#it's a safe space for so many people and feeling forced to explain why i like x and also y when y is 'the worst thing ever' is tiering

[iminye]

hot take but you're allowed to like both the noldor and the sindar, you're allowed to be a fan of fëanor and/or any of his sons and be sympathetic towards thingol, you're allowed to like both miriel and indis, you're allowed to like the kidnap fam and simultaneously be a massive stan of elwing and eärendil, you're allowed to like maeglin but also to like idril and acknowledge that the betrayal of gondolin and everything that came with it was terrible, you're allowed to be a celegorm fan but you can also absolutely call him out for the lúthien situation and make fun of his death at the hands of a 30-something year old half human twink (all the love to dior btw he's awesome), you're allowed to do that!

and you know what, none of these are mutually exclusive, you don't have to feel forced to choose one side or the other depending on who is morally right. like what you like!

and also before anyone comes at me, obviously you're also allowed to completely ignore this and stay rooted in your opinion but please don't antagonise people who do not share it.

thanks.

[damiansgoodgirll]

I never really do this so I was wondering if you can do a one shot with Damian and an autistic reader like what would her do if the reader is overwhelmed and he is trying his best to calm her down. Fluff with a lots of cuddles. If you can’t do it I understand it if you are uncomfortable I’m sorry I thought I get out side my comfort zone and ask 💗💕💕

hi love! i tried my best! hope you like it ❤️

damian priest x reader

overwhelmed

damian knew that big crowds weren’t your places. everytime you were together he tried to avoid them. parties were a big no for you and he understood and respected that but there was a big wwe event coming up and he didn’t want to miss it.

at first you told him to go alone as you didn’t want to be surrounded by tons of people but then you felt a little guilty leaving him alone when all of his colleagues would be accompanied by their partners.

he never forced you to with him, knowing that you would feel a little uncomfortable with so many people so he was surprised when you told him that you would go with him.

“are you sure? you don’t have to and you know that mi amor” he asked you one night before going to bed.

“i’m sure…i wanna be there for you” you said laying your head over his chest.

“if anything happens you gotta tell me tho…”

you smiled at him “i promise you”

so the night of the even became and you were kinda nervous.

you had a pretty long blue dress, hair and make up done and damian wearing a matching blue outfit by your side.

once at the even you were kinda glad you knew almost everyone there. rhea, finn and dom never failed to make you feel welcomed. rhea always treated you like you were sisters and you loved her for that. shauna greeted you, zoey did too. you were happy to see all of those familiar faces that you started to get loose a little. with damian always by your side, you started conversations with most of the people but it was when journalists came around asking damian useless questions that you started to feel a little overwhelmed.

you wouldn’t mind it if they respected your private and personal space but they didn’t.

damian’s hand was holding yours while he was faking smiling answering all of the questions.

“what is her problem? why won’t she leave him alone?” you heard one of the journalist ask to a friend.

damian didn’t hear that but you did.

you tried to shake that feeling away but the fear of having someone’s eyes on you, constantly judging you wasn’t go away.

“are you okay mariposa?” damian asked you, feeling you were getting lost in your head.

“yes i’m fine…” you smiled at him but he wasn’t convinced at all “why don’t we go drink something with rhea and the rest of the group?”

he nodded, being satisfied with your answer.

so a few hours passed, the journalists left but the fear of someone’s eyes on you was still there. you couldn’t explain why but the overwhelming feeling you were experiencing was eating you alive.

“dam…i think i’m going out for a bit, i’ll be right back…” you said leaving the room, not looking back, not even when damian asked you if you were okay.

of course, he followed you outside and his heart broke when he saw tears filling your eyes “baby…what’s going on? are you okay?”

“i don’t know, i just got overwhelmed…” you said. his arms opened up and you immediately found safety in his embrace. he let you cry, not judging you. his hands tracing your back, slowly and gently.

after a few minutes your tears slowed down, making it easier for you to breathe again.

“did something happened?” he asked cautiously. he didn’t want you to overwhelm you with question, he just wanted be sure you were doing okay.

“i don’t know…there was a journalist who said something…but then she got away and in my mind she stayed there…i don’t know i just felt overwhelmed and…”

“hey hey love, take it easy…you’re okay…you’re okay my love…i promise you you’re safe…” he tried to calm you down when he realised you were panicking again “i promise you i’m here…everything’s okay and no one is judging you baby…is it okay if i hug you again?”

“yes please…”

damian smiled when you hugged him back, knowing that most of the times you just wanted to remain alone “it’s okay love…” he reminded you, making you feel loved and safe.

“i’m sorry i ruined your party…i shouldn’t have come, i know you would have better fun without me being here…”

“that’s nonsense love…this party is boring and you being here makes it even better, i love you so much y/n and having you here with me means the world to me. i’m so proud of you for trying to come out of your comfort zone but i promise you that you don’t have to do that, not for me especially…do what makes you happy and safe…” he kissed the top of your head, making you feel loved and appreciated.

“thank you for being here damian…i love you so much…” you smiled into his arms.

“why don’t we stop by the market you like and we buy that delicious ice cream and then we watch a movie and cuddle on the couch together?” he suggested, almost like reading your mind.

“that’s a perfect idea…” you smiled again.

feeling thankful and grateful for having someone as supportive as damian in your life, that was the best feeling ever.

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 77)

Khan was looking over a blueprint of the bunker, taking note of every empty hallway, abandoned room, and silent space.

There used to be so many more of them, a population over several thousand strong, living on the surface, it fell a bit when they retreated into the bunker, people locked outside when the doors shut for the first time, but there were still so many of them.

And yet… their population had fallen and had kept falling, a joint effort from the disassembly drones hunting and a falling birthrate, nobody wanted to have kids with a looming threat over their heads, and despite the bunker being safe, there were reasons people would go outside, the bunker ran on solar power, and those were outside… you do the math.

That was something they didn't have to worry about anymore, but now there was so much space that was left unused that he didn't know what to do with. A part of him wanting to keep these places accessible… in hopes that eventually the bunker would be full again. But another wanted to make use of the extra material, perhaps to reinforce the sections that were being used.

He was interrupted by a loud and urgent knock, pulling his head out of the sprawling blueprint with a jump. He sighed as he took a final sip of coolant before stretching, every gasket in his spine decompressing with a loud hiss.

He left his home office and made his way to the door. Expecting another visit from Dale, that man was exceptionally not happy with N and V moving into the bunker, and had been complaining to Khan ever since he'd found out about it.

He understood his qualms, Dale had lost his entire family to them over the years, it was why he dedicated the rest of his life to the protection of the bunker from the outside. But since day one, the man had been extreme.

Dale suggested that they booby trap the first door so that any drone that tried to get in would be summarily lit on fire, and it took too much convincing from both himself and Hal on why that would be equally dangerous to anyone needing to do maintenance on the doors or the solar panels.

Dale then moved on to outright demanding that they send an armed force to attack the disassembly drone “nest” (his words, not Khan’s.) head on.

Hal about strangled Dale for that, “We've lost enough people! Are you outta ya mind?!” He screamed, pressing him up against a wall, gripping Dale's shirt.

Hal had chilled out quite a bit in age, but when younger he had a little bit of temper problem.

He opened the door not to find Dale wanting to go on another drunken tirade, but his daughter, stress present on every feature of her face, his granddaughter (oh that was still exciting to say) tucked in her arms protectively, with N in behind her looking grim.

He immediately knew something was wrong.

“Uzi, N. What's the matter? Is everything okay?” His first thought was that, somehow, Uzi had lost the baby, but another minute of looking at the both of them took that thought away, they both looked more concerned then heartbroken.

“Sorry for barging in dad but… this is kinda urgent.” Uzi explained and Khan moved to the side to let them in. He noticed the way N's tail was arched around Uzi, not quite wrapping around her, but being angled in a way that he could pull her into him at a moment's notice. What has got him so on edge.

“It's not a problem. What's wrong dronelette?” Khan’s voice was as soft as he could make it, difficult due to how deep his voice was naturally, but it was an attempt all the same.

“Okay. Sit. I have a presentation for you, and I don't think you're going to like it.” Uzi led him down to sit on his own couch, a small wary smile breaking onto his face.

“I feel like that's become a pattern.” He chuckled, and for a moment she smiled back.

“For once, it's not about me.” And then the moment was over, stress lines returning as she sat Tera up next to him, his granddaughter smiling and belting “Pop Pop!” At the top of her lungs.

His core felt like it had been punched, and he immediately took her into his lap, he noticed her fangs, but said nothing, Nori had them too, it wasn't that strange.

In a moment, N had made a projector with his hand, displaying a slightly fuzzy, yellow tinted hologram onto his coffee table, his immediate thought was if N would allow him to take a look on how that functioned, but that thought was immediately taken away by Uzi's voice.

