#just so you can play the victim and not have to acknowledge that yes sometimes you can harm others

[tubapun]

Is that mean trans woman saying she hates men or is she trying to get you to acknowledge the basic feminist concept that men have structural power over women, not because of biology, but because of the literal structure of our society

[globlingoober]

Jimmy is a very well written terrible abuser character. He really has no redemption and his thought process being “I’m the captain I’m the best I’m in charge” vs “I’m terrible and everyone knows it” is so interesting because that’s the thought process that creates many bad people with abusive behaviors.

All of the characters are well written I think because the game really relies on the key technique of show don’t tell which is the number one rule that takes place in good media. Especially a phycological horror. That’s from a general media fan’s standpoint anyway.

Stuck in space is such a good troupe I’m in awe that the game took that and made it terrifying like a proper phycological horror by having all the real threats human made while making the player feel insane and questioning what’s real. such as “are there real monsters on this ship?” And the answer is yes but the monster isn’t the visions of creatures it’s the abuser’s mind whom others let fester and evolve into thinking his actions were excusable therefore making them devolve into more bad extreme actions.

Playing from said abuser’s point of view gives the player connection to him and start the game with an almost defensive mindset up until they have to face the realization they are the problem and do everything they can to disconnect from Jimmy something they cannot escape from without turning off the whole game and just ignoring those actions. You have to face it. And as well as that mentality Jimmy has is portrayed we really only see his and some of curly’s perspective (two of the main causes of both the abuse and the crash) playing Curly makes seeing him dehumanized later on far more difficult as your forced to shove meds down his throat.

Anya, Swansea, and Daisuke are pov’s we never see and there could be several reasons for that and I find that so interesting. But we are not the victim in this game. As much as we hate to face it Jimmy is the main character and the main story is his and Curly’s experience. Because you play them you can’t ever completely be the victim. If “your worst moment” really “doesn’t make you a monster” then many repeating worst moments do. You can’t just say sorry you have to improve and change. Sorry is just another word.

You have to “take responsibility” for what you’ve done while still being limited to the actual actions Jimmy takes. Despite however you feel about it you still pushed the buttons. You still played out those actions. The game forces you to face it putting the player in the most humanly uncomfortable and uncommon position of all, the abuser. Many times in our lives will we be forced to tread the thin line of taking responsibility and wrongly placing blame (on ourselves or others) while of course our situations may never be as severe as the situations presented the game warns you of the consequences of- NOT your choices but the responses to those actions. It’s a big test of how the player responds to the characters actions that they contributed to.

I adore that the idea was to make the player face their own pain and hurt. That’s passionate. People relate to the crews cast plenty but the scariest part of this horror game is relating to the perpetrator!!!

“like you ARE the abuser. You have to realize that abusers are just people. People you thought were good before. They could be anyone they are some evil 3rd force. It could literally even be you” -My friend @willowwhirll

Feel bad. feel guilt. but manage that guilt. Don’t let guilt make you worse, use it to change your actions. As badly as I, the player, and the audience want to disconnect from Jimmy being able to find traits to connect to allows you to acknowledge you can and sometimes are a bad person. It’s a fluctuating thing.

Horror that teaches you a lesson. Fricken beautiful.

[sophsicle]

Okay, I understand hating Snape as an adult. He's a bully. But as a kid? As a teen? The result we see of Snape, him as a shitty adult, is an imperfect victim. Someone who had a bad life, made bad decisions, and was impacted by everything that happened to him. Not everyone can be abused, bullied, grow up in extreme poverty, and then pull through to be amazing people. SOME people can, and that's so amazing, but I don't think it's healthy to look at a child/teen with literally every social determinant of health against them and say 'well, they should've been able to do better'.

Does Snape suck as an adult? Yes. Did he also make decisions which saved Harry's life and allowed them to end the war? Also yes. Does he ultimately sacrifice his life for Harry? Yes. Does young Snape have a lot of potential, especially in spaces such as fanfiction, to explore the effects of one's upbringing and subsequent choices/life path (which you have explored so beautifully, carving out a life for a character in your stories with the very same themes)? Definitely.

I'm not saying he is a perfect person, or even a good guy, but a lot of people can and do relate to him as imperfect victims of bullying and abuse. Sometimes you can't rise above life's circumstances on your own, and you aren't this 'amazing' person. And that's okay. It's okay for victims of things like abuse to struggle, and it's good for people to acknowledge that things like bullying AREN'T okay and have lifelong consequences for their victims. Snape is a good example of what happens to a lot of people who aren't able to 'rise above' the things that happen to them and make mistakes. I think blind hatred for him is a very narrow-minded view, and ignores a lot of his story and nuances.

So two things a) I think perhaps you are missing some of the silly fun spirit I was attempting to infuse into my hatred of snape who is a character not a person

b) listen, I think snape is a super interesting character to play with because he offers a counter point to the marauders especially where issues of class are concerned, even the insults the marauders use against him, about him being "dirty" have clear class connotations and I think that allows you to critique the biases of the "heroes" of the story so to speak and that’s something I really like, so I’m not trying to suggest that he should just be dismissed because I don’t think he should be necessarily

What I am suggesting, is that JKR writes a grown adult teacher who abuses his students consistently and brutally for seven books (students he knows are already traumatized because the group he was a part of tortured or murdered their parents) and at the end of the series we are meant to forgive him because he loved a woman one time kind of maybe I guess

Now, fanfiction can do whatever it wants and make characters whoever it wants

But I have a fundamental problem with the way that snape is used in canon and the way that people accept that narrative

His behaviour as an adult towards the children he is in charge of is gross and unforgivable, but is absolutely forgiven by the narrative of the original text (without, I would argue, any of the nuance you are suggesting)

So I just find it less compelling to use fanfiction to continue to forgive this character

And like maybe if JKR didn’t explicitly write him as someone I was supposed to love I would feel differently, but because she does I don’t

I think you’re giving this character a lot more depth than he has

Which you totally can do with any character you wish, but for me, personally, not universally, cause there is no universal truth about a fictional character who does not exist, he deserves to be hated, in my opinion, again, cannot stress this enough, I’m not saying there is a right way to feel about this character because I don’t think you can say that about characters , but this is my way and I hate him and these are my reasons

Like you can hate characters without being narrow minded

I fear this is a thing you can do

[epickiya722]

It's hard to believe that people actually dislike Izuku for "What he stands for" or the fact he's a flawed character when for years, years now people will hate on him for less.

This is the same fandom I have seen some people say Aoyama, a child who didn't actually have a choice, got off "too light".

Same fandom where some people will call Horikoshi a misogynist and then turn around and reduce the female characters to nothing but love interests and future wives. Some of you still only see Ochako as a girl with a crush. Some of you like to bash on Miruko's uniform and people only being horny for her and yet still won't say anything about the male character's costumes and are also horny for those characters yourselves.

Same fandom, now, that will ignore a character's development and that character has admit to being an ass and still be like "He didn't develop at all" and even worse? That character is a child. A child who never even is awarded for his behavior. In fact, often times is punished by the narrative in some way. And yes, I am talking about Katsuki.

Same fandom where some people will attack others over ships. And with shipping, that's the only time some of you will "care" about these characters. Izuku is the main victim of that!!

Same fandom who will be like "fanon is better" when fanon is actually worse.

Same fandom who at a time actually hated the villains, still do and even going as far as to making fun of some of their appearances (like Shigaraki and Dabi)... and really only started to "care" when they "showed out" during the Villain Arc. And by "care" I mean, only finding Shigaraki and Dabi hot as hell and still don't understand their characters. And even if you get why the villains do what they do, some of you still won't acknowledge they're in the wrong, too.

What about the minor villains who just want to cause havoc? For all we know, some of them may come from good homes and just want to be menaces to society. The heroes aren't completely good people either, but don't act as if it's every single one of them who do it for fame (Rock Lock is an example of a hero doesn't actually sees being a hero as a JOB) and every villain has some "excuse" because they don't.

In the case of Izuku Midoriya, some of you will say that Vigilante Deku was the best version of him. No. No, it's not. It was the worst version of himself.

It's not because he was a vigilante. It was because he wasn't taking care of himself. In what way is that the best version of anybody? Neglecting your health?

BNHA: Vigilantes is a perfect story that shows vigilantes not neglecting themselves and still doing what they needed to do to save people.

Often times when I do cross Vigilante Deku fanworks, it's like a totally other character.

My grievance with people "criticizing" Izuku isn't because of what he stands for. Their attitude will come off like he shouldn't have flaws.

Yes, he is a teenager who can only do so much and even as he gets older he can only still do so much because he is still just one person. But he can learn. He still has a long way to go even after however the story ends. Is he not suppose to learn or what?

Question: If Toga dies, will you hate Uraraka? If Spinner dies, how about the other characters? Will you hate them?

Kurogiri is gone but I don't see people hating Aizawa and Yamada.

"But it wasn't their fault! They were trying!"

And Izuku wasn't? Was it Izuku's fault that Shigaraki turned out the way he did?

Izuku wasn't the problem. He tries to be the solution and yes, sometimes it's a flawed solution.

But he shouldn't be the only character the fandom chooses to criticize and hate on for his flaws.

"But he's the main character!" Played out excuse. Played out, it's ridiculous. You're telling me that you're choosing to hate Izuku because he's a flawed main character?

Bullshit. So a character's position in a story is why you're choosing to hate him?

Even though other main characters before and after him have are loved and practically fucking worshipped and yet will have just as much flaws or even more?!

There are folks who love a character despite being gross as hell and they're not the main character. So that "main character hate" is bullshit.

For me, I will hate or love a character not because of their position in story but because of how they are as a character. Sometimes, it just so happens they are the main character. Sometimes, they're not.

Of course, their role can play a part as to how they're written.

