#no way are most people in those places even making that much it doesnt matter if you still arent comfortable at that level

[asstrongasyouthink]

i would like to add onto this that if you have something genuinely in common with conservative david

and this might work a lot better in a place like a neighborhood or a party or a family reunion, rather than an organizing drive

is if he brings up politics or complains about something, agree with him but only so far as you agree with him

example: i am visibly queer and have spent most of my adult life in rural places, working on farms, in warehouses, drinking beer in the back of a pickup, etc etc. so am i going to be making conversation about who i vote for? absolutely not i dont bother looking people up i just vote working families down the ticket. but if someone complains about excessively large government, i can pipe up and say yeah it's terrible the feds are in everyone's business can you believe they're trying to pass laws keeping people from having surgeries their doctors say they need. if they complain about taxes i can say fuck yeah i hate seeing so much of my paycheck going to wars they way they treat those boys* when they come home is criminal. if they talk about the way things used to be you i can talk about what the soil was like before it was depleted and the vegetables got all tasteless. it truly doesnt matter how thin a slice that piece of the venn diagram is, if you can start a conversation from a place of shared values that is so much more likely to be a real conversation and not a lecture. whatever your pet issue is that you see an inroad to agreement on, talk about that

anyway im tiny and effeminate with a full beard and a fat ass and some men wont even look at me in case the faggotry is catching. but i can string fences and train dogs and i like both old time AND heavy metal and some pretty conservative extremely toxically masculine men will adopt me as a little mascot and i can do my little jokes and drink whiskey from the bottle and they'll listen a little bit and they'll be more ready to listen next time

i think a lot this really comes down to "more willing to listen next time." i think a lot of people feel theyve Failed if they cant convince someone in a trump hat that neopronouns are cool and sexy but no one likes to be evangelized to. i think a lot of the polarization comes from the preemptive belief that it will be a lecture or an argument and not a conversation. the way leftists and liberals act like trump voters aren't people doesnt help either. if i go to the grocery store and i look around i see people. broke people. people on their way home from work. tired people. people who don't have the money or energy to look after their kids as well as they'd like. theyre just fucking people.

Activism is not cold-calling.

Activism is not cold-calling, and this is critically important to understand.

I'm seeing a lot of posts on here about 'building bridges' and 'finding community,' and then (extremely valid) response posts saying "BUT HOW??" And I'm going to explain something that can be very counter-intuitive: there is strategy involved in community.

As a longtime volunteer labour organizer, I’ve taken and taught many trainings on the strategy of talking. Something that surprises a lot of people is the very first thing you do in a union campaign. You sit down with your organizing committee, take out pen and paper, and literally map it out. You draw a physical map of the workplace: where are the entrances, exits, break rooms, supervisor offices. Essentially, ‘where is it safe to have a union conversation.’ Then you draw another physical chart of your coworkers. You sort out who is union-friendly, openly hostile to unions, or somewhere in the middle, and then you plan out very deliberately and carefully who talks to whom and in what order.

Consider: If Vocally Leftist Jane walks up to Conservative David and says "hey what do you think about unions," David is going to shut down immediately. He's not inclined to listen to Jane. But if Jane talks to Moderate Jason and brings him into the fold, then Jason is a far more effective strategic choice to talk to David, and David may actually hear him out without an instant reaction.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: If Conservative David turns out to be Alt-Right David, and could be dangerous to follow organizers, we write him off. We are not trying to reach Alt-Right David. We are trying to reach Conservative David, who may actually be persuaded to find solidarity with other employees as fellow workers. Jason is a safe scout to find out which one he is. It does no one any good if Leftist Jane (or even Moderate Jane who is a visible minority) talks to Alt-Right David and puts herself on his radar. Not only has she done nothing to convince Alt-Right David to join a union - she's probably actively turned him against the idea - but now she's also in danger and the entire campaign is at risk. NOBODY WANTS THIS. Jane was NOT a hero for doing this. The organizing committee was foolish and enacted a terrible strategy to everyone's detriment.

Where you can make a difference is with people who will listen to you. You having a conversation with your well-meaning but clueless Centrist Democrat Auntie, and maybe gently helping her understand some things the media has been glossing over, is way more strategically useful than you marching up to MAGA Neighbour You've Met Once and trying to "build community" or "understand" them. They don't care. They're impervious, dangerous, and cruel. But maybe your beloved auntie will think about what you said, and then talk to her friend Anna who IDs as "fiscally conservative" but didn't vote because she can't bring herself to get on board with Trump. Then perhaps Anna talks to her brother Nic who has MAGA leanings but isn't all the way there yet. Proto-MAGA Nic would not have listened to you, nor would he have listened to Centrist Democrat Auntie, but he might absorb some of what his sister is saying.

This is not a cop-out or an echo chamber. This is you spending your time and energy strategically and safely. You are not a useful activist to anyone if you’re dead. Anyone who is telling you to hurl yourself directly at MAGA assholes like cannon fodder has no understanding of the strategy behind community building, and you should feel comfortable writing them off.

Last point: If you are tired, emotionally devastated, and/or in danger: take a break. This post is for people who would feel better jumping into action, not for people who are too overwhelmed to even think about it right now. You are worth so much even if you’re not actively Doing Activism, and your rest is worth more than “a break period so you can recharge and Do More Activism.” We all deserve the individual dignity of being worthy of comfort, rest & safety just on the basis of being human, outside of whatever we're doing for others' benefit. To deny ourselves that dignity is to devalue ourselves, and that’s the absolute last thing any of us should be doing right now.

[ooglywooglies]

the other thing about this income topic is middle class isnt fucking real youre either rich or youre poor

[allforthegaymes]

Somethin about Andrew Minyard who shoves himself face first into danger no matter what risk it poses to himself

Being 5 feet even and still taking on four grown men who try to beat up Nicky outside of Edens.

Knowing his twin brother for less than a few months and willingly killing Tilda, even planning on himself dying in the process if need be.

Andrew willingly putting himself in direct harms way if it means protecting those he loves, while unwilling to put those same people in a even slightly potentially dangerous position.

Andrew who deals with Aarons withdrawals on his own, sat outside a locked bathroom door to intermittently slide his brother new food, water, and clothes. Unwilling to risk sending his brother to a place where he knows people in high positions would be willing to abuse their power, willing to hurt Aaron.

Andrew who despite knowing all of this and making sure Aaron never had to witness it, goes through his own withdrawls at easthaven, knowing what kind of abuse could and would happen to him.

Andrew who promises to protect Kevin and Neil. He knows theyre lying to him and he knows he doesnt know the full truth of who they are and what (who) exactly he is protecting them from.

But he also knows it helps Kevin to have a buddy system to lean on, to have someone who can shove his way through a crowd of exy fans all trying to get at Kevin, both fans and haters of him following his Ravens departure.

The way Neil describes Andrew as being a wall he can lean on and know he wont tilt under the weight of Neil’s past and current issues.

Somethin somethin about Neil looking at Andrew and seeing Andrew in a way no one else can. A way no one else has.

Neil looks at Andrew and sees how his carefully created stony exterior is a way to protect his family, by taking on the brunt of the negative attention from others. Both the other foxes, exy fans, his own classmates.

The rest of the foxes cant hate Aaron or Nicky the most if Andrew is always the one acting out to take all of their feelings of hatred on himself.

And no one recognizes this until Neil.

Neil who sees the way Andrew loves his family so much that hes willing to let them hate him as long as theyre safe.

Neil who knows Aaron thinks Andrew hates him and goes to Katelyn directly to tell her she needs to push to get Aaron into group sessions with Bee to fix his and Andrews relationship, because if Andrew or Neil were the one to suggest it Aaron would be against it.

[gibbearish]

smth i think ppl who werent raised christian need to understand is that a) fear of death will make you do things you wouldnt otherwise do and b) being raised christian fundamentally kneecaps your ability to process death. most christians are the way that they are because if the bible isnt true, if god isnt real, then neither is heaven. if there is no heaven, then all their loved ones who have died arent actually waiting for them, there is no place theyll get to spend forever with the people they love now, there is no eternal reward for being good, there is no guarantee of any afterlife whatsoever. and as science progresses and christianity becomes harder and harder to maintain, as various claims in the bible get disproven and we learn more about how life actually came to be, that possibility that Death Might Actually Be Something They Have To Fear After All gets stronger, and so that protection of the idea must get stronger too. the bits of the bible that are too hard to defend have to be removed or papered over or talked around, the rules that dont make sense have to be explained or maintained without question, the people who dont believe must be agents of satan sent to damn their soul to hell. the way they learned to cope with death is to say it didnt happen, not really, not in a way that mattered, theyre still out there somewhere, youll see them again someday. and with that came a promise that their death wouldnt be permanent either. it all has to be true, that heart has to be maintained, because otherwise. otherwise, this is it, and we dont know what happens next. otherwise, death becomes scary again. otherwise, death is no longer the loading screen before your eternal reward. otherwise, they have to think about what might come next, how their actions affect others here and now, fully grieve the people theyve lost, grieve the eternal life of happiness and love they were promised from birth. and that is. hard. and while obviously none of this excuses the way they treat people, i do think that like. keeping that in mind during interactions with them, being aware of how high the stakes are for them, can very much effect the way you approach those conversations.

at the heart of every horrible christian with bigoted views and worse actions is a scared little kid who doesnt know where you go when you die, because the answer they were given when they first asked is turning out to be full of holes. and while you may not be able to work with the adult in front of you here and now, maybe you can at least find that little kid for a moment. maybe you can sit down with them and say yeah bud, that is pretty scary, isnt it? it's scary not knowing what's gonna happen to you. it's scary learning something you thought was true might not be. maybe you can tell the kid that theyre allowed to be scared, that being scared doesnt have to mean hurting others. and maybe the kid wont listen, maybe youll have wasted your time, who knows. but maybe not. and even if you did, youll have learned something about how to find that kid in others, so was it really a waste?

[spidermanifested]

heres MY rambly black sails analysis for the day, after watching the show twice in as many months i wholeheartedly believe in the "long john silvers quote unquote missus in treasure island is max, not madi" theory

the most obvious thing, as others have pointed out, is that in treasure island long john silver runs an inn with his wife, a black woman, in bristol, which is absolutely not madi behavior-- i cannot imagine madi would take him back in the first place much less move with him TO ENGLAND-- but IS maxs exact area of expertise. but theres so many other things that cement it for me

as early as episode 2, max tries to convince eleanor to buy out the inn and run it together with her when england takes nassau back. this is her dream-- to share power over her life with a woman she loves, free of the pressures of the outside world. (youll note this also happens to be silvers dream for himself and madi. the parallels)

in season 4 shes faced with the suspiciously similar option to take a husband to be the face of her business, completely on paper, for the sake of the public eye. and she refuses! she doesnt want to give a man that kind of power over her. not only that but she desperately wants to retain some kind of truth in her identity-- she admires anne for her honesty, her courage. these are things she can rarely afford to express. in refusing a marriage of convenience, she asserts her autonomy.