“Okay so N and I were outside, uh -” She didn't want to freak her father out by telling him about the nest N made, so she stammered slightly. “-Scavenging, for old times sake, when he found this.”

The blank hologram fizzled into the figure of a drone, limping and acting erratic, strange tendrils snaking up it's back, before it's head came off, and a thick black appendage was released from it's cavity.

Khan’s eyelights went hollow immediately, equal parts disgusted and horrified. What the hell was that?

“Before you ask, no, that's not the worst part.” Uzi seemed to read his mind as the hologram fizzled again, this time into a fairly accurate model of Copper-9 itself.

“This, is the worst part.”

A huge hole opened up on the side of the holographic planet, exposing the nonexistent core, tendrils snaked out of it before it fizzled into a closer, more detailed view of flesh and bone from the ground and slightly above.

Yeah, that was way worse.

“This… thing. Opened up not too far from here, N and V already scouted it, it's too big to burn, and any explosive would put the rest of the planet at risk.” His eyes turned to his daughter, her body language erratic, her tail was free without her notice, twitching like it was irritated. Despite her composed speech, she was on the verge of falling apart.

“We need to evacuate the planet, a-all of us, because this thing is spreading, and if you touch it it turns you into that.” The hologram switched back to the drone with the tentacle for a head.

“And you are literally the only drone I know who everyone would actually listen to if you told them to. So…”

Khan was speechless for a moment, all the information bouncing around in his head like an arrant pinball. Eyelights frozen hollow and his mouth agape.

She wasn't wrong, that hole looked like it went straight to the center of the planet, and if that was the case, more holes would surely follow, like a worldwide sinkhole.

But.. leaving the planet?

He had respect sure, and he was certain he could at least get all of his team of engineers in board, they were all itching for a challenge. But he knew getting everyone on board wouldn't be easy…

“That's a lot to ask… even for me.” He finally found some words, even as they came out choked. “This is our home Uzi, we don't know anything else.”

He was including himself, logically, she was absolutely correct, evacuation was the best course of action. But he'd been built here, built, worked, loved, lived an entire lifetime on this planet. And leaving it - that was scary.

“Dad, if we don't leave we're all going to die. There's no… hiding from this. There won't be a planet to call home anymore.” Uzi stepped towards him, almost pleading.

“I-I don't know, m-maybe if we vacuum seal the doors-” He stammered, looking for another solution, a familiar one instead of one so bathed in uncertainty.

“Please Dad, just trust me!”

And suddenly he was back in that dreadful moment, Uzi panicking, bladed wing impaled through her shoulder, pleading with him to just point and shoot and to trust her. Where his body was trembling watching that murder drone - N, drool all over the floor in prep for his next meal.

His greatest regret. And a chance to redeem himself.

He looked down at his granddaughter, all smiles, looking up at him with such wide eyes, eyes that reminded him so much of his little girl… that was now pleading for him once more.

He'd listen this time.

“I-I, Okay. We'll try.”

Next ->

[jewish-vents]

'bout a month and a half ago I sent in a rant about how scared every Jewish person has been since 10/7, since "the world stopped pretending it cared about us" well I'm done being scared. Now I'm just fucking angry. I'm angry that people think we deserve this. I'm angry that people are spreading misinformation on purpose. I'm angry that I can't do anything except pray that things will turn out okay. I'm angry that they get to march in the streets and I'm forced to stay inside so I don't get stabbed. I'm angry that they get to scream in my face how I'm a "colonizer, genocide supporter, kill babies for fun" and I'm forced to stay quiet so that I don't get killed. I'm angry that they get to shut down bridges, airports, disrupt society, riot, be violent and everyone calls it activism. But if any Jew dares to ask that our family be released from their torturous kidnappers we're jumped on. I'm angry that Jews are celebrated for 'refuting their Jewishness' but to denounce Hamas is something none of these people can seem to do. I'm angry that nobody fucking cares.

I wish I could punch someone and call it 'activism'. I wish I could march in the streets begging for my family to be saved. I wish I could scream in the faces of the people who hang "rape is a valid form of resistance" posters. I wish I could do anything. but I can't even tell my classmates and coworkers why I'm not coming in on April 22nd, I can't explain why I can't answer an email on Saturday.

Thank you for reaching out again!

You know, it was quite cathartic to read your vent. I too feel angry, many of us do. And anger can be a scary emotion to have, especially when society tries telling us we're not allowed to feel it. But you are. Feel that anger, talk to it, understand it. It comes from a place of deep pain and betrayal, and like any other emotion it is not only valid but important. Hold your anger like it's a child and say what you wish people would say to you. Ask it things like "why do you feel angry? What do you want to tell me? For how long do you need to feel angry? How can I help you feel better when you're ready to feel better?". Within what's safe for you and others, don't shy away from your anger. If you need some ideas of ways to cope with that anger, to express it in healthy ways or to calm down, don't be afraid to reach out and ask.

Also important, don't let only anger exist. Remember to hold space for other emotions.

Stay safe, and honestly get rightfully angry once in a while

- 🐺

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for leaving my friend groups Discord server?

💐💐💐 So I can find this later. For context, I was in 2 servers that were friend groups, where my friends would all interact with each other, play & stream games, etc. However, recently we had a situation where someone, let's call her Sasha, would send many vent messages in the general channel, then delete said message before we could respond or even look at the messages, & get mad at us for not responding. She'd also complain about everything that happened in her life, school, in games, & she'd always repeat the same things, over & over again. In the end, we got tired of how she was forcing everyone to stop being as active in the server because of her behavior & actions, so we all made another server, without Sasha, so we could interact with peace without her interrupting conversations. This all happened 3-4 months ago. Then 3 of the people in our new server got a game on Roblox, Deepwoken. Another person, let's call him Kevin, already had the game for a while, so they all got the game & started playing all together. They were incredibly passionate about it, it would be the only thing talked about. One of them got me the currency to get Deepwoken, so I could play with them all. A while later, I got a hang of the game, then when I asked if any of them could play with me, one of them, let's call him Tim, would keep telling me that "Oh, you have to play the game alone to get the real experience, & to learn things better." every time I would ask. Sometimes, rarely, they'd answer some questions I had about the game that I didn't quite grasp yet, & a lot of the time i'd just, not receive any answer. After a while, I got tired of how they didn't respond to me at all, so I just stopped playing. Keep in mind, I don't have any other friends that have the game, so I didn't have anyone else to talk to about it. I love my friends but I felt ignored & was hurt, so I passed ownership to another friend of mine, & left. About a day after leaving, I ended up feeling extremely depressed & overwhelmed with schoolwork, eye appointments, a random limb & joint pain that I had no idea why I was having, & I accidentally unfriended Tim. With my being extremely overwhelmed, thinking it was a good idea at the time, I sent him a message saying "accidentally unfriended u mb. u could also not accep, that works too" Then another message after that one, "okay well um, im gonna assume that you arent going to accept it again so thank you for all youve done for me before you say that im making it sound like i gave up; i have given up i gave up a little while ago" After that, I got a message from him saying that I needed to calm down, that my friend request wasn't the most important thing in his mind right now, & that he's allowed to put it on hold for at least a day before I start telling him some "nvm shit". I sincerely apologized & told him that I needed to take a break, that I hope he's doing okay, & that I hope college goes well for him. I did indeed, take a break, for only 2 weeks because I felt extremely guilty, stupid & reckless. Those weeks felt like forever because that whole thing was on my mind 24/7. It was eating me alive. & No, I am not saying to gain pity. Just trying to explain what I felt. Tim answered, told me that I should grow & change as a person, & that he doesn't mean it in a condescending way, that the server was meant to be a safe space, that in order to make everyone comfortable, there's some things we need to just not say or some things we need to think about a lot before saying them. It's the reason Sasha got booted, & that we give as much as we get. I'm reading back on his messages, & I didn't say anything in the server to make everyone uncomfortable. Am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[nomoreusername]

The Past

Pairing:Gally x female reader

Summary:When you want to find the truth, you inject yourself with a stinger.

It was a bad idea. Maybe. Probably.

Yeah. It was a really dumb idea.

Nevertheless, I barely hesitated to do said idea.

I don't trust many people. I don't think any of this makes sense. I don't think Teresa and I have any correlation to the Maze.

I had to know for sure though.

That's why I stabbed myself with the Griever stinger before anybody could actually register it. I grabbed the stinger and jammed it into my leg, immediately sending me to the ground. The world around me blurred as my eyes shut.

I seemed to be floating outside of my body, watching years and years ago. I mean I’m assuming so, judging by the way that I seemed to be watching a smaller me interacting with somebody familiar.

“I don't want them to take me,”I whispered, clinging to someone who was so close to my memory yet I couldn't put my finger on it.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll see you soon,”the boy promised.

