circumstances. He dreams about it a lot, though.

one character i love seeing them interact with

I know this is the boring answer, but Maedhros. I don’t actively read much about them, but even then, they are present in a lot of fanwork and their dynamic is usually super powerful, no matter if they’re a couple or not. I love the thought that they chose each other as best friends in childhood/youth and always felt like they had such an “against all odds”-relationship because of their family and because they were so different in a lot of things. And then everything up to Angband happened and, well, all of that seemed so simple in retrospect. I love that they’re both a little fucked up but in a way that works for each other. I can absolutely see them not getting along and being furious with each other at times, I can also imagine that there was still always a bit of unspoken baggage between them that they just didn’t want to deal with. But no matter what, they always relied on each other, always trusted the other to be there when it was important. (And now I’m sad about the Nirnaeth again.)

Also, honorary mention: Maglor. Just because I love it when they don’t actually like each other a lot/never really got close again after Maedhros’ rescue, but still have an unspoken agreement to make sure that Maedhros is safe and also that, if it comes to it, at least one of them should probably make sure to stay alive because Maedhros would be lonely otherwise. It’s the peak dynamic for the two of them, honestly.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Angrod and Aegnor. Their friendship is pretty underrated if you ask me, and I would love to know more about what the dynamic was like back in Aman – and then all the Helcaraxe angst later. I do think that Angrod and Aegnor forgave him after a while, but also that they never quite got as close as before. Still, the Bragollach was basically a triple gut punch for Fingon, who was basically on his own afterwards, except for the Feanorians. There are so many interesting stages of their friendship and their feelings towards each other, and I always love seeing this depicted!

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

While Fingon had always been close to his father, the Helcaraxe made them almost inseparable for a while. Fingon really grew to be Fingolfin’s right hand man on there, supporting him in his leadership but also trying to take as much load as possible off his shoulders. He felt like he was one of the few ones who could really grasp what Feanor’s betrayal meant to his father (because he felt almost exactly the same way about Maedhros) and the depth of how it had hurt him.

He also purposefully tried to throw himself into as much work and exertion as possible because it was a good way for him to keep moving and not be weighed down too much by his decisions and the doom resting on all of them.

This dynamic loosened a bit after the Ice, but he remained one of the closest advisors and confidants of Fingolfin up until his death.

[iamvegorott]

Happy Family Pt. 3 of 8

Meeting Chase

Months passed, and Bing and Google grew even closer in their relationship. Etta quickly accepted Bing as her father’s boyfriend or ‘daddy’s bed friend’ since she had misheard when explained and stubbornly refused to correct herself since she always got a laugh from the adults when she said it. 

Several other nicknames have come from their relationship, most being ones they only use at home or away from others because it always gets Google flustered to either be called Googley-bear in public or getting caught calling Bing, Bumble-bee. They were fluffy little names they called each other while being extra domestic. It started as a joke, but now the nicknames happen without a second thought when they are cuddling or out on a date. Picnics in the park were a favorite. 

At first, they worried about disclosing their relationship to Dark, that they would be split apart or forced to choose who stays and who goes, or a long list of worst-case scenarios that ended up being far from the truth since when the two did tell Dark. Dark had joked with them and said it took them long enough to start dating, and there was no need to worry. It was also good that since they worked in separate departments of the company’s childcare facility, there was no reason for anyone else in the corporate offices to care. 

They were all happy, comfortable, and used to the norms of their current lives. Finally fully adjusted to everything. There were no plans or expectations for anything to change. 

And then they met Chase.

“Chase Brody. And these are my kids, Penny and Lucas.” Chase greeted, gesturing to the two children hiding behind his legs. 

Chase was a new hire in the marketing department as a media coordinator. He was in charge of helping organize and create content for the company’s social media to keep it relevant and hopefully draw in the younger generations to be interested as well. 

“Looks like we have a shy duo.” Bing crouched down to match Penny and Lucas’ heights. “Hey, kiddos. I’m Bing, or Mr. B as some of the older kids like to call me.” The two kids looked almost identical save for their hairstyles; one had a butterfly clip in their hair, and the other wore a smaller version of the hat Chase wore. “Let me guess that you’re Penny? And you’re Lucas?” He pointed at the child with the hat on first and then the one with the butterfly clip. Bing smiled when the two kids gasped and looked up at their father. 

