#its goodness actually stems directly from its badness

[twipsai]

ive been wanting to do something like this for a while, so here we go

Silver's straightforward attitude and anxieties: a poorly formatted analysis

Silver's anxiety is something i havent seen talked about a lot, and im really just barely going beneath the surface here -- i hope i did it justice in anyway sfdkSKHJFDSKFH i think about his obvious anxiety disorder a lot

transcript of all the text i added under the cut incase its hard to read for some ppl ^_^

image 1 (source: IDW #8): "isnt really used to banter, got worried he actually offended Sonic"

"he worries a lot about not being useful, because thats pretty much his entire purpose in life. if hes not doing something, he will find something to do (badly) or panic. he gets nervous at the slightest insinuation that he mightve messed up because the last thing he ever wants to do is get in anyones way."

"for how powerful he is and how much shit he talks, Silver doesnt really think very good about himself or his own worth."

image 2 (source: Sonic Universe #82): "its hard to say anything here that i havent already said, its just another example os Silver having issues with his self wroth, and also a lot of his motivation coming from protecting the people he loves (and, more generally, protecting the world), considering a page after this he gets up and completely wrecks the Second Devourer"

image 3 (source: IDW #8): "Silver will take pretty much anything literally. he lacks the social skills to identify when someones being serious bc he grew up completely alone"

image 4 (source: IDW #14): "he cant lie (is both bad at it, and it really just doesnt cross his mind to do so), but he can change the subject"

"he also really doesnt like it when people are worried about him -- almost every time people show concern for him, he tries (and fails) to lie or change the subject"

image 5 (source: IDW #14): "he didnt see anything suspicious about [Starline giving the "vault code"] because he doesnt usually assume people lie directly to him, its just not something that usually crosses his mind"

image 6 (source: IDW #60, TSR interview): "Silver's rudeness, his naivete, misunderstanding of jokes/quips/banter, inability to lie, it all stems from his straightforwardness. its simple, but but oftentimes effective (yes i chose a bad page to showcase when it works, ignore that)"

"Silver doesnt like to beat around the bush or show off too often. go in, defeat the bad guys, get out. it ties in with his anxiety of the future -- time is always of the essence"

"Q: What are some of your favorite items to use during the race?

Silver: [...]but the Jade Wisps' "Ghost" is the only one I like. I can disappear and focus on the race."

"it does make him forget to stratagize and cooperate with his friends sometimes, though, when his first instinct is "hit it until it stops moving""

image 7 (source: Sonic Rivals 2): "im not really going over his bluntness in this, but literally the entirety of Rivals 2 covers that. he doesnt think to hide what hes doing because he knows hes in the right, so he just expects everyone else to know that. he expects people to believe him just because hes telling the truth. he doesnt see why he would have a reason to lie, so he never thinks to justify his actions."

"a lot of this bluntness is also shown in IDW #64 -- Silver cant be stealthy and observe someone from afar to save his life when he knows hes right about them. he really takes no time to explain that Duo is Mimic before Whisper steps in and attacks Mimic, even though if he took the time to talk through what happened, he probably couldve convinced Lanolin of Duo's true nature"

image 8 (source: IDW annual 2022): "Silver has pretty much zero idea how to navigate the world outside of helping other people and saving the world. he is almost constantly in "survival mode" and doesnt know how to handle low-stakes"

"(he sometimes takes casual conversation too seriously because of this)"

"he is constantly worried about the future. to an almost unhealthy degree sometimes, its often all he thinks about. when he knows exactly what to do, he comes off as confident and powerful, but when he doesnt know what to do..."

"...he completely spirals. to him, an uncertain future is worse than a doomed one. not knowing how to fix things is one of the most terrifying thoughts to him."

"if Espio hadn't been here to calm him down, i think its super likely he'd have had an anxiety attack."

image 9 (source: Sonic Generations, IDW #64, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic Universe #79): "like, i truly cannot emphasize enough how he cannot relax. anything can be a threat, and if he doesnt see an immediate one, he will find something that is one. "

"he can rarely calm down, because every second hes in the past is another second he should be saving the future"

"i cant properly showcase it here, but if you run past him in Gens, he'll immediately be on-guard."

"he has to always be looking for the next world-destroying foe, it's pretty much his default setting."

"there are tons more examples of his overt anxiety, but these are some of the more prominant examples."

image 9 (source: Archie Sonic #235): "we even see in the traitor arc in archie how Silver is constantly paranoid. the idea never crosses his mind that there is no traitor, because something is always wrong. hes like a machine built to find a problem with no off switch"

"almost anything can set him off and make him untrusting of anyone, because thats the only way he knows how to live. anything can be a threat in his eyes, and when there is no threat, he will either find one or panic that he cant find one."

"because when you spend your entire life fighting,"

"how else are you supposed to live?"

[patchiko]

PLEASEEEE I LOVE YOUR HEADCANONS, THEY'RE SOOOO ACCURATE.

PLEASE make a headcanon of how Jason acts like when he's jealous

GOT YOU SO BAD ANON, AND THANK YOU SM!! Its always so nice to hear if my writing’s accurate caus i try so hard to make it accurate #I WANT HIM !!

Jealous Ak!Jason Todd HC’s SFW

i wish his eyes were green so i could make an,

’ MY EYES ARE GREEN, I EAT MY VEGGIES. ’

reference.

I think Jason could have a really hard time with even a friend he deems too close

A lot of it is his fear and insecurity of being replaced, subconsciously i think it reminds him of how Bruce replaced him with Tim.

When his jealousy is really bad, the connection/relation is very conscious to him.

Around the person hes jealous of he’s super quiet, unnaturally quiet— he wouldn’t let you two out of his sight.

literally at your hip, not directly touching you, but making sure the other person cant get too close.

arms crossed stank face and everything. he looks like he’s part of the mean girls.

ACTUALLY JUST A BIG ASS SCARY DOG.

If its really bad around this person, he’ll just straight up leave without saying anything.

If he does talk he’s snappy and or responds as shortly and quickly as possible

This guy is giving the nastiest looks/side eyes known to man

If it gets really bad and you dont notice he’ll snap at you on accident. It happens in a spit second and its truly just bc of how pissed he is.

“Why dont you ask [name]” or etc, its kinda childish but he really doesn’t know how to hold it together. these kind of emotions stem from when he was still a teen, so expressing it is messy and frustrating

NOOO BABBYY NOOO

RESPOND ANYTHING ALONG THE LINES OF, “Maybe I will.” and hes done, truly that’d break his trust so bad. He ghosts you completely. I really don’t think he’d even get back into a relationship with you.

