#it wouldn't matter what other people thought about us if those opinions weren't used to disenfranchise us since the inception of time

[novemberthewriter]

sometimes i trick myself into thinking that misogynoir isn't as pervasive as it is, and then i see stuff like people victim blaming a black woman w/a CDL for being driven half off a bridge & nearly to her death because a person in a smaller vehicle crashed into her & she had to swerve to avoid killing people. 'the most disrespected person in america is the black woman' indeed

[cursedvida]

It's really crazy to me to see the hate Mae gets, like I was reading some reviews and I can understand not liking a character but as soon as they start with the name calling their opinion is invalid to me because they have no reason to be calling her a bitch, among other things, like it just reeks of mysogyny, (it's like they just want an excuse to call women names) and seeing it coming from other girls makes it worse like..

"Oh the girl was such a bitch why did she do that 🙄" ..is it really that hard to think for a moment about the circumstances in which mae was raised?? Do they need it spell it out for them?? Like, c'mon guys do you really think that the people trapped in a bunker for generations have anything nice to teach/say about the apes?? Wes Ball please give us Mae's backstory in the sequel!! Your audience needs it bc they are out there calling Mae the real villain and saying Proximus was right 💀 (when he was literally everything Caesar hated in an ape)

Look, I'm usually a polite person when expressing my opinions, but I'm fed up with the hate towards Mae, basically because the arguments people give seem incredibly basic to me, typical of people with little to no understanding. Sometimes I doubt if these people have watched the same movie as me or maybe they have some sort of cognitive dissonance, but seriously, I find them ridiculous. Either that, or they are basically the typical comments from misogynistic guys or women with internalized misogyny who can't stand morally gray and questionable female characters.

And well, having said that, I'm going to present my doctoral thesis on this topic:

One of the things I've seen the most is people saying that Mae is evil, the true villain, or an ungrateful traitor to Noa. This argument seems quite incomprehensible to me because, even though we don't have much data about her, I believe there's something very important that explains why she acts as she does: the Proximus apes killed the people in her group, including her mother. I mean: her damn mother. If we add to that the UNDERSTANDING (I mean, you have to be very short-minded not to assume something so obvious) that she has been raised in an environment where they've probably told her all her life that the apes are the reason for all the evils of humanity and the main reason why humans live in shitty conditions, I think anyone with half a brain has enough information to understand why she does what she does.

Yes, Noa is a good guy, but he's not helping her. Noa and Mae have a common goal and decide to ally themselves momentarily to achieve that goal, which is to reach Proximus. As much as they've formed a bond throughout the story, it's not yet strong enough for Mae to set aside what she has worked for so hard. Mae not only bears the weight of humanity on her shoulders but also emotionally carries the idea that she, as the sole survivor of her group, must complete the mission at all costs. Are those who criticize her telling me that if they truly thought that with certain actions they could not only save their species but also honor their loved ones who have been killed infront their eyes, they wouldn't do them? And that they wouldn't do them for someone they've just met, no matter how much they like them? That's just not realistic, it makes no sense. We would all do the same as Mae in her situation. I mean, I have no doubts.

Another thing I love is when they say she's the "true villain" as if it weren't clear enough that she feels bad every time since she forms a bond with Raka and Noa when she does something that she knows may harm them. She feels pain for Raka's death and clearly, you can also see the conflict and remorse when she detonates the bomb. It's not something she enjoys doing, but she HAS to do it. In the final scene, even though she's carrying a gun, you can also clearly see her in conflict with herself. Clearly, she doesn't want to kill him. Clearly, she has nothing against Noa, and this is evident when she finally accepts the necklace and they even shake hands. You can't tell me that's the attitude of a villain, narratively it's not presented as such, and seeing it that way is to have understood nothing.

Mae is a complex character whose life is based on survival, she's no different from the characters we're used to loving and idolizing in other post-apocalyptic series, the difference here for me is that she's human and humans have to be bad by default and also that she's a woman. Because female characters always have to be the support, the romantic interest, or the unconditional friends of heroic male characters, and Mae is none of that. Mae is a character with her own story and ambitions that go beyond Noa's plot. Mae has her own plot, and it seems that's something that bothers people a lot.

I'm sorry, but the hate towards Mae seems very similar to the one people had for Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, which basically stemmed from people being misogynistic and hating complex and imperfect female characters, combined with how much they hate seeing protagonist characters with such human and real characteristics that they can't bear the idea of seeing themselves reflected in them.

But hey, for Sansa Stark, I would have killed, and now for Mae too. Mae haters basically DNI

[simply-wlw-kpopstan]

1.The beginning

⚠️ Spoilers ahead

Baek Harin

She's the type of girl that gets what she wants, no matter the consequences. But what happens when she wants something she can't have? Someone who doesn't want anything from her?

You met on a sunny day at a bookshop, she was looking through the shelves as someone bumped into your shoulder making you drop your bag. The person didn't acknowledge you and just left the store as you bent down to pick up your stuff.

"are you okay?" a soft voice filled your ears. You looked up to see a beautiful girl staring down at you, "some people really don't care about others." she smiled.

"yeah, I'm alright thank you."

"You're not from around here are you?" She tilted her head slightly as she looked you up and down, "i'm Baek Harin. My family runs one of the businesses down the street."

"one of? How many do you own?" you chuckled but quickly stopped as you noticed the serious look on harin's face, "sorry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"Oh no, it's just that it's refreshing to meet someone new. You really don't know anything about this place. My family owns Baekyeon Group, it's a big corporation here."

"ah, now that I understand." you looked around the store as you noticed some people staring, " so those people staring aren't because of my clumsy mistake but because of you."

You noticed the stunned expression on her face before she turned around, "if you didn't drop your bag you wouldn't have caught the attention from the whole store."

You furrowed your eyebrows, was she mad? Maybe she didn't like her status being brought up? "i-I didn't mean to-"

"didn't mean to be disrespectful? Yeah, you've said that before." she passed by you as an older lady walked inside the building, " what school do you go to?"

"i have some offers but I don't know yet" your gaze fell to the older woman who was staring at harin and you.

"you should come to baekyeon girls high school" harin didn't send you another glance as she left with the older woman.

You couldn't help but think back at your meeting with harin, eventually curiosity got the best of you and you decided to look her up. Baek Harin, the grand daughter of Baekyeon Group. The list of businesses under Baekyeon Group seemed to be endless and random. You couldn't believe how powerful her family must be, the things they can achieve with one phone call.

Before you know it you had gotten a letter from baekyeon girl's high school offering you a full scholarship and privileges of using the facilities for your art projects. How did they find you? How did they even know about your art? You were going to take it, you would be crazy not to but you couldn't ignore the feeling that something was off about all of this.

As luck would have it you run into Harin during your first day, " so your name is y/n? Nice to know since you never introduced yourself."

"in my defense I didn't have much time to introduce myself." you chuckled, "do you know the way to the-"

"no need. You're in my class." she smiled and motioned for you to follow her, "our class has a few privileges, we have separate breaks from others and we're the only class in the building." As she walked you around the school you couldn't help but notice the smell of smoke, perhaps harin was a smoker? You didn't blame her, she must deal with a lot of pressure with a family like hers." we have another classmate who's Into art so she'll show you around the studio during our break."

"huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks." you got so lost in your thoughts, you zoned out during her tour. "sorry, I was just thinking."

"well if there's anything you need you just tell me and I'll fix it for you." you don't know why but the way she said that made you a little uncomfortable, perhaps it's just your nerves for the first day?

Soon enough you got introduced to other students and then the pyramid game. You didn't like it and weren't afraid of voicing your opinion about it, the others got a little scared as you declined and doah explained you would be in F if you didn't play. You took your chances and nobody disturbed you. Days went by and you spent all your breaks and study time in the art studio, Sometimes yurim joins you to work on her own paintings but your mostly on your own.

One day you were working on a clay sculpture, using a description of some mythology book you found in the library, to create a unique creature. Little did you know that harin was standing in the doorway, watching you in silence as you worked on your project while listening to music. Only when you turned your body halfway to check if your creature looked good did you see harin.

"Hey, What are you doing here?" you questioned as you took out your ear buds.

"I was curious about where you escape to during breaks and yurim said I could find you here" she said as she stepped into the room, "What's that you're working on?"

"just a little mythology creature. I looked up some creatures and combined my favorite one's into one" you pointed to your sketches on the table beside you, "they're rough sketches but get the idea across."

The brunette walked closer towards you and looked down to the papers. Only when she was focused on your drawings did you realize how you looked. Your t-shirt, jeans and hands were dirty with clay, it was even on your face and in your hair since you took out your ear buds without wiping your hands first. "Don't get me wrong but don't you go for a smoke around this time? "

Her eyes immediately fly up to yours with a smug smile on her face, "and how do you know what I do around this time?"

"I-I uh" you stammered before clearing your throat, "you can see you're smoking spot from here." you pointed towards the window and she follows your gaze to the window.

"so how many times have you been watching me smoke?" She turns her attention back to you as she slowly walks closer to you.

"It's not like that." you tried to find something to say as you got too distracted by Harin stepping closer.

"You're pretty good by what I'm seeing. I could help you get your name out there, I know some art gallery owners." she stopped when there was barely any space left in between the both of you, "you must have very skilled hands if you can make things like that."

If she wasn't standing so close to you your brain would've come up with a clever and smooth come back but alas, Harin filled your senses and you didn't even think about your words when they fell from your lips, "I am great with my hands." by the look on her face you knew she didn't expect you to say that and it pulled you back to your senses.

You grabbed the cloth from behind you and cleaned your hands from the clay residue, " it's very tender and soft. I know perfectly where I need to caress, where I can be a little rougher, when I need to get it wet." you trailed off and noticed her little breath she took before wetting her lips. "I could show you if you'd like." you smirked as you finished toying with her.

"What?" this was the first time you saw her taking a step back herself, it was always the other person that backed down and you noted it down as a victory.

"tell me, have you ever gotten dirty yourself princess?" you knew the nickname could be a lowblow but it was a calculated risk, " you have a lot of people running errands for you. I know because I see them come and go when you're smoking out there. Don't you want to get your hands dirty yourself?" you took a step closer to her and before you know it you had her pressed against the table.

Big mistake on your part. A sound came from the hallway catching your attentions and as your gaze slips to the hallway harin picks up a paintbrush and smears it on your cheek, "there, I got my hands dirty."

"wha-." you were stunned but quickly laughed it off. "that was very sneaky." she caught you trying to steal away the brush and quickly put it into the water jar.

"I win" she smirked.

"really?" harin followed your gaze to a wet clump of clay that was laying on the opposite table and She shook her head.

"don't even think about it. I can ruin you if you do." you scanned her face to call her bluff but she was dead serious.

"I won't if you apologize for this." you pointed to your cheek with a challenging expression. She grabbed the cloth from before and dipped it into the water jar.

"i'm not going to apologize for something you started." she handed you the cloth and walked towards the door, "besides you were already covered in clay. You should probably spend more time practicing your art instead of watching me smoke." she sent you a smug smile before leaving you alone in the studio.

