#interesting topic

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/pynkhues/767837690335019008/httpswwwtumblrcomdownstairsbar76764587027983?source=share

Catching up on stuff, and this post is really interesting and well-thought-out. Can I ask--I've been seeing more discussion about Armand and whether or not Louis could consent to him, or when, and today I saw someone bring up the 1.6 "dissociating" sex scene between Louis and Lestat and call it dub-con. It doesn't really feel like that to me, even though it's obviously sex in a toxic relationship? But Louis gets distracted as Claudia is talking to him, Lestat stops and says his name, then only continues when Louis kisses him--they pretty explicitly have Lestat waiting for permission/encouragement to continue, and the whole thing is rather different from "we're having sex after I've done various mind-wiping/mind manipulation things on you, plus I am hiding the fact that I was directly responsible for killing your daughter and torturing you".

idk where the line is between "this is fucked up" and "this is non-con/dub-con" comes in a show about fucked up vampires lol. But whatever, that scene is hot as well as fucked up, which seems to be their intention in how they shot it. Side note, it's also crazy how those gifs that rotated the scene 90 degrees make it even hotter? I don't know why that is.

Thank you for your kind words, anon! It's definitely an interesting area to explore, especially given how questions of both mental and physical autonomy and agency are so deeply entwined with the themes of the show.

And mmm, I mean, Louis does talk about general disassociative episodes around that sex scene in 1.06, but I'd agree with you, I don't think he was actually disassociating in that scene, and I don't think there was any dub con there. As you identified, Lestat actively seeks consent from Louis when he feels Louis pulling away, which Louis gives, and so it's kind of a non-starter of an argument for me. If anything, it comes worryingly close to implying that people with depression can't consent to sex, which is infantilising at best, and, well - - a pretty dangerous line of thinking at worst.

Not all consensual sex is joyfully passionate lovemaking, especially in long-running relationships, regardless of how toxic they are. People have sex, and want to have sex for a lot of reasons, and I think Louis' resignation to his relationship with Lestat at that point was a resignation not to a lack of power or choice in the relationship, but a resignation to the fact that he's in love with him.

He's taken him back, he knows that he's always going to take him back, he wants to have sex with him, he wants to be close to him, but that doesn't change the gaping wound of a fact that their relationship isn't working. Lestat's still lying and cheating, Claudia's being extremely punishing to Louis over taking him back, he's lost the last of his family twice over, first with his mortal one, then with his immortal one with Claudia no longer willing to be his daughter (an infant death indeed! Louis has to grieve the loss of a child twice over), he's lost his business - something that's vital to his identity - to say nothing of the fact that he's still healing emotionally from what Lestat did to him.

Again, Louis' depressed, but he's consenting. I actually don't even find it that fucked up, like, I think Louis' there because he wants to be, he's just miserable that he wants to be there, which if anything, is just really sad.

[skullzanta]

Who here has heard of memetics?

To put it simply, memetics are, from my understanding, the realm of concepts and ideas being manipulated. What defines a house as "Yours" and what defines it as a "House" for YOU to own? Both of these definitions are made by belief. So then why is a vampire unable to cross your doorway unconsented in the same way a fae would use it against you? Why can fae "Take" your name and suddenly nobody not even you remembers who you are? What defines your name for the death note? IT cannot accept aliases, only the true name but- It's not a name the person's never heard before its the name their parents gave them and they accepted. Or how batman identifies as batman rather than bruce wayne which destroys anything of the sort trying to affect him like that.

Memetics is a complex field, but from what I can tell it is something very worth discussing about. All of the examples above(Except Subliminal Messaging) are interesting memetic case studies. How something is defined not only affects our language, but also what something means. And its a strange commonality that definition of things is defining how other things interact with it at times. Like, a fae has a belief of standards which is enforced without her doing anything other than knowing they exist and hoping to trap you into favor for them.

Strange how things follow mystical rules that seem to depend on our definition and concepts of things... And yet we rarely think of them now and yet they too are gone. And how ghosts only seem to manifest where nobody walks. Or how ghosts need our attention to achknowledge them and suddenly afterword they become far more obvious and influential on their environments...