“Daddy! How did he know!?” Lucas’ voice was loud with shock. 

“I guess Mr. B is a lot smarter than you two thought.” Chase chuckled.

“If you two want, you can go over to the toys and play while your daddy and I do all the boring stuff?” Bing offered.

“Okay!” At the offer of playing with the collection of toys, the kids were more than happy to take off. 

“How did you know they did that?” Chase asked when it was now just the two adults. 

“I didn’t,” Bing admitted with a chuckle. “Either they’d be shocked I caught the twin trick or get a laugh from me assuming who they were wrong.” 

“Smart.” Chase chuckled as well. “Is there anything else I needed to fill out, or was that another trick to get the kids going?”

“Another trick,” Bing said.

“How many of those do you have up your sleeve?” 

“Too many to count.” That got them laughing and missing Google coming into the room with Etta. He had taken her up to say happy birthday to Dark since she insisted on doing so after hearing Anti talking about it all day yesterday. Google was very thankful he’d taught Etta to knock since a pink-haired visitor was in the room, wishing Dark a happy birthday in his own way. They didn’t see anything, but Googe was able to notice things that Etta would not. 

“You must be Chase.” Google greeted as he joined the two. “And I have a story for you at lunch about Dark.” He added to Bing.

“Five dollars that I can guess what happened.” Bing clicked his tongue.

“He’s on a roll with his guesses today,” Chase added. 

“Can I go play?” Etta asked, tugging on Google’s hand. 

“Yes, you can.” Google smiled as Etta squealed happily and took off, joining Lucas and Penny at the big blocks. She had no problem sitting with the new kids and playing along with them as if they’d been friends forever. “Google.” Google held a hand out to Chase.

“You already guessed that I was Chase.” Chase took the offered hand and shook it. 

“We actually watched some of your videos when Dark told us about you,” Google stated.

“Oh? You did?” Chase chuckled nervously, and after letting Google’s hand go, he rubbed the back of his neck.

“They were very well done.” Google’s praise got Chase to perk back up. 

“Some of those trick shots were sick,” Bing added. 

“Really? Thanks! Some of these took longer than I’d like to admit.” Chase breathed in through his teeth before laughing. 

“You must be very good at math to make those shots,” Google said.

“Math?” Chase raised a brow. 

“You calculate the angles, right?”

“Nah, bro. I just go for it!” Chase’s big, bright smile showed that he was genuine with his statement. 

“You just-”

“Ah, shit.” Chase accidentally cut Google off with a curse when his watch started beeping. “Dark’s wanting me, and the wording sounds like he’s not going to be patient.” 

“When’s your lunch?” Bing asked.

“Noon.” 

“Perfect! Googs and I have lunch at noon too. He can share the Dark story with both of us.” Bing set up the plan for all of them. “See you then!”

“Yeah! I’ll see you two.” Chase flashed a smile before heading off. 

“He’s adorable.” Bing giggled when he was sure Chase was far from earshot. 

“Well-I mean….” Google cleared his throat, a dusting of pink on his cheeks. 

“I hope he sticks around.” Bing decided to save Google from extra embarrassment.

“As do I.” 

----------

First: Link

Prev: Link

Next: Link

[lurkingshan]

Notes on Unknown (and Da Ge)

Oh man, I love this show. They are absolutely nailing the dynamics for this trope. The bond between Qian and Yuan is palpable, and the way they interact with each other and with Lili feels very lived in. You can feel the shared history between this little family in every scene.

We got our Sam Lin cameo in episode 3, and I was so happy to see him. We also got a couple additional flashbacks to Qian's history with his mother, so CW again for child abuse this week (you should probably just assume there will be at least mentions of it in every episode of this show). I also liked getting to see some more of Qian's work story with the H.O.T. team, and how Yuan is able to help him.