But. black sails tells us over and over again that an oppressive society will always find ways to batter down these private boundaries. there is no island safe from colonial rule. mirandas peaceful house in the interior is burnt to the ground. the maroons are forced to accept a freedom that comes at the price of abandoning those still enslaved and taking part in their continued subjugation. the things it takes to make these spaces are terrible, and unsustainable, and when it comes to being gay in the 1700s there is a tightrope to walk between privilege and privacy, one that destroyed flint and the hamiltons, thats even narrower to max as a self-made woman of color.

given all that, i do not believe she can girlboss her way out of her circumstances no matter how many lessons she took from what happened to eleanor. nor do i think the show believes it. i think the political-marriage-offer plot point is another illustration of that theme-- maxs desire, and silvers desire, to build a warm, happy room in the middle of the imperial machine, without meaningfully striking out against the machine itself, is destined to be futile no matter how strong they are as individuals.

max and silver are mirror images of one another. each of them is essentially the narrator of one half of the story. it is absolutely agonizing how BOTH of them tried to convince their lovers to abandon their ambitions, to settle for a quiet life with them, and in doing so saw that relationship destroyed by their own fear of an uncertain future....

....And its even MORE agonizing to imagine them finally securing the trappings of a domestic life... but without the love. and they know the love was what mattered! theyre always going to know!!!

it bookends PERFECTLY with their alliance at the start of the series. theyre right where they started, trusting no one, pretending to be humble and harmless, planning to steal the EXACT SAME TREASURE, except now theyre 50 years old and jaded and bitter and both pining after their lost loves. silver probably pictures madi whenever he tells people about his wife. when he and max have time to themselves they talk solely about finances and nothing else. its honestly impressive how miserable this is for every single person involved. im losing my mind

[magz]

Thread by ItsMaybeMadi on Twitter, on February 12, 2024 (source)

Quote:

Thread of information from Bisan's tiktok live on february 12th

more than 100 people were killed

dozens are still underground

the 100 that were confirmed dead are just those that were found

She is currently in Rafah

There's no other place to go

People are living in mosques

There is no internet connection

keep donating e-sims, she and a lot of others are using them

Boycott Israeli products

boycott brands supporting the Israeli regime

keep protesting

keep educating yourself

by doing this you are helping to change history

she's seen the people commenting her names on trending videos and she says it's very smart

"keep doing what you're doing"

keep pressuring your government to stop funding the genocide

the idf pretended to be nurses and women, and excavated three Palestinians looking for help

the bombing has not stopped

Donations Are Getting To The South, its not enough, but aid is getting there in very small amounts

he is not safe, no one in gaza is

she feels helpless and stuck in this "new reality"

"we are facing a genocide"

donate to UNRWA

she doesnt know if tiktok gifts are profitable for her, but she'll look into it

"the best thing you can give to an opressed group of people is to hear them, and to make them heard"

Her family is safe

She has faith, but she is very tired

Everyone is under tents

call your government and demand a ceasefire

there isn't enough food, so no matter how much money you have you can't eat

they have to wait to get canned food

She has launched a gofundme

(magz note: Even though the original goal was reached, it is way way below the actual need)

Her arm is better

"when everything is done, and everything is back to its glory, just visit gaza"

Q: "what are you doing to help your mental health?

A: "nothing, we can't"

She feels its important to stay where everything is happening to be the voice of the people

from week to week everything changes

(responding to someone asking what her name means) Bisan is the name of the most ancient city in the whole world and in Canaanite means "the home that is lived"

the situation has been complicated since 1948

1.5 million people are displaced

there isn't any bombing currently in Rafah, but there is in Khan Yunis

she wants to tour the world, and visit countries that supported palestine

Khan Yunis is still invaded

Keep educating yourself

end of thread (end quote)

unrwa.org

gazaesims.com

Bisan's TikTok account: tiktok.com/@wizard_bisan1

Extra: (different) Summary Instagram video about attack on Rafah by Bisan Odwa (wizard_bisan1) - posted february 13, 2024

[blackknight-kai]

This is gonna sound insane but HEAR ME OUT—

Have you ever heard of the term of a 'womb tattoo' (WT) ? It's basically like a tattoo/sigil that is placed over where the womb would be (on the skin itself) and it would have like, different spell properties depending on the type of tattoo/sigil that was inked

What if, WHAT IF— Sun Wukong knows the basic of WT magic and have been secretly planning to place one on his beloved? (With consent, of course)

I'd honestly think he'd enjoyed seeing how his beloved would look so flushed - sweat dribbling down their skin, their breaths short and quick and just how often they would palm at their lower abdomen; the tattoo/sigil from THE Sun Wukong himself is thrumming with want, with need for any speck of attention the simian demon would throw their way.

I'm so insane actually. Perhaps this year was a good year for monkeys all around

(I’m really tired and wrote this before sleep so I hope this came out okaaaaay)

You have an awesome idea here! Wukong wanting to share something like this with his beloved? Absolutely! This COULD go into yandere territory but I wont go there since it can ALSO go into consenting territory especially if reader is okay with it. Sun Wukong wouldn’t MAKE them get it but them being willing? Awesome.

N.S.F.W Under the cut - 2 parter in here :)

Wukong brings it up one night, at first it’s kinda playful but definitely devolves into a slightly serious conversation. I mean he doesnt wanna force you or make you uncomfortable. PLUS it’s not like it has to happen NOW. But he wants to make sure you know what youre getting into. Because this could be A LOT. Especially for someone attached to HIM.

When you do agree to it he’s going to be sooooo stoked and excited. Will definitely prepare what he can for it and then maybe set a day specifically for getting it on you. No matter how long the actual spell takes most likely he just wants to have some fun and make it a nice playful comfy thing, maybe he takes you apart bit by bit and then puts you back together before putting it on you while youre nice and relaxed. Or maybe in the middle of your orgasm he casts the spell?

Either way, you’re in for a ride after. See, the spell doesnt work for just ANYONE. Most womb spells seem to showcase that “any man” will do. Not for Wukong. Nope. He’s gonna make sure that the only way this thing reacts is because of HIM. Thing is, Wukong is pretty damn strong right? Powerful. So it’s only fair that his mark is as well. You’re going to be a MESS so often it’s not even funny. You KNEW he was attracted to you, duh you sleep together all the time, but to THIS extent?

Having HIS attention is NOT for the weak or someone who doesnt want to put up with his shit. Because as a King he has WANTS and he has DEMANDS. I’ve said it many times at this point, Sun Wukong DEMANDS your pleasure. It is HIS. His right, his privilege. He WILL get it.

It’s going to get to a point where you could be doing mundane things and then all of a sudden the mark is going off and youre practically bowled over by the sudden sensation. He’s off doing King stuff? Doesn’t matter. Good luck getting anything done that day because god forbid he’s bored at a celestial court meeting or something, he is going to fantasize about you through the entire thing making your mark go fucking nuts. You’re going to be dripping and trembling, sweating and struggling to stand for hours. Trying to touch yourself? Good luck, unless you pass out this isn’t gonna stop.

He’s watching you from across the room full of people? His eyes traveling up and down your body and taking in those curves and features he so loves? Your pussy is going to be woke the fuck up and when he smells your slick not only is he going to feel prideful about it, he’s going to make it so much worse. Thinking about all the filthy things he could do to you right there and now.

Wukong brushes his tail across your ass? It’s like little fireworks of pleasure are set off on your skin where it touched you, I hope you learn how to stop yourself from moaning on a dime because he was definitely thinking about something naughty when he did it and now your clenching around NOTHING but needing to be filled with him.

ALSO NEW THOUGHT (Lucky you LOL two thoughts for 1). Actually…..I hope you dont mind if I go that direction instead of an established relationship one….Cuz thats where this is taking me now.

General Properties

- [ ] Only reacts to Sun Wukong and NO other.

- [ ] Normally you’d have to be within a certain distance of the person for the tattoo to react to their dirty thoughts about you, but Wukong? AHAHAHA yeah. Dude could be off doing fuck knows what however far away and your tattoo will react to him thinking nasty things about you.

- [ ] Him looking at you with lustful eyes? Or maybe he brushes by you in a certain way? This is gonna set off the tattoo too.

- [ ] The tattoo can react in various levels depending on what HE has going on. Generally he likes you to simmer. Sweat a little. Edge you all day. Likes to remind you of him as you go about your day.

- [ ] The reaction is basically as if a low level vibrator is inside you, getting turned on higher and higher depending on what he’s doing/thinking and for how long. It’s gonna feel like a gentle massage of your clit along with it, not enough USUALLY to make you come but you are going to be FEELING it.

- [ ] Another fun thing, if he touches himself in a sexual way - Example strokes his cock, your pussy reacts as though hes fucking it. Hope you’re ready for THAT in the middle of a random Tuesday.

- [ ] A later addition to the mark will be where you cant orgasm without tasting or taking in his seed through your pussy. He’s gone for a few days and wants you to be panting and so damn needy for him when he comes home, as though youre heat.

While was writing this as an established relationship, I also had the thought of Reader being his bride to be - and consenting to get the mark. But they haven’t consummated the relationship since they aren’t married yet, and the effects and stuff I list out above would be AMAZING.

When you found out that you were going to be marrying someone you HADNT expected it to be THE Monkey King, Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Earth himself, Sun Wukong. You’d met him several times, each time was a pleasant experience. He was oddly charming, cheeky, and mischievous of course. You laughed at his little pranks and trickery, listened to his captivating stories. It seemed like when you guys were in the same space he would eventually seek you out, enjoying your company for a little while before one of his pranks caught up to him and he had to make a quick exit.

You found him VERY attractive in a lot of ways. Be it his handsome face and that roguish smirk he does or how intelligent he clearly is underneath all that arrogance. His strength and power is also something that captures your attention both physical and mental. While his temper could use some work at times you find him endearing. The fact that he takes his time to come over and say hi to you, make you laugh, and spend time with you, even asking about you makes you feel as though he see’s you. Since he doesnt generally bother with things like that too much from what you can tell.

You weren’t 100% certain but you thought he was flirting with you a lot of the time. Your cheeks turning red and his smile growing a little wider as though he’s pleased with himself at your reaction. Tension, or at least you HOPED it’s mutual, brews between you two every time youre in the same space. Sometimes, before he makes his way over to you, you can feel his eyes on you from across the way. Upon looking, there he is. Wukong will give you a little wave with either his hand or even his cheeky tail before returning to whatever conversation or thing he was doing, but those eyes of his will wander back periodically.

When the offer of marriage came well….you were a little shocked to say the least. The thing was, it wasn’t an immediate marriage but rather, he was to court you for a time with the intention of marriage at the end of it. You would essentially be his bride to be but with a brief period of time, about a year, where he would spend time with you and the two of you get to know each other more. Honestly, you thought it was something he would NEVER do. Between the stories about him or his wild nature. You figured either he would never ‘settle’ down or he’d marry right away, not wanting to go through the hassle when he would be marrying them anyway.