As you were cleaning up another student walked in and saw you cleaning off the paint from your face and immediately turned around without saying anything. Based on the weird things going on in this school you just brushed it off and continued your work.

Things had changed when Seong suji joined your class. Harin started to smoke a lot more, she didn't really talk to you and the tensions in the classroom got a lot heavier. You'd be lying if you said you didn't know about the bullying but you really didn't know that Harin was one of them.

Suji visited you in the studio during one of your breaks, "Hey I heard about what happened in here a couple of days ago. I didn't know she was doing this to you too."

"What?" you looked up from your sketches as she walked closer.

"Harin? I heard that someone walked in here after she left and you were covered in clay and had paint on your face. Why didn't you tell anyone? Jaeun and I went through the same we can help each other."

"we were messing around. she wouldn't do something like that. She's a good person, sure she can have a scary look in her eyes but it's just a look."

"you don't have to defend her y/n. We know what she's capable of. You ca-" suji got cut off by the door flying open.

"What's going on here." dayeon's voice filled the room, " are you plotting something?" She smirked. "I can't wait to tell harin about this, maybe she'll finally let me have my way with you." her eyes stayed on you as she walked closer.

"What are you talking about?" your heart started to race, you knew what dayeon had done in the past. She's quick to lose her temper and if you're at the recieving end it won't be pretty.

"haven't you wondered why nobody comes after you? You're an F just like Jaeun and suji but we don't hurt you because Harin said you were off limits. That Will change once she knows about this and I'll make sure we make up for lost time" dayeon had a sinister smile on her face.

You looked out the window but harin wasn't in her smoke spot. Where was she? By this time she's had a smoke and someone finds her there to ask whatever it is. it always looked exhausting to you. She tries to escape and yet they still find her, always wanting something from her. Was she bullying someone right now? No, you can't let them get in your head! "don't you have anything better to do than stand here and threaten me? And you.." you turned your attention to suji, "don't talk about things you don't know, Harin didn't do anything wrong that day. Things escalated and whatever happened is between me and her."

"Why-" suji tried to speak but you cut her off.

"don't. Both of you get out. I need to focus on this and you being here is ruining my mood." you sat down and focused on your papers. Suji and dayeon stood there for a minute before they left, you heard them fighting down the hall but you couldn't care less. Why should you care about them when they tried to bad talk Harin? Then again why would those two help each other? Why did she tell them you were off limits? Is she playing a game with you too? It didn't take too long before the door opened up again and there she was, Harin.

"dayeon told me something very interesting. Are you-"

"If you're here to play games I'm not interested." cutting her off wasn't the best idea but you had to know if harin was capable of the things they accused her of.

"games? Who said I was playing games with you? Was it suji because she's just looking for attention, you shouldn't believe anything she says."

"I'll choose what I believe myself but it was dayeon who told me." you dropped your pencil on the table as you looked up at her, "why did you tell them I'm off limits? What does that even mean? Why do you even come here?"

"Do you want them to treat you like they treat jaeun and suji? I can easily call it off right now" She says bluntly. "I come here because I like spending time with you."

You scoffed at her answer before looking back at your papers. "you like spending time with me but have been ignoring me for the past few days. Do you really think I would believe you like that?"

"Did you miss me? Is that why you're lashing out right now? " you can hear the smile in her voice.

You Quickly turn back to face her, "No." you stood up from your place and walked up until there was no space left in-between you two. "i'm being like this because I don't know who you are. There are more than enough people talking about what you've done to them, how you manipulate them into getting what you want but I never listened because that's not how I know you. But even your friends are telling me the same stories now and it's getting harder to see you in the same way then before harin."

"friends? You think dayeon is my friend?"

"i'm starting to think you don't have friends, you have pawns. You're just testing what kind I'll be to you."

"that's not..." she sighed and took out her phone, "give me your number." she held out her phone but you didn't take it, "fine" she put it back in her pocket and took one of the papers and pencils from the table. She scribbled down an address and slipped the little piece in your pocket, "come to that address tonight if you want to know who I am."

"What if I don't?" you asked as she was nearly out of the room.

She stopped in the doorway, "I won't disturb you or intervene in anything that's related to you."

"you mean I'll no longer be off limits."

"that's up to you now." and with that she left you alone once again. So it was true. Harin had told everyone you were off limits. what else were they right about?

masterlist | next

[funnier-as-a-system]

okay, this is gonna sound super stupid, but I desperately need advice:

does talking to other people in your head to comfort yourself count as being on the plurality spectrum?? I'm not educated on it by any means, and sometimes its just my own thoughts, and sometimes theres other people in my head. Am i just making this all up??? Im actually kinda nervous ab this , so any advice is welcome ,,

(other info: I also disassociate sometimes too, just going throughout my days just living in my head / talking to myself, or feeling like nothing is real ,, )

It very well may be plurality! In fact, I'd say it almost certainly sounds like it!

In plurality, there is more than one self-aware self or being occupying the same body. This includes situations of multiple people sharing the same body who talk to each other (and comfort each other). The question for you, then, is this: are these people you talk to self-aware? Or are they simple figures you imagine to bring you comfort? (There's no shame in the second, btw!)

Since you talk to them, it seems like the best course of action may be to just ask them whether or not they consider themselves their own people, or headmates. If they answer "yes", well, that's that, isn't it? You've got multiple people in your head who can think for themselves! (And if you feel like you're controlling or strongly guiding their answer, well, that's an indicator in the other direction, isn't it?) Now, this may get a bit tricky since it's sometimes your own thoughts that you talk to, but I assume there's a distinction between your thoughts and these other people that you can make and recognize whenever you talk to yourself or them. I also acknowledge that self-doubt is an annoying burr when it comes to things like this, and your initial reaction may be, "But what if I just imagine/make up their answer?" – in these cases, there's not much you can do except do your best to trust your headmates that they're speaking for themselves, but if you're especially worried about it, looking for corroborative evidence of plurality – like switches, memory gaps, differences in opinion between yourself and your headmates, etc. – may help you shut down those fears of making it all up. Speaking of...

The dissociation you mention also sounds like another indicator that you may be plural, as systems often experience dissociation like that. Granted, so do those with immersive daydreaming, but that just loops us back around to the question of whether or not these people in your head are temporary figments of your imagination you conjure up for the purpose of comfort or a daydream narrative, or just people living in there who comfort you when you need it. And if you've got a feeling one way or the other just based on the way I'm talking about them... follow it. It's probably the right one.

I very much doubt that you're making all this up; whether or not you're plural, you're definitely experiencing something, and you wouldn't request advice if that something didn't matter to you. With all honesty, I'm trying to do my best to cover all possibilities here just in case, but if this weren't already a conversation about you questioning if you're a system, I would be suggesting that you look into the idea of plurality from the moment you mentioned these other people in your head.

In conclusion, while I'd never decide for someone else whether or not they're on the plurality spectrum, it does sound very, very likely to me that you are. "I have people in my head who comfort me and aren't just my own thoughts." is a very, very plural thing to say.

If you'd like to learn more about plurality, I recommend checking out morethanone and healthymultiplicity.com. They're good resources for those new to plurality, as well as those questioning if they're plural.

I hope this helps!

[saltyfinalboss]

Ngl after watching the new episode of dead cells even though I love the queen upon her reveal I just kinda…went “where’s the servants” like. Where’s the Hand. Where’s Euterpe Calliope and Kleio. Are we like supposed to believe this is hundreds of years in the future from the island being freed or something? Why is the queen, yknow, so different from her actual in game personality. Why is she a pissed off sadist who doesn’t care about her people. In the game she literally sacrifices her freedom and life in an attempt to keep the outside world safe. Why is she ??????? Why would she pretend to be???? The king???????? Where’s the servant???????? Did she split the hand into five fingers?????? What????? Huh????

like I’m obviously gonna see the last episode but I’m just. H u h ?

yeah.. all of those are really great questions and i'm glad i'm not the only one who thought this! i actually have a lot to say about all that so this is gonna be a bit long.

honestly i knew that the servants or hotk wouldn't be in the show as soon as we got the show cover (full of new characters unrelated to dead cells), but after finishing the show i thought about it for a bit and it's just kind of like...

instead of the 5 "fingers of the king" they could've just had HOTK (middelus), time keeper (indexa), and the 3 servants for the other ones? like literally this would've been more accurate to the game (which imo is something that would enhance the show) and it would have taken minimal effort, too! the character designs are already there, no need to use time and effort and money to design new ones! you already have characters you can use with cool designs an ties to the dead cells world! for free! come on!

but they didn't do that, and i don't know why. my only guess is that they were very, VERY invested in the "haha hand of the king = 5 fingers of the king LOLL" joke, to the point where they just HAD to have 5 new original characters for it.

especially when they killed one of the new villains offscreen, and killed middelus with one stab after making hand puns for 30 seconds, it really felt like "oh so these new characters don't really matter, and you couldn't even be bothered to think of what to do with all of them, but still wanted 5 to complete the set". maybe it's not that deep but it just feels so stupid. they could've let cool dead cells characters shine, even for a little bit, but instead it was all just for one big stupid joke.

i wouldn't be as upset about the new characters if they weren't all jokes. i know dead cells is a funny game that pokes fun at itself and video games in general but they don't go as far as naming important characters stuff like "lore exposition" (laure esposito) and "thumbo".

anyways, i got a bit carried away there, back to the other stuff you pointed out. i don't think this show takes place before or after the story of dead cells, i think it's just a weird re-telling, which takes place in the middle of the malaise infection, though more people seem to be alive. trying to fit this show as a whole into the storyline of dead cells just doesn't work in my opinion. (which is ok because i don't think everything has to be in the same timeline, but it would've been cool if it was a prequel or sequel)

i didn't even realise how off the queens character was until you mentioned it, because she barely does anything after the reveal, but you're right! why is she like that? probably because they did not care. LOL. it's sad, i think she deserves better. as for her being in the kings body, i honestly don't know? like show-wise the explanation is obviously because they wanted to do a twist at the end. but in-universe she probably could've just ruled without pretending to be the king, i mean they're both equally powerful royalty. there's a little more about this in episode 10 but i don't think i heard an explanation when i watched it earlier. we'll see.

also totally missed opportunity to have her possess the kings corpse using her homunculus powers instead of whatever happened in the show (maybe it was homunculus possession but they still wanted the queen to have her body so she's recognisable,that's fair)

follow for more dead cells immortalis hatred

[legendofmorons]

Lost at sea (Colors)

This is 2nd place in my 100 follower event for @twistedfairytalefantasy

Pairing: Colors x reader (background Four x reader)

Rating: T

Summary: When you discover that your boyfriend is able to split into four people, it's stressful for all five of you. But it's okay, you're sticking together.

Warnings: Overprotective brother,

Other: I'll come in and fix the formatting in a week or so. If I missed anything, please let me know.