A note on the adaptation: I have been reading Da Ge this week, the original Priest novel the drama is adapted from, and I'm about halfway through. The major thing to note is that the show has significantly condensed the story. The novel is chronological and their childhoods are more than half the story, but the show has changed the structure to focus on the time when they are adults and Yuan begins to pursue Qian, streamlining their pasts into a two episode backstory. They did this primarily by cutting and combining side characters, blending arcs together, and simplifying a lot of the relationships. I think it's quite well done, and it has affirmed for me that the creators of this show know the story they want to tell. They are making use of the rich material in the novel with some smart changes to make it all work as a 12 episode series.

Notable changes so far from the source material:

They have softened Qian's characterization quite a bit. He's much harsher and more tsundere with his siblings in the novel. There are aspects of his roughness in the show, but it feels gentler.

The whole sequence in episode one where Yuan is kidnapped, Qian fights to get him back, and they have that touching brotherly love moment is original to the show. "If I lose you, I would have nothing left" is the kind of nakedly emotional sentiment you would never hear from the Qian in the novel (though we have enough hints about how he thinks to know he does in fact feel that way). The show adapted a plot that was much more cerebral (in Priest's usual fashion) to give us this more romantic take. They're using some shorthand here to make sure we understand how deep the love between them already runs, and I think it's very effective.

Qian's abuse at the hands of his mother, and the trauma it causes for him, is much more present in the show. I haven't gotten to the adult years yet in the novel, so maybe it will ramp up then, but he doesn't think about her nearly this much throughout his childhood.

In the novel Lili's paternal grandmother is part of the family unit, Qian and San Pang have another friend in the building named Ma Zi, and there are multiple gangster types that Qian gets involved with. The show cut grandma and Ma Zi entirely and blended all these gangsters into one, which I think was the right call.

[acorpsecalledcorva]

I've been joking for weeks now that Poor Things is "can littles consent" the movie but now I've actually watched it that's actually kinda dead on in a much more complex and nuanced way then I was expecting. Spoilers under the cut

Much like how Lolita is written from the skewed and incredibly biased perspective of Humbert, as he sees Dolores the way that he wants to see her to justify his feelings, Poor Things is shown to us through the eyes of a child. With dreamlike wonderment and magic around every corner, every experience is new and wonderful but experienced through an adults body with an adults senses.

When she begins to have sex with the men who crave her naivete, believing it to be a means through which to control and take advantage of her, we, as the audience are shocked and appalled. We aren't looking at the world through Bella's eyes, we're seeing it through our own. We know what the world is like, it's horrors, it's dangers, we know what these men are.

It's only later, as the dreamscape begins to fade, as her mind develops and she rapidly learns of the world, as the two realities slowly begin to align that we can begin to feel safe enough to explore the world on Bella's terms. We are comforted by the new darkness, the grit and the grime feels familiar and we can start to see Bella as being more on our level, still with an undefeated curiosity of the world and a sharp whit that disarms everyone around her do we feel safe enough to allow her her agency.

Because Bella is at no point a child. We assume, because we have no real frame of reference let's be fair, that she is a childs brain trapped in an adult woman's body, but that's not exactly what we're shown. What we see, is an undeveloped mind devoid of all life experience, exploring the world through an adult body with adult needs and desires, rapidly adjusting to the expectations placed on her by the people around her. As a science experiment, as a victim, as a toy, as a protégé, as an asset, as a wife, Bella embraces these roles wholeheartedly taking and learning from each so that she can finally begin to build her own identity and sense of self.

The people around her fail to control her because every single one of them fundamentally misunderstands what she is, just like we as the audience have.

And so this has me thinking about my littles, and my parts in general. How I've assigned them roles and assumed their scope and ability to interact with the world. My need to protect and insulate them from the world when I see patterns of behaviour that remind me of different past experiences and I fear that by simply repeating the action it will repeat the trauma, even if the environment is wholly different.

Is the 8 year old scared of sex? Or am I so scared of her interacting with sexual content that I'm imprinting that fear onto her identity, like a mother passing down a fear of spiders to her daughter as she screams. Am I locking her in a tower not by locking her door, but by telling her bed time stories of a fearsome dragon that will swallow her up whole if she dares step outside, but always wondering with a child's curiosity what's really out there.