Honestly, again, it's hard for me to believe people are "criticizing" Izuku for what he "stands for" when this fandom has shown me countless times the amount of bullshit it will pull. This fandom? Really? Same fandom who will adore other characters for less? Hate characters for less? Who come up with cold ass takes that do not make sense?

What? Exactly what kind of character Izuku Midoriya is meant to be? I'm curious, I really am! (No, no, I'm not.)

Because what it seems to me that even if Izuku was "perfect", the fandom will hate him no matter what.

"BNHA is cop propaganda!" Really? Because the police force here seems pretty "useless" to me. (A lot of the work is done by the heroes.) Sometimes, I forget they even exist until I see like Sansa or another police officer. (Actually, I be forgetting Sansa is a cop.) They're not even the main focus. Maybe it's just me, but BNHA comes off as a story that shows the ongoing cycle of what a previous generation's actions will do to shape the next generation and what that next generation may do to change. It's just that it's being told through heroes and villains and in between.

[sjmvillainweek]

Hello everyone! October is now three months away and soon the prompts will be out for everyone to start making content, we can't wait to see what you all create!

Due to some confusion for the sixth rule on the Rules/FAQ post, one of our co-mods @readychilledwine has made an informative post on the differences between Non-Con and Dub-Con to clear up any confusion on the matter, and for something to refer back to when making your content!

✨️Smut Education with Liz✨️

Noncon vs. Dubcon and the importance of consent

Warnings: Liz isn't sugar coating language; discussions of consent; discussions of SA

With Villain Week being announced, we have received a lot of questions regarding our rule about not reblogging fics involving graphic SA. All three of us understand how yummy taboo dark smut is to read and write, but there are limitations to what is acceptable. I wanted to take some time to address noncon and dubcon fanfiction and consent with you all to hopefully clear the air a bit.

Noncon and Dubcon are both very real-world situations that have been modified to fit into our world of fanfiction, and it is important to acknowledge something really quick. In the real world, both of these are forms of sexual assault. Questionable consent is not consent, and coerced consent is not consent. Consent is an enthusiastic yes. Sex without an excited yes throughout is considered SA or rape in the real world. These same rules do not apply to fanfiction, though.

Noncon is short for nonconsensual, meaning it is clear there is no consent from one party involved, sometimes both depending on content or context, even in fanfiction. To put it bluntly, a noncon fic is essentially writing a rape scene. It is not arguably SA; it is blatant SA. Even with proper warnings, tags, and labels, this type of content is extremely triggering for survivors of sexual-based attacks, both male and female. In these fics, there is a clear victim, and the victim knows and acknowledges that they are a victim.

We are all probably aware of fics that somehow gained popularity involving this style of writing, and we are all probably aware of the fallout. We, as writers who are working to create a safe place for our followers, mutuals, and anonymous strangers lurking in dark corners, cannot allow this type of content to be reblogged in this event. If this is the type of content you are wanting to write, as kindly as possible, ✨️no✨️. I, Liz, will not allow this type of content to be reblogged.

Dubcon would be the other category of dark smut. Dubcon is short for Dubious Consent. Dubcon fics may have questionable consent methods, but it is clear the characters involved are enjoying them. Dubcon, when properly tagged as such, allows the reader to know that consent may seem questionable, but it is there, and it will be written to show both characters enjoying the interaction. Dubcon, too, does not have what we would call a victim. The “victim” is not perceiving themselves as a victim. They are enjoying and wanting the sex act.

Dubcon fics are far more popular than you may think: seduction, sex potions, magic, pollen, and bargain-based sex.

I'm sure we have all read a sex pollen fic where unaffected character x says to affected character z, “I don't want to take advantage of you,” then they have mind-blowing sex that's so good the sex pollen just magically leaves their system. That's a form of dubcon due to the fact that it can be written between two characters who may not have hooked up without the influence of the pollen. In seduction, character A typically chases and woos character B restlessly. Seduction can be written with 100% enthusiastic consent or a dubcon stand point. In dubcon, it typically starts with character B “caving” and then enjoying sex with character A. This is considered Dubcon in fanfiction. In bargain dubcon, one character offers the other a reason to sleep with them (protection, money, food, a job).  These types typically have other fun power dynamics at play, but we still see in these fics both characters enjoying sex with each other. These are the types of dark smut fics we will reblog. Yes, it is a little bit questionable, but enjoyment is clear on both ends.

I also want to talk to you all about an age-old concept: hate fucking.

Have you ever disliked someone so much that you wanted to have sex with them to feel a bit of power and control over them? That's hate-fucking. It's consensual, it's fun, it's hot, and the best part is that your characters can go back to hating each other afterwards and even throw it into each other's faces that this happened. You get to write your smut scene while honoring—let's say Beron and Helion's tense hatred and complex relationship, or a delicious moment where Rhys snaps and gets off on how he is capable of bringing Amarantha over the edge to give himself a feeling of power. Sex won't change how these characters feel about each other, but you get to touch that hatred dynamic while writing something everyone will actually get to enjoy, and we will reblog.

In summary, the biggest thing we want to see is consent, even if it's in a questionable dubcon fashion. This is fanfiction, yes, but for survivors of violent crimes, the distinction between dubcon and noncon is very important. Use this as a chance to play with the characters a bit, play with an intense hate-fucking scene, and play with the villain playing the long game and getting the hero to say yes. There are ways to write smut this week that still show consent. That’s all we are asking for.

Liz, or @readychilledwine, has left a list of types of dubcon fanfiction. Her inbox, or our ask box, is open. If you have questions, please reach out. There are also several bloggers who have written dark smut/Dubcon: @tadpolesonalgae has several options, @gothicbabydollz has a few, @secret-third-thing has some Beron smut on @thevanslut, and Liz, shameless plug, also wrote a dubcon bargain piece with Beron. Please search these blogs if you need help with ideas as well!

✨️Dubcon Fanfiction✨

Fuck or die.

Sex Pollen/Potion/Magic

Seduction

Bargaining

Drunk/Impaired Sex (starts noncon-y but becomes enthusiastic)

Modified “Pon Farr”/Mind Control

“Aliens Made Me Do It”

Please ask if you have any further questions regarding the event!

We'll see you in October

[brainicusrotticus]

after killing noctilucent’s body to save vace, sol is an absolute nuisance to the night guards of the colony.

exhibit 1: sleeping in the communal barracks after nightmares because it’s comforting

person guarding the garrison tries not to freak out when the doc is walking with intent toward the barracks

(because the DOCTOR being that fucking focused going anywhere? usually not good)

“yo, doc, need help?”

for a second sol looks to walk straight past and in, not even acknowledging them

and then stops.

and backs up a step.

and bobs a finger in their direction.

(and doesn’t look up.)

“…you on watch until breakfast?”

“uh… yeah? er, yes sir.”

(he finally looks up.)

(oh. he looks like shit.)

“i’m sleeping in your bunk. if i’m still there when you’re done, just throw something at me.”

and he goes right in without another word.

and he is still there when they get off watch.

but they’re not going to wake the doc, are you nuts? vace would kill them.

as they’re standing awkwardly beside the bunk, a roll of socks nails sol in the head from across the room

(it was nem)

sol crawls, grumbling, like a goddamn lizard out of the bunk, across the floor, and into the one immediately adjacent while its occupant is still sitting on it, putting on boots

occasionally including bed sharing with nem or vace

nem is game, always

willing to play big spoon and envelope sol as much as he needs

not super jumpy, so sol can literally crawl right into her bed without waking the whole barracks

(she prefers a slight heads up, though, which is fair)

once forgot to tell sol she’d swapped bunks with someone else

the next morning, sol makes certain to reassure his accidental victim that screaming is a perfectly good fear response

no, it doesn’t matter if it was really high-pitched and woke everyone up

if it had been a real threat that would be the ideal outcome anyway

vace is… not the cuddling type.

especially not so soon in his getting better arc.

but sol knows that and does not actually crawl into his bed

because he’s a fucking gremlin, he crawls under it.

vace does not realize he has a monster under the bed until the fourth time it happens.

(condolences to the poor bastards who watch the doctor casually scoot out from under a bed the next morning and are immediately sworn to silence on it)

because sol has another nightmare and jolts awake.

right into the underside of vace’s bed.

sol is cussing and bleeding, vace is awake and foaming at the mouth and has pulled a plaspistol, everyone else has just learned that vace keeps a plaspistol under his pillow, it’s a whole mess

exhibit b: unauthorized night walks

sol straight up tries to leave in the middle of the night like it’s no biggies.

woe upon the poor soldier who had to try and figure out what to do with that one.

“sorry, doc, we’re locked up for the night.”

“how much to get through?”

blink. blink.

“…did you just offer to bribe me?”

ding. 200 credits received from: solaniac.

“that enough to ignore any screaming you hear for the next two hours?”

“…have a nice walk, doc.”

(two hours later, she’s very certain 200 credits is not enough to make up for those screams.)

(next time, she’s charging fucking double.)

exhibit three: sol just hanging out on the walls in the middle of the night

literally just climbs straight up and finds somewhere to sit.

intentionally waits for a gap because he just doesn’t want to answer questions right now.

almost gets shot by a very startled soldier.

rhett has to make sol promise to tell soldiers if he’s going on the wall. it’s a safety issue.

(he has to make him promise three times. the third time is a full sit-down, “if you do this again i’m going to have to assume you’re hoping to get shot and report it to instance and congruence” talk, before sol finally actually listens.)

he’ll just chill in one of the lookout towers, silent. staring off into the wilderness.

sometimes he looks particularly haunted about it, and the soldiers have to shake the urge to talk to him.

(one time, a soldier notices he’s not just looking haunted, he’s physically shaking. when sol doesn’t respond to questions, they send someone to get vace.)