After the person leaves he’s still being quiet, when you ask after taking notice he doesn’t tell the truth

“Nothing.”

He knows its not right that he feels this way over something so mundane but he can’t help it, he couldn’t handle being replaced again by someone he loves dearly.

You gotta be patient with him, I think if you gently pry and explain how you’ve noticed his behaviors he’ll crack open for you.

Not a gush of emotions just a quick confession.

“I just don’t get having them around when you have me.”

I think its good to take into consideration how much time he was alone

so its easy for him to be confused why you’d want other people in your life as well compared to him who’s content with just you.

he’s not dumb! so its pretty easy for him to understand this after you explain

but he still has that replacement insecurity that starts the jealously.

even with a conversation, truly only time can help him overcome it. You could show him a million things to prove your loyalty but only till you’ve spent like a decade with him, then he will trust you.

U EITHER IN A RELATIONSHIP W/ HIM OR OUTTTT HEE TRYYYNNAA BEE 4LLIIIIIFFEEERRRSSS

i love him so bad. ur safe with me bbg i SWEAR.

inbox 2 rq or ramble 💟

[runawaymun]

Ask me about my not-yet-written-fics from this list

thanks, @eowyn7023 also tagging: @polutrope because you sent me an ask about this a while ago and I just haven't had the spoons to respond until now, sorry! <3

Elrond in Valinor + Second Flight of the Noldor

so this stems from three possibly spicy Opinions I have about LOTR: 1) The Valar kind of suck, actually, and it was wrong of them to bring Elves to Valinor in the first place and it went directly against Eru's plan. 2) Valinor is kind of liminal and bad for you if you were born in Middle Earth 3) Elrond sailing (and staying) in Valinor is makes very little sense for him as a character, and is more about Jirt's wish fulfillment than it is good writing.

Obviously, unfortunately, due to the narrative, Elrond must sail at the end of LOTR. He needs to recuperate from the absolute havoc Vilya wreaked on his system, and he also needs to reunite with Cel and get some closure about a few things, like Celebrimbor's death, Gil-Galad's death, and his relationship with Elwing.

So Elrond sails, as he does. He reunites with Celebrian. He spends some time meeting his various family members and spends quite a lot of time with Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor. He has exactly one (1) talk with Elwing to ask her some questions and explain what became of Elros, but in my head he is not really interested in pursuing much of a relationship with her. Elwing respects that.

He and Celebrian work on healing their relationship and re-establishing intimacy.

Elrond slowly recovers from the damage Vilya did to him.

He might need to spend some time in Lorien actually. He is very good friends with Este and Nienna.

After a while though, things just don't feel right. Valinor feels very static and strange to him, and he doesn't really feel like he Fits. And that hurts because everyone is so glad to have him there and they expect that he's just as glad to be here as they are.

Also he really misses his kids, and wonders about his grandkids, and the Dunedain.

Eventually he starts connecting with more and more people who feel like they don't Fit. Mostly Noldor and the few Sindar that sailed. Many of them are still dealing with PTSD from Middle Earth and Beleriand, or with scars that refuse to heal. Many of them are just Restless. Most Vanyar do not understand this, and it's hard to talk about.

He and Cel begin work on a second Rivendell, and this keeps them both busy for a short time. He still doesn't feel Right though.

Eventually he starts experiencing like a reverse sea-longing and it gets more, and more, and more painful.

Finally, he talks it over with Celebrian. And they petition the Valar, who are not very happy to be petitioned. And then Elrond starts preparing to sail East.

Listen listen listen. Everything that Elrond has ever built, worked for, or loved is back in Middle Earth. It makes zero sense for him to be happy in Valinor. He aligns overwhelmingly with the Sindar and with the Dunedain in the books, and the Dunedain also consider him as one of them. Rivendell is there (he left it in the care of the Dunedain). Arwen and Aragorn are there. Gondor, and what is left of Elros are there. His grandchildren are there. Elladan and Elrohir are still there. The people left for him in Valinor are all people he has already mourned and found closure with.

He's not really made for Valinor anyway. He's made to watch over Middle Earth, to keep its lore and secrets, and to caretake Elros' line. He made a vow, once, and sure Aragorn and his descendants are doing just fine but he still feels half-whole without them.

And he's not the only person who doesn't feel Right in Valinor, who miss the mold and the rot and the fungi and the sheer diversity of life, and the Men!!! The humans!!! The normalcy of pain and suffering and scars and disabilities!

And so Elrond sails with Celebrian, and many of the Noldor say 'fuck it' and they go with him. They're tired and restless and have misgivings about the Valar anyway. A remnant returns to Middle Earth, and this time they go for love.

Elrond retakes his seat in Rivendell and the Dunedain rejoice that the eldest of their race, their most beloved uncle has come home. Celebrian reunites with Arwen, and meets a long line of adopted children that she never got to see, and meets Aragorn and her grandchildren.

They live through the ages, quietly doing what they have always done: living as watchers and caretakers, carefully preserving memories and lore and history.

Rivendell becomes a place that is both mythologized and startlingly real, where it is rumored that anyone who needs it will find help and sanctuary.

Many of the Noldor live in Rivendell, but some set up their own small kingdoms or simply live alongside the men and dwarves. They're finally there to guide and watch over the Secondborn, just as was intended in the Theme.

Eventually, of course, Elrond must grieve Arwen and Aragorn, but he's there for his grandchildren, and his great grandchildren, and his great grandchildren, and all of his family thereafter -- and in Arwen and Aragorn and their line, it almost feels like he is reunited with Elros again.

Elrond is there to help.

[sorcerersandskillusers]

Why Atsushi is an amazing protagonist' and how BSD is able to explore what it means to do good.

I want to talk about one of my favourite things about bsd and Atsushi as a protagonist. The fact that the show questions why you should do the right thing. In most media, the idea of helping people being good is simply a fact, the protagonist is doing the right thing because they are trying to help others and even if a villain try's to shake their belief in that, its normally by just saying "Your actually causing more harm then good" or "The consequences of your actions are bad actually" and sometimes even "You won't stop me, so all the bad things I do are your fault."

But bsd goes deeper then that, it questions why someone must act to help others in the first place. it incredibly morally grey cast, allow the readers to really see each characters journey to wanting to help people

Atsushi's motive for wanting to help people is directly called into question, its not just some innate "goodness" in him, it stems from deep psychological conditioning, to view himself as worthless unless he can be of use to others

He views those words as a curse, a horrible obligation that he has to obey to even consider himself worthy of living, we see that many times Atsushi has plunged into suicidal situations out of a desperate hope that it might give him some validation.