-------

Today has not gone at all how anyone planned. From your brother coming in and being rude towards Four to you getting dragged into one of Wind's best to date shenanigans.

The words your brother said still circle the colors' head.

'Worthless.'

'Not even close to goof enough.'

'A two bit shill who will leave you.'

Obviously these words aren't true but they hurt. And even if they aren't true they feel true.

With Red and Green are fully convinced your brother is right, the only real option is to get to somewhere private and to split.

Blue and Vio argue vehemently the entire way back to the room that your brother is wrong. That his opinion doesn't matter as much as yours does.

That you chose them which makes them worthy of you. After all who's a better judge of what you need and want than you yourself?

The colors really weren't expecting anyone to come into the room until much later. Which is why they're in this predicament. You had found them- and understandably had a little freak out because realistically this is strange and unusual.

Hylia could only save this.

Or maybe it's not gonna be so bad?

You've always been accepting of them before.

…….

The colors had split, each of them having an issue which of course gave them a splitting headache.

The entirety of the argument they'd had with your overprotective brother spinning in their heads.

Your brother is right though, they're not good enough for you. They keep hiding the main secret they have from you.

And it's not like you could just accept this. That would be too much to ask, even from you.

You- who have always accepted them wholeheartedly… even if you don't know about the colors.

You've never hurt them on purpose. And you've always defended them- even if they didn't believe it.

Just the thought of you finding out and hating them is enough to send them spiraling.

Red and Green both sit down on the bed they had taken for themselves.

Blue and Vio sit on your bed.

All four seem displeased and the conversation has only just started.

"We have to just ignore him." Blue says, arms crossing. "(Y/n) chose us. That's more important than anything their brother said."

Green is still frowning, "But family opinions can matter a lot to people!"

"Besides… It's not like (Y/n) knows about us. They didn't actually choose us. They chose Four."

"We are Four." Blue counters evenly, "They absolutely chose us. They just don't know everything yet."

"And what about when they find out?" Vio asks, gaze narrowing, "We're not exactly normal."

"So? No one we're traveling with is."

"So you want us to just be optimistic?" Green asks, "I know (Y/n) wouldn't let our secret slip…. But it seems like a tall order to expect them to still want anything to do with us after they learn about us."

"But I think-" Red starts, only to be cut off by the door opening with the loudest creak.

Uh oh. They'd been so preoccupied they hadn't heard anyone approach. Of all the possibilities they hope it's Time or Twilight- those two are the least reactive.

Your face is the first thing they see.

Uh oh.

You slam the door shut, eyes narrowing as tears still gather in them from the previous experience.

Your brother's words about your boyfriend running your mind. You know he thinks he's helping but you wish he hadn't.

Hearing him tear into Four when the man wasn't around to defend himself upset you. And while normally you'd tell anyone who pulled that to shut up- you have a harder time with family.

You do know your brother was looking out for you in your own way. But the argument that ensued was exhausting.

You don't feel guilty though. You feel justified in setting your brother straight. He'd obviously lost his whole rocker.

You wipe your eyes quickly, setting yourself right.

Blue and Green both share a look, dreadful and resigned.

Vio watches, knowing it's too late to re-form into their original form. He chooses to have faith in you the way you deserve.

Red just sighs, shoulders slumping with the action.

You haven't seen them yet, the shared looks of panic between the colors stay unnoticed.

You finally look around, eyes blowing wide as quarters when you see four men in different colored tunics.

At first glance you thought one was Four- but these men are near identical.

"Who are you?!" You demand, hand reaching for the sword on your back.

That action alone is enough to upset them.

But then they process your words. And they're softening as they try to figure out what to do to help.

Your voice is entirely too accusing for the colors- they've never heard you so untrusting of them… But you've never seen them either have you?

"Wait!" Red calls quickly in an effort to keep you from attacking them. "It us- we're uh- Four!"

"Uh, no you aren't." Your voice is confused- but you hesitate a little.

Your hand hovers as if frozen beside the grip of your sword.

That’s reassuring at least. The colors share a look. They can work with this- at least to talk you out of fight mode.

Their voices- it still sounds like Four. And they all look impossibly like your boyfriend.

This is so weird.

Could they be telling the truth?

"(Y/n)." Green says, "This isn't how we are. wanted you to-"

"Shut up and let them think." Blue says with a glare.

Red looks thoroughly offended but when he opens his mouth to respond Green sets one hand on his shoulder. Effectively silencing him.

Vio just watches you, taking in everything you do and say. Trying to make a game plan. (Not that he knows what game you're all even playing.)

You take in the scene before you, confused and considering yelling for one of the boys. Because what in the name of Hylia and her sisters is this?

You narrow your eyes, but you can't find anything to disprove their claim…

They look remarkably like Four- the same features and hair. The same expressions you're famous with paint their faces- each of them having a separate look on their face.

Wait…

Four's sword…

The four sword-

Oh.

Nothing named like that is ever just named that.

That can't mean that-

The sword probably multiplies a person?

Maybe it splits them?

Who knows? Not you.

This is already giving you a headache.

You let out a slow sigh, trying to wrap your brain around the new ideas and information presented to you. The scene before you doing nothing to ease your brain.

"Uhm- not to be overbearing- but are you okay?" Green asks, tilting his head.

You let out a sigh, relaxing a little as you drop your hand back down.

Obviously they aren't going to attack you right now. And if they're being honest they're Four- or well versions of him.

You can't imagine Four ever hurting you on purpose.

Huh.

Well then. You're probably safe aren't you?

You can relax then.

"I'm fine. This is- a lot." You say, trying not to let your own confused panic flood your voice.

"We're sure." Vio says, his own gaze stuck to you. He can tell you aren't handling this as well as you want them to think.

"So… You're all Four?"

"Parts of him." Red explains with a shrug, "We're all one of his major parts."

You nod along, trying not to let your expression give away your unsure panic.

"Oh… well it's nice to meet you?"

"We already know you." Blue says sharply something almighty about it. Well- maybe not almighty- more cocky. Yeah, that's the word.

It's endearing almost- Four always seems so calm and gentle. It's nice to see a version of him proud.

It's well deserved after all. Being a Chosen Hero, a blacksmith, this latest adventure? More than deserved.

"Well I haven't met you. Have I?"

"No. You haven't." Vio says, his tone anything but revealing.

"I'm Green! The Cranky one is blue!"

"Oh- that makes sense."

"I'm Red!"

"Hi. Does that make you Purple?" You ask, eyes falling to Vio.

"No. I'm Vio."

"Oh- that's short for Violet then? Pretty."

"Violence." Blue pipes up helpfully.

"Oh. Huh. That's- something else." You say, unsure what you're expected to say or do in response to any of this.

Like seriously. What in the name of the stars are you supposed to do?

One good outcome is this gives you a whole new thing to focus on than anything your brother said.

And this- well you're invested in where this goes.

"If it would help we can re-fuse?" Green suggests.

"No. It's fine- I just really wasn't expecting this today."

"Or probably ever." Vio says with little more than a glance your way.

"I can't say I did."

"Who would? Freaked us pretty good too." Green smiles, "Are you sure you don't want us to-"

"No. It's fine. I promise. I'd really love to get to know each of you."

"Ooooh come sit with me!" Red grins as he seems to bounce in place on the bed.

You look at Red, and feel guilty even as you hesitate.

Is it rude to sit with one of them over the other?

That's something to figure out later.

"He doesn't bite." Vio says with a tilt of his head.

"I do." Blue says with crossed arms.

"Please don't bite me?" You say the phrase more of a question than a statement.

"I won't bite you. You're ours." Blue says, sounding as if this should be totally obvious.

"Okay. Thanks… I think."

You walk from where you've been standing just inside the room to sit between Green and Red.

Red sets his head against your arm happily, smiling up at you.

"You're so pretty, (Y/n)." Red says with a giddy look.

Green just laughs.

"You're reacting better than we expected." Vio says from the opposite bed.

"Thanks. What did you think I was going to do?"

"Scream and run?" Green suggests.

"Hate us." Blue says with a straight face.

"Why would I ever hate you? You're all parts of Four, aren't you?"

"We are." Vio says with a sigh. "But this isn't exactly something people support."

"Then they're just dumb." You say with your arms crossed, "Though I would have hoped you knew me better than thinking I could hate you."

The look you toss around at your boys is chiding enough without anything else.

Your boys?

Makes sense.

"(Y/n)," Green says, "Look around you. You're dating four people."

"So? If I understand right I've been dating you for this whole time."

"Well-" Blue starts, only to fall short.

What does he even say in response?

"Exactly."

"I told you they would be supportive." Vio says as he gives the other three a knowing smirk.

"We were just worried." Green says, "What else would we expect?"

"I don't know." You say, eyes looking around your boys again.

You take to the new information better than anyone else could have ever expected.

You decide within an hour that you should take the colors on solo dates when possible too.

After all, you're dating all four of them.

You want to act like it!

"I still don't think we can all sleep in one bed." Vio says firmly.

"We can if you let us try!" Red insists, borderline jumping.

"Or we could sleep on the floor." You offer from beside Blue.

All four men's heads turn to you, any arguments forgotten as they once again are reminded how wonderful you are.

"You're so smart." Red says as he looks absolutely smitten. He might as well have actual heart eyes.

"Of course they are." Blue shakes his head.

You can feel your face flushing a little, worries and issues of earlier already gone for now. "Thank you."

"Let's get the floor set up then. I still have bruises from yesterday's fiasco." Green adds as he starts clearing the middle of the floor.

"Don't remind me." Vio groans, moving to help Green.

You just wince in sympathy, trying not to remember the mess that was yesterday's ambush.

You and the colors disassemble the bedding and use extra blankets to build a sleep area that you should all actually fit into.

It's after you get everything set up that you feel at peace fully. The moonlight streaming in from the window the wall boasts.

Laying in the middle with two of your boys on either side.

Red and Blue both fall asleep quickly, their faces endearingly peaceful.

"I tried telling them you'd accept us." Vio says from his spot at your left.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because having four people that make up your boyfriend is weird." Green says from behind Vio.

"It's not what I expected. But I'm not going to just ditch you guys over something I didn't expect."

"Thank you. That means- a lot." Green says softer, sounding soft and fragile.

"Of course. Besides, if I was gonna ditch you guys for anything it would be for being out of my league."

"You, my dear, are a sap." Vio says as he sets one hand on your shoulder.

"Thank you for noticing."

"Hard not to notice. " Green smiles soft as you've ever seen.

"That's what I'm usually going for. I can't have you thinking I care less about you than I do."

Green looks like he's falling in love with you all over again. His smile is all too smitten and you swear to Hylia that his pupils are turning into actual hearts.

Vio just squeezes your shoulder fondly. His own face betrays his love for you.

You drift to sleep, all five of you assured that you're safe and happy together. That everyone in the room trusts each other.

Each of the colors knows in their heart that you- (Y/n) (L/n) choose to stay with them even after finding out everything.

…….

You wake up the following morning to all four of your boyfriends in a dog pile of sorts atop you.