(vace holds sol’s hand in his metal one until sol comes back to himself, and sits with sol until sunrise.)

one time, a soldier switched lookouts at midnight and forgot to tell his replacement that sol was there.

she didn’t notice for hours. sol didn’t realize she didn’t know.

she was scared shitless when sol coughed. sol was scared shitless when she pulled a gun on him. rhett filled a tub with water, dunked his whole head inside, and screamed for a full minute.

[sophieinwonderland]

Hot take: Sometimes I think "you don't deserve your trauma" can come with an asterisk.

It's a good saying and I mostly agree with it. But sometimes you have actual bullies and abusers who are hurting innocent people, causing trauma to them, and then are traumatized themselves when their victims have finally taken enough and decide to give them back of fraction of the damage they caused.

And yes, this post is inspired specifically by drama on here with a certain user who was posting triggering content to endo safe tags with posts that were extremely harmful to traumagenic and mixed origin allies.

I have no doubt that being called out by someone they previously trusted caused some degree of trauma to them. I mean, it must have if they're still triggered by it. Still being thrown into what appear like trauma responses at the mention of my name.

But I also wouldn't have acted any differently. I still maintain that whatever trauma I caused them by calling them out for traumatizing others was justified. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Their emotional wellbeing isn't my priority when they're hurting people in my community.

But I'm not just thinking of them. I'm also thinking of the domestic abusers who spend years hurting their spouses or children, only to be arrested for it and traumatized by being locked up. If a child molester is beat up in prison when people find out what they did and are traumatized by that, it would seem pretty silly to say they didn't deserve their trauma.

I understand why the saying exists. I understand why it's necessary. Abusers are very good at convincing their victims that the victims deserve what they suffered. But sometimes... the people who are traumatized ARE the abusers.

Sometimes people are ostracized by people they love for bigotry and that leaves them traumatized. Sometimes people realize a bully is manipulating their peers into hurting others and the bully is traumatized by people realizing what they are. Sometimes people harm loved ones so deeply that those loved ones grow to hate them, and being hated by someone you used to rely on can be traumatizing.

I guess what I'm saying is that not enough people acknowledge that perpetrators of abuse can be traumatized when people they abuse fight back, or others stand up for the abused.

And this can create an environment where abusers can find room to play victim.

If no one deserves their trauma, then the logical conclusion is that anyone who claims to be traumatized, even from the response to their own actions, must be the victim.

I just want to inject the nuance that there are some people out there who do deserve what they get. It's okay to acknowledge that perpetrators of abuse can be traumatized by the repercussions to their actions, and those repercussions are both deserved and often necessary.

[colourstreakgryffin]

I have a request to make. Cowboy/cowgirl hashira reader with a pet rattlesnake (the snakes name is Jake by the way) with all of the hashira.

Oh! This one smells like it’s gonna be quite tough. Nevertheless, something will come out of this! Thank you for the unique idea!

Himejima Gyomei

You’re quite interesting to him, that’s for sure. The way you speak and if he senses it correctly, you wield a mighty handgun. He finds you, as a whole, intriguing

Gyomei is not the biggest fan of snakes out there. Some are dangerous, but he will help you tend to Jake if you need it

He likes the way you use the golden sharp pins on the back your zori sandals to attack. It’s a smart move that impresses him

Gyomei is a friendly man that doesn’t like to decline his friends so he will hold Jake if you offer him. He simply needs you to tell him what to do

Tokito Muichiro

Your old western aura is appealing but sometimes forgotten as he doesn’t view your differences as bad or anything, he likes the way you are

Muichiro doesn’t know how to feel about snakes. He prefers to stay away from most animals but he, as friendly as he can be, to Jake for you

You have a very cool stead used for victim transportation and he sees it as pure brilliance. What a great way to help victims!

Muichiro wants to make you happy more than anything so he’ll take care of and hold Jake whenever he can. He kinda just stares at the snake

Iguro Obanai

Okay. Since when did Japan gain their own classic cowboy? He wonders as his eyes scan over that leather hat on your head. You’re just cute for your style

Obanai knows his snakes very well and is one of the only Hashira that are excited to see Jake, a rattlesnake. He tries to befriend the snake and introduce him to Kaburamaru

Your random drawout games with your gun to confuse the demons you fight, have him smiling uncontrollably. It’s so unnecessary but adorable to him

Obanai happily spends time with you and Jake. He has never seen a non-Japanese rattlesnake so he is interested and he likes holding Jake(making Kaburamaru jealous)

Kanroji Mitsuri

She absolutely loves the western world so when she sees your cowboy features, her heart flips and she decides she must get to know about you. She finds you very cool

Mitsuri is a bit okay with snakes as a whole as, she has a friend with a snake, but she isn’t confident on how to treat Jake properly so she just mindlessly compliments him

The fact you can play the piano and banjo very well makes her excited and eager to hear what song you’ll make up. It’s another quality she likes about you

Mitsuri will gladly take Jake off your hands if you want her to hug him. She may be nervous that he is annoyed but she lets him do whatever he wants

Tomioka Giyuu

As first, he did not notice how different you really are as he simply viewed you as a another ally. But when he got a proper look of you, he found out he finds you beautiful

Giyuu, like most Hashira, doesn’t have much experience with snakes nor good opinions on them as he acknowledges his existence and calls him ‘appealing’ without care

You actually run your own farm, including crops and barn animals, he finds it incredible that you can handle all this whilst also juggling Hashira duty

Giyuu won’t hesitate to hold Jake when you ask if he wants to but he won’t have much fun throughout it. Pretending for your sake that he is

Kocho Shinobu

She is interested in your cowboy style but she couldn’t call it cute. Yes, your Kyahan socks/stockings match your haori’s colourful red but it’s less cute, but more attention-drawing

Shinobu will definitely not ever like snakes. They constantly plague her gardens and trees but she won’t deny, Jake is a pretty snake and she goes to pet him

She idolises how physically strong you are and how you can move heavy stuff without much problem. She simply wishes she could be like you, pretty and bulky

Shinobu happily holds Jake for you or whenever you offer him, and eventually, she just freezes in fear when he circles his body around her neck. Unaware that he is just playing

Rengoku Kyojuro

He finds your cowboy style cute. You wield a hoister gun and wear a haori patterned like a plaid shirt, he feels like he is in the Wild Wild West when he sees you

Kyojuro doesn’t know how to handle snakes, though, he compliments Jake. He finds him pretty but he won’t touch him

He also likes your dorky “Wild-Westie” accent and the way you mess up some Japanese phrases. He could listen to you all day

Kyojuro is very polite and doesn’t like hurting your feelings so if you want to offer him Jake, he’ll take him whilst being very afraid that the snake will bite him

Shinazugawa Sanemi

He originally had a sour opinion on Western people but you’re nothing like them. You mix your cowboy tradition with theirs and he appreciates how considerate you are

Sanemi will never be truly ready to see a rattlesnake everyday so he doesn’t know what to say or do. He simply strokes Jake’s head everytime he sees him

You’re a bit ruthless in your slaying with your signature gun and he is absolutely livid over having somebody so pretty yet so battle-prepared on his side

Sanemi has handled Kaburamaru a few times before so he does know how to hold a snake and he’ll do it for you if you want him to. He ignores the snake in favour of you

Uzui Tengen

You and your wild Wild West vibe has him looking in your direction as you put away your gun. Hm, you’re cute. You’re really cute

Tengen feels like he can crush snakes with his size but he isn’t all for seeing them. He’ll call Jake ‘quite the flashy serpent’ as often as he can

Your own Western-styled phrases and lines make him laugh, feeling as if he is seeing a storybook character come to life through you. How interesting!

Tengen, like almost every other Hashira, holds Jake in pure reluctancy as he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings or any of you. He’ll just hold the snake and hope he doesn’t anger him

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

"We should hit one of those flaming tubes sometime."

KIM KITSURAGI - "How about we 'hit' the crime we came here for instead. And by 'hit' I mean 'solve' it. Solve it *hard*."

"Besides, those days are long behind me."

2. "You know I have to take this to Internal Affairs, don't you, lieutenant?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Of course. Here's my gun and my badge." His hands reach out empty. "They'll put me in the chaise for this, but it feels good to have it off my chest."

"You're serious right now?"

"Very funny, lieutenant."

"Let's move on. This has been enough of a detour."

"You brought this on yourself."

KIM KITSURAGI - "All I ask is the chance to close this final case so I can go to the chaise with a clean conscience." His voice is filled with mock pathos. "Let's hurry, I'm living on borrowed time."

Ok, let's cut directly to the chase.

TITUS HARDIE - "It's you again..." He acknowledges you gruffly. "What is it?"

4. "Klaasje says she wasn't raped."

TITUS HARDIE - "Fuck!" The big man's eyes and veins bulge. "I knew that fucking whore couldn't be trusted!"

Task complete: Speak to the assault victim

+10 XP

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - You've hit a nerve. Titus is furious -- no, more than that -- the loyal Titus feels *betrayed*.

ELIZABETH - "For the record..." she steps in, forcefully. "Titus Hardie did not explicitly specify the *victim* as a whore. Nor did he say anything about trusting her."

TITUS HARDIE - "Oh, shut up and stay out of this, Liz!" He turns back to you. "He raped her. He was out of his fucking mind. You have no idea!"

ALAIN - "She's just in denial, asshole. You don't understand the *traumatic experience*. She's shutting down. And she doesn't fucking trust you."

SHANKY - "Yes, she's crazy, you know," the rat-faced man says carefully. "A crazy-bitch -- you know the type. She's fucked up."

"Crazy? What are you talking about? She was very lucid."

"I did think that, yes -- that she's a *little* crazy…"

"Cut the bullshit. She told me the truth."

KIM KITSURAGI - "She wasn't raped." The lieutenant's voice is beginning to betray his agitation. "The witness' statements were very clear."

TITUS HARDIE - "Lawman..." he says through clenched teeth. "... I am at the end of my *goddamn* rope with you. I fucking told you not to push her!"