Because if she were to front, she wouldn't be an 8 year old girl, she would be a child part in an adult body, with an adults brain, too smart, too big, too strong to be eaten by the dragon. And maybe there's no dragon out there, that doesn't mean there isn't still danger, still bad people who might try to hurt her, but she isn't helpless.

I can trust her to find her own way. To face challenges and overcome them in ways only a child part in an adult bodied system can. I can allow her to grow and learn and become more than me, not defined by me and reflected in my limited vision, and she can teach me how to see the world with wonderment again.

[rhubarb-pie]

How do I know if I've been told to do something?

It's difficult to understand if our intuition is correct or not. Sometimes I feel like I am meant to do something, or I am meant to act on something, or I am destined to fulfill something in my life. How does one differentiate their own thoughts from what God tells them?

Now, I've previously detailed how I see coincidences frequently, and how I know God has at least communicated with me through those. But to hear something? A phrase? It's near impossible for me to prove to anyone that this came externally. You're just going to have to take my word for it.

As a disclaimer, I truly believe that these thoughts were not mine. These phrases were often responses to questions I've asked. These are questions I've asked time and time before, but hadn't heard anything. I heard these phrases within the same year, and have not heard anything since.

In early 2023 when I was finishing up New Year's resolutions, personal goals, and mapping for what I wanted my yearly schedule to look like, I sat at my desk and asked God what he wanted me to do this year. I heard a voice, or at least the voice inside of my head, say "fight evil".

I sat with that for a second and stared at the wall. Knowing that there are truly heinous tragedies that happen in the world, I felt like I heard something wrong. It seems like the world is nearly falling apart. Looting at grocery and clothing stores, gun violence rampant, politicians evidently lying to our faces, and children being groomed and castrated by adults. The list goes on. I was terrified hearing "fight evil" because I am just one person. It is impossible for me, the most unqualified person on the planet, to fight any kind of substantial evil in the world.

Except! It dawned on me. I learned after practicing yoga for a few years, that yin and yang are intertwined. You cannot have the good without the bad.

I then thought, perhaps the evil to be fought is found within. Every person is capable of good and evil. It is up to us to constantly stave off evil from creeping into our hearts, and tainting us, tempting us into sin. It certainly is no easy task, but it encourages me to strengthen my newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

Coincidentally enough, the first Bible verse I had ever heard, and you may have heard this one too because it's quite popular, was Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (KJV). It's quite fitting since this is the prime place to start whilst beginning a spiritual journey.

As I journeyed along, and continued fighting the ongoing battle against inner evil (no big deal), I felt like things were going quite smoothly. I was in a steady routine and my mental health was improving, I'd say. Before, there would be days of fog, self doubt, and anxious thoughts. Everything felt calm and purposeful now.

Now, the fight against evil will always be an uphill battle, but I was ready for a new task. So then, in that moment, I said to God "I understand that there is a lot of evil in the world, and that these things will take a ton of smart people to help tackle. What should I help with"? I was careful to use the word 'help'. It's most definitely arrogant to assume one person can be a savior against a substantial worldly issue. In fact, God warns us about one person falsely rising up to be a savior to all. I figured I'd need to meet the right people that I could be an asset to.

Almost immediately, a response was given. "fight famine".

Okay... now what? It took me some time to connect the dots to make sense of these words. Where I am from it seems that there are more people overweight than starving. We have grocery stores filled to the brim with preserved foods, and meals ready to order.

Famine is defined as a severe and prolonged hunger crisis that affects a large portion of a region's or country's population. There are people starving in various areas in the world, yes, but it seems like the problem there is displacement. The United Nations had issued a statement on their organization's website, in an article titled "Can we feed the world and ensure no one goes hungry?" from Ratanak Leng, that reads "Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet, but hunger is on the rise in some parts of the world, and some 821 million people are considered to be “chronically undernourished”.