I know that face and voice. I swear I do, but everything's a mess. Everything is blurry.

“Alby, I don't trust them,”I pleaded.

“But-”

“I know you don't, but you have to go with them. Just for now,”He pushed.

“Y/N, it's-”

“Y/N, look at me,”He pushed, his voice firm and urgent. I stood straight up as I did as he said, wiping my eyes a little. “Listen to them for now. It's the only way we’re safe. Okay?”

“Okay,”I nodded.

“We just-”

“Don't touch her,”Alby interrupted, pulling me behind him.

“It's just-”

“She doesn't like being touched,”Alby said firmly.

“So do not touch her. Ever,”He warned.

“Fine. Y/N, come on.”

The words were slurred again despite people’s lips moving. I looked closely, almost squinting as I attempted to read them.

I didn't get that done before that feeling came back. The feeling of the world being one dimension. The feeling of everything being a rush.

Until it wasn't.

Until I was watching younger but slightly older me, standing in a room with what seemed to be Teresa.

“I don't know anyone. Not really. Only Thomas and Ava,”She admitted, her voice quiet.

“You can know me? If you’d like?”I offered.

“You wouldn't mind?”

“Why would I mind?”

“Because . . . you know?”

Know what?

“I do, but I’ll still be your friend?”I smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah. What's your name?”

“I’m Teresa,”She introduced, slowly holding out her hand to give me the option to shake her hand. Not demanding. Truly offering.

“I’m Y/N,”I introduced, accepting it.

The moment was sweet and genuine. It also explained why I had felt so drawn to Teresa, so determined to trust her.

Because some part of me knows her.

That was ruined by that blurry feeling though, as I was forced into some other time, some other memory that was barely a blur.

“We can trust her, Gally. She's my friend.”

First Alby, then Teresa, now Gally? What the hell? Do I just know everyone in the Glade?

“Well, I don't trust her. Not one bit,”He argued.

“Well, I trust her. Isn't that enough?”

“It usually is, but not for something like this.”

“For something like WC-”

“For something like what? Just stop dancing around it, and spit it out already.”

“Y/N,”a firm yet almost soft, enthusiastic voice greeted. I snapped my head at the same time as younger me to see younger Alby.

“Alby,”I greeted back, running up and swiftly throwing my arms around him. He hugged me back, relief written all over his face.

“Have you been okay lately?”

“As good as it gets in here,”I shrugged, pulling away.

“And you’ve been behaving in front of them, right?”

“Ehh. I’m working on that part.”

I turned around at the sound of footsteps to see that Gally was leaving, hands in his pockets as he thought about whatever that conversation was.

What was it though? I don't quite get it. Everything is so vague, and it's like something is almost clicking but not quite ready.

I didn't get to find out though, before I was in front of a new scene. One with a slightly older but still younger Teresa.

“It's just odd sometimes, you know? Being in this one space with one person almost all day, every day. It's isolating,”She ranted.

“It’d be weird if it didn't seem like that sometimes,”I shrugged.

“It's supposed to be the right thing though, and I want to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing.”

“You don't have to do anything. You want to do the right thing. It’s different,”I argued.

“Not with them, it's not,”She mumbled.

“There's always a choice. Granted, it might have consequences, but there are choices nevertheless.”

“I don't even know what the consequences would be. That means I have to keep doing this, for everyone.”

“For the world you mean?”

“Yeah. For the world,”She nodded.

What is Teresa doing for the world though? What am I missing?

As the world blurred, it was clear I wouldn't find out here.

“Just trust her, okay? We can trust her,”I almost pleaded, back to standing in front of Gally.

“No. I can't trust her. I won't.”

“Gall, just for a little? Just give her a chance? She deserves that,”I said firmer.

“I can't just give her a chance. If it was different, fine, but it isn't. Her side is different.”

Side? What side? What am I missing?! What exactly am I missing?!

“She's conflicted, but she isn't bad. I have trust in her. I always have.”

“And it's great. It's great that you can see the good, but I don't. I just can't.”

Why is she bad? How could she be? She's one of the only people here I’ve actually liked. She's been nothing but kind, and having another girl there has been a lifesaver.

I didn't get to think about that either as the world did the obnoxious blur thing that made me want to rip my hair off yet again.

“Would you have done it any differently? If you knew it would end like this?”

Gally’s voice was much softer this time and far more kind. It was sympathetic even. Even though the words could have been described as gotcha, it was clear they weren't meant to be like that.

“No. Not really,”I answered.

The memories were strange. They were in order, but I can't tell what it means. There's surely supposed to be another message, but said message is unclear.

“You’ll miss me though, right?”He whispered.

My expression dropped as I looked at him. Without a word, I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together.

“I’ll miss you every day,”I whispered, placing my free hand on his cheek.

Every part of me burned as it felt like I was intruding on a moment I wasn't supposed to see. Even though they're my own memories, the closeness seemed private, like I had to cover my eyes.

What was even more surprising is that he kissed back. He put his free hand behind my head and accepted the kiss with a kind of gentleness I didn't know he had.

Without a word, I pressed my lips against his for just a moment. Even though I kind of expected it, I was still caught off guard. I mean me kissing someone isn't something I could predict, much less me kissing someone I currently know.

I didn't get to see that side for long before the blur came back even worse. Nobody was talking, but there were voices that were far too loud and blending together. Everything was turning dark as well, like my eyes were being forced shut.

“Think she’ll wake up soon?”

Wake up? Why do I need to wake up?

“I think so. She has to, right?”

As I had this hell of a headache, I found myself staring at light. Squinting, I covered my eyes as I very slowly sat up.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I uncovered my face to see Gally. Immediately, my face burned at the memory from who knows how long ago. And he doesn't even know.

Speaking of not knowing, what about Teresa? I have to talk to her, right? See if I can find out what happened?

“I’m fine. Teresa though, where is she?”

“Why?”He asked quickly.

“Why what?”

“If we can sacrifice them to-”

“Why does it matter where she is? All of this is because of her and Thomas.”

“Where is Teresa?”I repeated.

Not needing to hear anything else, I stood up, rushing past him and out the door. The second I stepped out, I saw chaos all around me, fire having burned the Glade to the ground and destruction everywhere. Absolutely nothing was saved. Nothing.

It can't be her fault though.

“Do you see? Our home is gone,”He justified, walking out and standing beside me.

“She doesn't have anything to do with it,”I restated.

“Y/N, her and Thomas are trouble. They have been from the start.”

“So Teresa is trouble, but I wasn't?”

“It's just different, okay?”

“Why? Because we kiss?”

“What?”He asked quickly, the confusion at my words becoming clear as day. I internally cringed at my hotheaded words as I remembered that he doesn't know.

And right now my instincts are telling me to look for them.

It doesn't matter though. I have to get Teresa and Thomas. Even if I seem like the worst person ever for this, even if I’m wrong, I have to follow my instincts.

[lovewithasideoffries]

serum: peter hayes x reader

notes: this takes place at the end of insurgent but if instead of trying to open the box, tris, four, and peter just go back to the factionless

summary: after saving tris, peter is forced to take the truth serum to reveal his motives. but he ends up revealing more about his schoolboy crush on y/n than intended.

word count: basically 1k

REQUESTS OPEN FOR FOUR AND PETER FROM DIVERGENT

Everyone was wary of Peter, especially Tris. How could she not be? He’d screwed her over more times than she could count. And although his stunt to save her in Erudite did earn him a safe trip back to the Factionless with them, it did not earn him an ounce of trust. 

Luckily, Tori had a solution for that. She had contacted Jack Kang since the three got back and was able to get ahold of enough truth serum for one person (they couldn't risk letting it fall into the hands of Evelyn; she was still not to be trusted). 

So here you are now. They’d decided it was best not to have Peter spill his soul to all the Dauntless and Factionless and instead are in a closed off room filled with Peter, you (per his request), Tris, Four, Tori, and - to everyone’s dismay but her own - Evelyn. 

“Okay so once we inject the serum you’ll start to feel lightheaded,” Tori explains to him, at which he rolls his eyes, “We’ll ask you questions and the more you try to resist telling us the truth-” 

“The more it'll hurt,” Peter cuts her off. “I know the drill. Former-Candor here, remember?”

Tori ignores him and says, “Alright, are you ready?” 

Peter grabs your hand and grips it tightly. Everyone has fears, no matter how brave they may act, and one of Peter’s, ironically, is needles. You squeeze his hand reassuringly as the metal goes into his neck and injects the serum. 

“You okay?” you ask him softly, looking into those soft brown eyes of his. You know that the serum has worked when he shakes his head a bit. Peter would never willingly admit to you that he isn't feeling well because of something so simple.

“It’ll be over soon, Pete, promise.” You pull him into a short hug and step aside, giving him space for the questioning. 