"And you went and pushed her." Something breaks in him. He takes a step closer and says: "I am going to… fucking…"

ELIZABETH - "TITUS HARDIE!" Her voice rings through the room like a warning shot.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - Success. Titus backs off. Fists down, everybody.

ELIZABETH - "Evrart *personally* sent me to take care of this. If this goes south we'll all be in the shit -- but you, Titus Hardie, are going to be buried. Am I understood?"

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The rest of the cafeteria has gone quiet too.

SUGGESTION [Trivial: Success] - Someone has to rush in to break the tension. The second in command.

ALAIN - "Look, copper." The tattooed man snaps his fingers to get your attention. "We know the dead fuck was a rapist and a killer. We got him confessing to it on tape."

"Show it to him, T." He turns to Titus, who's still breathing heavily. "What's the harm, right?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Here, jerkwad!" He slams an audiotape on the table. "Listen to this shit, and then come back and tell me the *Soldier of the Apocalypse* was an innocent man."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - This is their last play -- this tape. Their story is in tatters, a mess. It might be nice to listen to -- but at this point, you don't need to.

"Why should I care about the tape? You lied to me."

"So what's on this tape?"

"Where did you get this tape?"

"Where can I listen to this?"

"That's enough for now. I'll get back to the investigation." (Conclude.)

TITUS HARDIE - "You don't care about *evidence*?" His eye twitches. "The fuck are you a cop for then?"

ALAIN - "Pigs, T -- they don't care about getting the truth, they care about getting convictions. They're fucking keeping score on their bulletin boards."

TITUS HARDIE - "I won't be on your bulletin board. If you don't listen to the tape we got *nothing* to talk about."

2. "So what's on this tape?"

TITUS HARDIE - "What's on it? We call it the Doorgunner Megamix. You'll know why, once you listen to it."

3. "Where did you get this tape?"

TITUS HARDIE - "You think we go into this shit deaf and dumb? You RCM aren't the only ones who know how to bug people -- there's no university degree for that."

"So you've bugged them? How?"

TITUS HARDIE - "We have machines." He nods. "We're in logistics -- how do you think a harbour works? It's advanced stuff."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Understood -- you've listened in on their communications." He takes a little note. "How long?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Since way before their chief started taking swing lessons."

SHANKY - "Things got nice and quiet after that."

"Which one of you is doing this advanced radio work then?"

"I think I get the picture."

FAT ANGUS - "It's not advanced," the heavy man wheezes. "You're just holed up in a coop all day, writing down what they say. It gets hot as hell in there."

TITUS HARDIE - "Don't put yourself down, Angus. It's important work." The chief picks his beer back up -- to offer a silent toast.

EUGENE - "Yeah, man, you're like a radio genius or something. Those notes are some in depth stuff. Indexes and shit."

4. "Where can I listen to this?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "I'm sure we can find a tape player," the lieutenant whispers.

SHANKY - "'Where can I listen to this?'" he mocks you. "Why don't you try shoving it up your ass, genius?!"

GLEN - "Yeah, play it with your ass, COCKSUCKER!" His voice echoes like thunder in the small room.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I'm sure we can find a tape player. It's not a problem," he repeats calmly in a hushed voice.

INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - Your room had one, or maybe it's too broken...

5. "That's enough for now. I'll get back to the investigation." (Conclude.)

TITUS HARDIE - "Don't forget your tape, lawman." He pushes the little tape toward you with his giant hand. "Compliments of Titus Hardie."

(Take the tape.) "Fine. I'll listen to it."

(Leave the tape.) "No thanks, Titus. I can get this wrapped up better without it."

Item gained: "Doorgunner Megamix"

New task: Doorgunner Megamix

TITUS HARDIE - "You do that," he says, adjusting his belt buckle. "Oh, and keep it -- maybe you'll need a reminder of human ugliness some day."

4. "I'm going to take off now." [Leave.]

TAPE "DOORGUNNER MEGAMIX"

A magnetic tape acquired from Titus Hardie. It supposedly holds a recording of the mercenary task force radio communications recorded via a de-encryption station. Not a good omen. Requires a boombox to play.

>INTERACT

THE GREAT DOORGUNNER MEGAMIX - You stare at the Great Doorgunner Megamix. If only you had a boombox, you would be able to play Titus' tape.

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - The tape feels ominous... Upon it, the dead speak. Respect the tape!

Well, let's check that tape deck in our room, then.

Kim tries not to look at your broken down bathroom door.

STEREO 8 PLAYER - The compact tape player is still and silent. Seems it has completely broken down now.

KIM KITSURAGI - "This would have been *very* helpful with the 'Megamix'." He stares at the tape player. "But it isn't anymore."

"Yeah… any ideas?"

"It's not *my* fault."

KIM KITSURAGI - "My Kineema only comes with a radio," he ponders. "Let's try to find a new tape player. Perhaps we should talk to Roy at the pawnshop -- he has stuff."

[hairdestroyer]

TW: Grooming, mentions of NSFW content, mentions of s/h & sV!c!de

The tags are the fandoms he’s most active in so please be cautious, everyone

Okay, I was initially planning on waiting until I had taken screenshots of my own to talk about this, but I then realized I can make a separate post, this is serious and has gone on long enough so it’s time I mentioned it. However, before I do, this is not some big creator, I realize that, but they are a /very/ active user and though I only have screenshots from one victim and soon my own screenshots, there are at least five, possibly six, more that I know of, but I am no longer in contact with most of those people and I don’t want to go asking people to unblock someone like this. If they want to come out about this, that’s their choice, not mine. And, yes, you read that right. Five others.

This post is about @Mauroisthattired on Pinterest or @joshuakidd on here.

Because I know you’ll see this, hi, Josh, don’t even think about sending people my age and younger to beg me to take this down and forgive you again, you did these things, you are aware you did these things, now here are the consequences. And because I know you will, don’t you DARE hang your life over my or my friend’s head for this either, you have done that 100 times already and I do not have the energy to deal with it anymore. I may not have a big platform, but if you have publicly interacted with this person or know someone who has, please listen.

First, Joshua is not almost eighteen, he turned eighteen in March. I never wanted to mention my age on here, but it’s not like I’m posting p0/n so idc anymore, I kind of have to:

In late September, after I had newly turned fourteen, is when Josh reached out to me on my rp account on Pinterest, I hadn’t been active on there in awhile but I thought “what the heck, I need someone to talk to” so I agreed to role play with them. Josh was 17 at the time. Obviously, it was idiotic to have a rp account in the first place, but I’m aware of all the things I’ve done wrong so I won’t be focusing on that, that’s not why you’re reading this. I had admitted to him that I wasn’t online a lot so I sent him my main account, and god do I regret it.

It only took a few weeks for Josh to start overstepped boundaries, I had acknowledged that s/h is deeply upsetting to me so we wouldn’t get it involved in role plays, but he did. Not only that, but he would vent a lot and that would always end with me having to convince him not to harm himself. I will say, he was unaware of my age when this first started happening, but that isn’t that important because he didn’t give a shit. Very quickly it turned into I couldn’t not reply for a certain amount of time or else I would get berated by Josh or he would threaten to hurt himself. He’d always claim it was because I left him on seen even if I hadn’t been there to open the message in question at all. Whenever someone blocked him, he’d send their account to me in a “you know what to do” fashion, I never asked people to unblock him, but sometimes I’d block or unfollow them because I was afraid he’d check and go ballistic if I hadn’t.

At a certain point, he started begging me to add him to a group chat with my friends, always because he “needed more friends,” I never did because it didn’t work, but that didn’t stop him from reaching out. He’d spammed one of my friend’s comment sections asking them to chat with him until they gave in. Once they had he’d vent to them nonstop, send them NSFW art (never his), and once pressured him to send him pictures of his face despite his wishes. This friend is younger than me and was 13 at the time.

After he had ‘befriended’ my close friend, Jay, is when he got brave enough to start sending me NSFW, he would send me it to make fun of or just mid conversation without saying anything else. He never did straight up smut role plays, but he’d convince me to do suggestive ones where the s*x scene was always skipped (but still held the before all the way up until getting fully undressed and the direct after, not even the next morning), because he “refused to do suggestive role plays with anyone under eighteen” I never questioned it. At one point Josh threatened to end our friendship when I was disturbed that he was going to have a character attempt so it scared me out of asking not to do a certain scene, but ofc, he could tell me to stop because something was upsetting him whenever he wanted

Eventually there was the incident, my friend and I were taking a break from Josh and he didn’t respect it so I blocked Josh for the first time, while Jay was too scared to. Josh went mental. He screamed at my friend until I unblocked him to defuse things and had to explain to him what he was doing wrong, at the time the NSFW being weird hadn’t crossed my mind so I didn’t bring it up. He apologized, I tried to get him to understand, understand what he’d done wrong but the apology of “it’ll never happen again” was all I got either way. Around this time is when I had admitted my age, a few weeks or a month prior I had meltdown about how I was too young for this while Josh was venting to me, of course, that meant nothing to him.

[These screenshots do not belong to me, they belong to my best friend, Jay, like I stated. There are more examples, months upon months upon months of examples, but he didn’t want to relive any more than this and I do not blame him for that. He doesn’t go by either of these names anymore] Jay mentioned that he had gotten uneasy during their conversation about MLP, that’s why it was added

These screenshots are from /after/ everything had gone down. Eventually, my friend had enough, especially after being so shaken by the situation, so a few weeks after Josh’s 18th birthday he blocked him. I successfully comforted Josh after that and things went back to the “normal” of before. However, whenever Joshua wanted to vent he would try to manipulate me into letting him by saying things along the lines of “oh, but someone my age shouldn’t be venting to fourteen year olds” and he’d manipulate the situation so instead of him sending me NSFW out of nowhere I’d be asking him to because he “found something.”