Perhaps the ongoing famine is not from the shortage of food, it is from the shortage of nutrients from food. This makes me think, is there a shortage of nutrients? I had written a series of essay, years ago in high school, about soil depletion and how an orange decades ago had ten times more vitamin C than a modern orange. "Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious?" from The Scientific American summarizes well, how our foods are becoming less nutrient dense than they were before.

About a year goes by, and I try not to think too much into evil or famine. Since they're both pretty heavy topics, I try to keep my days optimistic. I don't like to spiral. God will deliver me to where He wants me to be, in due time.

The engineering team I am on began shifting work around, and reallocation with product functions were given. I was assigned to work on a weather related product. So, I am hosting this meeting with a weather data supplier, and I learn that they're working with a very famous billionaire on an agriculture project. I think oh, that's interesting. They are using the weather to enhance agricultural practices. I looked into this project, and I think they're doing everything wrong. Factory farming is terrible for the soil! I kept these thoughts in the back of my head.

For some reason, I had this notion that this billionaire was evil. He generally doesn't seem like a good guy, and I'm sure this bias comes from the internet. For all I know, he could be a swell guy in person.

As soon as the supplier brought up the project, my ears perked up and I felt like I was supposed to be paying attention. Call me crazy, but I think I was either supposed to join in on the project-- except I fundamentally disagree with it-- or poke around at the problem that this highlights.

I'm not sure what to do with this feeling, except continue my own research and maybe even build my own project to solve the problem. The problem being soil depletion causing a modern famine.

If it is in God's will it will be. If not, then He will redirect me to where this is supposed to lead me. He told me to fight evil, fight famine. It's possible there could be something small here I could help out with. Let's see where the rabbit hole takes us.

[shrimplegss]

I work with “troubled” kids full time and am studying to become a teacher and it baffles me how few adults understand that kids act out because they aren’t receiving something. Whether it’s respect, food, attention, love, or something else, kids act out because they aren’t being heard. This is something that seems pretty obvious to me, and most other people I talk about this with, whether or not they have a background in studying human development or education. Everyone, regardless of how good or bad their childhood was, has a story of them messing up or acting out and when you ask them why they did it the answer is often because they were feeling very big emotions and needed to find an outlet. We need to ask ourselves why we feel that the children we are raising now are any different, because they aren’t.

Kids have a shockingly easy time understanding and following rules if you speak to them with respect and assume that they are smart enough to understand the “why” behind rules and share those “whys” with them. Stupid rules should be broken, and rules without reason are stupid. If a child is told to go to bed at 9pm, but not told its because their body needs 8-10 hours of rest and they have to wake up at 7am to get up and get ready for school, of course they won’t want to follow. A child that hasn’t yet been taught these things that we as adults know from our lifetime of experience will see these rules as arbitrary. So when we talk down at kids and tell them to do things “because I said so”, we are not giving them they respect and autonomy that all human beings have the right to.

If there’s one single piece of advice I can give to anyone dealing with children ever, it is to put yourself in their shoes. Imagine being young again. Imagine this adult is speaking to you. Imagine you and your friends sharing knowing glances, the “get a load of this stupid adult” look. Then take a second and think about how you would want to be spoken to in that situation. Have empathy.

it's actually really weird to me that a lot of adults don't seem to remember the worst bits of being a child. were you not horribly aware of when adults were talking down to you as a child? don't you remember how little autonomy you were allowed, even when it came to things that seemed pretty harmless? don't you remember the times when adults would seemingly be assholes to you for no reason? even if you had nice and reasonable parents, didn't you ever have teachers or other adults in power who treated you disrespectfully? didn't it sting no matter how people justified it?

especially when I was a teenager, it seemed obvious to me & to most of my peers when an adult wasn't treating us with respect. you could almost smell it, in certain classrooms. there would be this palpable, shifting undercurrent of teenage dissatisfaction whenever some teachers started talking. and it made a lot of the kids act out! which of course made the teachers try to exert their power, which never worked because nobody respected them, which made them get more draconian, etc.

as a teen, I didn't really get why my peers and I seemingly had a superhuman sense for when an adult was on a power trip. but now I think I get it. kids are systematically denied autonomy, respect, and consistently have the validity of their experiences denied. like, flat-out. they're a vulnerable class of people made even more vulnerable by their lack of societal rights. being disrespected as a kid is so frequent that I would say it's a defining experience for most children. is it any wonder they tend to pick up on when an adult doesn't see them as worth listening to?

so yeah, of course a ton of kids want to be treated "like an adult." to them, that's synonymous with being treated like a human being worth listening to. it's up to you, as an adult, to understand that wish for what it is, and behave accordingly. you don't gotta be a child psychologist. you don't gotta be perfect at it. all you have to do is remember how painful adult disrespect could be when you were a kid & do your best to act with some compassion.