“Peter,” Four says, gaining his attention, “Whose side are you on? Ours or Jeanine’s?”

“I’m on my own side,” he says, “Whichever benefits me most at the moment is the one I will help.”

“Can we trust you?” Tris asks. The question is not a very clear one, and you aren't sure how he’ll answer. 

“That depends.”

“On what?” Everlyn demands impatiently.

“On a lot of things,” Peter shrugs. He should not be able to conceal information so well, but being past-Candor has taught him many things, and how to keep his mouth shut is one of them. 

“Like what?” Four’s mother repeats. 

“Well for starters, who's winning. And then what's in it for me. Because honestly I don't give a shit about this war. All I care about is how it affects me… and those I care about.”

That answer seems to satisfy the group because they move onto their next question. “Why did you save Tris?” Four questions. 

“Because I owed her. And I don't like owing people. Being in debt to someone is allowing them to have power over you. The sooner I can eliminate that power the better,” he answers. But he winces, just slightly, at the end of his sentence and Tris catches it. 

“No, there's more than that,” she insists. “There's got to be more to that answer.”

A pause. And Peter is visibly fighting the serum. He groans in pain, before giving in. “I did it because it’s what Y/n would've wanted me to do.”

Your expression turns to one of shock. “What? Peter, what are you talking about?” 

His eyes clench closed in pain and you take it back. “Wait, don't answer that. I’m sorry, I didn't mean to force you.”

“No, answer it,” Tris says, simply out of curiosity.

“Tris!” you exclaim. “Don't, Peter.”

“Why not? Aren't you curious?” she shoots back. And of course you are. You’ve been in love with this man ever since you met when you were kids, but for that exact reason you don't want to push his boundaries.

“Because he’s my friend!” you exclaim, “I’m not going to force him to tell me something if he's not comfortable!”

“Do it Peter! Why’d you do what Y/n wanted you to?” Tori jumps in, teaming up with Tris, and Four watches the scene in amusement.

“Because I’m in love with her,” he blurts out, deep crescent marks dug into his palms from how tightly he was clenching his fists. He slaps his hand over his mouth and he watches your reaction nervously. 

“Alright and we’ll leave you to it,” Tris says, pulling Four out the room with her with a smirk on her face. Tori and Evelyn soon follow them. 

“Y/n-” he starts, but you cut him off. 

“Pete, if you don't want to talk about it now, we don't have to. It's not fair that you have a truth serum in you and I don't.” You turn to leave. 

“Stay,” he calls out. “I want to talk about it now.” 

“You sure?” He nods, and so you take a seat on the floor across from him and he slips off the chair he was sitting on to join you. 

“I’m sorry,” he says sadly.

“For what?” you ask, genuinely confused.

“For throwing all this onto you. I know you don't feel the same, but please can we just pretend this never happened and-”

“Peter!” you cut him off seriously. “I’m in love with you too.”

He’s shocked. “You what?”

You smile shyly. “I’m in love with you, Peter Hayes.”

“So it's okay if I kiss you?” he clarifies.

You lean forward and your hand cups his cheek as you press your lips to his. He smiles into the kiss, and tangles a hand into your hair as he deepens it. 

When you pull away, his eyes meet yours lovingly and you get to admire him for all of three seconds until Tori pops her head back into the room and childishly says “You’re welcome!”

divergent taglist:

@manyfandomsfanvergent

[sophieinwonderland]

I cut out the link since I'm blocked by the account. Tumblr doesn't give clear instructions on what to do if you get an anon ask about a blog that has you blocked, but this seems a safe practice to protect the individual in question.

I would also ask people not send me links to this particular blog in the future.

With that out of the way, non-western society isn't some monolith and treating it as such is itself western-centric.

Maybe there are some places where endogenic plurality is less stigmatized. I might question their conclusion that it's trauma responses being stigmatized as opposed to trauma accusations. Most childhood trauma is from family, and loyalty to family is a higher priority in many cultures than it is in the West. And admitting to being a traumagenic system is usually the same as accusing your family of abusing you which is going to be interpreted as a betrayal of your family.

But while some areas may be more accepting, on the other hand, there are also many non-western countries where people are tortured and killed in exorcisms for what's interpreted as spiritual possession.

Another thing they try to do is dismiss abuse over pluralphobia as simply existing at an intersection of other oppressed identities. I assume they're talking about how, for example, laws discriminating against people for identifying having a different gender than their AGAB just happen to oppress plurals too because of that intersection.

I find this intersection theory to be an interesting perspective from the SAME EXACT SYSTEM who months ago suggested that I came too close to "claiming transphobia" by pointing out a certain theme in an ask.

Here's a refresher for those who missed it:

Yes, that's them.

The same exact system you linked.

The admin to The Survivor's Network.

This particular user, and their awful little bullying Hellhole of a server, has repeatedly tried to downplay and dismiss discrimination against endogenic systems, and systems in general.

They're the absolute worst.

I feel it's important to understand where these arguments are coming from and what their goal is. Anti-endos with a long history of attacking endogenic systems want to erase or minimize the harm they've done or are doing. To acknowledge all systems as being oppressed for being systems, rather than ONLY traumagenic systems due to general ableism, would require admitting that they were the bad guys all along.

But let's put get back to the topic at hand.

The position that plurals aren't institutionally oppressed is nonsense

The most stigmatized parts of DID isn't the trauma flashbacks or the chronic depression or even the lapses in memory. It is, and always has been, the multiplicity. There's a reason every horror movie about DID will focus on that and double down on the evil alter trope.

The evil alter trope is an evolution of stories about people being possessed, being werewolves, or being replaced by Fae or malevolent Fox spirits.

People with DID aren't stereotyped as murderers because they're traumatized, but because they're plural. In fact, one common complaint about DID representation you see all the time is that it tends to erase every other symptom and comorbid disorder.

The multiplicity is always treated as the defining problem with systems in society.

This is why forced fusion from therapists used to be pushed so hard, and has been so harmful to systems with DID over the years.

But DID systems aren't the only victims of this form of medical pluralphobia, even in disordered spaces.

The same is true of other plural and plural adjacent disorders and experiences. It's why Dr. Romme of the Hearing Voices Network has compared forcing voice hearers to get rid of their voices to be akin to conversion therapy to "cure" homosexulaity.

And yes, this is happening to non-disordered systems. Just a few months ago, a tulpamancer talked about their own experiences of being forced on antipsychotic medication to get rid of their tulpa.

When the user tried explaining more to their psychiatrist, the psychiatrist actually increased their medication.

This form of psychiatric abuse goes beyond simple social stigma.

And this conversion therapy approach to plurality is something that many plurals and voice-hearers have had to deal with for decades. And itself is an evolution of the exorcisms people associated with spiritual plurality have been subjected to for centuries.

I should also mention Cambriancrew has talked about medical staff over the past couple years reporting policies of denying care specifically to systems.

Plurals have never been named as a collective group until the last 30 years.

But we've ALWAYS faced this type of widespread societal oppression for our plurality.

From friends and family ostracizing and rejecting us or even targeting us for hate from others.

From psychiatrists abusing us or trying to cure us.

From religious institutions engaging in literal torture to get rid of perceived demons.

And from a society at large that repeatedly denies our very existence and our personhood.

[itzrafee]

One Piece Chapter Discussion (Chapter 1126)

Ooh looks like the mystery continues with Yamato investigating the disappearances. I am so curious to see what kind of long lasting effects this will have as with this chapter we’re getting some resolution on a six to seven year old cover story. It’s nice to see Oda expanding on the story around Wano as it’s clear he had a lot of thoughts around it when he was writing it that he didn’t get to explore. I’m also quite curious as to what will happen with the cover stories the closer we get to the end. Whereas he has space to explore other facets of Wano through the cover story, is that something he’ll be able to do with Elbaph with it being so close to the end? Anyways, the rest of the discussion, which is spoiler filled, can be found below the cut!

I don’t know about y’all but I think it would be absolutely terrifying to be where the Straw Hats are in this first page if they weren’t allies with the giants. They straight up just kinda look like their dinner. But we’re not talking about Big Mom so I think the Straw Hats are probably safe. Also while somewhat terrifying, the designs of the Giants are great, they all ooze personality and joviality. I would not want to see them angry either. It’s interesting that the name of the absinthe they’re drinking is the “Green Fairy” and that it can cause hallucinations. Is that just set up to explain how and why the two parties got separated or is it set up for some absinthe-driven hallucinations? 

It’s interesting to me on a story structure level that this chapter kind of illustrates how Oda might have to delve into more slice of life stuff with the crew going forward. That before making this chapter important by flitting around the world and getting updates, Oda first spends some time with the crew just having fun and goofing off. It satisfies the pre-timeskip crowd clamoring for these types of scenes, me among that crowd.