I think Jay’s words of “he talked to me like I was a fucking dog” sum everything up. He did more bullshit, but this is long enough and I still need to make a post with my own screenshots.

If you took the time to read this, thank you, I just want people to know how abusive this person is towards everyone, including people his age.

When I finally blocked him for good it was because I realized he shouldn’t have been sending me literal NSFW, it took he about a week after with the Colleen Ballinger situation to realize what he was actually doing so I’ve been planning to make this post for awhile and realized that I’ll never truly be ready so I need to just do it.

Once again, hi, Josh, you took 50 years off my life. Congrats.

I realized early on how abusive things were, but I thought that being someone’s therapist was all I’m good for so I never brought it up. Funny. Expect a lot of vent art in the future along with screenshots of what he’d said to me, I lost an entire school year to this fucker and this post was just me recalling the basic outline of what happened

[roseofithaca]

Wulfbearn (Part 5)

Set in @idiotwithanipad 's Gore Au.

-

The fox could stay, he'd said.

What difference would one more brat make? He'd thought.

Laughter rippled through the forest, Cub scampering on her knuckles, her torn leg barely a hindrance to her movement anymore after months and months of practice. She skitters through the leaves, crouching low, then pounces behind a tree, startling the fawn that was behind the bark.

"FOUND YOU! Hehe. Come on, you join me now, help find the others." She grinned, her hands moving to sign to the creature.

Another habit she'd picked up from him.

The fawn followed her, now part of her team, aiding her to find the other cubs. Yes. Others.

A fox, a badger, two hares, a kestrel, three mice and an owl with a damaged wing.

All too young to be out by themselves. All victims of some attack or hunt that had left them orphans in the land of the unliving. And now, for some stupid reason, all his responsibility!

Thank Moonah for Cub. It's been eons since he's been grateful to the cruel shiny orb for anything but, if She is responsible for sending Cub to him, then credit where due.

Cub could keep them all occupied now. Ever since she's grown comfortable walking on three limbs, similar to himself, she's basically taken on something of a caregiver role, helping him to take care of all these brats flocking to him for protection. She can do all the things with them that cubs are supposed to do. Play. Chatter. Laugh. Be comforted. Huddle close.

All the little acts of gentle care that he's forgotten how to do, his ancient heart set in stone for far too long.

All he has to do is guard now. So he does. Leaning on his rock, he surveys the woods surrounding the cave, while Cub plays with the other little beasts behind him. The speed in which she's learned to communicate with them is impressive, but given they've been her only source of companionship, she didn't have much else to do except learn in order to save her sanity. He understands that well enough.

Had there been this many pups and kits and fledglings come to him before Cub? Was she somehow attracting them? It didn't concern him too much, right now. Cub needed friends. They all nestled in close around her at night in the cave, hares Flops and Maisy tucked into her arms, Toby the fox curled against her cheek, Dinah the fawn at her heels. She barely sought the need for warmth in his pelts anymore, which was a relief.

...Not that he'd mind too much, if she really needed it.

"Found you, Kristoff! Good spot! Haha."

He turns his head, seeing that Cub and Toby had both managed to climb their way up a small ridge to reach a hole in the tree where the young owl was hiding in the knot.

The fawn with her eye sliced out nuzzled into Cub's side.

"You all wanna play again?" Rubbing the deer's brow.

The creatures chittered and bleated softly, crawling close to Cub, sat on the ridge with her bloodstained knee dangling over the side. She like Big Sister now, first born cub helping to babysit younger ones while Mum and Dad go hunt.

...Pin.

He shudders, one paw batting at the ringing in his ear, wanting to cast the memory from his mind before it ruins an otherwise pleasant day. He hadn't had too many of those in a long while. More propping up each day, thanks to yellow haired Cub.

Rarely does she bother him anymore. Sometimes, she'll call him over to present a new orphan to him, just so he can keep track of who is staying. She doesn't even ask permission anymore, it's simply a curtesy. Cub knows that even he doesn't have a heart so cruel as to turn any way. So long as she looks after them and makes sure they don't bother him, it's fine.

The only other time she acknowledges his presence is at night, before she lays down to sleep. She'll shuffle as close as she knows he's comfortable with and whisper three words.

"Thankin' thee. G'night."

And then she'll crawl back to her corner, where the others are all curled together, making space for their 'little mistress' to rest between them all. He'll give her a quiet grunt in response, and that's it. Goodnight.

A wriggle of fuzz tickles his cheek, snapping his focus back. He growls and bats at the red squirrel bouncing past him, big bushy tail moving under his nose and making him sneeze.

Cub laughs.

"Sally, come hither! Thou must leave our dear guardian in peace." She beckons the little rodent into her lap.

There's a squirrel now? When did he miss that?

He grunts, raising his head to look at the strange group of animals that would usually stay far from each other, now united as a group with Cub.

A few of them tremble as he turns his irritated gaze upon them. Cub merely smiles and reaches to pet them.

"Settle all. We has nothing to fear from him. He be our protector. Where it not for him, we'ds all be chew toys for the true savages out there. Many that's dids away with thy parents or chased ye to here." She tries to explain to them, "He giveth us this wee sanctuary. We needs to be grateful. All he asks is to be undisturbed. Be that the troth, dear guardian?"

The creature moves to settle back down on his paws, grunting firmly. Yes. Not difficult to understand.

It hadn't always been that way. He hadn't been that way. Some in tribe stuck to their roles. Either gathered berries or hunted mammoth. Either stayed in cave and stitched pelts or created spears and club. Either took care of babies or guard tribe from intruders.

And then others, like him, liked to do bit of everything. All jobs had perks, why limit self to one? Guarding tribe important...he knew that better than anyone. But taking care of cubs also...fun.

Fun. The word, as his people would have known it at the time, flickers in his head like dying flame in Winter. What did it mean? Why was it so hard for him to grasp? Why hadn't it been fully extinguished by now?

"No, Toby, he doesn't wish to play. I've asked him enough times by now." Cub speaks to her fox 'brother'; "Can't blame him really. Old thing like that cannots be expected to keep up with us little'ens, can he?"

That's right, he...

Wait, what?

He raises his head to frown at Cub. Who did she just call 'Old Thing'?

A smile appears on her face, amidst all those deep red marks scarring her cheeks.

"What be that face for? That be the reason, is it not?" She baits him, gesticulating with her hands, "Grumpy old timers do needs their rests while us young'uns play. T'is fine. We woulds not wish to embarras thee."

Embarras? Old?!

He was starting to prefer it when he couldn't understand Cub, when all her bleating was incomprehensible to him. This why it mistake to teach them to 'talk' properly. Get too big for their fur boots.

The creature grunts and lifts himself back up, letting out an indignant sniff as he moved on his knuckles towards them.

Cub stood her ground...or remained sitting, folding her arms.

"Doth thou wish to prove me wrong?"

He snarls. Just give him the opportunity, yellow haired brat!

"Fine! The game is, ye musts find and catch all of us before the sun passes that tree!" She explains, pointing up to the canapé. "Thou must close thy eyes, waits till ye hear my whistle, then come hunt for us and place us in our cave. Once wes there, we cannots leave, till thou has caught us all. Understand?"

A bark of confirmation. Of course he knows the rules, he invented the damn game! Or rather, his dad claimed to have.

"Good! Everyone run far, buts stay within the woods. Ready? Oi, eyes closed, grumpy guts!" Cub sniggered and took his paws, folding them over his eyes.

He growls but hunkers down, agreeing to play by the rules. No need for him to cheat. Have to prove himself to Cub fair and square.

"Now go!" Cub whispers to her animal friends and he hears them all scarper.

Flaring his nostrils, he can already catch the end of most of their trails. It'll be more a case of speed, to grab hold of each one and get them to the cave and then grab another. But Cub won't be difficult, even if she can knuckle walk nearly as well as him now. He'll get her first.

A whistle perks his ears up and he lowers his paws.

Ready or not, here he come!

-

Cub could not seem to stop laughing. He was tempted to shove his paw between her teeth and hold it there all night, not caring how badly she chewed or dribbled around his claws.

"Cannots believe thou couldn't catch us all till sunset! Poppy hath won faster than thee and she be a bear cub with a twisted paw!" Cub lay in the leaves beside him, giggling away.

He growls at her, moving one paw up to himself, then a lazy gesture, then pokes her chest.

'Went...easy...on....you'.

"Oh, that it be, hmm? Thou dids not expect us to work together to mask our trails from thy bloodhound nose?" She smirks.

Fine. Maybe he underestimated them. Sneaky little cubs. Will show them all next time.

Cub sits up and shuffles closer, the two of them sat at the edge of their cave, some of their little 'clan' grazing nearby while others had already retreated to within the stone and ivy.

"M'glads thou dids play with us. The others...I's think they be bit less weary of thee now."

He huffs, frowning, displeased by that.

"T'is a good thing! Thou wants them to feel safe here, yes?" Cub implores, reaching to touch his sleeve. Never his skin. Only fur.

The creature pouts, looking away.

Could Cubs not feel safe and also be afraid of him? Once he asks the question in his head, he realises how dumb it is.

"Think thou dids take joy in the games too, dids thee not?"

Now he bares his teeth at her, hackles raising rather dramatically. No, no, no, no!

Annoyingly, Cub just grins, those bright eyes seeing straight through him.

"I knew it! Hehehe."

He grunts and gives her a light shove again, toppling her onto her back before he snorts in her face.

'Cub....know...nothing'. He signs, then points to cave; 'Go...Sleep!'

With a righteous smirk, she turns and crawls back to the cave, a few of the other animals following her inside.

A few minutes later, her singing begins to echo from the mouth as she performs her nightly lullaby to sooth some of the more restless little beasts.

He might inch just a little closer, turning his better ear towards the sweet music.

-

"Toby? TOBY!"

Snorting, he forces his eyes to open at the sound of Cub's fretful cries. He hasn't heard her sound so distressed in a long time.