Accepting the offer was easy. Honestly, you were intrigued by him and definitely had a huge fat crush on him. After spending a few outings with him you come to realize you could absolutely fall in love with him too. A few months into the courtship the tension between the two of you is HIGH. There have been kisses, but Wukong always stops them before they get too heated. Light lingering touches but always in respectable places. It’s maddening. But from what he explained to you, he wanted to make sure the two of you matched well. That YOU know and understand him before fully committing to him, because as he’s said, once you’re his there wont be any going back. He hadnt said it in a menacing way or anything, but you can tell that he was serious. About you and this relationship, that for him, this is IT.

By your third month of courtship though Wukong springs something on you. He assures you that he can remove it if it’s something that becomes an issue or you decide not to move forward with the relationship.

A womb tattoo.

He allows you a little time to think about it, after covering all the specifics. You’re nervous at first, as you haven’t really had a sexual encounter with him as of yet. Not that you didn’t WANT to, but again he has been keeping things clean between the two of you aside from a few sexually charged flirtatious remarks sprinkled here or there. But regardless of wherever you are his eyes always tell you how much he wants you too. A lot of the time when you separate for the day you’re left wanting….fantasizing about what could he possibly be thinking about.

Eventually, you agree. Mainly because he doesnt pressure you about it. It’s almost like he never asked or brought it up. The way his eyes light up and he takes a moment to process your acceptance though tells you how genuinely excited he is about the idea. His tail swishes and flicks almost erratically behind him as he double checks with you before he sets a day for you two to begin the process for the tattoo.

You’d both decided to start easy, something simple. The tattoo itself, as he had explained, isnt ink and it wont show up unless he messes with the spell itself. But the spell will attach itself to your core and will ONLY react to HIM. This way, no other would accidentally activate it. Not wanting to overwhelm you at first, he sets the spell to only react when he’s looking at you with a lust full gaze. You’re nervous as he has you lie down, your clothes on but you do have to adjust them just enough to reveal your hips and the space your uterus sits under your skin. He hadnt wanted you to undress fully, this way he can enjoy you on your wedding night.

Wukong applies the spell and its a strange sensation, it doesnt hurt but its intense. When hes done he soothes you and tells you that you’ve done well. He tells you that the spell will activate by the time you see him next, this way your body has time to adjust to it.

You thought you were prepared. You were not.

The next time you see him you two aren’t alone but as his familiar eyes land on you, the hair on the back your neck stands up and then your body goes ridged as a tingling sensation starts up inside you body. It’s gentle, but it causes you to gasp and flush a little as your pelvic muscles contract at the sudden soft vibrating that is pulsing in your pussy. You KNOW nothing is in you, this must be the spells doing. You watch Wukong, having to lean over and support yourself with the back of a chair as his eyes roam up and down your body slowly. Once his eyes lock on to yours and he see’s your face he smirks wide and slow. His eye brow raises slowly though, a look of ‘Still okay?’ Comes across his expression and you nod a little shyly. Feeling embarrassed but also…excited. The tattoo isn’t overwhelming, more like a light gentle touch keeping you awake but not enough to make you desperate. At least at first.

This continues for a few weeks, the strange but pleasant buzzing sensation inside you whenever he’s around. It’s tantalizing and you find yourself desperate to return home and bring yourself to orgasm every time you end up spending hours with him. It’s almost constant in a way you weren’t prepared for but definitely dont mind. Especially when he knowingly teases you or leans in and whispers in your ear telling you how pretty your red cheeks are. Or asking you why youre squirming so much with a knowing grin on his face.

When he asks if he can adjust the spell, letting you know what additions he’d like to make, you agree. The little secret between the two of you is thrilling and you truly want to discover more with him. This time the additions will include if he’s thinking about you and if he touches you with intention. What he only hinted at though was how the intensity was going to increase. He also told you that he was leaving something up for a surprise.

After he adjusts the spell, that night when it finally settles, you gasp awake. Your body is sweaty and you’ve slicked up enough that your underwear is damp. The once soft tingling sensation is now an intense direct feeling. It’s not truly enough to make you orgasm but it’s enough to make you sweat and squirm. Your clit is swollen and your entrance pulses with need and you genuinely cannot stop yourself from immediately reaching down to bring yourself to ecstasy. From the feeling, this had been going on for some time before you woke. Meaning Wukong has been thinking about you. The thought makes you shiver with excitement and flattery. Happy that his thoughts are currently consumed with you.

From here it’s a little more difficult to remain passive. Sometimes you can be spending time with your friends or completing a chore for the day when the buzzing starts up. It makes you weak in the knees and you have to do your best not to react too much. When he’s around and watching you it’s even harder. You know he sees how warm you are, the sweat starting to bead on your skin, and the slight tremor you have every so often. Your speech is breathier too.

Wukong clearly enjoys seeing you like this. His tail always swishing and his face while usually showing a smirk sometimes remains stoic. But his eyes. His eyes watch you with such intense desire and pride that it makes you almost want to beg him to touch you. He seems to relish in the fact that he can make you so needy that you have to press on your abdomen or cross your legs tightly as you sit down. His kisses now are always a little more on the heated side, but he still never lets them get TOO heated. You can see in his expression as he pulls back that he is testing his own patience. He whispers to you how delicious you smell, that he can smell you from across the way and he cant wait to finally drink from its source after youre married.

One night, not too long after the new addition was added to the spell youre lying in bed, getting ready to sleep when that now familiar tingling starts up inside you. Since youre alone you relax back and allow yourself to sigh at the pleasant buzz. That is, until it feels like something thick and blunt is making its way inside you.

Your eyes widen and you gasp, arching your back and spreading your legs unconsciously as the invisible object slowly starts to thrust in and out of you. A little panicked you reach down and under your clothes, a moan forcing its way out of your throat at the continued stimulation. Your hole is empty and definitely NOT being stretched open by anything but your fingers. The ghost sensation of something inside you is so visceral, so real though, and your body jerks and thrums as the object moves faster, hitting inside you just a little rougher too. Your whole body comes alive and it feels like not just your clit and pussy are are pulsing with need, but so are your nipples and all the little pleasure spots on your body.

You cant catch your breath and involuntarily our hips move, chasing the ghost sensation as you touch yourself. You’re so wet that the slick sound of your fingers dipping inside you makes you shudder and you quickly realize that THIS was the surprise Wukong had added. How he’s making you feel this way you dont know, but you DO know he’s thinking about you, heavily. Your orgasm comes so suddenly that you cry out and clamp down on your own fingers. The blunt object doesnt stop moving though, fucking you through your orgasm until youre shaking and near tears. It seems to move faster and faster, losing its own rhythm until finally it slams in and then stills.

You lie there panting, body sweaty and your legs still trembling as you finally are allowed to come down from your high. The tingling slowly dissipates to a low gentle feeling until it’s gone. Leaving you oddly satisfied and definitely curious.

When you pluck up the courage to ask him about it, Wukong gives you the biggest shit eating grin you’ve ever seen, his fangs on display. He first asks you if you liked it, which you nod with a little hesitation, mainly due to it being such a new thing. Your Monkey King then tells you that what you experienced was him fucking his fist while thinking about you. That as he touched himself your body was reacting accordingly, as though his cock was deep inside you instead of his hand.

The knowledge sets your body on fire and it sets his mind wondering too. You let out a little whimper as the tingling sensation comes back in full force, immediately ramping up your lust and desire. He reacts to your sounds and panting breath accordingly too, which doesnt help your situation. The kiss he gives you that day is the filthiest one you’ve received so far, and when you orgasm on nothing, not even a touch, Wukong looks at you like you’ve given him the stars & moon as a gift.

Your wedding day to him cant come any faster. Because while you enjoy this little secret game the two of you have been playing, enjoy feeling the ghost of his cock fuck into periodically when he cant contain himself and has to fuck his own fist….It’s not enough. You want to feel his warmth. Feel his claws digging into your skin as he pounds into you. His fangs marking you and his release filling you until he has nothing left.

- [ ] Once you guys get married this gets even worse (better). Especially with your permission of course, but he is going to fuck his fist when he KNOW’s youre doing things JUST so you have to try to fight to stay on your feet and not react.

- [ ] He’s going to be a major tease 24/7 since he doesnt ever stop thinking about you. Never stops wanting you.

- [ ] When he adds the addition about ‘can only come when you taste or receive his seed’??? Yeah good luck. Because he is going to edge the HELL out of you.

- [ ] He wont do it all the time dont worry, he does want to be inside you and fuck you just as much as he wants to watch you squirm for him.

- [ ] The cum thing though, let’s say hes been edging you for AGES. You’re in public and you NEED to orgasm. BADLY. You’re dripping and so fucking desperate for it. If he’s feeling nice (and you beg him so pretty for it), he will pull you to the side and maybe let you suckle his cock to taste his precum so you can orgasm finally. Or he will shove his hand down his pants and get it for you that way, sticking his wet fingers in your mouth since you’d gotten him so worked up. OR he will let you suck him off fully or will cum in your mouth, just the head of his dick past your lips while he strokes himself to you touching yourself.

- [ ] He may add or remove some stuff depending on what is too much or maybe you need a break - he’s good to you!

- [ ] If you’d like to experience a heat when he goes into a rut? Spell can take care of that.

- [ ] Extra fertility? He’s got you with the spell.

- [ ] Extra stamina or extra sensitivity? He can make that happen too.

- [ ] You being so turned on for him while he watches you squirm, waiting for you to reach your breaking point or begging point is something he will NEVER get tired of.

- [ ] You do have a safe word/phrase. This way, if you’re in public and he’s activating the spell around people, which he usually does because watching you and smelling you get so needy for him in secret is thrilling as fuck and turns him on, he doesn’t accidentally push you too far.

- [ ] That said, would he love watching you try to stifle an orgasm? Yeah. But only when he’s next to you so he can pull you into him and you can moan against him - your sounds muffled because those are FOR HIM.

- [ ] You boost his ego astronomically because of this spell, not only with your trust in him but because you WANT him just as much genuinely and not just because of the spell.