This small sequence with Bonney also gets me right in the heart. Not only does she feel comfortable enough to finally be a child and not put on the airs of a grown adult that the One Piece world requires of people but also she gets to finally be free with her father. One Piece has this startling quality to it that makes the reality of war and oppression so real by contrasting the comedic with the emotional. And nothing hits quite as hard as the fate of the children of this series. We see through the suffering of the Straw Hats as children, Nami, Sanji, and Robin, among a few other characters throughout the series, on how oppression forces you to grow up and be stronger than any child should have to be. In recent arcs that oppression is a reality our young adult Straw Hats face head on. From Otama and Toko in Wano to the metaphors of growing up too fast that Bonney and Momo face us with, Oda is able to use these fantastical elements to deliver truths in more digestible ways. The tragedy of Momo and Bonney having to grow up so fast is such a potent and heart wrenching way to show this side of opression. But Oda is able to provide us with a catharsis that the real world so often denies by having Bonney feel safe again. By having Momo be safe and surrounded by loved ones.

Moving on from that dour and entirely too real note, we finally get a resolution on a cover story from wayyyy long ago where Bartolomeo burned down Shanks flag in Luffy’s name. And there’s a lot to talk about here. For such a fan-favourite and an audience surrogate for many, including myself, It’s odd that it’s been so long since we’ve seen Barto(don’t even get me started on Bon Clay!!). But it’s interesting that Oda seems to understand his impact as it seems like he’s being placed on the same level as Kid and Law in a way. Now this might be a little tin foil hatty of me but don’t you find it odd that Kid, Law, and Barto, all devil fruit users by the way, were all sunk at sea in the New World, the most dangerous sea maybe aside from the Calm Belt? 

And if we remember certain man with a burn scar who was first mentioned in chapter 1056(56=GoMu) and then again brought up in 1081 where it was mentioned that anyone who comes close to him gets swallowed up by whirlpools, I think we might have an option for what might’ve happened to those three. Adding on to that, if we go allll the way back to chapter 2 and full tin foil hat, we can see Luffy getting sucked into a whirlpool soon after he sets out on his journey but then bursting out of a barrel sometime after with Koby. In my head, I can totally see the aforementioned three joining Luffy on Elbaph, especially now that’s been separated from his crew. Maybe Luffy was also kidnapped by this whirlpool wielding man with a burn scar…again.

Okay, fanciful thinking aside we still gotta talk about how we’ve seen Shank’s main crew be ruthless badasses. Lucky Roux in Chapter 1 straight killed a dude while the whole crew laughed. Benn Beckman not only threatened Kizaru but also cut off Kid’s arm. And here, Yassop basically has a cannon attached to his gun and blows up a fleeing Barto Club. While these guys may seem easygoing, they’re still stone cold pirates. Also that ultimatum with the poison was pretty cold too. Barto’s ship blowing up also shows how lethal Yassop’s Haki must be, because I can imagine that Barto might’ve tried to shield his ship with his devil fruit.

I find it curious that Koby was so important to Blackbeard’s plans. I wonder if Blackbeard wanted to use Koby like how the Marines used Ace? We know how much Blackbeard’s plans mean to him. His scheming, though a lot of the time quite impromptu, is half the reason he’s an emperor already. And Blackbeard is in prime position to execute some big time operations. Not only does he have leverage in Garp(though thinking about it, wouldn’t the marines be glad to be rid of him?), he also has Pudding and all the knowledge Caribou brings. Oda makes it a point to show that Caribou has finally gotten to Blackbeard. It’s interesting that he’s surveilling the Revolutionary's too. Especially with Lafitte. Maybe he’s trying to get the heat off of himself by having Lafitte do some undercover hits and then blame it on the Revo’s?

Though, weirdly, the most important tidbit here to me is that Moria got away. It seems most likely that Moria will join Cross Guild as it seems to be the place for Warlord Alumni and Perona already has connections there in the form of Mihawk. I’d originally thought that Blackbeard was going to get Moria to reanimate Kaido, Big Mom, and Garp’s corpses with the obstacle standing in their way being that Blackbeard was responsible for Absolams death but now it seems like Moria’s going to be a player for Cross Guild, with at least the Yonkou resurrections still on the table. Also if Cross Guild is the place to be for former Warlords then we could see Boa join too. And maybe even Kuma and Doflamingo if the latter breaks out of Impel Down. Which I kinda hope he does just purely due to the fact that it might provide a path for Bon Clay to get out too.

This scene with Bonney and Jinbei is adorable but uhh, what’s Lilith staring at? Could she be communicating with Vegapunk?

Finally, in the last page we get some weird shenanigans happening. First, someone wakes Nami up but it appears that she’s alone. She’s had a change of clothes and seems to be in a lego house. The floor is kind of undeniable proof of that even if you want to try and explain away everything else. And finally, she seems to be alone. The going theory seems to be that this is Prince Loki’s lego house and that he’s playing with the StrawHats like toys. He could’ve been the one to call out for Nami. He could be a fan of the StrawHats. And honestly, that theory kinda makes sense, I totally subscribe to it. Loki could be a somewhat petulant giant like Big Mom. I also don’t think the impatient figure at the end of 1124 is him either as that seemed to be a human who was drinking, my going theory about that person being that it was Scopper Gaban, the third crew member of the Roger Pirates after Roger and Rayliegh. There’s a break next week so we’ll have to at least wait that long for answers, so until then!

[family-trauma]

I am very upset today and need some insight from the people of this community....

To the parents: Is it valid for parents to expect, force through manipulation and lies their adult children to take care of them when they are older? If you feel some or all parts of this is right or wrong please response to this post explaining what it is and why.

To the children here: Do you feel it's right for older parents to say that they educated you, provided shelter and food as children so you owe them now? If you feel some or all parts of this is right or wrong, please explain the reasoning behind your view.

Thanks! Looking forward to hear from as many people as possible. There's no right or wrong answer. I want to keep this blog as a safe space to share your opinions.

[forlornmelody]

Bury A Friend: Chapter 2 -- Say it, spit it out, what is it exactly?

Rating: Explicit (previous and future chapters have smut)

Ship: Jayrose, Roseroy, eventual poly dynamics.

AO3 Link: Here

Summary:  As Rose's employers tighten the net around them, she has a harder and harder time hiding her feelings for Roy from Jason.

Note: Aaaah, one of the scenes for this fic was DIRECTLY inspired from the fic's namesake, and was one of the first scenes I wrote for this fic. In my head, anyway. So excited to finally share it with y'all.

---

Two days after the first kidnapping, Rose’s in the same room, but this time her captors didn’t bother with the bag. No, a blunt-force knock out proved much more efficient. Someone else might have died. Rose, on the other hand, has a killer headache. On the bright side, she isn’t going to have a headache for much longer.

“I’m disappointed in you, Wilson.” Why do they always have to monologue? “So much potential gone to waste.” Seriously, Rose has a fucking supervillain for a father. She’s suffered enough monologues to last her a lifetime. 

Rose breathes in and out, focusing on her breath the way Joey taught her to meditate, staring down the barrel of the gun as if there’s a light at the end of it. 

BANG!

Rose blinks, watching as the woman in front of her, her former employer, flops face first onto the table, blood spilling from her forehead across the steel surface. She blinks again as Jason opens the door from the other side of the two-way mirror, Roy right on his heels. 

“You really thought we were gonna let them kill you?” Roy says as Jason slashes through the zip tie holding her wrists. 

“Maybe you should have.”

“Maybe they should have made the glass bulletproof,” Jason mutters as Roy helps her up.

—

None of them return to the safe house, as it’s no longer safe. Rather than take any of their vehicles, or those belonging to Bruce Wayne–too many chances of being tracked–they decide to hotwire a generic chimo van. Roy wins rock paper scissors, and so he breaks in with a trick arrow, and hotwires the ignition with both Jason and Rose watching over his shoulder. 

“Really-Roy-toy? You’re making a huge mess.”

“We’re only using it once, Jaybird.”

Rose’s head knocks back against her headrest. “Ugh. I could’ve done it faster.”

Roy wipes his brow. She wonders what it would be like to watch it drip down his chest. “Not all of us are blessed with visions, Rose.”

“You mean cursed.” 

Jason shoots him a look. Gritting his teeth, Roy says nothing at first, then sighs. “Sorry. Could I get some space here?”

“C’mon. Ginger Snaps needs more room to work his magic.” Jason and Rose snicker together as they exit the van in search of tacos. It’s Tuesday, after all. 

There’s a taco truck around the corner. There’s also a line ten people deep.

“Fuck. Maybe we can order delivery?” Rose spins on her heels, but Jason grasps her shoulder, stopping her. 