Hands are soon on him, shaking him to get up. Don't touch. No touching. Rule one. But he doesn't swipe the hands away just yet, as clearly this qualifies as an exception. Cub is scared.

"Please! Please get up! Something's happened!"

He raises his head and squints at her, grunting.

'What wrong?'

Cub's eyes were wide and shining with tears. At the back of the caves, the animals were all awake, sniffing around the dirt, heads twitching. Looking for something.

"It's Toby! He's...he just..." She began to whimper, clutching desperately at his sleeve. "He's gone."

Gone? Someone took Kit?!

Growling, he gestures for them all to stay back while he turns towards the entrance. Crouching low, he sniffs, trying to catch the scent of whatever took little Toby. Bear? Wolf? Nothing seems to come to him. He's marked all the foundlings, including Cub, with the scent from his furs. None should be able to track them to here.

Cub tugs at his pelts.

"No...It not be a monster that took him." She whimpers.

He frowns. Then what?

"I...I saw it...I dunno what it was, I was just..." She wipes at her eyes, "I woke up and he was curled on my chest. He did seem so peaceful. Then I went to stroke him and he just....turned to fireflies."

Fireflies? He tilts his head. What Cub mean?

"Little...sparks of light. Like fire embers." She attempts to illustrate with her hands, "His whole body just...dissolved. And then floated up...to the stone above..."

Oh.

His hackles lower, claws retreat.

"Kit gone." Was all he signed.

"I know that! But where?!" She asks, frowning, "Do...doth thee know why he turns to light?"

He nods.

How best to explain? He'd forgotten that Cub hadn't seen it happen yet. Usually happens much faster with animal cubs.

Probably easier to show.

Grunting, he gestures for her to climb up onto his back. Wiping her nose, she obeys, hoisting herself on and securing her arms around his neck.

He gives a warning growl to the others and gestures for them to Stay. Unless they want to be wolf food.

"Wes shan't be long, little ones." Cub reassures them, far more gently.

She holds onto him, careful as usual to avoid pressing on his scars, as he takes her out of the cave. For the first time since her father appeared to relieve her broken body, he leads her towards the edge of the wood.

Onto the field.

Glancing around, he makes sure there are no other predators who might dare try their luck at such a moment. Can't be away from the cave too long either. Other cubs left unprotected.

But he must show her.

Grunting, he adjusts her so he's holding her to his side with one arm, using his other paw to point to the sky, to the thousands of bright dots twinkling down at them.

'Kit...up....'

Cub cranes her neck up.

"Toby's...up in the stars?" She frowns.

He nods.

Where else would they go? Turn into light and then go up. Return to stars. Only thing that make sense.

"...Is he safe? Is he happy?"

He shrugs. 'Dunno'.

Cub looks at him, her expression as much like a lost child than he's seen it before. It breaks through the ice in his heart.

'Maybe...Moonah...take care. Me think...'

She blinks at him, searching.

"Thou has seen many go up there?"

A beat.

He nods.

Too many.

"Cans thou not...follow them?" She asks.

Wincing, he shakes his head.

'No. Me...stay...trapped.'

Forever.

She gasps a little, suddenly realising the full tragedy of his existence. The reason for his bitter mood and constant pain.

"...Am I trapped too?" She asks.

He shakes his head. But it's not a full truth. He doesn't know. Not until it happens.

'Everyone go....one day...not...me.'

That's the way it's always been. Always will be.

He no longer has the energy to care.

Cub touches his temple and rubs his head, carefully. He growls, softly, but finds himself leaning into her soft touch. How he wants to crumble into her little arms and just...weep. But he can't. Has to stay strong. Have to protect.

Don't think, don't feel...Just go on.

[consequencesofargentdawn]

I'm LGBT and I'm increasingly concerned with the attitude and behaviour of the 'talking heads' on the Argent Dawn forum. I think a major elephant in the room is that although the PCU did unfairly target and bully certain players, some of those victims have now learned how to manipulate the fact that they are LGBT in order to lash out at anyone who disagrees with them about pretty much anything. I'm also confused as to why they are so persistent in their attempts to weigh in how others should role-play or 'use their imagination' as not only do most of them never interact with anyone outside of their little bubbles in the first place or even play the game in the present...I have approached some of them out of morbid curiosity on alts only to find that they couldn't be less interested in making new contacts! I dislike the idea of them trying to pass off disinterest in interacting with characters are that described as vastly different to their model as 'bigotry' as there is a long and storied history of people playing 'off model' characters as a means to enact their fetishes. It's not the case in every case, I know, though with my time being limited and having a natural aversion to drama I prefer to give such individuals a wide berth and would prefer the same courtesy in turn. Sorry for the rant, I just wanted to weigh in on the situation!

We must dispel immediately the notion that the PCU as a group is "Pro LGBTQ+". They are not. They cannot be. Yes they can have members in their ranks who may identify as LGBTQ+ but that does not make them a friendly environment. Of course not, they still house extremely virulently homophobic, transphobic, bigoted sorts who get a complete free pass to say anything they want short of overt, directed abuse (sometimes)!

It's the same paradox of Republicans/Conservatives/Reactionaries or otherwise LGBTQ+ soft-Right leaning sorts, you are aligning with an ideology that by definition hates your existence and siding with them is against your own interests. The PCU have always wanted to look "respectable" but they are anything but.

They have no interest in anything outside of their bubbles yet demand that everyone outside them acknowledge and be deferential to them. If a PCU guild is wandering through an area you are supposed to shut up and move out of the way! Your "betters" are coming through. You don't like that? You're a "malcontent" or a "troublemaker" or someone who is somehow "badrp".

It remains to be seen if the "Neo-PCU"/A3 branding changes any of this or the cosmetic difference is all that's changed. There is something to be said that Gruggosh on his part appears to understand that not all publicity is good publicity, unlike Perroy who was quite happy to let his goons cause mayhem on the forums for days on end. Whether or not that realization is one used for sinister or productive ends will come out in the wash sooner or later.

[beardedmrbean]

[Huey Zoomer Anon]

Oh those four images I sent you in the dms was from a game called Concord and was a Sony first game…that only have like 660 players on steam….

But the modern audience ™️ statement, there a difference between adapting stuff for modern audiences ie most people are well aware to the corruption our government have. How life can be complex..theoretically because how people act like with black Americans history

Than pretending your group on college or the trendy part of your city represents all modern society

Also like the uglyfication of female characters, there a difference between making a female character who have a roughy life so not American top model

Vs giving female characters muscular men jaws for no goddamn reason

Also diversity, are we usually cultural exchange like how my Chimera Republic idea acknowledges the merging (it’s in the name) of multiple cultures in the new world (though I do minimize the separatism and social Darwinism virus we had irl America) merging

Or post mayflower, post INDUSTRIALIZATION, and post civil rights movements, globalization diversity?

Because say I who trying to finished reading the Hindu epic Ramayana so I can get better ideas of eastern storytelling

Then vs these retards that think Young Adult Novel storytelling is the high standard

Remember kiddies, pop culture is JUNK FOOD media, so while it can tackles complicated shit.

Please for a love of GOD, read classical shit

Also I watch a lot of YouTube tips on world building and such….one thing I notice especially with Millennials YouTubers is that while yes many went to college and got their degrees…they are unaware about their potential biases on literature

The Lovecraft bashing is prime example of that as how they often stop in their videos to condemn his racism

Yet I saw one chick saying that King Kong represents an enslaved African man who was force to America….im familiar with the Peter Jackson take (which my aunt own a copy of) and I always saw as a example of how humanity will force animals to leave their natural homes for our sick desires of entertainment

Also woke Gen x and millennials…do you know black Americans history like say George Carver?

Or our misery porn bastardization of so the government can teach us to have a victim complex and learned helplessness?

Maybe tomorrow it just been bothering me like…how sheltered was your upbringing? Did you guys talk to a working class black kid outside of school?

Just looks lazy to me, someone really bad at AI prompts

Also diversity, are we usually cultural exchange like how my Chimera Republic idea acknowledges the merging (it’s in the name) of multiple cultures in the new world (though I do minimize the separatism and social Darwinism virus we had irl America) merging

People continually forget this about the US, we're a melting pot even if we also aren't one at times too many different groups have managed to maintain their ethnic identities while also contributing to the grand identity that is the American.

Remember kiddies, pop culture is JUNK FOOD media, so while it can tackles complicated shit.

Pop culture is important, it helps us to capture a moment in time and things like your catchy pop tunes may not have any huge deep meaning but they do provide a good 3-3.5 min of happiness while they play.

There's a place for all of that, and sometimes with the pop culture stuff something actually big and deep will come out of it, but that's a thing that will come with time.

Classics are good and important, we will be making more of them too, so long as something occasionally sticks around long enough and is of sufficient quality to become a classic.

Gotta wonder if the team that made "Clueless" thought they were going to create the masterpiece that they did, I'm not going to call it timeless because it it 100% set to a specific time, but it's something people of all ages still enjoy.

Legally Blonde is in there too.n

Yet I saw one chick saying that King Kong represents an enslaved African man who was force to America….im familiar with the Peter Jackson take (which my aunt own a copy of) and I always saw as a example of how humanity will force animals to leave their natural homes for our sick desires of entertainment

You should use that animal line on the next person you see saying that kind of thing. 'so what you're saying is you think black people are primates'

Also woke Gen x and millennials…do you know black Americans history like say George Carver?

That's the guy that was married to Weezy on the Jefferson's right? (joke)

Or our misery porn bastardization of so the government can teach us to have a victim complex and learned helplessness? Maybe tomorrow it just been bothering me like…how sheltered was your upbringing? Did you guys talk to a working class black kid outside of school?

Giving up on meritocracy being a thing is what's gotten me the most annoyed, not gonna work for everyone but it will work for some.

and I look forward the rest tomorrow

[b-and-entity]

TW: car crash, death

“You were supposed to turn there” I said, annoyed.