THIS DOESN'T MEAN I THINK ATSUSHI SHOULDN'T WANT TO HELP PEOPLE! I'm just so glad that Asagiri was actually willing to explore his motivation and show what a harmful impact it has had on him, BSD is Atsushis journey into accepting and loving himself, and for that to feel meaningful he can't start of as an amazing person who is unconditionally good and helps everyone around him.

"loving your friends to much" is not a character flaw!

Dazai sums it up best here

This is what Atsushi will eventually become, someone who helps others because he understands what it feels like to be in pain, not because he feels he must. And that is the same journey Dazai is making now, where he has to learn why he should help others for himself, and not just for the sake of his promise to Odasaku. Overall I think Atsushi is an amazing protagonist to follow, and I can't wait to see how he grows from here.

[diabolocracy]

This is going to live rent free in my head until I get it out, so:

Hell yeah I'm a fucking degenerate.

Here's some backstory about this - actually quite shitty - word.

The Definition as per the Eugenics Encyclopedia. It features such wondrous bangers as, "based on the premise that certain (lower) social classes and races were predisposed to various neurological and mental illnesses due to bad heredity, resulting in social degradation, ... it attributed general conditions such as mental instability and poor health to certain types of behaviours, such as having an 'immoral lifestyle.'"

Heeey, that (and the rest) sounds kind of racist and ableist and all kinds of other -ists commonly attributed to nazis and far-right goons...

The etymology of the word degeneration. "loss or impairment of the qualities proper to the race or kind," also figurative, "descent to an inferior state," from French dégéneration (15c.) or directly from Late Latin degenerationem (nominative degeneratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin degenerare "to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality," used of physical as well as moral qualities, from phrase de genere, from de "down from, away from" (see de-) + genus (genitive generis) "birth, descent" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget").

... Wowie!

Actually... Let's just cut to the chase, huh?

Nazi Terminology A German cardinal has triggered a storm of criticism in Germany by describing atheist art as "degenerate" -- a term usually avoided in public discourse because of its association with the Nazis.

Fancy that.

Nazis (and the far-right and their various ilk) hate those that they declare degenerates.

So maybe, just maybe, being a degenerate is a fucking good thing. If you're pissing off a nazi, you're doing something right!

And maybe... Just maybe... If you don't want to be lumped in with them, you should keep in mind where the words you utilize and apply to those you hate, happen to come from!

Oh, also the word "groomer" when applied flagrantly to those you don't like is also a fascist tactic.

As is pedojacketing and "think of the children" rhetoric in general, really -- fascist and authoritarian.

You see it from the alt-right and nazi-types all the fucking time unless you're blind as shit.

If you purport to be a libby yet utilize the terminology of your political opponent when it's convenient against people you don't like unironically (especially of those people happen to be the same people your opponent doesn't like)--well, it is as they say: scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds.

Those claiming to be leftists have no excuse other than, hey, maybe you aren't as left as you claim to be. Maybe you're just another libby.

[sassy-man-apocalypse]

ok now I'm actually really curious how the normal pd lore fits when they're cats. because a lot of that story is reliant on the world it's in, especially with the existence of superheroes. so. my question is. are there superhero cats. does origami(the hero) even exist when they don't use paper. are there still chaos demons like in season 2? what's the deal with the trickster?? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! TELL ME ALL THE LORE!!!!! (if you want. no pressure here, this au is just really intriguing to me!)

HI SKITTLE !!! This is a really good question hehehe

We tried our best to include as much of the lore and story as we could in the AU. Obviously, some things couldn't fit properly, but we put what was realistically possible in a warriors universe and bent it to fit semi-properly and honestly it wasn't That Easy for some parts but i think we figured it out pretty well HAHA

Unfortunately, due to the clash of universes putting every campaign in here causes, there's not really any superheroes ( similarly to how Goreclan cats aren't actually vampires ). But yes, Origami does exist, and his name is Brightfeather !! I mentioned him in passing here , though he did become a starclan cat and later on walked with Lavenderclaw 👍

As for the Trickster and Chaos Demons, think of them as Dark Forest cats! If you want more detail on the Trickster specifically, who's name is Swiftwing in this AU, I talked about it in this post ^_^ Magpie's connection to the Dark Forest stems directly from Snake being absent so often for long periods of time, making it hard for Magpie to understand what the Dark Forest was in its entirety and thus not knowing whether or not visiting it often and connecting with its spirits was truly a bad thing ( think crookedstar with mapleshade ). Obviously, not being apart of a clan also played In her ignorance

I hope that answers all of your questions but if you have more specific inquiries you're absolutely free to shoot me another ask :D

[lip-gallaghers-cigarette]

I am about to infodump about why steven universe has BPD (and cptsd but thats canon)

later in the series and in SU future is when all the trauma has already happened and hes finally safe is when it manifests itself heavier. hes very people pleasing, putting other peoples needs ahead of himself, even if the other person is in the wrong, his emotions spiral so out of control that he becomes corrupted or goes "pink mode", he has identity issues (bc of constantly being told hes his mother) to the point where he cant tell if he is her, if he is himself, if hes a he, if hes a she, if hes a gem or if hes a human, good or evil, etc.

has bursts of intense anger and feelings of guilt, would go to any length to keep people in his life (connie for example) and when she rejected his proposal his symptoms spiraled out of control, which is typically what happens w bpd, its triggered, his symptoms started presenting when he hit 16 / SU future. as for the ptsd though thats actually canon, there is an episode where he visits the doctor and she doesnt directly call it ptsd but shes asking him about his trauma and how far back it stems from (and he begins recalling traumatic events starting all the way from the beginning of the series to the middle of the series before connies mom interrupts him and tells him that he p much has c-ptsd) and steven starts having intense flashbacks and then falls into an episode when he is reminded of connie rejecting his proposal, his body starts physically reacting to it as if its happening again. (which by the way the proposal was very impulsive and spontaneous and mainly based in fear of abandonment, and solidified when garnet agreed. very bpd like.)

he views small issues as life threatening, which is seen in ptsd and bpd. hes been in a constant state of trauma since childhood, never knew his mom and constantly i n peril fighting monsters he doesnt even know the origin of protecting himself from a battle his mother forced him into, bpd and ptsd are inherently traumagenic. he changes himself and overextends himself to fit other people's perception of what he should be or to fit his own idea of perfection, hes terrified of being alone and will go to any lengths to keep his loved ones around him.