Vio is clinging to you on one side while Green is sideways across your legs.

Blue has set his head on your chest.

And to top it all of Red has his arms wrapped around your stomach, his head resting atop it.

Well, as cold as last night was, you didn't feel it.

You smile softly, reaching up to stretch your arms as you admire the way they all look in their sleep.

You'll do your best to make sure they all know individually and together how much you love them.

And you can't wait to get to know them better.

Especially not when you find yourself playing twenty questions with them as the day goes on outside without any of you. The laughter and smiles you get are all worth their weight in golf and then some.

[wildestdreamcatcher]

PLS GIVE US SOME CHERRY COLA HC!

How does pony react? Is he jealous cause that boy had a crushhhhh! What about Darry and the others?

How did they start dating? What does cherrys friends think? Double dates with Marcia and two bit?

Dude thank you sm for this ask omgg!!

TW: Brief mentions of death and heartbreak

I think that Ponyboy wouldn't really care when they started dating. I hc that he got with Curly after the events of the book so he wasn't really focused.

Cherry and Soda wouldn't date until a year after what happened. She was still trying to figure out how she felt about Bob's death and Soda was still upset about Sandy. They started dating because I feel like they always had crushes on each other but they started to have those feelings again when they were both single.

They kept things very low-key. They weren't super open about their relationship in the beginning but they would hang out after work/school, they would go on mini dates and just talk and gossip. They didn't really tell anyone until like 4-5 months after dating when things felt more serious.

Darry was kind of worried for Soda since he witnessed him become so heartbroken about Sandy and he didn't want him to go through that again but he witnessed Sodapop became even more happy with Cherry.

The rest of the gang was very suspicious of it. Cherry used to date the guy that one of their best friend's had killed after being jumped by said guy. It felt awkward since the class was still going on but Soda didn't totally care about their opinions.

At this point in her life, I think that Cherry would just be super done with caring what other people thought or the class war since it had gotten so bad that led to 3 deaths in less than 2 weeks. A few of her other friends didn't like it, but she didn't care. She was happy and felt like that was all that mattered.

Marcia was super happy for Cherry. I feel like she never really liked Bob that much at all she was happy that her best friend was happy.

I'm sorry that these were super short but send me anymore asks y'all have about The Outsiders

[pendragon-of-chaos]

If requests are open can i request NNT Arthur and a vigilante (I believe is the word not sure) s/o who helps protect the town people secretly and maybe one night they randomly bump into each other on the way home and Arthur’s starts getting suspicious on what’s going on thank you and have a nice day!

I started this as a small scenario but it ended up being a little longer than the usual ones. I also thought I wouldn't be able to write something that pleased me, but I think it ended being better than what I thought. Hope you like it!

Small scenario: Arthur Pendragon with a fem!secret vigilante S/O:

"Have you heard the rumours about that one vigilante??? Who do you think they are? I wish I could talk to them some day, they seem soooo cool! Maybe I should be a vigilante too... Well, I am already a knight, but having a secret identity sounds fun too! What do you think??"

It was a sunny morning. Arthur and Y/N were enjoying a break eating some sweets, sitting on a table while talking about the latest news.

"I've heard about it. Seems like they are already quite popular within Camelot, aren't they?"

"Indeed! Specially within the knights. I've heard they are placing bets on who is the one behind that mask"

"Really? And who do they think is the responsible of all this?"

"There are different opinions, no one seems to agree with just one, so I can't really speak for them." Arthur shrugged his shoulders while taking one of the freshly baked buns on the table in front of him. "As for me, I don't agree with them either. I don't know, but my instinct says that the responsible isn't one of the knights... It's just a feeling". He took a bite and smiled at (Y/N) "If you ever have any clue you must tell me, ok?"

"Of course, I'll do my best to help you discover the secret identity of that vigilante, don't worry"

----

"His instincts sure are good" - (Y/N) sighed deeply, looking at the dark streets from the top of a poorly illuminated roof, making sure no one could see her - "I'm careful enough to not leave behind any sort of information that could uncover me and he still reaches that conclusion; guess I'll need to be even more cautious just in case..."

She looked back to the streets for a couple minutes, until a suspicious acting shadow figure entered an alley in between some houses. It emerged from time to time, looking to both sides of the street, and hiding again; until a pair of drunk men made their way past the entrance

"What a good night huh?" - The shadow appeared behind them. It looked like a big strong man by his silhouette. Not that his strength mattered versus those two people which weren't even able to mantain their balance, even less when he pulled out of his coat a bright dagger - "Now, give me all you got in your pockets if you don't want to end up worse than you already are"

Overcome by panic, the two men leaned on each other trying to not fall down, clumsily looking for their pockets and throwing everything their hands touched in them

"Y-Yeah sir, just leave us alone damn it! We didn't do anything"

"Just make sure to shut your mouth about this. You went home with no money because you spent it all on drinking, right?" Laughing, the robber walked towards them in an intimidating way - "Get out of my sight, scumb-AGH"

He turned around quickly, hand in his nape, rubbing to ease the pain of the sudden hit which came out of nowhere. In front of him, another figure covered in black stood still

"Going for the easy targets I see. Such a shame that you wasted your time waiting for them to pass by, I've seen it all". A pair of hands appeared under the cloack, ready to take care of the criminal in front of them

He wasted no time and, knife in hand, lunged towards (Y/N), who didn't move an inch. She was ready to counter attack, until a few feet away from her he appeared, behind the criminal, in less than the blink of an eye.

"I got him!"

A familiar orange-haired boy stopped the attack by skillfully positioning his sword blade near the criminal's neck in one second, and then disarmed him in the next one, sheathing his sword and laying him on the ground

"Arthur! I can-!!!" (Y/N) shut her mouth while everything happened. If she talked more than neccesary Arthur would discover her. She was also impressed with his abilities. She had seen him training but never using his skills in a real situation. The king looked back at her, still restraining his hands behind his back

"We'll take him to the castle's dungeons for the night and tomorrow morning the knights will take care of him. I'll gladly accept yor help with this task"

(Y/N) nodded in afirmation, and with a simple hand movement a pair of handcuffs appeared on the criminal's wrists.

"Much better!" - Smiling, Arthur got up from him, helping him to stand up - "Now let's head to the castle"

He looked back to were (Y/N) was standing, inviting her to come with him, but there was nobody to be seen there.

----

It was morning once again. (Y/N) was sitting at the table as she always does, having breakfast, when she heard the doors opening

"Hey hey, I've got something to tell you!"

Arthur took a sit next to her quickly, smiling excited to talk with her.

"Hmm? What is it Arthur?"

"I crossed paths yesterday night with the vigilante!"

"Oh really?" - (Y/N) put on her best confused face to not arouse any more suspicions - "How did you even manage to find them? What did exactly happen?"

"I went outside the kingdom yesterday, searching for some materials that Merlin asked me to find. It was more difficult than what I thought so I returned to Camelot late at night. While I was walking down the street I saw how a man tried to rob other two, and then the vigilante appeared to help them. But as a King I can't stand idly by when something like this happens, that's why I went to help them too! It was pretty easy, and I hoped I could talk to them after having the situation controlled, but they disappeared when I wasn't looking"

"Wow... I'm happy for you, but it sounds like in the end you didn't get to know who was behind the mask"

"I guess so, but at least now I have new clues. Listen, I think that the secret vigilante must be near our age judging by its appearance and movements, and they also know how to use magic. That reduces the number of potential people by a lot... Oh! And by their voice I think it might be a woman? But everything happened so fast, I'm not even sure. If I had a few more minutes I'm sure I could have gotten more information"

"Just a few seconds and he got all of that from me" (Y/N) thought to herself - "That's a lot considering you said everything happened fast"

"Right..." - Arthur looked directly at (Y/N) for a few seconds - "one more thing, didn't Merlin show you some time ago those magical spheres that makes you disappear if you use them?"

"...Are you insinuating that I am the vigilante?"

"Just a possibility, my instinct tells me you might know more than you tell me"

[hyperfixingfr]

CW for the whole torra situation 🥴 last post.

LAST POST ON THIS because some of you actually believed it when Torra flipped their shit and tried to twist everything around like a five year old who got caught taking from the cookie jar

- I did not directly call Torra a pedophile and if I somehow did I apologize. I used the word "pedophilia" to describe the creepy age gap. That is NOT calling them a pedo. That is calling the PAIRING pedophilic in nature. For someone who claims they don't want their words twisted, you sure do it a lot to other people!

- I didn't even WANT it to escalate it to a call out post/warning to the fandom. A matter of fact, I tried to avoid that by commenting on the original post questioning some things that I could've explained further had they not decided it would be completely appropriate and mature to make a whole passive aggressive POST (now deleted and rather incorrectly) dissecting my comment instead of debating it calmly with me. Every person in this fandom who has EVER had an interaction with me where I question their thoughts knows I'm never trying to work against you if it's clear you wish to learn and be educated as to how what you said made some people feel, or how it may of come off. They responded to me in a very immature way that showed they didn't want to have the debate - and the call out post went up for the vast majority of the fandom who obviously want to avoid such content.

- I never implied they were shipping the two as minors. I have tried VERY hard to acknowledge in these posts and make it clear that I know exactly what they're saying and them being "far into adulthood" doesn't change the immoral factors. "BuT tHe LaW sAyS-" the law banned abortion. I don't think you should base your morals off the law.

- Torra tried to backtrack on the whole shipping thing by claiming it was, "just a proposed dynamic" and "not even a ship" or something along those lines. Considering this is still on their profile (with underlined text to call out their lie for those who might have trouble finding it) it's really bold to try and come back like that.

Even if you don't directly ship them, obviously you proposed the idea in a positive light. THAT'S what people are mad at you for. And it shows right here that you proposed the idea to be "cute". Also while admitting you knew the gap was 4 years (possibly 5-6 if you count the gaps within lore knowledge because we can't ever know for sure unless given official information that proves it wrong!)

- Torra is 31. That is DOUBLE MY AGE. I really think it should say a lot that they've decided to blow this whole thing out of proportion since the very beginning despite me really only wanting to educate about why the romantic pairing is still immoral. The vast majority of people obviously agree with me on it, and I've even changed the opinions of two people who originally sided with Torra after explaining why it was immoral. Torra is handling this poorly, to say the least. I mean... Directly tagging my user in a post that goes absolutely HAM on me trying to back down on things and twist the situation (which didn't NEED to be a situation!) is so incredibly immature I can't even believe they would have such guts for it. I'm sorry for calling you out on something the entire fandom is uncomfortable with for moral reasons but YOU decided to hand me a passive aggressive "I stay right where I stand" response. Warning the fandom about the "dynamic proposal" you had in the tags knowing that the entire active fandom would feel uncomfortable or even TRIGGERED if they saw your post shouldn't sound crazy or bad to any normal person lol.