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Forgotten Ties - Chapter 3 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Early in the morning, Peter and Joanne had loaded Skye and several of the other kids into a van and driven them to a doctor's office.

After way too long of waiting around in a boring room while Peter tried to keep the kids from throwing the chairs around, Joanne came out to get Skye for his turn with the doctor.

"Hello, Skye," the doctor said as he ushered Skye into the examination room.

"Is that spelled with or without an 'e'?"

Skye shrugged.

He couldn't read.

It had been Skylar originally but he hadn't gone by that since he'd been a little human boy.

"Okay, just like last time," the doctor said. "Take your shoes off and stand on the scale."

Had there been a last time?

Skye didn't remember.

He didn't remember how he'd ended up in the group home at all, he was just assuming it had been his own choice.

He took his shoes off and stood on the scale.

"Hmm," the doctor said.

"He's lost a bit of weight since last time."

"Do you think we're not feeding him enough?" Joanne asked.

"He eats a lot."

Would they give him more food if they thought he'd lost weight?

Skye dropped a tiny bit of weight and watched as the bar on the scale shifted.

The doctor frowned.

"It might just be malfunctioning. Skye, can you step off the scale and back on?"

That wasn't going to work, then.

Skye stepped off the scale, brought his weight back up to approximately what it had been before and stepped back on.

"He's lost a little. It might not be the amount but rather the type of food he's been eating."

The doctor hooked his thumb under Skye's lip and lifted it to expose his teeth.

He was wearing a glove and it tasted funny.

Skye prodded the thumb with his tongue and the doctor shook his hand as he pulled it away, his face twisting with disgust.

"He has a carnivore's teeth, so he might not process some foods properly. Try giving him more meat."

"I'll try but meat gets expensive," Joanne said.

"Give him cat food," the doctor said.

There was a slidey thing on top of the scale and Skye entertained himself by sliding it back and forth until the doctor slapped his hand away.

Joanne guided Skye away from the scale.

"Cat food? Doesn't that say 'not for human consumption' on the packet?"

"He's not human," the doctor said.

"Well no but..."

There was a happy ocean scene with colourful fish and a sailing ship painted on the wall.

Skye had lived on a ship for a while.

His least favourite part of living on a ship had been when he'd been drowned in the ocean.

"He's a cat hybrid, so why shouldn't he eat cat food?" the doctor asked.

"It's interesting. Cat hybrids are common because cats live around humans but I've never seen two that are alike. Each time, the Fae seem to find a new and unique way to combine them. It's very fortunate for us because we don't have to worry about them breeding when they're the only ones of their kind."

Skye snuck over to a big jar of wrapped sweets that sat on a table near the door and discreetly swiped one.

He unwrapped it and put it in his mouth but his teeth definitely couldn't make their way through it so he swallowed it whole instead.

"It is one less thing to worry about when we have so many young people in that house together," Joanne said.

"Now Nim, he's a concern," the doctor said. "When do you think we might be able to bring him in to be sterilised?"

Joanne hesitated.

"I don't think he'd agree to that."

"Are you sure? He's a teenage boy. Frame it as him being able to have as much sex as he wants without worrying about condoms."

"He should still use condoms regardless."

The doctor waved the concern away.

"Worry about that later."

"He still wouldn't agree to it. He's smart and already distrustful."

"That's your last one," the doctor warned as Skye reached for another sweet before turning back to Joanne.

"We could look into other ways to get it done."

"If we do, it's over. He'll be gone at the first chance he gets."