He leans over, his whisper stirring her hair, and making her shiver. “And how would we explain Roy hotwiring a van to the driver?”

“He lost the keys. And we don’t want to pay for a locksmith.”

“Delivery would also take longer.”

“Fine.”

“I know how we can pass the time.” Rose waggles her eyebrows playfully, leaning her head on Jason’s shoulder. 

Jason runs his hands through his hair, and it makes her want to mess it up even more. Pull on it until he hisses with pleasure. His shirt pulls up with the motion, exposing a delicious sliver of skin. Rose traces it with her finger and he bats her hand away. “Rose.” 

“C’mon.” She grins, giving him a lingering kiss. “No “we almost died so we’re gonna fuck in an alley” sex?”

He matches her grin, despite himself. “Not yet.” He pushes her to arm’s length. “If we’re gonna keep doing this, you have to promise me something.”

“Mm, weird way to ask for a safe word, but okay. I’m game.”

“No,” he snorts. “No more secrets.”

“Jason,”

“Rose. Please. Promise me.” He takes both her hands in his own, kissing them like they’re in some historical drama. The sop.

But it gets under her skin regardless. “Okay. I promise.” 

Just when Rose starts to squirm, her phone buzzes with a text message. 

Van’s ready. I want carnitas with extra guac. 

—

Y’know. Maybe this whole running from death thing is overrated. Maybe Rose is going to save her ex-employers the trouble of taking her out. Anything to avoid this. 

The hotel is full of people–good, yes. More crowds to disappear into. More guests for the staff to pay attention to. More noise to mask the sound of their voices. Only one problem, really.

There’s only one room left in this entire hotel. And it’s a fucking honeymoon suite. Only one king-sized bed for the three of them. Oh, an entire kitchenette and a fully stocked fridge. But only one fucking bed. Rose is going to murder someone.

“I could sleep on the couch,” Roy volunteers.

“Absolutely not,” Jason and Rose snap. 

The room is too hot to sleep in, even with the AC. These stupid fucking synthetic sheets that feel so luxurious until you’re fucking baking like a cake beneath them. And so, Rose spends the night sandwiched between two very hot guys (in both senses of the word) and she can’t do a thing about it. Facing Jason to ignore Roy and his Old Spice aroma does nothing. And her fucking boyfriend falls right asleep. 

She must’ve passed out sometime before dawn, because Rose wakes wrapped in Roy’s arms. If only Rose can extricate herself before Jason wakes–and that’s when she smells french toast. Rose looks up just in time to meet Jason’s eyes, watching her. Does it bother him? She can’t tell. Jason and his fucking poker face. “Hungry?” he asks.

In more ways than you know. Fuck. Does she wake Roy up? Does she let him get his beauty sleep? (Like the fucker needs it.) Rose is almost about to move regardless when his murmur stirs the nape on her neck. Roy tightens his hold, as if she’s a full-size teddy bear.

“Might as well wake him up, unless you want to spend the entire morning in bed.” Jason says neutrally over the sizzle of the frying pan. Is he suggesting—?

Rose stammers, “I swear I woke up like this. I didn’t–” She pries Roy’s arm off her middle and slips out of bed like she’s bypassing security. 

A ghost of a smile appears on Jason’s face as he focuses on the french toast. “Roy’s a total cuddle bug. You look cute together.”

Her heart hammers in her chest, and her cheeks flush. Really? She mouths, too afraid to avoid the question out loud. You think so? Instead, she darts to the kitchen and pulls Jason into a kiss, breakfast be damned. 

“Mm,” Jason kisses back, briefly, before pulling back. “You’re in a good mood. Something happen in your dreams?”

Rose searches for a suitable answer, but Roy breaks the silence first.

“Huh? What’d I miss? Mm…you cookin’, Jaybird? Save s’me f’rme.” Roy twists in the sheets, tangling himself up further. 

Rose is in the middle of coming up with a convincing lie when the vision hits her. Sighting lasers. The countertop peppered with bullets. Jason’s head knocked back by a bullet in the forehead. Red circles blooming on the sheets covering Roy’s body. “Get down!” she shrieks. 

Both Jason and Roy duck. They know better than to hesitate when Rose uses that tone. She sees the lasers a second time–in real time, and the sound of the bullets hitting and cracking the granite above their heads. The ping of bullets going through the pots and the frying pans. “Should we call security?” Roy yells over the din, still in his boxers. 

“Don’t bother. They would have been called by now.” If hotel security was on their side. Which it isn’t. 

“Shut the fuck up, both of you.” Rose needs to concentrate. Lean into her adrenaline rush. Her dad once said she had a brain like a computer. She just needed to use it. 

Use it. 

Rose waits for a break in the covering fire, grabbing the bag of ice they stuck in the freezer, dumping it on the frying pan. Sorry, Jason. The ice cubes crack and hiss, filling the room with steam, the grease spilling over and catching fire, following the steam with smoke. She needs the phone. But not for a phone call. She pitches the phone at one goon’s head, shattering his visor and knocking him back. The base she rips out of the wall and strangles the next guard with the cord. 

C’mon, c’mon. Always living three seconds in the future means she’s always waiting. Waiting. Waiting. 

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Jason found his pistols. Twang. And the hiss of a smoke-bomb arrow. But it doesn’t hit its target in time. Rose hears the SMACK of a body hitting the kitchen floor. She doesn’t wait. She lunges, grabbing the last goon and ramming him against the counter. Jason stops firing, and the smoke slowly clears.

Roy’s on the ground, and he’s not moving. Shit. Rose should have seen it coming. She should have blocked it. At least she heals on her own. There’s blood trailing down the side of his temple.  C’mon, c’mon. Pressing her fingers against his neck, Rose bites her lip as she waits for his heartbeat. It’s faint, but it’s there. “Jason, get some cold water.”

The moment the water hits him, Roy shoots back up with a gasp, and Rose has to hold his shoulders down to keep him from rising too fast. “Easy. You got hit pretty hard.”

Blinking several times, Roy slurs “Rose? Why’re there three’f you?” 

Fuck, she could cry night now. “Shut up.” And then she’s kissing him. Maybe it’s the fact he could’ve died. Maybe it’s the way he’s sloppily kissing back. Or maybe it’s those energy drinks he’s always pounding–Roy tastes so sweet. 

And then he pulls back, bumping his head on the floor. “Ow.” He opens his eyes, looking up at her. “We shouldn’” Roy’s blue eyes pop against his flushed cheeks, and they slide to the right, drawing Rose’s attention to the man watching this entire exchange. Her boyfriend. Shit. Fuck. Fuck.

“Jason,” Rose says quicky. 

He holds up his hand. “Can we talk? In private?”

The air leaves her lungs. Rose manages to nod, stuffing her hoodie under Roy’s head. “Stay.” She mutters, dragging herself out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. Jason shuts the door behind them.

“Jason, I wasn’t thinking. I was just happy he’s okay.”

He watches her with his goddamn poker face. Why couldn’t he just be angry? Like a normal person? “Was that all?” 

“I swear.”

Jason shakes his head. “Rose, you promised. No more secrets.”

“I’m not keeping any! I told you about my employer–my ex-employer.”

“I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about Roy.”

“There’s nothing about Roy!”

Jason’s face finally breaks–his eyebrows crinkle and his eyes waver, but otherwise he keeps that perfect Wayne composure. “Rose. Please.” He swallows. “I know this isn’t the first time.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She can’t lose him. Not like this. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Releasing the breath he was holding, Jason runs his hand through his hair. “Rose. Listen. Please. Do what you want with Roy. Just don’t hurt him.”

“But–” I love you, she finishes in her head. “I want to stay with you.” Yeah. Safer to say that instead. 

His eyes light up as he brushes his thumb across her cheek. “Why does it have to be one or the other?”

“Huh?” Rose’s brain short circuits. 

Jason reaches for her hand, squeezing it. “Who says you have to choose between us?” He falters before she can answer. “Well, Roy might.” Licking his lips nervously, he adds softly, “but I won’t.”

“You mean it?” Rose squeezes his hand, and Jason opens his mouth to answer her.

“Guys?” Roy calls out groggily from the living room.

“Shit, Roy!” They tumble back into the living room together.

[xx-slug-xx]

This is kind of late, but about your post regarding people in the proship community who exclusively ship ONLY "problematic" pairings: FWIW, in my experience these types of people have turned out to just be antis who are trying to ~ InFiLtRaTe ~ proship spaces (their sad attempts to screenshot things to either share with their puritanical little fascist anti friends, or gather "evidence" for callout posts) most of the time. I'd say around 90% of cases are this, based on what myself and many of my other friends have seen firsthand.