“Aw shit, well we can take a turn up by the bridge instead” Adrian answered casually.

I sent him a look even if he didn’t see it. He pissed me off sometimes.

“No just turn right next time we can. We’ll be late”

“You’re not allowed to turn right there”

I let out an exasperated sigh and shifted in my seat. A building anger was crawling around my skin, making it hard to sit still.

“Who fucking cares? No one is out here this late at night”

“We are”

“And we’re the only ones!” I raised my voice “just fucking turn right!”

“NO! I can’t afford a ticket!”

My heart pounded into my ribs with fear when he yelled. My eyes welled. Like a fucking child. clenched my fists.

“No one will know! JUST FUCKING TURN RIGHT!”

We were almost at the turn. Adrian sped up. Maybe out of frustration.

“FINE!”

He sharply turned the corner. Even with my seatbelt on I felt myself lift out of the seat, lean with the car and then… headlights. The biggest crashing sound I had ever heard. Darkness.

I woke up, disoriented. I couldn’t see shit. I couldn’t… couldn’t breathe. Without even thinking I reached for my seatbelt, clicked it open. Lifting my shoulder hurt, but I was too desperate to acknowledge the pain. It was so warm in here… I had to get out. I grabbed the door handle and pushed the car door open, practically throwing myself onto the ground. I coughed so hard my lungs felt as if they were on fire. I thought I might choke on my own coughs, I needed to breathe. I inhaled sharply, the air out here was cold and crisp and it also hurt my lungs. Actually, everything hurt. I turned around to lay on my back. I stared up at the night sky. Between dark clouds I could see stars. They twinkled so kindly.

It wasn’t before I heard yelling, I realized that these past minutes, seconds, hours? Everything had been silent. When the sound returned, it was awful, loud like never before. Someone grabbed me under my arms, pulled me. I could feel- no hear my skin scrape against the ground. I could hear the flames roar. The cars alarms howl. The people’s yells scratched against the inside of my ears. I tried to fight whoever had grabbed me. I didn’t want them to touch me. Couldn’t they just let me be? Let me look at the sky a little longer?

“Did the sky make you feel better?” the therapist asked, jotting down my words.

“What?” I was sucked back into reality. The office that smelled so… clinical. Full of tools for mindfulness and all that crap. Shelves with books about people like me.

“The sky, what drew you in about it?”

What a bullshit question.

“I don’t know… maybe that if I focused on that, I wouldn’t have to think about anything else”

What a bullshit answer. I didn’t actually know why I remembered the sky so well.

“What happened to your friend?”

“He died”

“And the other driver?”

“Died too, he and his wife were on the way to the hospital. She was in labor”

“Did she survive?”

“Yes, but the baby didn’t”

“And how does all that make you feel?”

I looked down at my hands. I saw pale, elongated hands with ugly veins. But I also saw black, unnaturally shaped, bony fingers. It switched back and forth between the two. Like a kid playing with a light switch.

“… like shit. Like it was my fault. If I hadn’t convinced him to turn right, he probably would have been alive and so would the others”

I said, guilt dragging down my shoulders, spine and even lungs. That night everyone had treated me like a victim. Like it wasn’t my fault that Adrian was reckless and turned right on a road he wasn’t allowed to. Like it wasn’t my fault that he was driving fast. But it was. It was all my fault. We weren’t even going anywhere. We wouldn’t actually be late, I had just said it. Like the stupid fucking-

The light stopped flicking. All I saw was black bony fingers.

[webanglikethat]

first of all, fuck you anon.

the whole "Radha wasn't groomed because she’s smart" argument is so incredibly stupid (I had no idea people THIS stupid even existed) and honestly, insulting not only to her character but to victim of grooming in general. just because someone is strong, smart, or independent doesn’t mean they are immune to manipulation, and to suggest otherwise is to completely misunderstand what grooming actually entails. do you know what grooming is? or did you just read some age gap dark booktok novel and think you know everything? you think because Radha is educated and knows how to lead, she’s impervious to manipulation? newsflash: that’s not how it works and to suggest otherwise is so foolish and fucking insulting. I hope you never meet a victim of grooming in real life, I pray for that — and I’m an atheist.

just because Radha’s mother, Vidya, taught her to be strong and aware of manipulation it doesn’t magically shield her from every predator who might come along. let me ask you this: do you think every smart, powerful woman is automatically immune to the nuanced, long-term manipulation that comes with grooming? do you think having a strong brain is all it takes? you will never get hurt? ever? spoiler alert: this is not about being naive, or stupid — it’s about power dynamics. age differences, control, and subtle psychological manipulation don’t always look like someone forcing you into a corner or brainwashing you into doing something. sometimes, it’s all about slowly wearing someone down and making them think they’re in control, even when they aren’t. according to psychologist Dr. Jennifer Freyd’s research on betrayal trauma, individuals who experience manipulation and betrayal, especially in close relationships, often suffer from a delayed recognition of the abuse. why? because the trauma is internalized so deeply that it takes time for the victim to even acknowledge they’ve been manipulated. mind you anon, I’m smart. I’m studying psychology. I can speak 5 languages. guess what? I was abused and manipulated. do I not exist in your world? am I not a victim? no seriously, do enlighten me.

the entire premise of grooming is that the victim doesn’t always realize it’s happening until it’s too late. and yes, Radha may have been aware of men using their power in the past, but this was a different kind of manipulation. Raj was clever enough to exploit the very things she thought were keeping her protected. and let’s not pretend the age difference doesn’t matter just because they both feel something. Raj is 30 and Radha is 18. no one is raising alarms?? so you want to tell me that a 30-year-old man, no matter how charming or appealing, is on equal footing with an 18-year-old girl trying to make her way in a world that already doesn’t want her to succeed? REALLY? do you even go to school, genuinely? like OH MY GOD. let’s make one thing clear: an 18-year-old has nowhere near the life experience or emotional maturity of a 30-year-old man, and that's exactly what makes this relationship so problematic.

at 30, Raj has had years of life experience, training, and wisdom (though apparently he’s not smart enough to realize what he’s doing is wrong). he’s been through the emotional ups and downs of adulthood, taught by the best, navigating the world who sucks his dick for simply being a man and having power, he’s most likely been through a bunch of relationships, and experienced different power structures in ways Radha—at just 18— simply hasn’t. he knows how the world works. he knows how to manipulate situations, how to get what he wants, and how to pull on someone’s heartstrings to make them believe they’re in control. no matter how strong or intelligent Radha is, she doesn’t have the same years of experience to see the emotional manipulation at play.

when you’re 18, and a man like Raj tells you he loves you, you believe it. why wouldn’t you? you haven’t been hardened by the disappointments and betrayals that come with adult relationships. at 18, love feels intense, all-consuming, and real—and it’s easy to mistake that intensity for something pure and meaningful. you WANT to believe it. you want to believe this man loves you for who you are. Radha, at 18, is still figuring out who she is. she’s in the middle of a MASSIVE transition: she’s learning how to step into leadership, abandoning childhood and entering adulthood, and figuring out how to exist in a world that already doesn’t give her the respect she deserves because she’s a woman (look at how people treat Devi despite being the heir). she is still trying to understand her own power, her own worth.

and here comes Raj, a man with years of experience, presenting himself as her lover, her confidante, and possibly her protector, feeding her the narrative she wants to hear. he knows exactly what to say to reel her in. he knows how to appeal to her vulnerabilities, how to use his experience to make her feel seen, heard, and loved in ways no one else has made her feel. and she, in her youthful exuberance and inexperience, believes every word of it. why? because she’s still learning what love should look like. for fuck’s sake I AM 18 TOO and guess what? I too am more likely to want to believe that someone older and wiser is acting in my best interest.

so anon, don’t sit there and pretend like this is some simple, equal partnership. the psychological power imbalance (hope this isn’t too complicated for your tiny brain) in this relationship is massive, and Raj knows exactly what he’s doing.

what you’re glossing over is the fact that Amrita’s fiancé is not some passive character in this scenario— he's a grown-ass man with agency. Raj is not some idk fucking helpless puppy who couldn’t help himself from falling for Radha. he’s an adult who made an active decision to continue a relationship with Radha while also being engaged to Amrita. you’re blaming Radha (18-23) for being involved with a man (30-35) who willingly pursued her and continued to do so despite being in a committed relationship. that’s on Raj. not Radha.

now, let’s talk about the so-called “friendship betrayal.” first of all, it’s never implied they’re close friends. just because you grew up around someone, it doesn’t make you close friends. this idea that Radha is some villain for having a relationship with Amrita’s fiancé is completely ignoring the bigger picture: Raj is the one who betrayed Amrita’s trust, not Radha. he is the one who made a COMMITMENT. the real question is: why is Raj still pursuing Radha while already committed to someone else? but hey, let’s just blame the teenage girl in the relationship and pretend Raj was a passive bystander who couldn’t possibly help himself, right? let’s blame the other woman! THE TEENAGER.

also, imo Radha’s decisions cannot be analyzed through a modern, 21st-century lens. she wasn’t in a position of true equality, free to make choices without external pressures. the fact that Radha is being criticized for a relationship with Raj, who is a much older man, completely disregards the power dynamics of their time. you think Indian women have it easy? the concept of a woman having autonomy over her body, her emotions, or even her relationships wasn’t something widely accepted back then, and still isn’t! (I’m desi, don’t try to argue).

AND. Oh. My. God. are you seriously going to sit here and say that making Radha a victim of grooming somehow makes her a “boring” character? that is the most tone-deaf, reductionist thing I’ve heard all year. congratulations, you won this.