[ganondoodle]

saw a few posts talking about ganondorf and while i dont want to uh .. risk having to argue with strangers ... i cant shut up entirely (you know me)

(in my opinion that is probably missing alot or just not as well read as a lot of others since i really just say what i feel instead of knowing what im talking about-)

its kinda hard to really talk about him bc hes so .... steeped into tired old stereotypes and harmful tropes with intentionally so little else, if anything, that you almost always end up playing into them if you just take what canon tells you (and alot of people love defending it too :/ )

to what degree is it really his character and what is literally just some things that were decided he does to make it clear hes the one note evil guy, to justify whatever horror is done to him and overshadow/bury what anyone else has done, to not think about maybe he had a point bc look how much bad stuff he does! if you made him fight for the freedom/sovereignity of his own people against an oppressive hyrule he would be in the right- so ACTUALLY he opresses them violently and selfishly even WORSE and then wants to murder everyone tm that dont bow to him bc thats what evil people do! and hyrule is justified in taking them over in turn bc their rule wont opress them :)

its like a game of trying to one up whatever hyrule did with something more bad tm bc otherwise it gets hard to justify killing him over and over

im not saying hes not allowed to be prideful, selfish or violent of whatever, but you gotta know that all of that IS one of those ways that is supposed to make it clear how evil tm the desert guy is; it doesnt matter what hyrule has done bc look! ganondorf is so much worse! and im sure hyrule had their reasons :)

hes never actually allowed to interact with his own people, hes isolated/alienated from them and their culture constantly, hes their king yet he .... violently takes over "free" gerudo villages (what? what for?? what does "free" even mean? they werent following him? their king?? were they .. allied with hyrule, who are good tm, which means they were living in paradise aka "free"? (bc they are good ones tm bc they rejected their evil one in a hundred year man king ruling violently over only women .. *cough*)), yet hes never seen fighting alongside his own people (the most is them .. silently serving him in what, one scene??) and then he drops them the second he has evil MONSTERS to fight for him instead and orders them to kill every living thing or something bc thats obviously evil, he doesnt even care about his own people! how evil! why would he do that? idk, hes the sole, selfish violent evil man opressing his own people, who are all women! that what they do! and WE need to free them from HIM (and they should be thankful to us for it and try to attone for ever having birthed him in the first place) (or he is the reason tm why they suffered/were wiped out and he is literally the sole survivor of his people, bc he doesnt care about ANYONE but himself)

i dont mean he has to be a goody two shoes character (you can be an ass and still do good/be in the right btw) bc more often than not what that actually means is being allied with hyrule bc those are the designated good guys and being on their side makes you automatically good (eugh) but do you rly want to just ... play along with all the propaganda?

imo, aside from being obviously racist, thats also so boring? does selfish, violent evil man king with no people (bc hes not part of them or fighting for them, hes always presented as the worse oppressor) and nothing else to him that only wants to murder bc ... idk evil? sound interesting to you? (to the point that the ONLY time we were shown literally any sort of vunerabillity, end of ww, that theres people trying to argue he was trying to to manipulate you even there?? what for? why? are you trying to reject literally the one glimpse we are allowed into his perspective qoq)

why do alot of people reject the idea so much to consider he actually cared about them, how maybe that prideful and selfish look is just a facade, or even a fabrication? violence that had to be met with violence, not for any sort of selfish reasons, but for his people and was met with a fight he could not win yet kept fighting on, perhaps losing himself more and more in the process, or a lie told so often that it became reality, if someone has nothign left to lose, if all was taken from them, maybe even blamed on them, why not play into what you where made out to be, you cant convince them otherwise anyway its the reason hes never shown to have done a single nice thing, never seen non angry/smug smiling, how he has no one at his side unless he forced them, how he is not allowed to be human even a little bit, never shown being anything but a boring ass trope personified, hes less a character and more a big bundle of racist tropes that fights you at the end (sorry) while looking epic so trying to meaningfully analyze him just by what we are told and shown in canon will always fall kinda flat or end up playing righ into every shitty trope

that is my opinion :I

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Hi, Blusy! I hope you're well!

I have a request about reader who works for Donna whether a maid or gardener (maybe both! Why not? Capable indeed *nods*). Reader is very loyal to Donna because ofc Donna treats her well as her employer (or maybe also bc reader secretly has a crush on Donna :]c)

And this reader is also a fierce one >:] Well, the villagers always speak ill of the Lords but especially Donna. So whenever reader is in the village to do some chores, she will defend Donna verbally when someone said bad things about her. Donna knew this and fell in love secretly with reader because hey! Someone's caring for her:(

One day, someone said really really bad thing about Donna and reader got so angry she jumped and got into fist fight with that person. She got injured a little but yeah! Victory! (Maybe Heisenberg passed and stopped the fight so reader wont offed the person and he drag reader back to the manor)

Donna got so worried seeing reader injured and took care of reader injury. She asked reader not to defend her anymore bc she doesnt want reader got hurt anymore. Since then, most villagers are wary to reader even some tried to bully/hurt her now. But now it's Donna's turn to save her girl! Donna apparently followed reader bc she is worried, then when reader got abused she appeared and scares/threatened the awful villagers to protect reader!

When they get home, reader confessed her feelings to Donna because she can't hold back her feelings anymore (Donna got so happy and reciprocated ofc :3) fluff please!

Anyway, thank you for always feeding us with your writings!

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your request!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!!! :))))))

Loyalty

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem, Maid! Reader

Warnings: Fluff, maybe mentions of violence...

Word count: 7,711

Summary: Maybe your loyalty is not just that...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

It had been a while since going down to the basement stopped giving you the shivers.

The first few times you did it, you felt the stares of the paintings following you, a feeling of heaviness in your chest. Not even a girl like you could ignore the danger that was breathed among those old and cracked walls.

But that was only at the beginning.

Little by little you began to stop shrinking to walk faster as you headed towards your destination, to stop fearing the paintings, the shadows of that place. Maybe it was the habit, the daily routine of walking through that dark place and always surviving it. You would only fool yourself by thinking that way.

A recurring habit was not powerful enough to face the darkness of that mansion, not even if it was an act repeated several times throughout the day.

No, your face wore a smile as you walked with a tray in your hand, maybe not because of the path, but because of the destination.

Luck or misfortune: you could have thought of either the day you decided to start being independent, something really complicated in that place. A girl like you, skilled, yes, but with few options, had no choice but to bow to the power of the village, to the pressure that forced you to bow your head and serve.

Castle maid, farmer, gardener… The options that age began to mark for you were all equally tedious, equally bitter. There was no future for anyone in that place, and you were no exception. The only difference between the other young women of your age and you was simple: you accepted your future.

There were people much more loyal than you to Mother Miranda and the Lords but… At least you didn’t see them as a danger or as the shadows that kept that small village in complete darkness.

Envoys of the Black Gods, nobles… No matter how you thought about them. Somehow, those speeches, Mother Miranda's words penetrated your mind to make you understand that this was your world, and that it would never change.

With that in mind, you decided to try your luck and demonstrate your skills by doing something that few dared to do voluntarily: serve the Lords.

In the absence of another option, you went to the castle to find a place among so many maids. Everything went well. Lady Dimitrescu seemed satisfied with your skills, and, above all, with your helpful attitude.

Just when you thought that you had somehow achieved what you wanted, life surprised you with an unexpected turn. Apparently, your skills as a gardener wouldn’t be very useful in the castle; an army of maids were already taking care of the vineyards. According to Alcina Dimitrescu herself, it was a talent that couldn’t be wasted.

After a phone call, the pages of your future began to be written in a different book, in a book elegantly decorated with a sun and a moon.

Nobody knew much about the youngest of the Lords, that mysterious woman covered with a black veil, Donna Beneviento.

You knew she was dangerous, that she wasn’t right in the head, that she always carried a talking doll with her… Few information, and, in a place like that, having few information was synonymous with fear.

The lady in black needed someone to take care of the garden, and a maid wouldn’t hurt either. According to the lady of the castle, Donna needed some company. You were reluctant at first. The rumor mill of the village was a dangerous weapon that attacked whenever there was no information, and without remedy, your legs began to tremble as you walked through those grounds from which “no one had ever returned.”

You weren’t the only one who showed distrust. As you got to know the lady in black closely, you realized that you weren’t welcome, that your presence was nothing but a nuisance.

You wondered how many maids were sent to serve that woman, how many returned, none of them, possibly.

Determined to show that you were capable of serving Lady Beneviento as well as her sister, you took that first rejection as a personal challenge, showing your abilities and skills to get a chance, at least the chance to get out of that place alive.

You didn't need to insist much, since that woman didn't seem fond of conversations. Her desire for silence, or perhaps the fact that she saw in you a possibility of meeting her needs, was what finally made her hire you as her maid.

Leaving the village wasn't difficult, adapting to your new life was.

Donna was a strange, disturbed and sick woman, just as the rumors said. But there was always another dark side to every person, or, in this case, a bright side.

As time went by, you began to settle into a comfortable routine, to see that old mansion as something resembling a home. Days gave way to night and vice versa, you always opened your eyes, always woke up. You weren’t going to die.

Gardener, maid… You did a bit of everything. Cooking, cleaning, tending to the flowers, serving your mistress… Yes, it may not have been exactly what you had planned, but you couldn’t say you weren’t satisfied.

Getting to know Donna better was the hardest task. She didn’t speak. She barely looked at you at first. That forced trust of living with her was releasing little whispers of gratitude, looks that were much more intense, even through that horrible black veil.

After a year of servitude, that cloth finally disappeared, along with the desire of the lady in black to remain silent. She was… Well, maybe you weren’t exaggerating if you said she was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen, even more so than that portrait on the stairs.

Her voice stopped avoiding you, her beauty began to be present in your life and finally “my lady” became a simple (she wanted it that way) “Donna.”

Was she a sick and disturbed woman? Yes, she was.

Was she dangerous? You weren’t able to see to what extent.

But… Was she kind? Yes, that too.

Little by little you discovered the side of the lady in black that was never talked about, a warm smile that always accompanied your presence. You felt good in that house, she treated you well, she thanked you for everything you did, even sometimes, just sometimes, you had something resembling a conversation.

The rumors were wrong. Donna was a wonderful woman trapped in a terrifying mask, in a facade that would hold firm with everyone.

The bright side that surrounded her dark figure began to become an addiction, a constant desire to know more, to talk more, to get closer. Loyalty was something that Lady Beneviento always had from you, but… She will never know that it was linked to something else.

It didn't matter how you looked at it, the multiple interpretations of your tremors when you approached her, the frantic beating of your heart when you saw her tender smile, you were lost; you had fallen completely in love with her.

“S-Sorry to bother you,” you said in a whisper as you slowly opened the doors of the workshop where Donna worked almost tirelessly. “I brought your tea.”

“Leave it there.” Her hoarse voice reached your ears and your legs moved on their own, walking slowly to the indicated place. “Thank you.”

“Mm,” you said, nodding elegantly, unable to suppress a small bow. “I-I hope it's to your liking.”

“I'm sure it is,” the lady murmured without looking at you, focused on painting a porcelain head. “It always is, (Y/N)”

“You're very kind,” you whispered, noticing the familiar warmth of the blush on your cheeks as it coincided with her bright eye and a gentle lift of her corners.

A brief smile crossed her face, a quick, fleeting one, as if something prevented her from staring at you for longer. That was fuel for your fantasies. You wondered what she was thinking, how she felt about you, if, if… If maybe she had feelings for…

Oh, no fantasies during work hours.

“Mm,” she murmured, focused again on her dolls, thus predicting another awkward moment in which you received no orders and your body forced you to stay there, next to her.

“Well, If you don't need anything else...” you whispered with a distressed voice, turning on your heels to return to boring tasks, away from her.

“Un attimo.” Her voice again interrupted and froze your steps. “Come.”

“Oh, of course,” you said walking back to the work table.

The lady sighed, tilting her head to look better at her newly created work and then at you, as if she herself was looking for an excuse for you to stay a little longer.

You should stop twisting the truth with your fantasies...

“I need to ask you a favor, (Y/N),” she said with a low voice, looking away again.

“S-sure, I'll do whatever you ask me to,” you answered kindly, placing yourself as close to her as possible.