- some of you are gonna be peeved at me for this one but I am NOT mad at Torra (for the most part... As long as those death threats I've gotten weren't supported by them) and I'm actually hoping they get their act together and just... Own up to it. I literally wouldn't care if they just got up and said, "okay, I've educated myself and I no longer support the pairing". As much as I would have preferred they'd have done that from the start, it's not like people can't fix themselves later on. I doubt they'll wanna because they seem very grounded with their idea but I've got hope for it.

Thanks for those who've sent me best wishes since I have gotten nasty messages over it. And on that note... I hope to god none of you sent any of the sort to Torra. I get they're being immature but holy shit, there's nothing more immature than SENDING NASTY MESSAGES 😭 sit your ass down. You can write the messages onto a crusty piece of paper and burn it when you're done if you really have to. Do not send it to them or their supporters. EVER. Thanks

[damonrutherford]

Tales of the insanely wealthy and alone...

He got like this sometimes when the clock rolled over to the early morning hours and the high of his evening wore off. When there were no more skirts to chase and no amount of liquor in the world could drown out the dull roar in the back of his head. Hardly meant he wouldn't try to find another outlet though.

So there he sat on the otherwise dusty floor of his mother's tomb–– a vague mental note made to get someone in here to clean more often than the current cadence. A ridiculous luxury considering the subject, but if Andrew insisted that they weren't going to be buried in the ground like everyone else, then the least Damon could do was spruce the place up. Flowers, too. He'd get more of those.

Then, as he did in childhood, Damon rattled off about his day and spared absolutely no details. An odd sight he imagined, speaking so candidly to the walls of this crypt, but if she were still around, Cerys would encourage it. In fact, she'd probably be a bit hurt if he left anything out. Or at least this was how he preferred to think of his mother, despite the three decades since her passing somewhat muddying his memories.

Didn't all kids elevate their mother to a version of sainthood after losing her so young? At least in his case, she actually had been one.

In the middle of recounting his idea for investing in a tech driven hedge fund, the familiar ping of a text notification drew him up short. His phone was an endless abyss of unanswered messages, emails, and voicemails–– most professional, some scathing, most which remained muted to avoid inundation. Only four people had their settings converted to bypass that feature and all but one shared his last name.

It used to be five.

The reminder hit him unexpectedly when he read over Lara's brief response to their earlier conversation. Without thinking, he closed her text and opened his contact list, barely scrolling through the A's before the name jumped out.

On low nights, genuinely deep pits in the midnight hours, he sometimes thought about calling that number just to hear the other man's voice on the recording. Call it personal cowardice or misguided altruism (because what if Revati hadn't turned it off?), Damon could never bring himself to press the button. Not even once in the year since he received news of yet another devastating loss in his life.

Amir hadn’t deserved to go out like that. In his opinion few did, but especially him, regardless of how familial loyalty and complications drove them apart. Now the lack of closure or goodbye festered forever beneath his skin, the burgeoning what ifs would always linger; too bitter a pillow to swallow.

Another message flashed across the unlocked screen, this time a reminder from his assistant.

The Malaysian investors will be in-office soon for your scheduled conference call. 3:00 sharp. I know you're up, drink some water and be ready in 40.

Only six months on the job and already Dana managed the insurmountable feat of both organizing his entire calendar and keeping Damon somewhat in check. Maybe he would take care to not sleep with this one and ensure she actually stuck around long enough to matter, as Gideon so rightfully suggested. Or perhaps he should simply refrain from hiring beautiful women to avoid any future temptation.

Well, the plight of old dogs and all...

"Duty calls, I'm afraid. I'll have to regale my plans for world domination next time." His thumb traced over the inscription of Cerys' name. "Bye, Mum." With that, he turned and departed into the muggy cemetery air.

All at once, his formerly somber expression fell behind the mask of public charisma as he dialed his assistant's number. Since apparently she was also awake at this hour ––enough to send him a cheeky text–– it shouldn't be an issue. “Dana, love, can you send a car to the location I’m about to drop?” Morbid to share like this, but she knew precisely who was buried here. Everyone did.

Answering without apologies nor puttering for her earlier message, Dana only offered to reschedule upon reviewing the address he sent over. Which was precisely what he liked about her, respectful with enough moxie to snap him back to reality.

“No need to cancel, I wouldn’t want to keep our prospective friends waiting.”

[spocks-evil-godmother]

Rest in peace to me because I am vague blogging so forgive me everyone but sometimes I am so very obsessed with people's opinions about why Elementary is Bad in the year of our lord 2023.

The argument was that Elementary was bad as an adaptation for making it a procedural crime drama and for making Sherlock an addict, both of which "miss the point" of the ACD canon. (This person was very obviously a big Johnlock person as well which wouldn't matter except for the particular hill they decided to defend.) I can't disagree that procedural crime dramas are a function of modernity, and are certainly not the "point" of the Holmes canon. If you dislike procedurals on principle then I think that's that and there you have it—but considering that procedurals are a very common way to do mystery-writing now, and considering that to my knowledge there has never been a Holmes & Watson procedural before, I do think that it makes sense for a modern adaptation. Modern Holmes, modern storytelling convention, matchy matchy. But no, not the point and perhaps a valid complaint.

But disliking Sherlock as an addict is a VERY FUNNY ISSUE TO TAKE WHEN YOU ARE PUTTING BBC SHERLOCK ON A PEDESTAL. My number one complaint about season four of Sherlock (and I am being dead serious) was the relationship they presented between John, Sherlock, and drug use. Because the "point," I think, was that Sherlock Holmes is willing to escalate conflict, lie to his partner, and put his own life in jeopardy for the sake of the mystery, damn the consequences (and, for that matter, he trusts that his partner will accept being abused and still help him no matter what). And I get that ACD!Holmes would do anything for the mystery and he didn't always treat Watson well in the canon but I think if the "point" were that these two characters are locked in an immutably abusive and codependent relationship then these characters would not having the staying power that they do. I won't say that the episode was bad writing per se, but I felt like that was the nail in the coffin for BBC Sherlock as an adaptation for me. It was like, yes sir, we've always given Sherlock drugs to use recreationally as in canon, and when he starts to use them in unhealthy ways and they negatively impact his relationships, it doesn't need to be addressed to the audience as an issue because actually Sherlock Holmes is Too Smart to have a drug problem, he was tricking you the whole time, and you were stupid for worrying.

Which like. Okay. I don't think that's the point, and if it is, I don't want it. No thanks.

Compare with Elementary. And not saying it's perfect. Not saying anyone has to like it. But we are thinking about Sherlock Holmes in a modern setting. And the fact of the matter is, when ACD wrote Sherlock Holmes, we did not have the same amount of information on substance use or addiction that we do today. This isn't to say that people can't use substances recreationally and safely, whether they live in the late 1800s or in the modern era. But in ACD's time, the common understanding of chemical dependence was often attributed to moral failing rather than any other contributing factor. There was no such thing as chemical dependence. There were people strong enough to make good choices and people who weren't. And that's not to say they didn't notice, say, genetic predispositions. That tied into much of eugenicist thought at the time. "Ah, yes, the way to fix society is to get rid of those gross people who keep generating morally weak children. Then society will be great!" The way people thought about drug use had very little to do with medicine and a lot to do with self-reinforcing prejudices against class or race. The Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle did not have an addiction, not because he was just amazing at maintaining a healthy and recreational relationship with his substances, but because deep down he's Too Good For That. Back then Good People didn't have addictions. He had vices, perhaps, or indulgences, or experiments. But Holmes couldn't have a problem with substance use because he was above having a problem with substance use.

So we are left with Holmes in the modern era. Like before, Holmes uses drugs recreationally. He enjoys them. They, as before, help him think and help him stay close to the mysteries he solves. But something else has changed. Now we know that there is no such thing as being Too Smart or Too Good to have an addiction. And so our modern Holmes has to contend with the fact that yes, he's not Too Smart to develop a dependency, he's not Too Smart to relapse, and he is not Too Smart to suffer the same kind of struggle that so many ordinary people have also suffered. It's very humbling. It is indeed painful for him to accept Joan as a sober companion in his life. It's something impossible to escape. And it is really, really fruitful as a character trait. The conversation he has with Joan in the season 3 episode "The Eternity Injection" still sticks with me:

Sherlock: If you must know, Watson, I've been feeling a little bit down of late. It's the process of maintaining my sobriety. It's repetitive. And it's relentless. And above all, it's tedious. When I left rehab, I... I accepted your influence, I committed to my recovery. And now, two years in, I find myself asking, "'is this it?"' My sobriety is simply a grind. It's just this leaky faucet that requires constant maintenance, and in return offers only not to drip.

Joan: You have your work, you have me. You're alive.

Sherlock: I've told myself that many times. So many times, it has become unmoored from all meaning. Odd. I used to imagine that a relapse would be the climax to some grand drama. Now I think that if I were to use drugs again, it would in fact be an anticlimax. It would be a surrender to the incessant drip, drip, drip of existence.

I love this scene. I love this conversation. And I love it as an adaptation because this is not a conclusion or moral that Arthur Conan Doyle could have written in his own time. This scene captures some of the knowledge we have now, and likely some of the hurts and harms of our era as well. However, it says something about these two famous characters: that Sherlock, whose mind aches for mysteries, is equally if not more challenged by the practical matter of living his life, and that Joan is with him in it. It's not dramatic. It's just a conversation in their living room.

I think that's sufficient.

Sherlock is a detective and an addict in Elementary. His addiction changes the way he thinks and acts forever. And in some regards, that makes him worse. And in other regards, that makes him the best he's ever been. No, Arthur Conan Doyle did not write a story about an addict. Elementary did. And the point is that he solved mysteries and helped people, the point was that he was an incredible detective, and the point was that he was human, only human.

rrrrrrr don't say weird things about my show kthxbai

[originalgenshinscenarios]

Monthly special: Variable Barricade crossover!

AGH I had it almost done for like a week. BUT I KEPT RE-WRITING THE LAST SCENE so it took me a week longer than I wanted it to 😭😭😭 BUT I’M BACK. And as the poll results are also in next chapter will be start of Miko’s route!!

If you want to join the taglist just send an ask or dm me!

Reader here is female and has established background.

Cw: Age gap (Reader is 18 and the ladies are ages 20-24)

|First chapter|

<= Previous chapter | Next chapter (Miko's route) =>

After the disaster your suitors called not a big deal, your absolute angel of a friend decided to check on your situation personally. Meeting your suitors was a way for her to determine if your grandfather had actually made a mistake by choosing these women. 

But who knows on whose side she'll be on in the end?

Part one, chapter 4- Fight for approval

After telling your suitors about Ayaka visiting they seemed quite interested.

"Just so we're clear, how much have you told her about us exactly..?" you didn't expect Yelan to worry about that, but it's not like you planned to hide that information. 

"I've told her enough for her to be interested. Then again, me and her are close so it was just a matter of time before she requested that I introduce her to you" you thought it was more likely for her to want to meet whoever you decide to choose in the end though, if not for your constant rants about them. 