when people offer him support he pushes it away because he doesnt want to burden his loved ones with his problems or intense emotions or trauma. in fact, he bottles it up SO much that he falls into an episode where he starts fixing other peoples problems to distract himself from his own, as if fixing other people will in turn fix himself, which only makes it worse and worse until he explodes. he talks about how hes worthless, how hes a bad person, how he doesnt deserve his loved ones, and then becomes corrupted when the trauma become too much for him gem to handle anymore. (Him splitting on himself after bottling his feelings up for so long)

this was only soothed when his loved ones reminded him how much he was loved and cared for. he lacked a voice his whole life and once jasper taught him to fight and defend himself and he became all big and strong his personality changed completely and he ended up becoming aggressive in the same way jasper was and literally purposely and v violently shattered her because of it (which is obviously very out of character for steven who has healing powers)

he also takes control of and attempts to shatter white diamond when he has trauma flashbacks to her almost killing him despite working through those issues previous

he has a "the grass is greener on the other side" mindset

He has bouts of uncontrollable rage because he has no form of grasp of his emotions due to alienating them.

He creates narratives sticks to them then he is unable to change these thought processes.

after shattering jasper he has an intense panic attack, thinking he is a violent killer or bad person, his guilt spirals and he makes a very desperate and emotional attempt at bringing her back.

he also takes control of and attempts to shatter white diamond when he has trauma flashbacks to her almost killing him despite working through those issues previous.

he has a "the grass is greener on the other side" mindset

He has bouts of uncontrollable rage because he has no form of grasp of his emotions due to alienating them.

He creates narratives sticks to them then he is unable to change these thought processes.

He creates a happily ever after in his mind and then when the outcome isn't perfect or what he imagined he freaks out.

he has frequent flashbacks to issues from his past and tends to block the thoughts out when they show up or dissociate himself from them, or, alternatively, he hyper-fixates on them so much that it takes over every aspect of his waking life. he also thinks in black and white a lot, with things being either all good or all bad, and becomes paranoid about other peoples intentions or the way they perceive him. he also is CONSTANTLY on edge expecting bad things to happen and prepares himself for danger that might not even come.

Also throwback to the time where he crashed the car and split on his dad when he realized his dad got the childhood he always wanted and that he was neglected, he quickly went from idealizing his dad to feeling spiteful toward him and putting their own lives in danger.

also the time when he realized all of his friends were moving on without him and subconsciously trapped them in a giant bubble that he had no control over

oh and the NIGHTMARES!!!

- sincerely, a Steven kinnie with BPD and C-PTSD. (Cross-Posted)

[honourablejester]

On the topic of wizard character concepts, a slightly older idea of mine, stemming from the discussion of the various schools and what it might say about a wizard to consciously choose them. Specifically, the idea that people might think that abjuration wizards are cowards for clinging to the most protective aspects of magic.

Which, in my head, combined with the idea of tiefling virtue names, and a very traumatised tiefling who named themselves Craven, in the deep conviction that yes, they are a coward.

And, if you���re going to have a traumatised character, you go to Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft and give them the Haunted One background. And not just because it’s one of my favourites, but because, since we’re a wizard, as in a bookish nerd, there’s a pre-made harrowing event that traumatised the hell of us right there: “You opened an eldritch tome and saw things unfit for a sane mind. You burned the book, but its words and images are burned into your psyche.”

So. Our little baby tiefling wizard read a bad book, a bad book that fully scarred them for life and turned their hair literally white, and ever since then they’ve devoted their studies to the magic of protection, and renamed themselves in the full and sincere belief that they’re a coward. I am picturing a rail-thin hollow-eyed nerd literally hugging their spellbook for protection.

But why would a traumatised and self-professed coward go adventuring? Because they saw horrors, vast, incomprehensible horrors, and they know their pathetic magic right now wouldn’t stop a hair of it. If it can’t stop a goblin arrow, it sure as hell can’t stop an eldritch thing from beyond the stars. So they need to improve their magic, and the only way to improve defensive magic is to, well, defend. Plus. All their wards and libraries wouldn’t stop what they saw either. Sometimes the best defence is a good offence, or at the very least entails acquiring enough specific information to create targeted defence. Such as finding and preventing the access point from opening, for example.

I kind of want the book they read to be the work of a scholar afflicted by an allip. They didn’t get far enough into it to actually contract the allip’s curse and become one, but they came damn close. Hence why there was some actual physical transformation as a result. The hair-turns-white-with-shock thing is an old trope, but an enjoyable one, and I want it.

(Look, allips are one of my favourite creatures, they’re cool, shattered traumatised undead who discovered secrets man was not meant to know, and who are desperately trying to share that hideous knowledge to relieve themselves of its burden).

I think we’ll take Eldritch Adept somewhere down the line, for Armour of Shadows or possibly Devil’s Sight. And I’m flipflopping between Glasya and Levistus tiefling, because I think Armour of Agathys might also be a part of their heritage they cling to, but Invisibility would also be tempting for them. (I would love if a DM let my tiefling’s innate spells act like the ones from the updated races, as in I could have them be INT based and also cast them with spell slots. If that was the case, I feel like definitely Levistus tiefling).

So you have this patient, methodical, high-strung, twitchy, deeply traumatised scholar who has self-loathing embedded directly in their core, doggedly out here rattling and shuddering their way through the terror because there’s worse terrors waiting and they’ve got to be ready for them.

Yes, I have a type, why do you ask?