But for the record, it might be worth noting that there's some cases where this is completely genuine and it's entirely legitimate. I have a friend who really enjoys the big sister/little brother genre specifically (so, they don't really engage with big brother/little sister stuff) so all of their favorite ships just happen to be "incest ships" by virtue of that. They certainly didn't pick and choose exclusively incest ships on purpose, if that makes sense? And it follows that if a person is a very big fan of lolisho, then all of their ships have a high chance of being age gap ships or minor/minor ships, just as a side effect. I very much doubt that anyone who takes genuine enjoyment from their ships that happen to be "problematic" went out of their way to select problematic things on purpose.

You’ve made a pretty good point anon! And I’ve had a few people share some similar things too about that post!

I can’t really explain why, but I can usually tell when it’s a bait account made by an anti or not. And again, I can’t explain why, and its not always accurate. But the vibe is off putting in some strange way when it’s a clear bait account. But I do run accost the ones who aren’t bait, and the vibe is different. It feels too forced when antis do it. When it’s genuine, it’s more natural.

A few people explained that a good reason why there’s so many genuine blogs that are like this is due to it being something like a side blog where the user feels safe expressing their more “problematic” ships. Which is absolutely valid imo. Antis are vile and I’m not surprised that people are “secret proshippers”. But it honestly doesn’t solve the bigger problem at hand. I think more people should be publicly proship and comship so that we can all stand for our beliefs. Justice doesn’t come from sitting in silence. Revolution doesn’t come from hiding in the shadows (though, let’s be real here, fandom is not all that comparable to issues in the real world, but I hope you get my analogy regardless lol). I really think that there’s a good reason so many people are secretly proship, but at the same time, it doesn’t really solve much :/

Plus, like you said, a lot of it comes down to coincidence too! If people like something in fiction, then they have a right to express themselves. If someone is drawn more towards a certain type of pairing, then they still have that right! Doesn’t really matter if it “problematic” or not!

[neoarchipelago]

tw for rape and sorta mentions of suicide (just basically saying kys in context ) for those very sensitive or triggered by these!!

but like i went through all the posts i could find and they never said anything bad about non con or dubcon she said rape fics were bad- and the point of her being a “hypocrite” for writing dubcon confuses me as why would someone who didnt support that stuff write it? it doesn’t make sense to me. i understand not liking her point on the kys bit but you guys got really hung up on it and completely missed the point of it about literal rape being romanticized and used as a fetish, not noncon and the likes used as a coping mechanism. it breaks my heart to see especially from people i supported and enjoyed a lot and got me into this community supporting rape. ive dealt with lots of sexual assults and have been raped myself a few times starting from a young age and let me tell you, its horrible. me and my boyfriend do get quite rough at times and do indulge in things like noncon- something that is used to cope and can help- and it is so much different than actually being raped. if you like it rough and dirty trust me girl i completely get it but actually being raped is the most demeaning, violating, and live devastating things that can happen- not to mention the other physical side affects of it. not trying to spread hate, maybe i should be for supporting it, but im more just sad? like seeing a community im so into and my biggest comfort character ( who also has dealt with rape) supporting and defending it all just feels like a betrayal and so debilitating. so many of my safe spaces have been ruined in a physical and metaphysical sense and it just reminds me of the sa when i was a teenager and other boys on my team (i was raped and abused by multiple wrestlers as i was the only girl in the sport in a very large state wide tournament hosted by my school) joking about it and making it not serious not taking me serious and sexualizing the whole situation and thinking i was lucky for a chick. just sickening and heartbreaking to see and the worst throwback thursday ever.

Hi love. First of all, I'm truly sorry of what happened to you. No one should ever have to go through that and you are truly amazingly strong.

Thank you for sharing your point through respect and calm.

I'd like to throw you back to this essay that explains my point of view here. Of course, it's understandable if you don't accept it. I'm not here to convince anyone on this. This is sharing a point of view.

Here, hoping that you fully understand.

This will however be the last time I'll debate on this subject, further comment or anons will simply get a copy paste.

THIS CONTAINS SA , SH AND SEXUAL CONTENT, BE CAREFUL

I- dub-con, non-con and CNC kink in fiction.

A- the place of these themes in fiction and how it separated from reality.

I think the line has to be drawn. A line people seem to forget too easily. Obviously, rape is a horrible thing. This fact has never been refuted in any fics or novels or books. No writer will ever tell you, ‘rape is awesome and soooo romantic’.

Fiction is absolutely fiction. We are aware of it. There's a big difference. This obviously something readers choose to read being aware of fiction. Being aware that the real thing is horrible. Warnings and tags are always there to avoid readers unaware of it.

B- the differences with other themes

One thing I've been asked is what kind of difference writing rape is from writing dub-con or even pedophilia?

On dub-con, the line is blurred. Softer, protagonist may be in a path where the sexual action is wanted but blocked by the mind or pushed to it by the other protagonist, forcing their own need to give in. It is still seen as rape as consent is not fully given. There's not much difference from non-con. Writers usually use this tag to avoid any triggers to people.

For pedophilia, let's see this in a more details. I think we can all agree that all these themes, dub-con, CNC, non con, always involve adults. Whatever it is the kink, or in stories, it’s adults. Adults who are aware of what sex is and what this kink it. Children should never be near any of those themes. It's not about kinks anymore, children don't have kinks.

II- the reality of voicing your opinion on internet

A- SA victims and SH victims, sexual shame

Now there's something we need to talk about. Writing theses themes are used by many as a coming mechanism. SA victims may often use these writings to help the aftermath of these events in their own life.

In the kink itself it's something that obviously causes a lot of shame towards people who are not part of it. But many things need to be said. It's a need for a control of a situation that is dangerous and traumatizing. It's a sign of truth with your partner. Fiction is a way to live that fantasy in full safety as they are clearly aware of the truth of that situation in real life.

Now the thing that has started this whole conversation was the ‘don’t forget to tell rape kink writers to off themselves’.

It is not a small detail. Not at all!

This is where fiction is separated from reality. You are telling a real person to commit a real act that could lead to fatal consequences.

Obviously I think we’re all aware that many people on this website suffer from depression, self harm tendencies and bullying. I do too. Your words matter. Trust me. We’ve seen it with Inquisitor’s death while a live TikTok.

Many other tiktokers who had helped not only spread rumors but bully the creator only realized their mistake once he killed himself.

This is a no turn back situation.

Do you think you have the guts to wake up in the morning, knowing someone killed themselves because they wrote something you were against? That you are the reason they died? Their families are grieving?

You can find an article on the CNC kink here:

-https://www.choosingtherapy.com/consensual-non-consent/

B- respect even through anger

We have established one thing. The internet is a wild, free universe. Anyone can say or write or post whatever they want.

You are free to voice out your opinion, anger amongst these binary and servers. But one thing that is not ok is the way you say it.

A point doesn't need to be full of hate or threats to be said. Especially when serious consequences could be blown by it.

Everyone has their opinion, things they don't like. You are free to avoid tags, not read, block people. Protect yourself first. But attacking isn't protecting yourself. You’re simply causing another kind of harm.

People need to own up to their words and actions.

If you tell someone to kill themselves, it's horrible. It's an actual crime. A full crime.

-

[granulesofsand]

Alters Identifying Outside the Body

Do we all know that alters use the brain and body differently? I’ve seen at least two people saying that alters cannot have disorders the body doesn’t, which is blatantly not true.

Disorders

Alters cannot have a disorder in the body that the body is incapable of; no permanent neurodivergencies or other changes that don’t relate to the physiology shifts in switching. If an alter presents that way, it’s likely to be the brain’s emulation of the disorder.

However. There are disorders that can be alter specific. Some alters can have PTSD while others don’t operate that way— it’s a shift in brain function as well as structure, so while the brain scans will be similar to a singlet with PTSD, different alters can operate around it.

Eyesight, blood pressure, personality disorders. All of those can be functionally achieved so that some alters have the disorder and others don’t. The changes in brain and body can be acquired, and alters can operate on different timelines. It’s about the way their map affects their externalities.

Cultural Identity

That’s part of the reason I’m okay with alters being trans in a way their body isn’t. My view of gender in the brain focuses on cultural adaptions, some of which are vaguely biological. I can’t find a reason why an alter can’t have the experience of being trans, except for the possibility of not living that way externally. And not all trans singlets do either?

Same for alters who appear as Deaf. They can have the same kind of psychogenic hearing loss as a singlet plus a variety of abnormalities in their brain and ears that only effect that alter. I’m not upset when systems who are hearing have alters who are deaf or hard of hearing, and I think that they should have access to Deaf spaces if they’re affected like Deaf singlets.

Special Considerations

Not every system is going to have alters who keep their internal differences while out in the body. Not every system has alters who only have experiences as themselves. I can see how that would change which terms those alters can use.

But I still want to meet alters who consider those features part of their identity, and I don’t like blanket statements about what is appropriate for them. We are trans, we are HOH. I want to meet people like me, even if their body isn’t lined up with that.