“Mm, you always do what I ask you, huh?” she joked subtly, cleaning the imperfections of the porcelain with a discreet smile.

“Of course, Donna,” you said confidently. “I'm your maid.”

The lady smiled more intensely, shaking her head.

“So, if I asked you to jump off the cliff... Would you do it?” she asked in a darker tone, cooling her expression.

“Um, um, I...” you stammered surprised by that question that seemed totally out of context.

Donna laughed softly, looking at you out of the corner of her eye.

“It's a joke, (Y/N),” she said among shy laughs, surely seeing your disoriented expression. “Forgive me, I'm not very good at joking.”

“Wow, I was just going to tell you that maybe the water is too cold and I don't like heights very much but... Well, it's always too soon to lose my fear, right?” you said awkwardly, scratching the back of your neck.

“Mm?” the lady muttered confused, frowning.

“Um, it was a joke… I'm not very good at that either,” you said apologetically.

“I see,” she said softly, leaning back in her chair and sighing awkwardly. “Actually, what I'd like to ask you for is a bit of your time.”

“My time? Oh, sure, my time is yours,” you said with an excited smile at such an unusual request. “Do you want to talk about something?”

“Do you want to talk about something?” Donna asked back, leaving you completely confused again.

The lady in black was an expert in solitude and quite clumsy when it came to human relationships. Still, she always proved to be one step ahead of you, always showing that brilliant intelligence the rumors denied.

“No, well, yes, I don't know, it depends on what you want,” you whispered nervously.

“The Duke called this morning, he says he won't be able to come,” your lady explained, painting that porcelain face again, looking away in a disinterested manner. “What a surprise, isn't it?”

“Well, you already know him,” you commented amused. “Any excuse is good enough not to move his fat ass over here,” you joked, instantly regretting those disrespectfully informal expressions. “Oh, I mean that...”

The brunette's laughter interrupted, a soft but genuine laugh, surely encouraged by your face dead with shame and the increasingly visible trembling of your hands.

“Sei divertente…” Donna commented, shaking her head and finally leaving the head of that new doll on the table.

“I try,” you said with a voice covered with a certain pride for understanding her words in that melodic and fascinating language.

She looked at you with a frown for a moment before relaxing her expression.

“You take your work very seriously,” she murmured, looking away in a slow and slightly strange way. “I appreciate it.”

“It's the least I can do, Donna,” you said satisfied by the compliment. “Thank you for appreciating my effort.”

“Thank you for… Well, for being here with me and…” she stammered, blinking erratically and shaking her head. “I mean… I-I need you to go to the village and claim from our fat friend what he owes me.”

Your smile cooled after that order. It was always the same. When it seemed like a conversation was slowly deepening, Lady Beneviento's stoic and authoritative attitude prevented it from do it.

“Of course,” you said, bowing your head elegantly. “I'll go right now,” you said with a formal smile, turning around to end that strange encounter.

“W-Wait,” Donna interrupted, turning around abruptly to get your attention.

“Yes?” you asked as if you were waiting for something that really wasn't going to happen.

“Um... Wrap yourself up, it's a very cold day and my flowers can't live without your care,” the lady said, turning around again.

You smiled, nodding even though she couldn't see you.

“I will, Donna.”

Without wasting any more time, you set out to walk towards the village. The lady was right, that day the cold was terribly cutting.

You didn't usually leave the grounds. Nor did you have the need to remember your old life.

Although you were always reluctant to walk through the village again, especially because all your old neighbors looked at you strangely, the truth is that leaving that spiral of love and fantasy in which you lived was relaxing.

The villagers lived their lives quietly, they worked, walked, the children played... Sometimes that place seemed anything but sinister.

“Now it's my turn,” a little boy said, playing with his friends, a scene for which you slowed down your steps, looking curiously at those children. “One, two, three, four, four Lords...”

“Mm,” you murmured curiously when you heard him sing, crossing your arms and listening attentively.

“Four Lords, four fools…” he continued singing as he ran around his friends, making you frown. “One is fat, the other is ugly…”

“What?” you muttered.

Normally no one dared to insult the Lords like that, much less a child.

“The fish is disgusting and if the crazy monster catches you… Run away!” he finally shrieked, chasing his companions.

You, looking around in case someone else was listening, approached that rude child with your best intentions.

“Hey, you!” you shouted, getting his attention. “Hey!”

“Hello, miss,” the child said, standing up politely.

“Hey, what were you singing?” you asked with a slightly soft voice.

“I made that up,” he said, proudly, pointing at himself.

“Oh, really?” you asked ironically, crossing your arms. “You shouldn't say such things about the Lords, it's dangerous,” you warned in a calm voice.

“My sister says they're fools,” the boy said. “That we don't have to fear them.”

“Does your sister say that?” you asked curiously, shaking your head. “Well, I think she's wrong.”

“No, my sister is always right,” the boy said, with a childish protest, making you raise an eyebrow. “She says they're just four bad monsters, that they're not good.”

“Oh, of course…” you sighed, shaking your head.

“Are you afraid of them, miss?” he asked with the innocence of his age.

You couldn't get angry with such a young child. it wasn't fair, although it's true that you were upset by those comments. Your loyalty to… Well, to Donna, and therefore, to her siblings, was beyond any kind of doubt.

“No, and I'll tell you why,” you said, bending down a little. “Do you know that I work for one of them?”

“Really?” he asked, with his eyes wide open.

“Mm, I work for Lady Beneviento.”

“Oh, the crazy monster!” the boy shrieked, covering his mouth with his hands.

“Hey! Don't say that!” you said perhaps too abruptly, terribly offended by the way that child had of speaking of your Donna. “Don't talk about her like that, understand? Show some respect.”

“My sister says she's a monster and that she's as crazy as her family,” the boy protested just as you grabbed his arm.

“Shut up, brat, that's not true,” you growled. “I'm telling you that I work for her.”

“Is she a very ugly monster?” he asked.

“No, she's not. Lady Beneviento is a kind and beautiful woman, she's not a monster. Do you hear me? So tell your sister to shut that big mouth of hers and stop telling lies, understood?”

The boy, surely scared by your fierce attitude when defending Donna, nodded.

“Yes, miss,” he said abruptly, opening his eyes in surprise.

“Get out,” you said, letting his arm go and letting him run away in terror. “A monster… Damn it…”

You couldn't tolerate it, you just couldn't.

Your loyalty and love for Donna had long since crossed the limits of rationality. As long as you were around, no one would dare mess with her, not even a brat like that.

Thinking about the anger those comments caused you clouded your brief visit to the village. You couldn't stop thinking about what you were like before working at the mansion. You never dared to judge any of the Lords, but it's true that the only thing you knew about the lady in black were rumors very similar to the mocking chants of that child.

If only they knew her, if they knew what she was really like. Another absurd fantasy, no one in the village would ever have the privilege of knowing Donna, of knowing her intelligence, her elegance and kindness.

Sick, yes, but a wonderful woman, nothing else mattered but how she made you feel by her side. Maybe admiration and love were starting to take a toll on your judgment. Maybe you were so in love with her that you were unable to see the danger that was in front of you. No, you never felt in danger with her, even the day you arrived and she rejected you as a maid.

The rumors were just that, rumors, but ones that you couldn't change.

“You're back,” the lady said when you got home.

Your smile was always faithful to Donna, but your face emanated a certain annoyance that the woman in black noticed immediately. “Is anything wrong, (Y/N)?”

“Um, no, Donna. It's all there,” you said, downplaying your angry complaints and extending the bags to her so she could check inside.

“Mm, what about this?” she asked, taking a pot with a strange flower that you found curious out of a box.

“Oh, I bought that myself, I'd like to plant it in the garden,” you said, forgetting for a moment about the incident with the child.

“Did you ask my permission?” she asked, looking at you out of the corner of her eye as she examined the plant.

“Um, no, but...” you said, afraid of your boldness.

Her smile made your legs stop shaking.

“I’m joking, (Y/N), I see I’m unable to do it properly,” Donna murmured, setting the pot down on a table with an elegant step, turning briefly to look at you.

“Oh, yes, well…” you said nervously, setting the bags down on the floor. “I thought it was nice, that’s all.”

“Mm, you have good taste,” she commented, turning around with a smile. “Wait, let me help you.”

“No need,” you said, stopping the lady from taking the bags. “I wouldn’t let you do something like that.”

“Why not? Just because I have a maid doesn’t mean I can’t do anything, right?” she asked, roughly snatching the bags from you, a dangerous glint in her eye.

“Well, I think Alcina…” you commented briefly, remembering your friends’ experiences at the castle.

“I'm not Alcina,” Donna said, her voice close to a cry of protest, her face dark and dangerous.

If the crazy monster catches you, run away...

That child's stupid song was playing in your head irremediably.

“No, of course, that's... Obvious,” you murmured, trying to control the thoughts in your head.

“What do you mean? Speak clearly, (Y/N),” she said, walking next to you towards the living room with a suspicious look.

“Nothing, I... I'm sorry,” you said defeated, unable to think rationally.

The lady in black left the bags on a table and turned towards you, frowning and reaching out her hand until it rested on your chin, slowly raising it. The touch of her soft skin against yours was hot, but you couldn't enjoy it properly, because that closeness wasn't a good thing, normally.

“Mm, you're such a liar,” she commented, letting you go coldly, making you blink in confusion.

“What? Oh, Donna, no, I don't know why you say that,” you said, scared by that accusation.

“I asked you if something was wrong and you lied to me, it's obvious that something is bothering you,” Donna said in a somewhat smug tone, but she was completely right.

“It's nothing,” you said, smiling falsely.

“Are you going to keep lying?” she asked, arching her eyebrow and crossing her arms. “I thought you were a sincere girl.”

“Okay, okay, I…” you began. Your loyalty was much greater than your shame, or your fears. You couldn't hide anything from her. “There-There was a brat in the village, a little boy who was singing… A song…”

Donna nodded for you to continue.

“The song was about you, about the Lords and… They weren't exactly nice words,” you said, lowering your head. The doll maker's expression didn't change at all. “So I told him to stop disrespecting you and… He said… Horrible things about… About you…”

“Mm,” she murmured, tilting her head in curiosity.

“I just feel helpless seeing that some people think you're a… A…” you said, in a small voice.

“A monster,” she finished, with a cold but apparently calm tone.

“Yes…” you whispered embarrassed.

“Do you think I care what they say about me in the village?” she asked in a dark tone as if deep down her own words were a lie.

“No, but…”

“You do care, why?” she asked again, coming a little closer, with an expression that moved away from darkness to curiosity. “You don't need to defend me, it's not your job.”

“I know but... It's just that I...” you stammered, wanting to bury yourself underground and not come out for years. “I really care what they say about you.”

“Why?” she insisted mercilessly.

“Because I know they're wrong,” you whispered, briefly looking into her bright eye.

Silence was the lady's response. Donna moved away slowly from that intense gaze, as if she didn't want to do it.

“Um, I should, I should short this,” you said after a moment of silence, of furtive and strange glances, one in which the lady didn't move, as if she were a portrait, a statue, a ghost...