[homochampagne]

Bad news: my outline contains an extended gerbert plot because I have spent time in the gerbert trenches, my issue with gerbert is the character assassination that such fics usually do to Bert, I love the concept of the ship… “we go out in a musical sense” and all that… as long as it’s a total trainwreck on both sides that’s completely and utterly doomed and Bert isn’t The Bad Guy or some sort of child with a sugar high. That one MCR fanfic where Bert is Gerard’s abusive boyfriend IMO had long lasting and far reaching effects on how MCR fans talk about Bert, and I hate it. But main ship? Bert/Quinn, Bert and Gerard are DOOMED.

firstly i totally think you should write about whatever makes you happy and/or whatever interests you so don’t let me dissuade you from that.

but with that being said, here are my honest thoughts about gerbert:

“That one MCR fanfic where Bert is Gerard’s abusive boyfriend IMO had long lasting and far reaching effects on how MCR fans talk about Bert”

there were a lot of fics like that which i believe directly stemmed from this magazine feature where bert addresses their falling out. i think that the hardcore mcr stans of 2007 and beyond took great offence to it and could not stand to see any negative criticism pointed towards gerard. the fact that there could have been a kernel of truth to what bert was saying in that interview (or even just the simple fact that this is how bert felt, emotionally, about the members of mcr at the time, based on his personal experiences with them) was unfathomable to them and therefore bert was a Liar and an Evil Person and was basically reduced to a Jealous Ex-Girlfriend type of role.

and then obviously this trope got recreated in fic time and time again (over a period of 10-15 years) by people who didn’t even know the origin of why bert was depicted this way or what even happened between him and gerard.

but on to your main point, i totally understand what you mean when you say you like the narrative concept of “we go out in a musical sense” because that truly is such a batshit crazy thing to say and bert’s reaction to it in that famous interview with the two of them was funny. the era of gerbert was of course super homoerotic and they both played into it but in my opinion i don’t think there was anything actually romantic between them—i think it falls into that category of “on the road” gay experiences that souryogurt64 talks about in her prison essay. for gerbert to be “doomed” as you say, implies some modicum of love or would-be-love on a romantic scale and i really don’t think that was the case for a multitude of reasons.

1. for gerard the public gayness and kissing boys was a political statement against homophobia and toxic masculinity (which was his “explanation” for the frerard kisses as well)—i think bert and gerard were briefly a good match simply in the sense that bert was open to participating in these public displays of affection and gerard needed a dude who was open to doing this with him. and of course this all ties into bert’s participation with ‘prison’ and its messages about homosexuality and gender expression in the early 2000s.

2. at this time bert already had a very open laissez faire attitude about his own sexuality, saying things like he “isn’t any specific type of sexual being” and that he “lives in the moment” and that “i could be gay but i could not be, it doesn’t really matter” on public radio, which shows that he cared about the destigmatization of gay male relationships in a, while subtle, political way. i’m saying all of this for the fact that he and gerard’s political inclinations aligned and i think that that was the true motivating factor of any explicit gayness between them in public, combined with the fact that they were friends and bert had an “open sexuality”

3. i have reason to believe that if anything actually romantic or sexual happened between them, bert would have, at some point, said that that was the case—when asked, he explicitly said that “At the time, Gerard and I had such a close friendship that we weren't afraid to hold hands or, you know, kiss for fun. It was never anything truly intimate, or actually sexual. It was a fun little show we were putting on. So I associate ‘You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison’ with that kind of carefree sexual freedom.” you can call me naive if you want but i do truly believe he’s telling the truth here, because:

4. bert has been open about intimate gay experiences of his that were romantic and sexual in nature which he’s spoken about regarding the canyon. yes, you could argue that out of respect, bert wouldn’t publicly speak about ‘truly intimate moments’ he and gerard had together, but i think bert describing his and gerard’s kisses as “a little show we were putting on” versus the private experiences he was having with other men at that time which were NEVER public or even spoken about shows the clear difference between bert’s actual gay relationships and stage-gay-between-friends

tldr—i think they simply kissed/acted gay together to make a public statement about ‘sexual freedom’ between two men which bert mentioned above, they also bonded through the fact that gerard would binge drink and do drugs with him at the time which in bert’s case was fulled by a need for disassociation from trauma, and then they stopped being friends for the reasons bert explicated in the blunt magazine interview i linked above

what occurred between him and quinn i think was CLEARLY romantic for reasons that you’re totally aware of and that i can’t even get into right now for time’s sake and i’ve already written a novel here (i mean my masterguide is 10k words and even since writing that i’ve found more stuff that i didn’t even know about at the time). bert once mentioned that he couldn’t fully discuss his feelings about his parents and childhood trauma because “they’re still alive” and i think it’s a similar case here regarding quinn in that out of respect for him and his privacy he wouldn’t speak about the deep interpersonal things that happened between them. this also aligns with him “letting quinn dictate the story” of their falling out, because i think if bert were to truly speak on the matter like how candidly he spoke about him and tregan, it would reveal stuff that quinn would not be okay with becoming public information. (and i mean i wouldn’t blame bert if he wanted it to stay private as well).

anyways quert was real and gerbert wasn’t, that’s my thesis.

[vriskabot]

davris morning routine hcs?

YOU CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD I WAS PLAYING MINECRAFT cracks my knuckles. this kinda turned into sleeping habit and self care hcs as a whole sorry not sorry -vriska is not a night owl or a morning person but she IS a long and heavy sleeper. do not wake her up before she is good and ready or you WILL get torn a new asshole bare minimum. if the verbal lashing does not work she will escalate immediately and directly to grievous bodily harm -dave is probably the only person who can manage this without dying but even THEN he would much rather get on her ass about going to sleep on time than get on her ass about getting up in the morning -dave is a much lighter sleeper and honestly naturally a nap guy. i think on a genetic level the strilondes dont sleep long even when they DO manage to sleep (dirk and rose are notorious insomniacs) but i dont think dave really minds it -nobody knows when he sleeps but he does! hes just Constantly Around -this was only further reinforced by living with bro and being trained and all that jazz so daves sort of got a built in alarm clock (lol time player) -in that vein dave can kinda predict when vriska is gonna be up based on what time shes gone to sleep so he can be in and out of the bathroom before she needs to be in there which is. a very very good thing -i think dave was a lot more anal (and anxious) about what he looked like when he was a teen (to the point of being unable to leave the house if his hair wasnt JUST right) but hes way more lax about it now -that being said i also dont think hes gone fully curly girl now that hes okay with his hair having a single iota of texture whatsoever. he just combs it into the style he wants it to dry in and lets nature take the wheel after that (its very soft and vriska LOVES to touch and tousle it) -he MAYBE uses a light pomade while wet if anything but thats only if he NEEDS his hair to stay nice all day -vriska on the other hand. woo buddy. -depending on how im feeling about her styling, shes either full 17 step curly hair routine or blowdried + straightened + hairsprayed until its crunchy even if her hair is naturally already straight -like im sorry shes SO emo -i think a lot of that stemmed from the sort of persona she put on to protect herself that ended up becoming her taste Anyway -the full face of makeup + done hair carries a very Intentional feeling that makes her seem a little less off the wall, has-no-clue-what-shes-doing than she really IS -ultimately its about control! having more control over the interpersonal dynamics and the flow of things based on the kind of assumptions people make about her based on the way she presents herself -dave was doing his similarly insane hair routine at 13 14 15 for the same exact reasons -dont let her fool you though its all smoke and mirrors -when she was in her teens it was definitely a full coverage foundation + powder foundation + pencil liner for EVERYTHING situation and loads of dark eyeshadow -in her adulthood though i think shed be alright with like. a much more lightweight base like bbcream or even just concealer in spots for daily wear and she saves the full face beat for more special occasions like dates and shit -as much as i think dave finds later on in life that he actually kinda enjoys cooking, hes not up making a Full Breakfast every day -theyre both perfectly fine with like. toast and microwave breakfast sausage to eat -vriska however is not to be trusted with the stove. she sucks SO bad at cooking save for the few dishes shes ruined enough times that shes got the experience to do it right -both of them are horrible caffeine fiends. they will drink soda or energy drinks with breakfast and then wonder why their fucking stomachs hurt later -i think in the case of NEEDING caffeine vriska is much more varied in her intake sources--energy drinks, soda, coffee, and tea are all viable options depending on how much energy she feels she needs -dave though... he feels like the "starts with an energy drink and only drinks other stuff when he has a craving" kinda guy