-> so, what, the moment someone experiences harm or exploitation, we should just discard their emotional arc because it doesn’t fit some heroic, flawless narrative? that’s not how human beings work. just because a character experiences something painful or difficult doesn’t make them any less interesting. in fact, it makes them more multidimensional, because we’re seeing how they respond to those situations, how they grow from them, or sometimes how they struggle with them. Radha being a victim of grooming doesn’t flatten her—it makes her MORE interesting because we’re watching her navigate a complicated, manipulative relationship where she’s being used by someone more experienced and powerful and by the end of it, she even gets pregnant and WILL BE FORCED TO SLEEP WITH DEVI’S UNCLE.

the argument you’re making is essentially saying that only perfect, unscathed characters are worth caring about. that’s simply ridiculous. being a victim of grooming doesn’t make Radha “flat”. YOU are reducing her to some simplistic trope of the “innocent woman who doesn’t know better” and missing the point that her journey is about finding out what’s been done to her and coming to terms with how to reclaim her agency. THAT is the heart of character development. if Radha’s journey were simply about being a perfect, flawless leader without any emotional depth or complexity, that would make her boring.

and honestly, the fact that someone would even DARE to suggest that a character’s experiences of trauma or manipulation somehow reduce their value or depth shows an actual shocking lack of empathy. my bad for thinking you guys have a heart.

also back to “Radha is too smart to be groomed” // cults are an obvious example here — people in their 30s, 40s, and even older have been lured into these toxic environments and guess what? those people are often not some naive, uneducated “fools” but highly educated, well-established adults. I mean look at the many documented cases of people far older than Radha who have fallen victim to manipulative tactics. there are countless stories of educated, rich, established successful adults being groomed by people who know exactly how to prey on their weaknesses. manipulators don’t just target “dummies.” they target people who are seeking connection, people who are vulnerable to flattery, or people who have been conditioned to doubt their own worth or instincts. manipulation doesn’t care about your age or your IQ.

when we (and with we, I mean cunts like you) dismiss victims' stories based on ignorant assumptions—whether it's about their intelligence, age, or any other arbitrary factor—we're doing the predators' work for them. we are telling victims that their pain doesn’t matter, that their reality is somehow invalid, that they must have deserved it, or that they’re too smart to be manipulated.

so no, Radha isn't 'too smart' to be manipulated, just like no one else is 'immune' based on their age or intellect. you don’t need to be an idiot to be preyed upon. you just need to be human. so, before you throw around judgment, maybe take a minute to think about what you’re really saying about the victims of manipulation—because, honestly, the way you’re talking about Radha makes me wonder if you even understand what true strength looks like in the face of abuse or if you know what abuse even entails.

snippet from my wcs analysis

Okay so I saw the post about Radha, Raj, and Amrita and I want to say something about it but I am afraid to contradict some of the people because they seem a bit unreasonable and would attack you for your opinion. The also are insulting people who agree with it. So I am going to explain why that person said what they did or potentially why. This comes from somebody who is an avid reader I read visual novel games, fanfiction, and books I have 10 plus years of reading with critical thinking of details in stories and understanding of characters.

Okay let’s start with the whole Radha is groomed I am of the opinion that did not happen based on how the Basu family is described. You think Vidya, Doran, or Sara would allow Raj to live if any of them believed he manipulated and used Radha for his gain. Grooming victims are described as being naive easy to manipulate that is not Radha at all she is being taught how to become a leader in time when women in power were looked down upon. You think part of her education from Vidya wasn’t about being able to spot manipulations from men who would want to use her and manipulate her. You think Radha wouldn’t do anything to a man who thought he could use her as an example of why not to mess with her like what Sara did to Rati when Rati insulted Sara. To me to say that Radha is a victim of grooming by Raj is an insult to Radha and her intelligence and her capabilities of being a leader you are saying that when a good looking guy comes into the picture all of Radha’s training disappears. My interpretation of how this relationship started was that it happened when Devi was in Bombay which made Radha 18 when this relationship started I can’t find information on how old Raj is but the oldest I think he is is 30 which is not a great look but from the interaction that we see while they are at the mountain retreat is that Raj is trying to end their relationship because even though BOTH of them have feelings for one another it is not the time for their families bloodlines to unite Radha is the one who says no let’s continue this affair in secret because I am what you want and we should be together. In grooming relationships the groomer has all the power in this relationship it looks like equal partnership with them. Also we know that Sara and Radha believe that men are tools for their entertainment you think a women who think men are like animals for their amusement can be manipulated and controlled by one. You guys don’t think Sara wouldn’t kill Raj if he groomed and used Radha her twin Sara straight up killed someone to protect Radha’s secret which means that Sara knows that BOTH Radha and Raj went into this willingly together. I want everyone to know that in my opinion guys Vidya knows about Raj and Radha. When Vidya tells Raj you are practically like family to me she is saying that she knows Raj is the one who got her daughter pregnant and she is not happy at all. I believe that part of the reason there is tension between the Basus and Doobays is because Vidya knows about the affair and is mad at both Raj and Radha then that anger multiplies when Radha gets pregnant. I also believe the reason that Vidya is not passing the reins to Radha is because she knows about the affair with Raj and believes that Radha needs more training before she becomes leader of the dozen and the Basu family. Vidya loves her daughters and I get the impression that if anyone hurt or used her daughter she would kill them no matter what and I guarantee that Doran would be there to help Vidya.

Let us move on to another topic people who say that Radha owes Amrita nothing. You do remember that Amrita is/was friends with the Basu twins. Which means that Radha slept and had a relationship with a friend’s fiancé. I could never justify doing that to someone who was a friend to me. Also the reason that Amrita is not close to her friends is the fact she is engaged and is learning about her future role along with getting to know her future husband. I also don’t understand how Raj can get to know his fiancé as a person and continue seeing someone else. Raj has hurt Amrita she knows that Raj doesn’t love her and she will be trapped in an loveless marriage, but can you imagine the pain of knowing that someone who was friends with you was sleeping with your fiancé behind your back and your fiancé cares about them more than you. I also love Radha as a character but I can hate and be critical of her choices this is what makes her multi dimensional and a fascinating character making her a victim of grooming makes her more flat and not as interesting of an character. I also believe that everyone missed the point of what the poster of the post was saying Radha and Raj are BOTH to blame for this situation they both knew better but continued it and now there is fallout because of their actions. Radha and Raj both hold blame on this no one forced this relationship they both willingly went along with it. Raj being the older one who also wanted to stop his relationship with Radha should have stuck to his original intentions Raj is older and is already a leader he knew better then to continue the affair, but it doesn’t excuse Radha because when she became older and almost became the the official leader Radha knew better as well then to continue her affair with Raj. Amrita is truly the only one who has no blame in this and everyone loves to hate on her when in reality Amrita is a victim in this and is going to experience unbelievable pain and betrayal from this. Some people missed the point on the post both Radha and Raj deserve equal blame in all of this no one is saying Raj is an angel because he is not but not enough people point that out the fact that Radha is 23 when she gets pregnant she knows better then to continue this affair and face possible repercussions of her affair with Raj. People treat Radha like she was forced against her will to be in this relationship when she wasn’t at all Raj and Radha were equal partners in their relationship. Therefore the both hold equal blame for what happened. Radha is no angel and that is okay because no one is in this story is and that is what makes everything so interesting.

Well that's a big confession 🤯

Sorry but we cannot edit such a big confession, even if we try would be a mess ( fun fact: we did try and turn out to be 5 images 😬)

This is something to have in mind before sending a confession, the length of the confession shouldn't excess 100 words, thanks!

-mod lyn

[cultivating-wildflowers]

What do you think of the pro life families who used IVF?

(sorry it took me a while to answer this. I had to sit on it for a spell and decide how detailed I wanted to get in my answer, and then that other ask popped up yesterday and I guess I'm in the mood to talk now)

I'll start by saying I have no intention of vilifying either the well-intentioned couples who have pursued IVF in the past or the many people who were conceived via IVF. It's a complex issue and there are a lot of emotions involved. I am in no way an expert on the subject and honestly, sometimes my answer is just "I don't know".

That said, I'm generally with the Catholics on this one. If a couple truly is pro-life and believes life begins at conception, and if they have been responsible and done their research, then they absolutely should not utilize IVF. Yes, even if they are as thorough as can be and don't allow for "extra" embryos to be created. (Not to dig out my tinfoil hat here, but who's to say the IVF clinic people would even bother to respect their wishes? We all know the total lack of transparency surrounding egg and sperm donation, donor conception, IVF, and surrogacy. We all know the horrible things that have happened behind closed doors. Do not get me started on egg and sperm donation.)

IVF in general, like surrogacy, needs to be done away with, not least because it would (hopefully) force doctors to actually address fertility issues instead. It's a horrible, predatory practice that creates so many victims and is the definition of unethical. It is way too easy to abuse. Children and families deserve better.

If your question is more about couples who have used IVF in the past and...moved on?...with their lives? That's where I move into "I personally don't know" territory. My heart says they still have a responsibility to any embryos--any of their children--who were left behind. Full transparency: I don't know what that looks like, realistically. There are a lot of factors at play. And I have no doubt that addressing this would uncover a lot of horrible secrets people do not want to acknowledge.

One hypothetical solution of late has been artificial wombs but, again, that could be a solution that solves one problem and creates a dozen more. If I think surrogacy and IVF are predatory and abusive, I can't even begin to name all of the ways artificial wombs could be used for horrible purposes.

From this point, if the next question is, "So you think couples who can't conceive naturally shouldn't try other ways to have biological kids?" my answer is "Yes." I don't mean to be harsh, but yes, if they honestly have no other options, if they have pursued every other route and they all lead to dead ends, then I'm sorry, but they have to accept that biological children are not in the cards for them. It's not the end of the world, though I know it can feel like it. Infertility is a horrible situation. I hate it. But--and knowing this sounds cold-hearted--that's life. There are places to go from here (and I do not mean the donor-conceived route). Heck, look into embryo adoption!