“Angie, help her,” the lady whispered, pointing to the doll, which was swinging its legs on a sofa.

“What!? Hey, silly Donna! She's the maid!” the puppet protested, approaching you and the bags.

The lady in black didn't answer. She simply walked towards the elevator hallway, stopping briefly before disappearing.

“(Y/N),” she said, distracting you from your attempt to keep the doll from messing everything up.

You looked up with pleading eyes, eager for some word, for something that seemed to want to come out of her lips.

“Donna?” you asked with a sigh, feeling a pang in your heart as you stared into her eye, knowing that she was looking at you.

“I…” she murmured distractedly, without looking away. “Be careful with Angie, she likes glass jars too much,” she said with a different tone, disappearing quickly through the door and leaving you sighing again, your shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“Y-Yeah, sure,” you muttered, looking away from the hallway. “Hey!” you shrieked, snatching a jar of tea leaves from the doll.

“You think I'm going to help you, you silly, silly? Let's see if you can catch me!” the doll shrieked, laughing sinisterly and running away with the jar.

At least you were able to distract yourself from that awkward encounter.

It might seem like something had changed in the mansion after that kind of veiled and indirect confession, but it wasn't. There was some tension between you, more than usual. Donna didn't usually talk, but when she did, her voice was stoic, regal and elegant.

Stuttering from the lady, and phrases and questions with less sense than usual served to make your loving heart believe that this act of loyalty had had some effect. Surely you were totally wrong.

The days passed without remedy, becoming more and more a torture, a feeling of helplessness in loving Donna, knowing that this feeling would never be reciprocated even though sometimes you liked to think the opposite.

You should start thinking about forgetting your fantasies, and focus on reality. Being with her was much better than confessing and being rejected, or something worse.

The desire to forget that impossible love accompanied you during another of your trips to the village. It was something horrible to feel, but seeing her smile, hearing her melodic voice, became your joy for living.

“Well…” you sighed as you walked through the quiet streets, seeing that, just like yours, the village's routine was still a tedious succession of days and nights of work.

“Hey, you!” An unpleasant shout interrupted your thoughts.

A young girl, more or less your age, approached you quickly, with an annoyed expression.

“My name is not you,” you said mockingly, crossing your arms.

“I don't care about your name, stupid,” the girl growled, with her hands on her hips.

You were never good at putting up with rudeness or discourtesy, and besides, you weren't in the mood to do so, not that day.

“Leave me alone, will you?” you said, pushing that unpleasant girl away. “Unlike you, apparently, I have things to do.”

“Don't you know who I am?” the young lady asked, grabbing your arm to stop you from continuing.

“Mm, no, I don't have the pleasure,” you said ironically, starting to lose patience.

You had too many things on your mind to put up with the stupid insults of a random villager.

“I’m Marcus's sister, the boy you yelled at the other day,” she explained, catching your attention. “How dare you yell at my little brother?”

“Your little brother was insulting the Lords, I did him a favor,” you said arrogantly, looking at your nails with contempt. “You should know that it is dangerous to put those ideas in the head of such a young child.”

“Are you going to tell me how I have to act with my brother?” the girl growled, clenching her fists. “Of course, how could I not expect that from a servant of those monsters...”

You rolled your eyes, trying to make a graceful escape again, something you failed to do.

“Are you jealous?” you challenged with a sly smile.

“Jealous? Please, if I had to work for any of them I would probably rather die,” she played along.

“Very well,” you said, nodding passively and pushing her away with your shoulder.

Her grip returned to your wrist, further exhausting your patience.

“You are Beneviento's little whore, aren't you?” she asked, making you turn around sharply. “Now I understand those stupid ideas you put in my brother's head.”

“Mm, maid sounds much better, don't you think?” you said, crossing your arms.

Talking about Donna was the worst thing that stupid girl could do… The bad thing for her is that she didn't know.

“Maid, whore, it's the same,” she said, with a mocking smile, coming a little closer. “Don't your knees hurt?”

“Doesn't your brain hurt from not using it?” you asked back, blinking cockily. “Leave me alone.”

“Not so fast…” she hissed again, standing in front of you to stop you from walking. “I think you owe me an apology. My brother came home saying that crazy Beneviento woman was a good person.”

“Yes, that's right,” you said, clenching one of your fists when you heard the word crazy next to her last name. “I didn't tell him any lies.”

“You know it well, huh?” the girl mocked, walking around you like a vulture. “Doesn't it disgust you to serve someone like her?”

“Doesn't it disgust you to look at yourself in the mirror?” you answered, your breathing becoming more agitated.

Anyone could mess with you all they wanted, but with Donna… Not with her, ever.

“You should ask your crazy darling that…” she hissed, laughing sinisterly. “Oh, yes, I’m sure she’s even uglier than the rumors say… Surely that’s why she wants you, isn’t it? Oh, maid, tell me how beautiful I am, tell me, tell me.”

“Shut up,” you hissed, gritting your teeth.

“Are you threatening me? How bold…” the young lady mocked, with a nasty expression. “You’re nothing but a monster’s whore…”

“I said…” you whispered, taking a breath. “Shut the fuck up!” you shrieked, grabbing the collar of her dress. “Apologize!”

“Hey, let me go, you fucking moron! You're just like her!” the girl protested as your grip tightened, catching the attention of several villagers, who were murmuring around you.

“Apologize!” you repeated furiously. “Donna is not a monster!”

“Oh, you defend her…. Of course, now I understand,” she said laughing amused, without making any effort to get away from your grip. ��I'm not going to apologize, she's a monster! An ugly and crazy monster!”

“Arrgh!” you growled angrily, headbutting the girl hard, making her fall to the ground with a cry of pain.

“Damn it…” she protested, holding her battered nose. “You'll pay for this!”

The young woman lunged at you, knocking you down with a strong punch to the eye that you weren't expecting, unleashing a furious fight in the snow that the villagers watched in astonishment.

“She's not a monster!” you screamed, struggling with the girl, hissing in pain from that unexpected blow, pulling her hair while she kicked you with her knee. “Shit!”

The girl knocked you down again, bringing her hands to your neck, but you managed to turn the tables with another painful headbutt, climbing on top of her body and hitting her furiously.

“Apologize! Come on! Apologize!” you screamed, noticing how your opponent's strength diminished with each blow. “APOLOGIZE!”

“Shhh, hey, hey, hey...” A soft voice followed by a tug on your dress pulled you away from the almost unconscious girl. “Enough, you little brawler…”

Behind you, holding you tightly, was one of Donna's brothers, Karl Heisenberg, who prevented you from crawling back towards the girl.

“You bitch!” you shrieked, resisting against the Lord’s grip.

“Hey, hey, come on, sweetheart… You've already won,” the metal man said, squeezing you tighter. “Wait a minute, oh, oh, oh, wait… You're Donna's doll, aren't you?”

“Maid!” you shrieked still furious but giving up on your attempts to return to finish what you started. “Let me go!”

“Yes, yes… That's it,” Heisenberg mocked, comically picking you up in his arms and leaning you on his shoulder, holding your legs while you hit his back.

“What are you doing? Put me down!” you protested as he walked holding you. The pain from the blow reached your head, making you dizzy, causing a few red drops to fall into the snow as the man carried you back to the mansion.

“What a mood, now I understand why Donna doesn't stop talking about you,” he murmured as you entered the forest. “You like getting into trouble, huh?”

“That bitch asked for it,” you hissed, giving up and grabbing your nose while rubbing your injured eye. “She hates you all.”

“Well, well… We can't please everyone, right?” he commented, laughing amused.

“She messed with Donna,” you said in a low voice, unleashing a sinister laugh from the Lord as you went up the elevator.

“You’re not just pretty, you're loyal… I like you,” he joked, with the waterfall already in front of you. “But I think poor Donna would be upset if her doll… broke, don't you think?”

“She doesn't care about me as much as I do about her,” you said with an involuntary sob, making the man stop, lowering you to the ground in front of the mansion.

“You think so? Let's check it out,” he said amused, looking at you over his glasses as he climbed the stairs of the mansion with you. “Hi! Donna!”

After a few moments, the lady opened the door, covered in her black veil, with her Angie doll in her arms, a sight you hadn't seen for a while.

“Ciao, bella, I think this is yours,” he said, playfully pushing you towards the mansion.

“Gods, (Y/N)…” the lady gasped, surely seeing your wounds. “(Y/N)… What happened?”

“Your little doll had gotten into a fight, or so it seems,” Karl commented, looking suspiciously at the doll, who was silently mocking him. “Fortunately, I arrived in time.”

“(Y/N), who did this to you? Speak!” the woman in black demanded, forgetting her reluctance to speak with her own voice in front of others.

You, embarrassed and hurt, didn't answer. You simply shook your head.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Karl interrupted, while the brunette's hand gently passed over your wounded face, a sensation that unfortunately, you couldn’t enjoy. “I mean that I arrived in time to prevent (Y/N) from leaving us with one less villager…”

“What?” the lady asked. “(Y/N)?”

“Take good care of her, Donna… You don't see maids as faithful as her nowadays,” Karl said, gesturing with his hand and walking away from the mansion.

“Gods, your face… C-come, let's heal you,” the lady said, taking off her veil and dragging you to the basement.

Silence became your only companion. Donna healed you thoroughly and painfully while you were unable to keep her gaze. It was a heavy, uncomfortable and tense silence, much more than usual.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” the lady asked softly, as she passed a cotton ball over one of your wounds, making you hiss in pain.

“It's not important,” you murmured, holding back a tear.

The lady lowered her hand, staring at you, lifting your chin, something that slowly became a habit.

“You know I hate when you lie to me,” she whispered, squeezing your chin but letting it go instantly. “Oh, Gods... Your eye...”

“Ah,” you protested when a cream made contact with the bruise that had already sprouted. “I, just... I wanted... I wanted...”

“Mm?”

“That stupid girl said... She said horrible things and... I wanted her to shut up, I just wanted her to stop talking and...” you stammered, with your voice broken by sobs.

“Horrible things about what, (Y/N)?” Donna asked, with a soft voice, much sweeter than usual.

“About you,” you said looking away, preventing her from continuing to heal you.

“About me… So Karl wasn't lying, you're loyal, aren't you?” Donna said with a smile, guiding your head to look at her again. “(Y/N), I told you that no matter what they say about me, it's not your duty to defend me.”

“Yes, it is,” you protested, clenching your sore fist. “Those stupid people don't know you.”

“I don't want them to,” she commented, with a serious expression, cleaning another of your wounds. “I don't want you to keep doing stupid things like this, is that clear? It's not your duty as a maid.”

“It's my duty as a person,” you corrected with a brusque tone. “I… I can't stand people seeing you as a monster… You're not a monster…”

“So, what am I?” she said, blinking in confusion.

“You're… You're…” you whispered, swallowing the correct continuation of that sentence: you're the love of my life. “You're important to me.”

“Mm,” she murmured, with apparent disinterest. “You are important to me too.”