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Master - Chapter 27b

*Warning: Adult Content*  

"I think my dick is frozen," Wenquie announces through chattering teeth.

I look across to the shivering incubus I called a friend, his entire frame cradled by several blankets that covered the three layers he wore underneath. 

His tail was circled around the fabric just like his arms, the weather apparently cold enough to bring forth his true form.

The weather in Canada could be quite brutal and up here in the mountains, it was unforgiving. 

But Malcolm and I were vampires and were able to adapt our bodies to face the brutal weather. 

It took practice and much effort but once a vampire was able to control the blood flow in their body, it was like turning on and off a switch. 

With our hearts stopped, the body could feel entirely dead or like another, susceptible to outside conditions.

I didn't particularly feel like being dickless and it seemed like Malcolm shared that sentiment, which left Wenquie to freeze his balls off alone.

"Malcolm was the one who invited you, so kindly divert all of your complaints to him," I say in response but it only makes his scowl worsen. 

"Malcolm," Wenquie says, turning his head to look over at Malcolm who sat with his long legs folded beneath him while he circled two rocks between his fingers.

"I'm sorry I was trying to be a good friend," Malcolm replies sarcastically as he looks up at the two of us. 

"I'll try to be more of an asshole in the future, just like Linc."

"Don't you dare, I can barely handle the one," Wenquie replies with a shaky smile, that makes Malcolm chuckle before they both turn their heads back my way. 

"Since you haven't had sex for three days, I'm going to let you be cranky."

I don't bother endorsing his perverse mind with a response, incubi logic was damn near impossible to understand.

"But seriously, how long are we going to be here?" Wenquie asks through his shivers. 

"I didn't anticipate camping in the mountains with a bunch of vampires for this long. I thought we'd be like getting drunk with them and kind of hoped for a massive orgy."

"It's taking more time than I expected it would," I say truthfully while ignoring the last part. 

"They're more stable than we anticipated."

"Since they're not a particularly strong clan, we assumed they'd be more susceptible to our offer," Malcolm elaborates when Wenquie frowns slightly confused. 

"They've got larger numbers and no cracks we've seen since being here, their only clear fault is that they're weak physically and most of the followers are newborns."

"That would explain why it was so easy to get a few in my tent," Wenquie replies thoughtfully making me groan while Malcolm just shakes his head. 

"I hadn't even released my aroma and they were stripping."

"They?" Malcolm questions and Wenquie smiles with pleasure.

"Once I got a taste I couldn't stop," he admits with a sensual tone, the end of his tail rubbing against his arm. 

"And before you attack me Lincoln, I only approached those whose bodies responded to mine."

"I'm glad to hear," I manage before refocusing my attention to the vampires moving below us. 

We'd found a perch in the cliffs far enough from the clan to observe undisturbed and exchange a few words without the worry of watching our tongues for those listening in. 

So far, the clan had been entirely stiff with our presence but seemed more relax now with us removed from their vision.

"You think they'll join us?" Malcolm asks after a moment of silence, the question I knew he wanted to ask since our first meeting with Alexander.

"With some more persuasion," I reply while watching a few practice their fighting. 

"They're doing fine for now but this won't last much longer. If they stumble into a coven, they'd be decimated within seconds. Not to mention, their numbers are far too large to be all together like this while out in the human world."

"I'm sure Alexander already knows that, she's a smart woman," Malcolm replies thoughtfully.

"Joining us is the only way to preserve what's left of this clan."

"So why is she being so stubborn?" I reply through gritted teeth, my frustration getting the best of me.

My frustration wasn't directed towards the clan or Alexander but rather a build-up from being away from Kalem for so long. 

It was the longest I'd gone without seeing my boy and it was starting to take it’s toll on my heart.

I wanted to hold him again, touch him and kiss him, love him... 

I wanted my boy. 

My Kalem.

"I don't think she's what's holding everything up," Wenquie says bringing our attention to him. 

"I think that one had been on board since day one."

I frown slightly as I study Wenquie's shivering frame. 

"Why do you think that? Is it an incubus thing or...?"

"Yeah, kind of," Wenquie replies with a shrug. 