And, while it may simply be hallucinations and psychology, it is an interesting path to consider what the world would be like with memetics, assuming ofcourse they do not already exist and are suppressed by lack of information. However, A small explanation of Hope Hope Hope is that it is a memetic phrase meant to induce confidence against the paranormal, to devour other memetic hazards that attack the person who whispered it and to shield them from malign attacks.

[darkness-holds-eternal-light]

J.K. Rowling said that and I think it is a good start as an observation but it needs some further addition to it.

Snape loved the beauty and goodness he sensed in Lily without seeing it in himself. Despite of his own doe patronus, I might add. That was his tragedy.

That's just my opinion and Snape is really good as a character to make this theme visible, we maybe all experience it to some extent, burying our own "golden shadow" in other people and admiring them. ;) I have so much to say on this topic but I just wanted to mention this about Snape because I came across this specific theme in some fanfiction lately and found it important on a human level.

[pose4photoml]

I guess it does just depend! And im glad you feel so close to your friend. I think part of my issue is floors can be quite slippery in socks too which is why I feel less anxious if people remove them. Broken bones and vases!

True, but you can now buy those socks with the stuff on the bottom that make sure you don’t slip (like the ones you get in hospital) and yes it would suck to get hurt walking around or break something in someone else’s house.

I am also happy I’m comfortable with being barefoot at her house as sometimes it’s too hot to wear socks!!

[faeriekit]

"Cults are when people do weird religious rituals 🙄" cults are actually when you're in a high control group and lose all your friends and money and family members and ability to make personal choices, actually. You can do weird religious rituals at home right now for zero dollars down— try it! It's fun! You can even get your friends to join in, or your aunt! or your dog!or someone else who's cool to mess around with! If you sign up for an emotional support group and it sucks all your money for participation fees and encourages you to shun people who aren't "supportive" enough for your journey and stops you from pursuing any healthy long term goals like further education or having kids, however, that's a cult.

Want to learn more? Try reading about the BITE model on authoritarian control today 👍🏽

[viiridiangreen]

losing my Mind over these pics btw

LIKE.... you CANNOT tell me this dude (Fisherman Lao Huang) isn't a wizard. the swag is UNPARALLELED

[littlestardescendants]

This is such an interesting topic to go into. Realistically I know we got a huge roster but ngl I'm imagining that One Baker Demon in the Comics- Always want what we can't have lol

Great writing fam!!

a noble runs into MC and the nobody devil while they’re on a date and MC introduces them to each other when confronted…

didn’t mean to annoy you by being clumsy and sending 3 asks in a row. apologies🤦

It'a fine, pussy, my imbox is empty, so there's no tragedy in giving the same request multiple times. For my sake, I'll just name the demon Marian, but you can imagine anything else instead.

Whb nobles seeing MC with another devil

Zagan

He was just going on his morning jog when he spotted you and Marian

Everyone in Gehenna knows everyone else in Gehenna, so don't be surprised that they know eachother.

Zagan would be kind of shy when getting closer to you and nod at the two of you

"Oh, hi Zagan! This is Marian, my boyfriend."

His face doesn't change much but you can tell that the realisation struck him

He shakes Marian's hand and leaves.

You should be thankful it was him that found you two and not someone more... aggressive

Astaroth

He's stuck

On one hand, this is such an amazing love story plot.

The child of Solomon, the human that could have them all settles with a nobody.

They are everything and he's just Marian

The drama, the romance, the tragedy that could spur out of something like this

He's all for it

But on the other hand, really?

You have all the kings drooling after you, all the nobles lining up to make a carpet out of their bodies so you won't have to step on dirt, and you choose... Marian?

Humans trully are fascinating creatures

He doesn't say anything when he sees the two of you, just hiding behind a corner and observing. He's really invested now, be ready to find his newly published novel about a queen falling for a layman on your nightstand

Bimet

He audibly gasps

He is revolted, he is insulted, he is disgusted

How fucking dare you

He doesn't know who that demon is, nor does he care

He would power walk between you two and look only into your eyes.