Ethnicity

One of our grandparents is mixed Asian, but we’re so white-passing our family didn’t know. We were raised with a culture we had no blood relation to, and our side of the family grew up bullied for features we couldn’t explain. We are more Indonesian than Irish, which is the closest thing to safe culture we had.

The alters in our system vary even further because of what they were forced to be. We don’t want to claim aspects of identity we don’t qualify for, but it’s not been a simple puzzle to find which we can. Many of us do want healthy ancestral ties and traditions, and so far we’re coming up empty.

Ground-Up

Some of us still struggle to find a place in communities our body undeniably belongs to, let alone any gray area. It’s hard to start over after leaving a high control group, and we had no connections outside of it.

We don’t want other people to have to fight for community the way we have, and I’d rather provide shelter to those who don’t need it than turn away someone who does. Of course it still matters how other people feel about it, but we don’t want to set the standard as “no”.

TL;DR: There are complexities to identity. If you are uncomfortable, communicate that and negotiate boundaries. We are okay with alters who identify independent of their system’s body.

[wizard-irl]

Don't Cleanse Your Crystals in Saltwater (and What to Do Instead)

Before you ask: yes, this makes me salty.

A lot of people cleanse their crystals in saltwater. This is a bad idea, not only for softer crystals, but harder ones as well.

Why Do People Use Saltwater?

The first question to answer is why do people use salt and saltwater for cleansing purposes.

Salt on its own is believed to absorb unwanted energies and banish negativity,12345 and is good for blessing, cleansing, and protecting a space.4 Combined with water, something that is also believed to remove negative energy.12

While some guides mention making your own saltwater using freshwater and salt13, they recommend you use natural saltwater, such as ocean water.124 They also caution against using processed salts such as those with iodine, as well as unfiltered water.4

How Does Salt Damage Crystals?

When saltwater dries, it leaves behind salt crystals. The formation of these salt crystals causes pressure on the crystal when the crystals grow in fissures or cracks. This process, over time, is enough to split large boulders.876 Researchers from the China University of Geosciences and Zhengzhou University found that the repeated wetting and drying of sandstone using a saltwater solution caused the sandstone to go from "tight and solid" to a "fragile, loose, and porous heavily weathered stone" after twenty-five of these wetting-drying cycles.9 Furthermore, saltwater can even make metals rust quicker due to the same process.10

You may think that if you clean your crystal immediately after taking it out of water, that your crystal will be safe. However, there may be tiny cracks that you can't see or feel that salt can crystalise in. After repeated saltwater cleansing, the pressure in these cracks can be so great that your crystal becomes more fragile or breaks on its own.

The above is why I caution against even salt cleansing harder (Mohs hardness 7 or higher) crystals despite many guides saying they'll be fine. No amount of hardness will stop water from seeping into cracks and depositing salt.

Alternatives to Using Saltwater

Salt without water: If salt never dissolves in water, it can never recrystalise. As explained prior, salt has been used to bless and banish, as well as to remove negative energy. You can use salt in a variety of ways, such as sprinkling it on the crystal, resting the crystal on a bed of salt, or making a salt circle around the crystal.

Water without salt: Again, if there's no salt in the water, it can't damage your crystals. As explained prior, water is often used by itself to cleanse crystals. While many crystals can tolerate being in water for longer periods of time, many softer ones may dissolve, so do your research on what rocks can handle long-term exposure. Most common rocks can handle short-term exposure to water, such as being cleaned under a faucet or with a damp cloth.

Burial: Soil is a good choice, so long as you remember where you bury your crystal! It's believed that returning the crystals from whence they came can cleanse them of any energy they have picked up, and is believed to be best for crystals needing heavy cleansing.

Smoke cleanse: Smoke cleansing has been used in many cultures worldwide to clear an area of object of energy. The smoke is thought to lift and dissipate the energies in the crystal. Use whatever generates smoke for this, such as incense or burning herbs, but be safe and do not put the crystals in direct flame.

Rice: Some believe rice may also help cleanse crystals, and is especially good for soft crystals.

Sound: Sound is fantastic for cleansing large quantities of crystals. Chanting, tuning forks, singing bowls, or bells can be used for this purpose. This is believed to break up negative energy and force it out of the crystal.

Other crystals: You can also use other crystals to suck out any energy from a crystal, such as using them in crystal grids. Clear quartz and selenite are especially prized for this purpose, but mst other quartz can also be used.

Moonlight: I've talked about how great moonlight is for cleansing crystals in another post, so hop on over there to see why this is the best method in my opinion.

Intention: Finally, you can also cleanse with intention, focus, and meditation, combining visualisation to sap the crystal of any negative energies.

Sources

"A Beginner’s Guide to Clearing, Cleansing, and Charging Crystals", Healthline. Source describes smoke cleansing as smudging.

"Cleansing Crystals and Stones: Complete Guide (Updated 2023)", Shanti Bowl. Source describes smoke cleansing as smudging.

"How To Cleanse Crystals: 9 Crucial Practices You Need To Know", TinyRituals. Source describes smoke cleansing as smudging.

"Cleanse Your Crystals of Stagnant Energy", Crystallography Gems.

"Cleansing Crystals (How to Purify Your Crystal's Energy", The Daily Dish.

"Salt has the power to split rocks", Harvey Water Softeners.

"Weathering and Erosion", LibreTexts.

"Mechanical Weathering", University of Saskatchewan.

"Salt-induced structure damage and permeability enhancement of Three Gorges Reservoir sandstone under wetting-drying cycles", Jiang et al., ScienceDirect.

"Why Living By The Ocean Can Lead To Auto Body Repairs", Fix Auto USA.

[meganimnimon]

Why are terfs like that?

It feels a bit weird that people so invested in breaking gender stereotypes would have such a problem with people breaking gender further.

To try answering that question, let’s start with looking at the symptoms of the problem. Namely, how their transphobia is different from other forms of transphobia.

Most transphobes you would expect to encounter in real life are standard issue bigots: old conservatives who care a lot about gender roles and are also probably homophobic, or they have accepted that homosexuality is a thing but still think trans people go too far. When they talk about trans people they frequently say things about “never being a real man/woman”.

TERFs and radfems, two terms I will be using interchangeably, are not like this. The standard radfem is a younger woman, frequently a lesbian, who hates gender roles, the patriarchy, and other such concepts. Their transphobia is usually directed specifically at trans girls, with a lot of focus on “protecting women’s spaces” and the such.

Why is that? How do two groups of people who disagree on so many things reach such a similar conclusion?

I believe the answer can be found in the causes for their hate for this particular group of people. Boomers, in my experience, are usually transphobic because of their belief in bioessentialist gender roles. It’s the system they grew up with, and when faced with the concept of trans people, they have two options.

The first option would be to accept that this is a thing and this is okay. Accepting that would force them to reconsider their belief in gender roles, because if a man can become a woman and a woman can become a man, then why should the man be forced into the role of a man? Did they have to conform to society’s expectations, or could they have broken away from gender norms too? This is the hard option.

The easy option is to dig in their heels and start yelling.

Combine this with standard-issue old-person stubbornness, and you can see why most of them take the easy way out.

Again, this is not how TERFs think. TERFs grew up with the idea that gender norms are bullshit. So why is such a concept so hard to grasp for them?

I believe that the answer can be found in one particular detail: they hate men.

They hate men to an absurd degree.

Frequently radfems will say things about how all men are dangerous and inherently evil. The smarter ones won’t try to say that it’s necessarily true about all men, but will still speak and act with the implication that any man could be dangerous, and should be treated as such until proven otherwise.

The fact that a massive number of them are lesbians helps this, as they do not need to have a personal connection with any men, allowing them to hold such beliefs without coming into conflict with their personal relationships.

There is one glaring similarity between this belief and that of the boomers: bioessentialism. So that their beliefs do not crumble under their own weight, both groups must believe that there is an inherent, biological difference between the sexes that determines their role in society, with almost no exceptions.

This is bullshit for a number of reasons, but that’s not the point of this post.

This also explains the difference in their treatment of trans people. To a terf, a trans man, while potentially a traitor to the cause, is not more dangerous than a cis man, and can be safely treated like one. Except maybe with more indignant fury. But a trans woman? Outrageous! That man must be masquerading as a woman to… what exactly? Invade women’s spaces! And win women’s sports!

That is why radfems are so angry at trans women specifically. To them, trans women are spies and infiltrators on behalf of the enemy.

TERFs and standard-issue conservatives reach the same conclusion because they hold some very similar beliefs. Beliefs that happen to oppose trans people in particular. If they were to accept trans people, they would have to reconsider a significant part of their worldview. A worldview much of their social group is based around.

So they take the easy option, dig in their heels, and start yelling.