At those words, you looked up and opened your eyes when you felt a soft caress on your cheek, an erratic caress of her hand on your skin, aimless, meaningless, but comforting. Automatically your bodies approached each other slowly, guided by an invisible force that disappeared when the lady shook her head and cleared her throat.

“T-That's precisely why I want you to forget about this matter and not to do something stupid like that again…” she murmured, putting away the first aid kit and quickly moving her hand away, cooling your skin.

“I…”

“Promise me,” the doll maker said abruptly, getting up from the chair without looking at you.

“I… Okay, okay… I promise,” you finally said, playing with your hands, running your fingers over your injured knuckles.

That, that would be the only thing you couldn't promise her, that you would stop being faithful to her, whatever the consequences.

Donna sighed, running a hand through her hair and closing the medicine cabinet, looking at you over her shoulder.

“(Y/N), I don't want to lose you…”

Closer and closer, and further and further away… The time that passed after that fight could be summed up like this. Donna's trust in you didn't diminish, the smiles increased, subtle caresses appeared in your life to confuse you, but it never went any further.

 Your brave but cowardly nature didn't allow you to tell the truth, for her to understand the reason for the irrationality of your actions. Maybe she would never do it, maybe you were doomed to live that love in dreams, in fantasies... You should get used to the idea.

“(Y/N),” Donna interrupted you when you were going out the door to go to the village.

“Tell me,” you said with a kind smile, with the trace of that fight almost invisible on your face.

“Remember your promise,” the lady whispered, putting a hand on your shoulder and giving you a smile.

“Of course,” you said nodding, slowly separating yourself from her. “Relax, I won't get into trouble.”

“Fine, ciao, (Y/N),” she said, with a distrustful expression, accompanying you out of the gate of the mansion, not losing sight of you.

Something had changed in the tedious routine of the villagers. Her eyes deviated from their tasks to discreetly rest on yours. The murmurs had eclipsed the usual bustle, mysteriously coinciding with your slow and calm step.

“It's her... The crazy woman who serves Beneviento...”

“She must be worse than her. She almost killed that girl just because she insulted her...”

You heard loose phrases without importance, and the promise you made to Donna was fixed in your mind. You tried to distract yourself from those unpleasant rumors, but it was impossible, especially when you were already returning to the mansion and heard footsteps behind you.

“Well, well, well...” a mocking voice reached your ears, forcing you to stop.

That stupid girl was there, with a sinister smile, her face still marked by your blows. But she wasn’t alone. She was surrounded by a couple of boys visibly stronger than her.

Showing off your anger control, you ignored them, continuing on your way.

“Hey, hey, hey… Where are you going?” one of the boys said, walking in front of you. “Are you going back to your crazy darling?”

“Leave me alone,” you said unpleasantly, walking away from them again.

“Not so fast, stupid,” the girl muttered, gesturing to the boy in front of you to grab you tightly by the arms.

“Hey, let me go!” you shrieked, struggling against him and dropping the basket where you were carrying your purchases. “Hey!”

“You're not so brave now, are you?” the girl muttered, slowly approaching you. “I'm afraid there won't be anyone to protect you today, stupid…”

“Mmm,” you growled, trying unsuccessfully to release yourself from the grip.

“I think I owe you one…” the girl continued, brandishing her fist and throwing it against your stomach, making you writhe in pain. “That's for the humiliation… And this…” she commented while you hissed. “This is for me!”

The second punch was going straight to your face, but in a reflex action, you managed to duck, causing the girl's fist to hit her friend comically, giving you a few moments to escape.

You ran, with those three people chasing you among laughs. The blow to your stomach affected your resistance and your vision of the road, making you corner yourself against a dead end.

“Come, you filthy rat… We have something to tell you…” the girl mocked, guarded by her two friends, who rubbed their fists. “You're nothing but the whore of a… Of a…” she said, inches away from your body, which was held again by one of the boys.

The girl stammered, unable to say a word.

“Hey, Olga, are you okay?” one of the boys asked, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She shook her head.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, pushing him away and coming closer again. “What was I saying? Ah, yeah… A mons… Ah!” she suddenly shrieked, falling to the ground and curling up on herself. “Help!”

“What’s going on?” the boy holding you asked.

“Can’t you see it, you idiot? Spiders, there are spiders everywhere!” the girl shrieked, making you blink in astonishment.

“I don’t see anything,” the other boy said, scratching his head in confusion. “Oh, shit, Uncle Fred!” he shrieked, pointing at an ordinary tree. “Don’t kill me!”

“Oh, no… I hate snakes…” the boy holding you said, letting you go of and hitting himself to get rid of an invisible enemy.

You watched the scene stunned, confused until you saw a black shadow approaching slowly: Donna.

“Donna…” you sighed as you saw the veiled figure getting closer and closer, with an elegant walk, holding Angie in her arms.

“Shit…” the girl protested, also looking at the lady. “Lady Be-Beneviento…”

“Oh, you are respectful now, aren't you?” Angie mocked while the lady bent down towards the frightened girl, roughly grabbing her by the collar of her clothes.

“Oh, shit, shit, I'm sorry… Don’t, don't kill me,” she sobbed desperately while enduring the cold gaze of the lady. “Please, don't…”

“Touch her again and you'll wish I did,” Donna hissed, in her own voice, with a darkness that even gave you chills.

“Of course my lady, yes, my lady,” the unpleasant girl said desperate and terrified.

You were really enjoying that.

“Vai… Get lost!” the lady in black shrieked, releasing the girl, who, along with her friends, ran away in terror.

When their screams of terror were silenced, the lady approached you, offering you her hand to help you up.

“Tutto bene?” she asked, helping you shake the snow off your clothes.

“Yes, I think so…” you sighed in relief, with a grateful smile. “But, but, what are you doing here?”

“I followed you,” she said, turning and indicating for you to walk with her back to the mansion.

“Oh, um…” you murmured.

“Don't be mistaken. It's not that I distrusted you but… I thought you might be in danger,” Donna explained, walking slowly beside you.

“You're welcome, huh?” the doll protested, moving mockingly in her owner's arms.

“Thank you,” you whispered with a strange blush on your cheeks. “Thank you very much, Donna.”

“Mm,” she murmured, nodding coldly.

The walk was silent, but not at all ordinary.

The two of you walked together, too close, making your hands brush with each of your steps until, in an unpredictable way, they came together, intertwining, playing with your fingers until they were joined. Neither of you said a word, you simply let yourselves be carried away by that involuntary act that perhaps wasn't so involuntary.

Enjoying the touch of her hand in yours was finally a pleasure that wasn’t repressed. A smile adorned your face, but you didn't know if hers too. You had been imagining a walk hand in hand with her for so long, imagining how it would end the smile in her face when she felt your hand in yours.

You couldn't stand it anymore.

“Donna, I...” you said, stopping your walk, with the waterfall already sounding in the background. “I want, I want to tell you something.”

The lady also stopped, separating her hand from yours and facing you slowly, nodding in an elegant way.

“I’m listening,” she whispered through her veil.

“Um, could you, could you take it off?” you asked shyly, pointing to the black fabric that covered her beauty. “I wish I could look at you.”

“Va bene,” she whispered, obeying your request, revealing a seemingly indifferent face.

“I don't know how to tell you but... I, I didn't defend you just because I was your maid or because I was loyal... Well, I’m loyal, I will always be loyal to you, that's indisputable, but...”

“You're babbling again,” she said, with a tender smile, gently lifting your chin as she took a step towards you.

“Yes, I... What I mean is that... I go mad when people mess with you, when they say you're... Horrible things because... Because... I'm madly in love with you, Donna,” you confessed, closing your eyes to avoid her impatient gaze.

“What?” she asked, frowning, an unexpected reaction to your confession. “No, that's impossible.”

“Is it impossible for me to love you? Well, then... I must be able to do impossible things,” you said confused and nervous, looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “You can, you can do whatever you want with me but... I really love you, I love you and...”

You couldn't continue talking. The lady in black grabbed your neck, gently pulling you until her lips crashed against yours in a wet, slow, almost clumsy kiss. Maybe clumsy, but it said much more than any babbling.

The sound of Angie's giggle next to your lips’ as they parted caused a smile in both of you, caused your cowardly hands to dare to cup her face between them, her eye to stare at yours.

“Do you really love me?” Donna asked, with a soft whisper, caressing your face, lowering her hands to your waist to bring you closer to her body.

“I really do,” you said dryly, running your hands over her dress, over her shoulders, enjoying those caresses that you imagined so many times.

“Me too, and, and I thought that you would never... Oh, (Y/N)... Ti amo...” she said with another whisper, placing her lips on yours again. “Listen, I don't want you to be my maid anymore, (Y/N), I want you to be… My lady… Would you like that?”

“That's… That's the only thing I want, Donna…”

[kvothbloodless]

A incredibly weird problem I see in a good portion of fantasy stories these days is something Ive been calling "Inferna delenda est", and which my less pretentious friends (all of them) call "the hell problem". Its sort of something that, because its a genre convention, is almost always ignored, but once you see it, it cant be unseen.

I admittedly only started seeing this after reading UNSONG, which is literally About this problem. But now that its been pointed out, I cant unsee it elsewhere, and any media which runs into it but doesnt address it becomes almost entirely ruined for me.

The issue of Inferna delenda est is present in any setting which 1. Has real, proven afterlifes where most people literally go when they die and 2. Has one of those afterlifes be at all comparable to Hell, i.e. any place where a significant number of sapient creatures are tortured for all eternity.

If those two criteria are met, almost any plot becomes pointless and trivial. What does it matter that a hero saves a city from destruction when beneath their feet millions of people are burning, and many of those saved will join them? Who cares whether the ruler of a country is corrupt or not? The evil that would be stopped by replacing them with even a perfectly competent and benevolent ruler is staggeringly inconsequential compared to that of an eternity of torment.

Like, im not being vague or making an analogy here. Im just saying that its incredibly difficult to care about a plot to stop a war or kill an evil wizard when the story offhandedly mentions the fact that millions of people are 100% being tortured for eternity in a real place and no one is doing anything about it.

And even further, it makes it Really hard to view the heroes as...actual heroes. The degree of callousness required to keep the existance of hell in the background (from an in-universe perspective) is just ridiculous. Like, if youve got your high fantasy hero saving an entire continent from an evil demigod or whatever, the fact that theyre Not constantly thinking about hell is just... if you have that kinda power, and you literally know for a fact that Hell is a place, then you should be fucked up about it!

Like I can understand that growing up in that setting youd be resigned to it, not much a random soldier or whatever can do about it. But once they become super powerful? And they never even Mention Hell? That much callousness automatically moves you down a few notches from hero.

Obviously in a lot of settings hell just sorta Exists, and soul sorting is vague, but even then like. Break into Hell! Rescue people or at least relieve their pain! Its just so insane that the worst thing literally imaginable as a physical place (maximum pain that lasts literally forever with no hope of relief) is a staple of lots of fantasy settings and so many authors just do not in any way address that.

And like I said, its not that theyre writing Poorly because of this. Its a genre staple, and if you dont give it too much thought it doesnt seem to be an issue, especially given [gestures vaguely in the direction of christianity and its popularization of the concept of hell]. But god now that its been pointed out it drives me Nuts.