"Hm, I wonder if she's visiting out of curiosity or concern. Perhaps both" Miko had a smug smile on her face "Ah what I would do to hear just what exactly you're saying behind our backs" 

"You talk like you never start conversations about me" you stare at her blankly. 

"To be fair our interest in you might as well be the only thing we share in common" Ningguang points out. 

You honestly had no words at this point. It just baffles you how one second they're at each other's throats just to defend each other the next. Shouldn't they be rivals? 

Your silence was an answer louder than any words you possibly could convey as you saw how everyone involved in the conversation just now took the hint. 

"So, when is she going to come by?" Eula was the one to finally bring up the question. 

You shook your head "Honestly… I don't even know yet…"

-

A week later, you and Ayaka were having lunch together. With what she promised recently, she decided to tell you only now that she planned to come today.

"I already informed Thoma that I'll visit today. I hope this isn't too much of a hassle that I didn't let you know sooner" she sounded almost guilty. 

"I still don't get why you couldn't call me yesterday to let me know" you huffed. 

"Because I know you enough to know that you would tell them how to behave. And I want this to be as genuine as it can be" she politely explained. 

"You say like they'd listen to me…" you complain. They don't listen to you. They don't even take your feelings into consideration… Most of the time "And also I could have already told them everything already for all you could know" with your answer she gave you the look that made it clear that she knew you were bluffing. 

"See? You were considering it. And they would listen if it meant they'd be able to impress both you and me" she pointed out. Although you weren't so sure about it, you decided to not argue with Ayaka on that matter. 

"Fine, you're right. But what about Thoma? You don't know if he isn't doing the exact same thing" if anyone he'd be the first to set them straight so they wouldn't embarrass the family head's judgement. 

"As much as it's his duty to make sure you warm up to those ladies, he is also curious about my view on the matter" she smiled "Let's just say that he wanted a second expert's opinion" from the tone of her voice it was clear that she only worried about you. But her words did come off as if she was teasing you. 

"And who would be the first expert?" it couldn't possibly be your grandfather right? He's very capable of reading people, but at the same time he hardly can be called an expert at what you might want or need. 

"That'd be Thoma. You know, he contacted me back when he first was starting to get to know them. Even then he tried to convince me to meet them, but I figured it'd be more fun if you were to introduce me to them… hope I did the right call on that…" she suddenly didn't sound as confident as she usually is when talking to you, so you decided to affirm her. 

"It'll definitely feel more natural. I'd feel weird if I were the last person to meet them to be honest" you rest your head against your hand as you let out a little sigh "Was it the same for you and your engagement?" 

You don't often talk about Ayaka's arranged marriage, mostly because she doesn't feel the need to. She accepted it a long time ago with little to no complaints. 

"I was the second person from my family he talked to. First was my brother who gave out the idea" she had her usual ever so polite smile on her face. You only then realize that your question was a rather stupid one. There aren't a lot of people Ayaka's soon to be husband could talk to in the first place… 

You remember when she told you the news. Unlike you she wasn't forced, she agreed to it. Your emotions didn't understand it but your logic did. For such a small family and a huge company, it's not impossible to imagine them needing some additional assistance. But you're yet to hear about her brother's marriage-! 

Your anger was as clear as day and it earned you a chuckle from Ayaka "Y/N, are you thinking again about the situation? It's sweet of you really, but I'm satisfied with how things are" she didn't look like she was lying "I just never planned to marry out of love you know. And if I can do so for mutual benefit, why shouldn't I?" you've already been through this but it still feels so weird to hear how happy she is about engaging in a loveless marriage. Especially since she wouldn't wish the same for you. 

"Ah… This topic is killing the atmosphere, isn't it? Let's discuss something else" and with that your usual chat with Ayaka started shifting topics from one to another. 

-

During your time at school, nothing out of the ordinary was happening in the house. 

"I wonder if Y/N was actually planning on introducing her friend to us" Yelan started the thought. 

"Why not? She probably has her own responsibilities, so surely you didn't think we'd meet her day after Y/N's announcement" Miko commented as she looked through a magazine. 

"Right, I forgot that whoever associates with the L/N heir has to be high class too" Yelan rolled her eyes. 

"It's more about that friend being a classmate from a prestigious school. Not that she'd only befriend someone on her level" Miko sounded bored "I mean, we're her "love interests" and the closest to high class is Eula who got disowned" 

"Don't bring me into this to prove your point Miko, besides it's normal for us to assume that meeting Y/N's friend will be sooner than later and it's been over a week since her announcement" Eula answered unusually calmly. 

"I'm just surprised how Yelan is getting impatient just after a week. I mean we had to wait much longer to even see Y/N in person" Miko rolled her eyes "But you're right, arguments like that will be only boring so I see no point in continuing it. Yelan, I apologize" she faked her politeness. 

"You're lucky I don't feel like wasting my energy either" Yelan sighed as she was thinking about leaving the room.

"It's almost impressive how the mood shifts the moment Y/N is gone. Almost like we're back with how things used to be when we first met" Ningguang joined in on the conversation. 

"Don't even bring it up. It was just disaster after disaster" Eula said. 

"That's true, imagine what would she be like if she heard what sort of things we argued over" Ningguang let out a light chuckle, lighting up the mood "If not for you and Thoma we probably would not be half at peace as we are now" 

"I'm honestly quite surprised how you somehow managed to prevent more fights than start them" Yelan turned to Eula. 

"If you meant it as a compliment, you're doing a bad job" she huffed.

"Speaking of Thoma…" Miko changed the subject "Does anyone have any idea as to where he might be?" 

"He should be somewhere in the house, otherwise he'd tell us that he's leaving" Ningguang answered. 

"I'm here, miss Miko, do you need something?" with Thoma entering the room it was very clear that he was in a better mood than usual. 

"I'd like two things actually. First, could you brew me some tea? Second, what are you hiding?" everyone looked at Miko slightly surprised by her second mention. 

"And what do you mean by that?" he raised his eyebrow at her as he was more focused on her question rather than her request. 

"You're acting a bit different today ever since you took a call. Did the old man tell you something about the engagement process?" trying to guess the reason, she took a closer look at Thoma. 

"Ah, that was just a private matter" he answered before going to the kitchen to prepare the tea. When he turned around though he could feel a little nervous over how he could potentially ruin "the surprise". 

"Interesting, I thought he didn't have any private life to speak of" she chuckles. 

"I suppose he's just that dedicated to serving Y/N. But it is concerning how he doesn't do anything but that" Yelan thought out loud "Do you think he ever even takes days off?" 

"He had to take a few at some point… After all, he has worked with L/N's family for years. There's no way he never took time off" Ningguang paused "But… He might just like his work too much to notice. I definitely was never blessed with such a job but who's to say he didn't just get lucky?" 

"Oh I definitely got lucky" Thoma joined in as he served Miko her tea "You could say that I was made for this job. As for my time off, before you came by, whenever Y/N was at school it was something that could be considered as such" he smiled proudly "That's just the way of being a full-time butler. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope this satisfies your curiosity" 

They looked at him without really knowing what to feel about his statement. But they decided to keep all their opinions to themselves regarding his relationship to his work. 

-

Few hours later you were headed back to your "home". As long as you've lived there it couldn't feel any further from the definition of home… But then again, the family estate didn't fit that description perfectly either. 

With Ayaka on your side though, you felt confident and ready to enter. After opening the door the first to greet you was Eula. But she paid more attention to Ayaka by your side. 

"Hello Y/N, I take that this is your friend?" you could tell that she wasn't too pleased with the aspect of a surprise guest. 

"Greetings, I'm Kamisato Ayaka. It's my pleasure to meet you" each of her words was filled with grace and it impressed Eula.

"My name is Eula, as you already know I'm one of Y/N's suitors" you were surprised by how polite she was, given how she acted upon meeting you in comparison "I'll let the others know about your arrival" she walked back to the living room. 

"Hm, she sounds different from how you described her" Ayaka giggles as she waits for you to lead her to the living room. 

"Hmpf, she acts unusually hostile when talking to me" you complain before you walk up to the door. 

"Perhaps she's just the type of person to act like that towards those she's interested in" upon her comment you could feel your cheeks burning up, but you don't respond to her teasing (even though it didn't sound intentionally so) and instead open the door. 

Everyone's attention went immediately to you, only to be turned to Ayaka as she was an unfamiliar face to most. They had seen you talking to her earlier, sure, but it's not like they even knew who she was until Thoma spoke up "Miss Kamisato, it's been a while" usually he also referred to her by name but it was only when it was just the three of you hanging out. 

Ningguang seemed to be quite interested upon hearing Ayaka's last name, but she waited to speak. 

"Right" you say to yourself "Ayaka, this is Ningguang" the two shake hands, you move on and introduce everyone in the same way. 

After the introductions all of you went to sit down, Ningguang was the first to jump on the opportunity to speak "It's an honor to have the opportunity to meet you miss Kamisato" 

"Please, just Ayaka is fine. I wouldn't require formality from someone who wishes to marry my dear Y/N. I'd like us to become friends- if possible" she claps her hands together. 

"Of course, Ayaka then. Mind telling us how you and Y/N got acquainted?" when Ningguang asked that question it was almost like Ayaka waited for this moment. 

"It was a year ago, we already knew each other since we've been in the same class but a year ago is when we really became friends. Although Y/N was quite popular I noticed that nobody really talked to her. So I gathered some courage within, and approached her myself" listening to this sounded almost like she was talking about dating you, but you don't stop her at her tracks "Believe it or not but she wasn't that much interested at first…" your suitors give the look that was telling you how much they believed that part to be true "But I managed to find a trick to get through that barricade. Unfortunately though… Some people claimed that I'm keeping her to myself. I honestly was just confused, because until I talked to her nobody didn't even speak to Y/N besides exchanging greetings and goodbyes… and that's when she stood by my side and told them that she likes my company, I was so moved!" as she fondly looks back at the memory, there was one thing all of them were curious about… 

"You found a… trick to get closer to Y/N?" Yelan asked the right question. And you just now realize that this visit might've been a trap from the start. It all made sense now. Ayaka was setting you up to give your suitors the right push to start getting close to you. 

"You wish to know what it is?" you almost couldn't recognize Ayaka with how she planned her words carefully for this exact moment. Before you got to protest she said "How about we play chess? Whichever of you wins, will get the information" which made you relieved. 

"Chess? Hm, I don't see why should we refuse. Especially if the reward is so valuable" Ningguang looked excited. 

They didn't know what they set themselves up for… which gave you an odd sense of satisfaction. 

-

"How do you-!?" Eula was so frustrated she couldn't even finish her sentence. 

It's been hours, and none of them were even close to beating Ayaka. You already lost count on how many matches started. But Ayaka was unbeatable. You haven't met her brother, but you were told that he was even better… Which gave you a little scare for how good the Kamisato siblings were at chess. 

Everyone was a mess, Eula was mad above all else, Ningguang had her pride trampled upon as she thought she was good at the game, Yelan was hesitating more and more with each move, even Miko lost her poker face after losing so many rounds. 