-though maybe thats the raging adhd you tell me -their bed is almost never ever made and both of them live in organized chaos. whether or not they ENJOY the chaos is a different story entirely -vriska is a blanket hog AND a pillow hog so they eventually had to settle on each having their own blankets -vriska loathes mint toothpaste and dave is a cinnamon toothpaste guy so you can imagine how much of a eureka moment vriska had the first time she spent the night -and yes that means she was just bearing with the mint because she had no clue there was any other option -uhhhhh i cant think of much else more on this topic i hope u enjoyed <3

[fincalinde]

asking you about... wen qing

I will admit that WQ is actually one of the characters I've thought about the least, because she has minimal impact on the characters I'm personally invested in. That said, of course I've done some close reading because I am a super mega nerd and I do have thoughts.

I actually feel bad for WQ as a character, not just within the narrative but in the context of how she appears to be treated by fandom. The yassification of female characters is so depressing to me and she's probably one of the characters who suffers most under fandom's misguided and yet utterly relentless commitment to its own brand of frustratingly regressive progressivism.

Normally all my meta is grounded firmly in MDZS, but I do have to mention CQL here to underline my point. There's an abortive romance arc introduced between WQ and JC in CQL, and while (reasons behind that particular decision aside) I have no issue with that change in theory, it's directly responsible for one of the two main fandom-sanctioned WQ takes.

Take One (thanks CQL)

WQ is a badass awesome lady yeah! She pegs JC all night long because penetration is empowering!

Take Two (actually I'd blame CQL for this too except fandom loves doing this to all female characters regardless)

WQ is a badass awesome lesbian yeah! She's in a lesbian relationship with [insert female character du jour here] because she is a lesbian and that's empowering!

In case you can't tell, I have minimal patience for this sort of thing. Everyone has the right to write and enjoy whatever they like, but in my own space I have the right to highlight fandom trends and interpretations that I feel are unsupported. A lot of my frustration stems from the very fact that they are trends. Individual fics and meta posts are rarely the issue. The issue is that it's so difficult to find anything that is actually textually-grounded.

Anyway, the WQ and JC relationship in CQL is actually quite a mature depiction of two people who have an interest in each other and ultimately recognise that a relationship would not only be impractical, but that neither of them are the type to forgo their other loyalties and responsibilities for each other. Quite a neat parallel to Xiyao and contrast to Wangxian, actually. Overlooking these challenges in favour of centring the question of who is penetrating whom doesn't do either character justice. Pegging is all good fun, but its prevalence with this particular pairing is something that raises my eyebrow. I am deeply wary of analysis that looks at the power dynamic of a relationship, concludes that the woman has the stronger personality, and equates that with the man being the receiving partner.

As for WQ being a lesbian, from what I can tell this originates in theory from WQ being alone with JYL one time in CQL (gasp) coupled with fandom's insatiable need to make every single female character a lesbian regardless of whether the text supports it or not. And I'd be truly interested in a resistant read or a speculative fic that is canon consistent and depicts WQ as a lesbian; in MDZS especially we know nothing about her orientation. And yet what I see  is not thoughtful explorations of gaps in the text. It's muddy hobnail boots all over the text and the result is rarely nuanced or convincing. WQ and her partner du jour are reduced to a superficial collection of traits only tenuously connected to the source at best, and more often than not they are also supporting characters, existing within a fic merely to cheerlead the m/m couple and nominally tick a box on the representation checklist.

This post is quite harsh so I'll reiterate: I'm not speaking about any particular person or fic here. I'm speaking about trends. The problem is one of quantity as much as it is quality. If I could find a reasonable percentage of content with a solid grounding in the source material I would be very happy, but the ratio is just absolutely horrendous.

Getting back to what is actually present in the text, WQ is an incredibly resilient character. She's trying to balance her loyalty to her clan with her own ethics and the wellbeing of her brother and she does as well as anyone can in the circumstances. I like that she isn't necessarily the Actually Good Wen and that she isn't secretly working against WRH. She doesn't really like what he's doing but she understands the reality of her position and she's trying to work with that. I always respect that in a character because I find it much less interesting when someone wearing protagonist armour comes smashing through the plot (WWX, we'll get to you later).

[navy-leader]

Hot take but I’m hoping PRAYING even that Victim stays a villian through and through this season, I’m even leaning towards Dark staying evil as well though I can still see him having some sort of redemption, that redemption being just cutting ties with everyone and becoming his own person since his entire existence revolves around Chosen, but then again he literally wanted to commit mass genocide just because so probably not, but Victim, no he’s to far gone In my opinion, I love you Alan but Kings redemption was absolute rush trash, NOT EVERY VILLAIN NEEDS A REDEMPTION sometimes people are just bad people and you can’t really do much about It, Victim so far Is a good example, I want him to go down fighting and screaming till the very end the little bastard, and dragging the hero’s down with him If he must, like I’m so tired of this “Everyone can change” mindset Alan has going for the series thus, sure It can work BUT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.

I LOVE YOUR THOUGHTS.