"MC, I didn't think I would find you! Who's the accessory you have with you? What's his purpose and when will he expire?"

"That's my boyfriend Marian."

"Hahaha, you're soooo funny! You're already dating Mammon. Do you really need something as... insignificant as this devil?"

You start arguing with Bimet until he just picks Marian up and takes you to the royal quert.

When Mammon gives the verdict that you can date anyone you want, Bimet's entire attitute changes.

He congratulates you for finding such a handsome devil and wishes you both ferwell.

Glasylabolas

Oh ho ho ho, now this, this is interesting

He's gonna have the time of his life with this one

First, he takes pictures of you two on the date, holding hands, hugging, any physical contact works

Then he makes his presence known

He's a lot more cheerful than usual and he eggs both of you on.

He acts like you two being together was his OTP all along, talking about how you two are just made for eachother

"Oh, but MC, why haven't you told his majesty Leviathan about your blooming relationship with this young fella? Should I do the honorifics myself?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, he just summons his coffin and teleports to Leviathan's throne room to tell him the gossip.

Seeing you and your boyfriend hanging put a smile on his face

Next time, try not to get caught

Stolas

He just shoots the guy

No warning, no anything

He doesn't want to hear your complaints

A vermin was touching the child of Solomon in a romantic manner

Avisos' one law is to not steal someone else's partner

And you're clearly dating Beelzebub, so Stolas was just enforcing the law

You had to rush your boyfriend to Paradise Lost to get treatment, but Stolas won't apologise

You have to explain to him step by step that 1. You're not dating Beelzebub and 2. You chose to date Marian because you genuinly love him

It takes him a while to process, and he still has doupts, but he'll pay for the treatment of your boyfriend

Ronové

You don't see or hear him coming, you just feel his arms snake around your neck

He congratules you for getting a boyfriend and shakes the devils hand.

He's actually very chill about the whole ordeal, but he seems weirdly fascinated about the other demon's sex life

He really doesn't want the child of Solomon to get sexually frustrated

He would offer to show him how its done, but you slapped Ronové before you could finish

He just chuckles and hands the devil a business card

Before he leaves, he whispers in your ear "if he doesn't treat you well, chop his dick off. Or better, ask me to do it."

Andrealphus

At least it's not an angel

When Andrealphus walk closer to the two of you, your date starts shaking in fear

Andrealphus just smiles and hugs you since he hasn't seen you in a while (insert blind joke here)

He smiles at your date, which doesn't help make him look less intimidating

As long as that devil doesn't pose a threat to you, he's fine with letting you date whoever you want

Your date might faint after Andrealphus leaves, but you both are glad that nobody got murdered.

Buer

He's confused and a bit offended

I mean, Lucifer is right there

It kind of reminds him of that story Lucifer once told him about his younger self. How he fell in love with a human princess but the princess chose some random dude instead of him and he got depressed.

He doesn't want that to happen again so he probably would move you and your new sweetheart to different sides of the hospital

If you try to comfront him about it he's just like "You are under my care and he's under Marbas' care, there's no reason for him to be in the same wing as you"

He wants to break you two off, but not directly. So he just hopes that the physical distance between you and your boyfriend would make the relationship deteriorate by itself.

Would probably stop only if Lucifer tells him to knock it off

[welcometogrouchland]

[ID in ALT] I've made posts before about Talia/Dick co-parenting Damian moments (will never happen but let me dream) and this came to me in a vision. Took me ages to finish for some reason 😭 and then even longer to post

[rice-enjoyer]

[puttingwingsonwords]

I do think the ‘comedy’ of Dracula in this part of the story only adds to the horror. Like we can all go ‘haha lizard fashion’ because it is ridiculous, he’s crawling barefoot on that wall like 🦎

But also fucking imagine a whole ass man skittering down a wall like that, the fact that his cloak is billowing like wings means he must be going fast too bc otherwise it would just fall over his head. (Or idk maybe he is using magic powers to make his cloak look cooler who knows.)