The worst thing is: none of them planned to give up. Fortunately, Thoma stepped in before it turned into a chess night "I believe it's getting quite late, maybe we should continue this some other time?" 

"You're right, unfortunately I think I should go. What a shame… I honestly didn't expect for this to be so entertaining" she innocently smiles. 

"So the rumors were true after all" Yelan said under her breath. 

"I definitely won't forget this disgrace! I'll have my revenge, just you wait" Eula had a stern look on her face. 

"That was… insightful… I honestly never thought my strategy to be so flawed" Ningguang on the other hand had a soft expression of disappointment on her face. 

"Hm, it's not like I needed that reward anyways. But it sure was fun to play with you Ayaka" Miko waved to her goodbye and went upstairs. 

"It was great meeting all of you. I wish you best of luck" she was ready to leave, and you earlier agreed that Thoma will drive her back. You also decided to tag along to have a talk with her. 

After leaving the house you were hit with the cold air night had to offer. Soon enough you entered the car and said "So meeting them all wasn't your only reason after all" you crossed your arms. 

"I'm sorry Y/N, but it was the best way to see all different sides of them in the shortest amount of time" she defended herself. 

"I wouldn't call those hours short…" you look out of the window and seeing how dark it is, is nothing but more proof. 

"You're right, I did get ahead of myself. But seeing their determination to fight for you definitely didn't leave a bad impression, did it?" 

"... Maybe" you mutter under your breath. 

"Hm? Can it be that you were happy about someone fighting for you in particular?" she says in a hopeful tone.

|Miko|

"I was surprised how Miko tried to win. She always seems so confident that she knows exactly what I want" you answer with a confused expression. 

"Is that so?" she paused for a moment "Maybe she just wanted to make sure the others won't get the answer?" she tried to fill in the blanks for you. 

"That seems possible… But then, letting others have the answer would be only an inconvenience. So I see no reason why she'd play for it so "desperately"" you still couldn't get that image of her losing some of her confidence. It could only lead you to a thought that she may not be as confident as she may seem. 

Then again, seeing her from many sides would definitely work in her favor. You don't necessarily like the idea of her constantly teasing you for the sake of her own amusement. 

Still, you're interested to learn why she thinks that you need her. Maybe it's just a matter of her "profession hunch” or maybe she was out of ideas to make you even slightly consider her so she threw random words in order to save face. 

|Ningguang|

"I remember how when we first played and I had almost the same reaction as Ningguang" you fondly look back at the memory. 

"I remember it too, it almost made me feel bad when I saw that disappointed look on your face" she giggled "So I definitely could see the comparison" she looked at you as if she wanted you to continue the thought. 

"That's right, but I don't think it matters much… I honestly can't tell why it stuck out to me so" it's only a normal reaction when you see that you're not as good at something as you originally thought. 

There was definitely potential in Ningguang for the corporate field. The more you talk to her, the more you're certain of it. So should you end up not liking anyone she would be a safe bet to some extent. 

Although your interactions were limited, you start to consider the fact that perhaps getting along with her wouldn't be so difficult. So maybe she's a better choice than her "title" may suggest.

|Yelan|

"Yelan seems to look out for me the most so far… I… I think I wouldn't really be against it if she were to win" as you think about it, she probably wouldn't even use whatever Ayaka's trick may be. 

"Oh? And how does she care for you exactly?" upon her question, you wanted to bite your tongue out for even speaking up about it. 

"She's just respectful of my boundaries. Nothing more nothing less" you glance away. 

"That's sweet of her. But are you sure it's nothing more?" with her question, you shook your head. 

Yelan… There is something about her that makes you even more interested in her. She's so carefree, additionally there is that mysterious aura around her you can't help but want to know more… 

She also seems to be the most concerned about you from the bunch, you wonder if there is a reason behind it- or is it just her personality trait.

|Eula|

"Although I'm used to seeing Eula mad, this time it felt a little bit… Different" you admit. You weren't sure why exactly, but her determination was something quite charming… Even if she didn't go about it in the best way. 

"Well, maybe because her anger was directed at herself" her way of thinking got you to think. 

"Hm… Maybe you're right… B-but I meant it as a feeling of respect I'll have you know, before you get any funny ideas" there was no way you'd fall for someone this quick. And especially for a reason like this! 

"Noted" she definitely didn't believe you. 

You wouldn't admit that you're the same but… You can definitely see how similar the two of you are, whether you like it or not. Especially given the relationship she has with your grandfather it almost makes you feel like she understood you the most out of the group. 

Then again… You can't help but wonder why it was just now that your grandfather decided to introduce Eula to you. 

-----

Now that you answered her question, you started thinking if you wanted to ask her something too. You thought a bit more about your choice of words as you decided to bring up the topic "Ayaka…" your tone changed, causing the atmosphere to change and making her worried "Why is it that you care so much about me being in love with my future spouse?" you still couldn't get it. Sure, it’s normal for a friend to wish for the best, but Ayaka is almost insistent that you fall in love rather than have a beneficial situation like her. 

"Y/N, unlike myself I think it's just what you need. Of course I don't claim that I know you better than you do but… Can you at least try and see for yourself?" she said with a sweet voice "And if you decide that you feel nothing towards them, I'll be the first person to stop them from pursuing you further" 

You chuckle at her promise as you decided to make one of your own "Okay, I'll try not to deny any possibility of falling in love" 

She was clearly satisfied with your answer "Be sure to update me on the matter, I'm curious to know who you'll pick in the end" 

-

When you were back in the house you thought back on your conversation with Ayaka. You prepared a plan for how you'll proceed from this point forward. You had their files in front of you, you've read it all so many times by now you've memorized everything that's on them. 

"I need to see if I can trust them… but how can I achieve so..?" you think to yourself as you hear a knock on your door. 

"You can come in, Thoma" you immediately answer. There was no need to see who it is, after all only him and you can be on this floor. 

So when he opens the door and serves you something to drink he notices how you were reviewing your suitors. You've started writing pros and cons for each and one of them already and it earned you a chuckle from your butler. 

"I see you're taking this more seriously than I imagined" he looked down at your notes before taking a seat on your couch "But don't you think that it's best if you let your heart decide instead of logic? You have plenty of time. So there's no need for you to set your heart for someone because it's the "best" choice" he says warmly. 

"I have a lot to lose should I make the wrong choice" you give him your perspective "I mean, I don't even know if I can trust them yet" 

He seems to be reading through your notes "So why make those?" 

"It's just to think of compatibility… uhm- either way that is but a secondary matter" you feel embarrassed as you snatched the notes from his hands. 

"Don't you think all this analysis and over thinking is what leads you to being so distant with them? Sure I'm also not a fan of you suddenly being thrown at a stranger, but no matter how hard you think this" he gestures to the pile of papers "isn't going to help you build any connection or relationship with any of them that will be real. You can't calculate your feelings" 

"Then what do you propose I should do?" you look down at your work troubled. You know this isn't going to work… But at the same time you're just too afraid to do anything else. 

"Spending time with them separately should do the trick" he stood up "Or at least take the opportunity to talk to them alone when you can" 

He knows you ignored this solution, but now that he had brought it up it's much harder for you to pretend to be clueless. 

"Really? Why haven't I thought about that?" you say sarcastically "Thoma, I know this is the best way but I just don't feel comfortable around them yet" 

"And you think this will change when you keep pushing every opportunity away?" he walks up to the door "Please consider what I've said, goodnight Y/N" 

When he left you let out a frustrated groan. Him being right made you angry at that moment, but since he was right you really had to think about your actions moving forward. 

You look down at the notes you've snatched from Thoma. You really have a problem with viewing it as anything other than an arrangement. With that in mind you can only laugh at how helpless you are. 

But just because you're helpless now, doesn't mean you'll remain as such forever. 

It was time to prove this to yourself and everyone else.

-- TAGLIST

@audre-falrose​ @frozengenderfluid​ @watamehorns​ @bebeluvvv​ ​ @fandangotales​ ​

[actual-changeling]

i've only been on tumblr for a few months and just discovered there's a thing called blacklisting.

i'm not trying to be controversial or negative but i'm pretty sure that i'm in your blacklist. i'm just guessing based on what i see or don't, but i've got a couple of questions, if you don't mind.

i realize it could be a hassle, but have you considered that especially for new accounts, the blackslisted account may not know that what they did so they will continue that behavior and pass it on to others? Not everyone is as savvy as you are. (if i'm right, i will never get the benefit of interacting with you and you will never get the benefit of interacting with me and i do have things to offer)

would you rather that i stop reblogging and liking your stuff? i don't have a big following, but i reblog because i thought that we have a responsibility to reblog and get posts seen (esp artists). currently i reblog you a lot because for the most part i agree and enjoy your posts.

i think you're a really interesting person and very talented wordsmith. i wish we had more interaction, but i respect that you don't care much for me. in another world, i wish we were friends.

Cheers

Look, I block people for a small number of reasons.

they post content that is triggering to me

they actively harassed me in some shape or form (this includes me blocking people via hateful anon asks, which works but does not show you who they were)

they harassed someone i care about

they are very present in a tag I frequent and their content actively dampens my enjoyment of that topic and/or their content is not triggering but still upsetting enough to warrant a block simply to keep my experience here fun

they're openly being bigoted about something and show no signs of changing their opinion

they are or very much look like a bot

That's it. It is, in my opinion, a very reasonable list, and even if it weren't and I were to block people because their blog is blue, it still wouldn't matter because I get to curate my space.

Now, I have two observations to make.

a) You were able to send me this ask. Tumblr requires people to have an account to send anon asks.

b) You can see and interact with my content.

This means that I have not blocked the account you're using, otherwise you'd not even be able to find my blog, tumblr would send you straight to an error page.

So whatever has brought you to the conclusion that I blocked you, I did not, at least not the account you're currently using. Furthermore, I have honestly no clue who you might be, so even if I had blocked you, i wouldn't even know what to look for.

As long as you're not being an asshole on my posts, in general, or in my inbox then I don't care whether you interact with my stuff, you're free to do so if you want to, I'm not gonna sieve through my notes and check every single person's blog.

My DMs are open, my inbox is open, people can talk to me, I actively give y'all those options. Sometimes I'm bad at responding because I have shit memory for like ten different reasons which means I forget everything constantly, but other than that there's no rules except don't be a dick.

[acourtofthought]

What would be your reaction if SJM said the next book was by Elain and Azriel?

It is...

What would be your reaction if she announced that the next book was Elain and Lucien?

(What kind of reactions would you have in these hypotheses).