TBH I HOPE VICTIM STAYS A VILLAIN ALSO. Like yes i feel itd be cruel to make the character whos whole gimmick is Being Dead to simply Die at the end of this but ill be honest it feels... Fitting. That route might send the wrong message but its allll in the execution. Will say that Victim's demeanor likely stems from a place of deep hurt hence the vendetta against Alan, like the guy created him JUST to torment and play with him like a Toy, not to mention THE NAME. Thats gotta do some damage. And SO FAR, we have only seen it hurt sticks (directly or indirectly) that are connected to Alan and those who are in the way of his mission. Not to mention the organization he's made seems to actually make products that are beneficial to stick society? From the TVs we saw in AVM30, the vehicles, and the sale rates we saw in the end scene of the recent episode. Whatever his intentions are for the rest of stick society are Unsure, but he is still benefitting them some way.

But other than that SO TRUE SO TRUE IM PRAYING THAT HE GOES DOWN SCREAMING AND FIGHTING TOO 🙏🙏🙏

On Dark, so true so true youre so right. I always thought of Dark and Chosen's relationship to be one thats unhealthily codependent, to me theyre all they had for those 8 years and never really interacted with the world theyve found themselves in (likely to keep a low profile). And the best way for their characters to develop imo is to seperate them for an extended period of time, so they can explore the world Individually, find things out about the world, how they view it, and find new things about themselves. But ofc the situation Now is very uhhh BAD (for Chosen) and unsure (for Dark).... so we'll just see i spose...

[the-white-soul]

*Nothing happens for the second that they enter. If it felt abandoned around the amalgams, it was ten times more empty now. An eerie silence fills the hallway, making their footsteps sound out of place. Something taps Noelle's ankle, urging her to keep moving.*

*The same stillness looms in the air with each step that their light-hearted conversations could not stir. It feels pointless that they had come here, and that they were looking for nothing.*

*A blur of color suddenly whooshes past Noelle's side where Frisk stood, followed by a loud bang. By the time she turns her head, if not frozen in place like a deer in headlights, Noelle can see then bound to the wall with pale green vines strapped over every limb, holding them slightly over the ground. Flowey had appeared on the opposite side of them, watching Frisk with a slightly sympathetic look, as if he didn't want to do this. Or maybe he was mocking them.*

*Next to the little plant was the enormity of the determination extractor. Its hollow eyes and odd shape take the resemblance of a monsterlike skull, with its gaping, twisted jaw facing Frisk directly as if it would consume them.*

I know I said two more chances, Frisk. But I feel bad for you. With your stubborn mentality, you'll never be happy. So defiant and demanding... thankfully, I know how to help you!

*Flowey smiles with excitement.*

We just need to get it over with quicker than I thought. Heehee... it might hurt quite a bit. Are you comfortable?

(Frisk) "*laughs in a way that shows they are a bit afraid but still in a mocking tone* Hey Noelle you hear this? This dumbass flower actually believes he can force me to be nice! *Stops laughing and looks Flowey dead in the eye* Listen. Do you even know the first thing about determination? I'll explain it so dumbed down even you can understand. Determination is how much you're willing to do something and work on a task. It's the only thing that's been keeping me alive. However, do you think that's the reason I am who I am? I'm a jerk because it makes life easier. If you take away the determination I'll become more of an asshole. Like it or not Buttercup, this isn't a part of me you're extracting from me. It's much more complicated. I am me because I love monsters. I loved them so much that I went against everything I believed in besides what my father said. I became a jerk to save monsters like you. I should've known that you brought me down here to extract determination from me. It's the only good thing Alphys made. *Spits at Flowey* One thing if you haven't been listening before is I'll never love you. I hate you. Let me go right now. Fuck you, you piece of shit."

(Noelle) "Flowey, I know I said I'd do whatever you said and I will, just please think about this. *Puts her hand on one of Flowey's stems* Is this what you want to be known as? I know you're better than this. Kara knows you're better than this. Think of Kara. Are you really going to risk all your friends just to be with this..."

(Frisk) "Fuck-face?"

(Noelle) "Yeah, Fuck-face. I can't pretend I don't have problems as well, but I know you can do better. Don't try to fix everyone. Some people can't be saved. You spent all your time trying to help everyone around you. Why don't you finally do something for yourself and only yourself? I am still under your control. How about you force me to help you. Hell, I'd rather you torture me right now. Again, I will go with you since my hands are tied but please, you deserve better."

[digisurvive]

A little post about Aoi's values...

...so that we can appreciate how deeply ideological her corruption arc is.

Previously, I talked a bit about how Plutomon's extremism ties with the game's conflict around individualism and collectivism. What makes this corruption great is that it's stemming from the values Aoi has always held; as much as they enable her to be someone who can be very generous and kind, they also serve as justification for her most intransigent and oppressive postures. This is because what she values can be summed up as follows:

Social propiety: From talking to your superiors and elders with the due respect, knowing your place in the hierarchy, and general politeness and good behavior, you can see her correcting others based on this multiple times. Which is part of the reason the group is so hierarchical earlier on, as she enforces this a lot.

Social conformity: This is mostly apparent in the way she tries her best to fulfill the external expectations placed on her, be it academically, socially or in her own behavior, despite the misgivings she might hold (which are a lot, given Labramon's rather bad-tempered and opionated behavior. However, no matter how much it might aggravate her, she sticks to upholding proper behavior as a way to preserve group harmony).

Duty to one's community: Another thing that deeply drives her is wanting to be a valuable member to her community, that responsibility she has as an individual to contribute to society. You can see this in the way her Cerberumon's cut scene is phrased, as one of the main catalysts for it is the sense of responsibility she feels over everyone as one of the oldest kids. She doesn't want to protect just the people close to her but make sure she can proactively get the everyone back home.

Cooperation: This is actually one of the things she names out loud, and people constantly foregoing it and leading to more workload/stress for her is actually one of her main resentments. Her Plutomon mad rantings about being always the one saddled with the most work evidence she values everyone doing their part. This type of reasoning can be a double-edged sword as it can be used to be deeply cruel to mentally ill/ disabled ppl, + other kinds of minorities irl. To her credit, she usually has the good grace not to directly impose this on others, but her violent Wrathful behavior coupled with her belief everyone should be like her (and fulfill societal expectations as diligently) to reach her "perfect world" show she can think like this.

Fairness/Justice: She cares about everyone getting their due and the general betterment of conditions for everyone, which is the aspect to her values that can finally factor compassion in. But it's telling it's the one value about which the answer to her arc hinges on—it distinguishes between Rightness and Fairness for good reason, as social conformity and not being disruptive/acting right don't necessarily have to center treating others fairly (think of the contrast between the rethoric used for Anubimon in contrast for Plutomon...)