And it’s in his pretending to have servants too, I know, my most popular post rn is calling him a loser for it which he is!! He’s probably really embarrassed about it too bc it’s demeaning for a boyar to do those chores!

But Jonathan doesn’t have the luxury of laughing at this stuff.

One thing that really caught my attention this time is the uncanny valley of it all. From the moment Jonathan meets the Count, he can tell something is off. No matter how thickly he puts on the charm, Dracula can’t hide the fact that he’s not human; he’s something else, a ‘creature in the semblance of a man’, there’s something innately off-putting about his presence. His eyes, his teeth, his hands, his smell: he has the aura of a predator and Jonathan, his prey, can feel it.

From Jonathan’s point of view, every hilarious weird thing the Count does is another sign of him being Not Human, as well as the fact that he’s in total control—as his ruse of normality is slowly falling apart, but there’s still nothing Jonathan can do. The mask is slipping, the Count is revealing his true nature—whether accidentally or on purpose—and Jonathan can only watch and keep pretending in the hope that it will prolong his life.

[turtleblogatlast]

One of my favorite headcanons is that Leo grew up watching telenovelas with Splinter.

It just works so well - his bits of Spanish that he spouts randomly, his showy way of apologizing, and, of course, his love for dramatic betrayals all point to this being a very real possibility.

Plus, it’s very cute to imagine a tiny Leo at his father’s side as they both gasp in shock when the show’s eighth plot twist in just as many episodes happens.

[vaguely-concerned]

literally never am I getting over the unexpected and acknowledged throughline in this game that 'part of the reason lucanis is so good at what he does is, surprisingly, that he has a frankly remarkable capacity for empathy'. his instinct for it is so strong that it even kicks in looking at actual demons he's been culturally conditioned to think of as mindless monsters and lets him realize that they are just as innocent in the middle of this horror as every other prisoner, which is what helps him survive in there and reach an understanding (and even a warmth beneath it all!) with spite, when spite was at his most terrified and confused and needed him. it makes him an incredibly kind and devoted friend, and a terrifying enemy. shorn of most of the compassion that goes along with it in his private life, he uses it in his professional one as one more knife to kill with as easily as he does in SO gently and softly helping to untangle lace harding's people pleasing problems with her. so long as the three categories of people -- family, enemies, targets -- stay distinct and separate in his head, this seems to be working out swimmingly for him! (well. that's probably what he'd tell you at least lol it's certainly helped him survive and do his job I'll give him that.) the MOMENT the lines start to blur, he is fucked. this dude was compartmentalized to hell and back long before the ossuary.

(he shares the 'incredible insight into people and human nature -- as long as I don't have to interpersonally engage with and adapt to it on the spot. b/c then you'll see the biggest mess you could ever imagine' trait with merrill. which does make quite a bit of sense in that they're written by the same person and also in my estimation a not entirely dissimilar shade of autistic lol. also yet another tick on the 'lucanis - iron bull parallels' tally haha. 'ben-hassrath, kid. we can use anything.' what if your circumstances and upbringing forced you to turn some of the kindest fundamental instincts inside you into tools for violence and you only got to keep guarded scraps of it for yourself. what if you're so fucking scared it'll break bad inside you some day and turn you into a monster and you'll end up hurting the people you love. saddest freeze slash dissociative trauma response handshake meme duo To Me)

[morganbritton132]

One of my favorite things about Eliot Spencer is that I have never doubted that he was going to win a fight. You could cross over this show with anything and I still one hundred percent believe that Eliot will win.

Hannibal Lector vs Eliot Spencer? Eliot

Batman vs Eliot Spencer? Eliot

Thanos vs Eliot? Eliot

[astarionancuntnin]

he's not only a clown, he's the entire circus

astarion + text posts (part 22)

[sluttypatrickstar]

now would be an incredibly sexy time to support queer creators on youtube who cite their sources, read the work of the people james somerton didn't bother to credit, and - if you've got the time - do your own reading into the topics he talked about on his channel