"We're better at observing body language than most species but I'm also just good with people. She's clearly got some fight in her and the moment you mentioned taking Diablos down, she basically lit up. She's not the problem here, it's the rest of the vampires, particularly the newborns."

Malcolm looks at me with a raised brow, his uncertainty clear as the one I felt inside but Wenquie did have a habit of picking up on things before others.  

"Why the newborns?" He inquires, gently prodding Wenquie for more.

"They're afraid of you guys, why would they want to follow you if you scare them," Wenquie replies with a 'duh' expression as if that was common knowledge. 

"You said most were recently turned, so I doubt they have much experience with other vampires outside of the ones in this clan and even less knowledge about how things operate in the vamp world. Then you guys the first and the fifth ever made stroll in wanting to take over, of course, that's fucking terrifying.” 

“Plus all you guys do is watch them when your close by, they probably think you guys want to eat them. Alexander's their leader, she's got the ultimate vote but she can't just take a deal when most of her followers are afraid of you," Wequie finishes before quickly adding. 

"But that's all just my thoughts, I could be wrong"

"No, I think you're right," Malcolm replies as he drops the rocks. 

"It makes sense in that light. Alexander does seem to have some personal vendetta against Diablos, which was why I couldn't quite understand why she was stalling so much. But if the problem is with her followers, then that makes sense."

"So you just have to get them to like you or at least, want to follow you," Wenquie replies before he blows into his palms.

"I'm not really a likeable guy," I admit because I knew it was the truth and so did they.

"You don't have to tell us that Lincoln, we know," Wenquie replies with a snort.

"Good thing I am, getting them to respect you should be enough," Malcolm replies thoughtfully, his mind working away on this new tangent Wenquie presented. 

"They know our goals and purpose for being here, so showing them a more personable side should help."

It did make sense truthfully. 

We'd made our intentions clear from day one and they were goals that aligned with those of the Anouk Clan, there was no reason for them to hesitate given the state of their clan. 

But they had been, and if it was because the newborns were still on the fence about us, then that was understandable. 

We needed to 'bond' with them, connect at some level that went beyond just rank and species.

"So what are we supposed to do? Play tag," I deadpan and Malcolm immediately looks at me with widening eyes that make my heart drop. 

"That was sarcasm, Malcolm."

"But it's a good idea," he argues while shifting his body with excitement.

"I am not playing tag like some...."

"Newly turned vamp?" he offers with a creeping smile. 

"That's one of the first things vampires do when they're turned, it's like a right of passage. I'm sure not all here have tried it and it'd be great to do it here with so much free land."

"We are long past the age of playing tag Malcolm," I reply while shaking my head, the thought of doing something so childish instead of being with Kalem only served to annoy me. 

"Not to mention it would be a complete waste of time with the two of us, we're faster than them all."

"Exactly," Malcolm agrees as he pushes to his feet. 

"They know we're old and strong but I'm sure they'd like to test the borders to that. The challenge would be stimulating to them, especially if we put all of them to try to get us."

"That honestly sounds fun but also like it would work here," Wenquie inputs while his eyes dance between us.

"You want us to play tag Malcolm," I say so he could hear the words out loud. 

"We're here to negotiate terms and you want to play tag. Diablos is trying to kill Kalem and I and you want to play tag."

"Yes," He replies with a wide smile.I stare up at him, full of disbelief and slight horror.

I knew what the game was and though it was indeed a right of passage as Malcolm called it, I'd never tried it. 

I'd stayed away from my kind in all things, including the game that was said to be quite exhilarating with the enhanced speed we had.

"If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work," Malcolm says with a helpless shrug.

It wanted to argue but I knew my best friend and he knew me. 

No matter how much I argued against the preposterous idea, he wouldn't stop until I agreed to this and if I didn't, he'd do it on his own.

I wanted to try pouring some sense into his head but I didn't have a better idea and at this point, I was willing to try almost anything if it meant I could get to Kalem sooner... even playing tag."

Very well," I grumble making Malcolm cheer and Wenquie laugh hysterically.

"Oh, I've got to see this," he says through his laughter. 

The things I do for love...