Most of her values evidence her commitment to not causing disruption to a group and ensuring its proper functioning. Because she values politeness, it can mean she prefers negotiation over direct confrontation, but this isn't always a good thing. The game is rather in your face about it with how ineffective the group is at handling Shuuji following hers and Takuma's conciliatory approach. Her talk about reaching mutual understanding can either fall into the aspect of social propriety or justice, so it can muddle the group's capacity to resolve conflict.

However, not only prioritizing Harmony above all else can lead to problems going by unresolved and festering, it can also be used as justification to enforce rather unyielding and strict social norms (as we very clearly see Plutomon do through enforcing a strict hierarchy in her debut). Ultimately, she needs the others to guide and support her to be fair just as much as she guides them.

[cursedwithgloriouspurpose]

Just to put it out there, this is the post that set this off though I've been seeing shit like this for weeks. I'm not reblogging it because I don't want to directly spread this.

Can't believe I have to say this, but: AO3 is not an inherently community properties. It is a Non-Profit Organization that was begun and organized by people with certain ethos in mind; in a very condensed nutshell, the freedom to write and share any and every kind of fic, no matter what subject matter it contains. Period. They wrote the charter to suite their ideals, funded it alongside like-minded individuals, and manned it for many years. People who believe in the dream that they set up are the ones largely running the show now (a few founding members may still be around, though I'm not sure about that,) but so far that ethos has remained in tact.

While AO3 was always meant to serve the community (and they do,) it was never meant to be run by anyone who does not share their ethos. That's why actively contributing to the organization itself--ie, through volunteering, and/or donating--is a requirement for having a say in what the archive does. You do not get to vote on board elections if you are not involved. You do not get to be on the board if you do not do these things. That is how all non-profits work. A non profit is not a union (and outside of possibly the original vote to organize, no union I've ever heard of allows non-union members to vote on union procedure, policy, or in elections.)

One of the reasons why this is true is that anyone who doesn't agree with the founding tenants of absolute free speech, no matter how vile that speech may be, will not stick with the organization long enough to change things internally--that is a feature, not a bug.

Why? In this case, because of that ethos. Because of the fic bans and the purges that the idea for AO3 was born out of, which always stemmed from "concerned individuals" and calls for "morality." Completely unironically, because of all the shit that's happening to regular libraries across the US right now. Essentially, because of all the things AO3 was always meant to stand against.

God fucking damn but am I tired of this latest round of anti nonsense disguising itself as "Proship" and "Anti-racist" and "Anti-harassment" in order to try and drive a wedge between AO3 and its donors. I've seen this song and dance before. We all have. It used to be "child porn" and "think of the children," and now its "harassment," and "abuse!" Ie, the exact things that the modern lefty is hard programmed to fall into line behind without actually considering the evidence.

People please read through this shit critically before just assuming its valid. Note the lack of actual, clearly displayed and easily legible proof*. How all the "I've complied everything in one page!!!" posts seem to just be paragraphs after paragraphs of conjecture and vague statements without, again, any goddamn proof (except, maybe, a list of links entirely removed from context, appended to the bottom.) Be critical of authoritative statements about how things "should" be run without any sense of where that authority is coming from, and the lack of solid answers (or even suggestions) as to how the problems should be fixed in any way that isn't "Fire everyone I've decided is responsible for this (again, without proof,) and replace them with people who want to completely rewrite the ethos of the site to allow bans on content that everyone (and by 'everyone,' I mean me, the speaker) agrees is objectionable."

There is an alarming number of parallels I've been seeing lately re: how people are currently attacking AO3 and how bad actors in various states are forcing through book bans. Please be mindful.

*"easily legible" is kind of a weird phrasing, but i can't think of a better one. What I mean, specifically, is a good 90% of the "proof" links I've found are all links to mid-page comment streams on anonymous wank boards which mostly start mid-conversation, effectively removing them from their original context, and never site any sources of their own. Literally everything is He Said/She Said levels of bullshit with some corporate buzz words tossed in to make it sound more valid than it is.

[wishing-stones]

Hi, fiber anon. (Every greeting I thought of reminded me of YouTuber intro’s.) One thing I’ve been thinking of, is one reaction or habit of mine that can either be helpful or not depending on the situation.

With people I don’t know very well, or sometimes people I do, if I feel like they’re trying to manipulate me into something for their own gain, or trying to put down my own opinions, I have an immediate reaction of stubbornness. The more someone tries to force a point the more stubborn (and increasingly grumpy) I get. This can sometimes result in having trouble with my temper, which I’m usually pretty good at rationalizing myself into staying calm. But the better I know someone and the more trust I have in someone, this basically goes away on its own.

I feel like this can easily create a problem while I’m first getting used to the boys. But I feel like it can also create a unique problem. This reaction stems (I think) from a feeling that I need to stay in control of myself, because I have so little control when it comes to the world around me. The unique problem I’m thinking of would only be for Bags. I imagine I might have bad reactions at least the first few times he tries to use his magic on me, because it’s messing with my own control and self awareness. It would probably present in either a bad temper, or at least a partial shutdown as my mind tries to protect itself.

I imagine this being a problem, because it limits his ability to use his magic on me when I’m stressed, because it might have the opposite affect from what he wants, even after there’s some trust established. I also have an idea he might go to Nightmare to talk about it or try to work with him on it, because Nightmare can sense emotions. What do you think?

That depends entirely on how easy it is to get to you, and whether or not he actually needs that level of control over you.

Baggs does not generally utilize his abilities in Nightmare's Hold unless it's for his safety, the safety of others, or if someone is being exceptionally stubborn. It also depends on how easily he could distract you or your mind. He's very good at slipping past defenses, and can be subtle enough that you won't know what's happening until it's too late. You can get as angry as you want-- that might help you-- but if you shut down, it's surrender.

Fortunately, if the struggle is enough, he'll back off and reconsider his approach. He's not willing to endanger you or himself if the reaction is likely to cause physical harm to one or both of you.

However...

His magic is very sticky. Once he's succeeded one time, it won't take much for him to get back in there a second... or a third... or a fourth... ad infinitum.

If this is an issue that Baggs and Baggs alone is involved in, Nightmare will stay out of it. The most he might do is give the scientist some insight on how you feel about all of this, if Baggs asks. Otherwise, it's none of his business. The same applies to any one of the others, too-- if it's their issues with someone else, unless it directly involves him or multiple others, he stays out of it. He firmly believes in everyone's ability to sort out their own issues. He only steps in when it comes to blows, or when it's causing issues for more than just the offending parties.