If Elain and Az were endgame and announced as being next I would first apologize for what was clearly my misinterpretation of the books before it 😂

And I would probably like the book. I like every trope and I have loved every SJM pairing she's given us. I was excited for the continuation of Feyre and Tamlins story in book 2 only to ADORE Feysand. I really liked the idea of Dorian and Celeana, loved Celaena and Chaol but definitely understand why they weren't meant to be. Nesta is not one of my favorite characters however I do like she and Cassian together. I mean, I did like the thought of E/riel at one point so it's not like I don't see the appeal. I just began to notice things that I missed the first time around and my opinion changed after I started deep diving into the books but that's ONLY because it's what I think the author has been telling us and that's only because I began to really pay attention to how she has written in the past. But that doesn't mean if SJM turns around and says, "nope! E/riel is who I want!" I'm going to boycott her. If that's who she wants then I will allow her to lead me along in her vision. I'm not the one writing these characters so if she says, "E/riel is endgame and this is how I'm going to make that happen" then I'm going along with it because that's the story she's telling.

If that happens though, I would like for Elain to call out Az for a few things. I hope that things I consider "wrongs" between them are acknowledged moving forward, that she finds out he didn't support her searching for the trove and gives him hell, that he was interested in her for the wrong reason (three brothers / three sisters).

I would be sad over the missed Elucien opportunity. With Lucien and Elain, I do think SJM has a chance to give us a story that feels new and fresh, something different than we've ever seen from any of her other characters. Not only because their personalities are so different than others she's written about but because we've never gotten the POV from a character who has known with certainty that they have a mating bond with someone else. But again, if SJM wants E/riel than I believe in her ability to have it all make sense by the end.

If she announced Elucien, I might momentarily pass out 😂

I hate desperately wanting things, it's a very consuming feeling for me. As a result, I hate the feeling of disappointment, it's very soul crushing, so I try to be happy and content and accept things as they are. Which on one hand is a good thing (I think) but on the other hand, I could see how I might come off as complacent at times because of it. Like, maybe I could be doing so much more with my life but rather than pushing and failing, I live in a happy bubble where the stakes aren't too high.

With that said, part of me hates that I would really love to see Elucien happen because I know it's just a book and I know that it's not going to be anything that truly matters regardless of who is endgame and I wish I wouldn't have gotten so obsessed with the series because I hate knowing I might now be disappointed (this is why I like series AFTER they're complete and I can search for spoilers to better prepare myself) 😂. And I've put a lot of time into writing posts on my blog and I've spent a lot of time interacting with those in the fandom so if I'm wrong, that's a long way to fall😂. It doesn't help knowing that I now have people online who hate me and would love for me to be wrong.

So if Elucien is endgame, I think my heart will momentarily stop and I can't imagine how euphoric it will feel to not only know that I'd be getting to read an entire book about two of my favorite characters but also that I actually figured something out 😂. That I was able to pick up the authors hints and that I don't lack reading comprehension, that I'm not misogynistic for shipping Elucien, that I'm not "delusional". It's not that I believe any of those things however, I can't pretend like it's fun reading them.

At this point, I think we're probably all ready for news, regardless if it's the news we want to hear or not. I personally don't think she's been building E/riel as endgame since book 2 however I know E/riels do. And Elucien did become mates in book 2 but we still don't know what they'll do about their bond. That means both sides of the fandom have been waiting for answers since as far back as 2016 and that is a looooong time.

[outrunningthedark]

joined the 911 fandom few months back and…has it always been this annoying or did something shift recently. someone on twt said maybe mehta coming back doesnt have anything to do w buddie at all and now they are getting cooked for “raining on people’s parade and being a negative nancy for no reason” …. this whole cycle of setting expectations and bullying people for not having the same enthusiasm then getting annoyed that the tv show isnt delivering the same expectation you set is just so annoying??? glad that your blog exists and you exist because this fandom is in heavy NEED of rational minded people 😭🫶🏽

I've been actively involved in fandom since the start of s4 (was a lurker in s3) and from my perspective...things get worse as the seasons continue! In s4, there was *some* hope for canon!Buddie, but Ana came back into the picture and TayKay soon followed so expectations were lowered (because we didn't know how long they'd stick around). Thennn...the shooting happened. Plus the change in guardianship. People were on board again AND we were introduced to even more new fans who couldn't believe "the gay firefighters" weren't together yet. Season five? Eddie breaks up with Ana, Buck breaks up with TayKay..."If Buddie not canon then why did they break up with their girlfriends?" And now season six is about how "all signs point to canon Buddie" no matter what happens. (ie They were convinced Eddie would be a big part of Buck in the coma to hint at feelings and when he wasn't they changed their theories to "explain" why his absence was a good thing; same with the sperm donor arc - all that non-communication was going to pay off once Eddie confronted Buck about a decision he didn't think through and now the lack of 6A content is going unmentioned because Oliver has (twice) emphasized that there's nothing for Buck to come to grips with, he knew what he was doing when he said yes.) I think the fandom just really, really wants to be right about this one thing for two reasons: 1. It would be a game-changer. How many fans of a queer ship can say that they got the endgame they wanted? Furthermore, how many can say their canon ship started out with two straight characters who fell in love over time because a show thought that made the better story? (Not the SPN fandom, that's for sure. They're some of the biggest naysayers you'll find around here because "I've been where you are." Mind you, most us are old af and remember a time when queer ships stayed in fandom spaces because TV shows wouldn't dare take the risk of alienating audiences.) 2. Having Buddie go canon is an opportunity to get back at any and everyone who doesn't believe it'll happen; the ultimate "I told you so!" victory lap.

I do agree with the fandom when it comes to keeping opinions out of other people's inboxes unless they're open to reading it (obviously me :P), but expressing an opinion on your own page (whether that be twitter or tumblr) is what having a social media account in a fandom is for. You don't have to agree with the person. You don't even have to read it. But you can't stop them from feeling how they feel. And quite frankly, while having hope is nice to see (I do, too!), some people could use a reality check. We're not in the writers' room. We don't know what the writing staff is really thinking when they come up with stuff. Even when Kristen makes comments and Oliver gives his perspective, the fandom calls them "liars" or twists their words to fit a narrative that makes for (what they think is) a better outcome. They'll also advise people not to read the articles, but...nobody actually lies in those because they don't give away all that much information, and the information they do give is to tell fandom when things aren't about Buddie, lmao. Kristen said the coma arc was about Bobby and Chim and there fandom was hyping up Eddie's importance only to realize she meant what she said. Oliver says Eddie going after Buck in 6x10 isn't hinting at anything and they're envisioning feelings realizations at Buck's bedside, which never came. They're TELLING fandom to not get its hopes up right now and the speculation has only gone deeper into "this can't be about anything other than Buddie" because everyone is too invested to turn back now.

As for Captain Mehta - I have my own theories about this. Could his presence bring about a mention of the shooting? Yep. Could his presence inspire another conversation? Yep. But *why* him and *why* he finally has a first name? 1. Is everyone at that table supposed to call him Captain Mehta or just Mehta? Nobody knows him on a personal level? 2. Is it possible that throwing some third no-name/relatively unknown firefighter into the scene (along with Capt. Williams and possibly Julie) does nothing to gauge the audience's interest? At least the audience will remember Mehta and there's a connection between him and both halves of Buddie whereas we've seen Julie in limited quantities (and not even as one of their friends off the job) and Miranda Williams was last seen in early s4.

I'm not saying him being back can't be the precursor to important things, but people also thought the Buckleys were coming back after two years so their kids could yell at them some more and they would decline to be with their son in the hospital (why else would they have returned right then, duh!) and we all saw how that turned out. This fandom loves to say "Bestie, you're watching a FOX procedural" on the ~discourse~ days while routinely ignoring the fact that we're watching a FOX procedural. Sometimes what you see really is what you get when the show runners are (currently) pandering to an audience that includes everyone but us.

[justanothersyscourse]

hi ok so !! about your post on singlets in syscourse i just want to say i agree with you! i'm a singlet and my ex is a DID system, and during all the time i knew they were a system (2 years+) and the time we dated (almost a year) i've never really been able to partake (in good faith) in syscourse because i'm a singlet. i've spent over 2 years learning as much as i can about DID and OSDD and sometimes i'd like to partake in some syscourse and each time i try (in good faith! i cant emphasize that enough) both sides treat me like shit. like you said, singlets dont have a place in ALL discussions (i certainly wouldnt and dont want to stick my nose everywhere) but yeah there's a time and a place and like you said, to engage in constructive and positive conversations, which is exactly what i'd like to do. but even in those times and places both sides shut down whatever a singlet says, even if they do actually have some kind of standing in the discussion (like the examples you gave), say things in good faith and have knowledge of what they're talking about (like you also said). i've never really seen anyone display this opinion so kudos to you for voicing that!

My partner has been with us for ten years, and they've known about us for six of those years.

When he first found out, he went looking for resources, and one of the first ones he found was called The Significant Other's Guide to Dissociative Identity Disorder. It's a funny, honest guide written by another singlet partner. It talks about the good and the bad, insurance, therapy, hospitals, etc. Most importantly, it talks about what to expect from your system partner.

It wasn't until a few years later that he showed us this guide, and he explained that the brutally honest take on system behavior helped him become a better spouse for us. It talks bluntly about how systems are selfish by nature. Not in a negative way, just as a matter of fact. We have so much going on in our heads that sometimes it's really hard for us to keep our partners in mind, as well, and it comes across as selfishly absorbed, at times. It talks about how to handle that kind of behaviour, and the rewarding love you get in return.

But that REALLY struck me. It was true, and so was a lot of other, negative stuff (stereotypes?). It kind of put my partner in a new light for us-- we gained a huge amount of respect for him and appreciation for the things he put up with and tried to work with us on. Of how much work he put in and how much patience he had.

Singlets have an incredibly unique view on certain aspects of the disorder and of system life that is SO important to the conversation. I wish he had shown it to me earlier, but he said he didn't think I was in a place to hear it back then, and he was probably right. I wouldn't have taken it as positively and it wouldn't have had such a profound impact on us. Now we do our best to stay mindful of things-- so that we can be better, too.

Singlets tend be an unbiased, outside view. It's why anyone with half a brain encourages questioning systems to see a therapist. Traumatized, mentally ill individuals tend NOT to be good judges of... Much of anything, really. Themselves, situations, other people. I can't tell you how many times I was TEN THOUSAND PERCENT SURE I was a making a safe, smart decision, and he was behind me, rolling his eyes, waiting patiently for me to come to my senses, and then I'd run crying back to him when it all went to shit, because holy crap, that was dumb of me.

He also is VERY aware of the nuances of syscourse, he hears me talk about it daily. He engages with it through me. He's done enough of his own research to form his own opinions and thoughts so he can support me, and/or tell me when I'm being a proper little shit.

I talked recently about the unique perspectives of people who dipped their toes into plurality and DID/OSDD, and realized/admitted they weren't systems, and those who realized it was something else. Those perspectives are just as unique and useful in helping other systems figure their stuff out. They do understand syscourse. They've likely engaged in it before. They're allowed to, still.

Singlets who have never met a system in their life, but have a peer reviewed paper in have are goddamn allowed in syscourse to share it and talk about it.

They sure as fuck might be wrong, but they have every right to get involved, when and where they're welcome.

👏 Singlets 👏 have 👏 a 👏 place 👏 in 👏 syscourse 👏

Anon, you are welcome in my community <3