Anyways idk where i was going with this. Read unsong, i guess?

[uriekukistan]

Hope your day or night is going well!! ✨

Okay, top five Megumi lines/scenes?

ahhh thank you i hope yours is as well!! and thank you for the ask!!

im in the car rn so some of these i couldn’t track down the specific chapter/page bc i dont wanna use all my data :’)

1 - “i’m not like itadori, i have no problem earning 100 points for myself.” or something along that line

one of the things that fascinates me the most about megumi is the way he places value on lives, and this line is just so cool to me. he’d said before this that he saves people unequally, but this shows just how far that goes. he’ll kill anywhere from 20-100 random people so tsumiki and itadori, the two people he cares about and thinks are worth saving more than anyone else, don’t have to get their hands dirty, and their lives hold more value to him than others. it’s also so interesting to me because of the way megumi doesn’t consider himself a good person like tsumiki or itadori, and therefore doesn’t really see himself as worth saving, so it’s just a necessary burden he has to carry as the “bad” person for those two. also add that in w this line, and im on the floor

2 - his battle vs sukuna at the detention facility/“i’m not a hero, i’m a jujutsu sorcerer”

another moment where we get an insight into his ideas on good/bad people and who deserves saving, can you tell i love this aspect of his character? i mean, he’s about to sacrifice himself for itadori to live (hopefully), even though he literally met the guy two weeks ago, because he thinks he’s a good person who deserves saving. it’s the first insight we get into megumi’s thought process, and this was really the moment that made me start paying attention to him more. i also love how he kept a softer expression on his face and didn’t cry until after itadori died, like he didnt want itadori to feel sad or guilty in his final moments im SICK also the fact that he took the name-tag to that guys mom even though he didnt have an interest in saving him, like he was paying a respect to itadori….ugh…anyway yeah i love dissecting the way he values life.

3 - “so start by saving me, itadori”

see as an itafushist of course this had to make the list like this whole chapter has me on the floor but anyway aside from that, i love thinking about this scene because the words he’s saying seem so contrary to how he thinks? like he’s asking to be saved but he doesn’t think he’s worth saving? so it needs an extra layer of consideration. i feel like he really said this more to motivate yuuji (and save tsumiki) than actually wanting to be saved himself. plus the “it’s our fault, don’t be selfish and give up all alone” aaahhahahsj i just love this moment i feel like it shows his character very well….when the idgafer actually very much gaf….

4 - his first domain expansion

hellooo this was so sick and cool and badass of him like i dont think there’s anything i need to say for this. huge character development moment for him too. add this with the simple domain he had in dagon’s domain + the part in the culling games arc where he literally hides himself in the shadows……he’s crazy powerful and i dont wanna hear anything abt it! if u were traumatized like that you’d be curled up on the floor too

5 - “if you die, i’ll kill you” both times

again as an itafushist i couldnt not include this….of course there’s implications for megumi’s character as well but i feel like there’s only so much i can talk about his moral code in one post yk? but yeah i think it just shows how much the people he cares about matter to him

also bonus i love just any culling games megumi, his determination to save tsumiki and make it so itadori doesnt have to kill anyone makes him grow so much as a character and as a sorcerer, i love it sm

thank u for the ask! any excuse to yap about megumi 🤞

[iheartliquor]

dam im back again guys i just been taking it east both my laptops r broken the good one and the old shitty onee so i havent been tumblring much . psycosis was the most terriffying experience of my life , and i still cant figure out wat was real and wat wasnt , but the main point is that it doesnt matter and wat matters is just takin care of myself and not letting that happen again . tbh my friends said oh we knew this was coming one day which kinda made me feel bad lol but at the same time like wat do u expect ? u can only get away w that type of sleep deprivation n constnat inebriation and completely ignoring ur mental illness for so long . im doing cbt books now and im refusing to see anything but the love and light in every situation , cause like , u kno j, as they say ,, where we dwell in consciousness is truly where we dwell in life . its just been kinda hard and strange and bad and i feel like i have to like , superstitiously take plan b now wheras before i knew i would be fine . or no i didnt i mean before i would let myself have that as a worry in the back of my mind but now i have to superstitiously take precautaions . i kno that can b its own type of ocd and im doin counciling for that . its all just been really stressful and terrifying .... iwanna tell about the experiecne but i dont wanna like , u kno , spread bullshit around or pay attention to it when its bullshit . some parts were so good and beautiful , but some parts were so terrifying . i really thought i was bein taken to hell , and then i really thought like , i was so convinced i kill:ed myeslf and hurt my mom in that way i promsised myself i would neverr ever hurt her . that wasnt real tho but it felt absolutely so real :((( , i think how many years i would read ghost stories online and that felt like searching for something divine more than bein raised w my lack of god or watever , anyways , yeah im not gunna dwell on everything but basically im doing a lot better , i can tell the full story once im far away from it . ive felt so strongly sometimes like , i wish i could go back , to the world i lived in for the majority of my life where theres nothing that can get me or make me do bad things . and i can , i can i can i can itll just take awhile to get to the mental place where i can plainly see it was all or mostly bullshit / hallucination . brutal summer to be hoenst for tthis gal , oh well , anyways , sending u all all my love . life is scary and life is crazy and its still just all a big mystery , no matter what anyone says , and itll b okay , and i think i'll getta see all the people i love again just in a different way . eternal love , unconditional love , undying love ..... yes those three are the theme of the day...... anyways ok everyone have a lovely evening, its precious beautiful august . summer means so much to me , being where im from , and ive just had to like barely barelyy survive it this year , idk . or i alwayss said Every Single Summer I Feel Like I Was Born Again but this year i really really know wat that feels like , just in the snese of im gunna take my mental problems seriously now , instead of ignore them like my whole entire life . I finally figured out why LIQUOR ALWAYS FELT LIKE MEDICINE..... hahaha ok . all love everybody .

[d10nsaint]

GEONYEOB PARK X SHY! READER

tags; fem! reader

req; here !!!

> Geonyeob is naturally very patient, so if his girlfriend was ‘shy’, i feel like he’d have no problem dealing with that personally, because he’s always ready for you, and wants you to be open for him, even if there is a time and place for it.

>Before his mother died, you could tell he was very happy, (and generally a good kid), so if you met him during those times, its much more likely that after she died, he would mostly cling to you, for some kind of security/ reminder of what his life used to be like.

> Now, although he still loves you and like i said, is VERY patient, he doesnt really have time for you, as his mother is his no.1 priority. Thats why hes so comfortable with you being in the Study Group, because he has people that he trusts there. He cant really slow down and give you the time you need to talk/ express yourself, especially when he starts working for YB.

> Even more so, at YB, he can’t spend any time at ALL with you, but its more of him being so close to such dangerous men, he literally CANNOT risk you being hurt.

>Even so, he thinks that you are one of the most precious things on earth, just the way you overthink and value him so much makes him head over heels

>When he has time for you, hes always reminding you that he hasnt forgotten about you, and that he cares.

> But, he doesnt tell you about his work for YB, he knows it’ll hurt you, especially since you already dont like all the violence that the company is involved in, and how it means he works for everyone’s literal enemy. When you do find out, hes so scared that you’re gonna leave him, but doesn’t show any emotions bcs even if you do matter, his mom comes first

[beevean]

You wanna do an analysis on one of your faves?

Do one on Samus! It's the right time!

Of course :P

Well... Samus is hard to describe, because she has changed so much in three decades.

The general Power Suit is iconic for a reason. In the older games, it was bulky, not apt for speed but very much apt for exploring a hostile world. It made Samus look like an advanced, cold, deadly robot.

Nowadays that people are inherently born with the knowledge that she is a woman :P her Suit has become a tad more feminine, mostly in the hips department - not enough to look too booby, but enough to be more streamlined and agile. (the size of the Varia Suit's massive shoulders is to this day wildly inconsistent :P)

Not surprising, then, the direction took in Dread, where the suit is sleeker than ever: Samus doesnt' look unprotected, but she's elegantly stripped to the essence without losing her cool factor.

You can tell in which decades those suits were designed :P

But I find Samus herself more interesting.

I remember reading a thread on r/metroid of someone, who was probably eaten for dinner that day, who was glad that Samus looks very feminine under the Suit, because you wouldn't expect the big hero of the galaxy to look like a cute woman, especially coming out of such a cold robotic suit. I do see their point. In part, her design (blonde, blue eyed, slim, conventionally pretty) is a child of its time. I think nowadays she would have been designed to look more like Abby from TLOU2, and I mean it in the most neutral of ways: Samus, overall, feels like a male character who was genderswapped at the last minute. And yes I know that it's exactly the case because the big reveal in M1 was mostly a joke, but I mean writing wise too.

My favorite design for Samus will always be SM, because yes, I do like my Samus to be athletic:

She should look well trained, for the job she has, and I wouldn't even mind more scars on her body, especially of the Phazon kind. (also I'm biased because I like buffer women :P) This is also where I insist that the two-piece looks better on her than the Zero Suit: while admittedly the latter would protect her skin better under the Power Suit, aesthetically the two-piece draws your eyes on her toned limbs and stomach, so while it is more revealing, I feel it's a more "tasteful" kind of fanservice than the Zero Suit which clings onto her curves. (not to open a can of discourse, it's my personal preference)

But I find interesting that she keeps her hair long and she puts on make up. Think about it: why would she put on make up when her face is hidden to the rest of the galaxy? No matter where she learned it, whether it was from the Chozo as something culturally different from our make up, or from female companions when she trained in the GF, it's easy to guess that Samus likes her appearance and puts care in it for herself and herself only. I do think it fits what we know of her personality: she's not a showoff, but she's not humble either. Combine this with the previous talk about the two-piece: Samus is shown going around places like that. Overall, both in appearance and personality, she exudes masculine confidence in a feminine way, something that would be so easy to mess up, but with one exception it has been kept fairly consistent.

[damnfandomproblems]

https://www.tumblr.com/damnfandomproblems/739064506502791168/fandom-problem-4499-i-think-sometimes-people-get

Thing is op

People like to use "coded" as an excuse to harrass others over a fictional character

"this character is minor-coded therefor if you like them or draw them sexy then you are a pedo"

"this character is gay-coded so if you ship them qith the opposite gender your homophobic"

"this character is autism-coded so if you dont see them that way you are ableist."

"this character is poc coded and if you dont portray them that way then you are racist"

And then they go and rip people to shreds over it. And most of the time they are actually "coded" as anything.

Ill give you a good example as to why coding should just fucking die in fandom.

In transformers (all of them afaik) there is a sentient ROBOT named Jazz. He is often voiced by a black voice actor, even in the early days of Generation 1 in 1984. Though it changes a few times Jazz is well known for his accented voice. Jazz (the music) is also known to be pioneered by black people.

In a way jazz is black coded. He is designed with all these elements related to black people.

The thing is. Jazz is a fucking robot. "Jazz" is the name he chose for himself because his cybertronian name does not translate or cannot be spoken by humans. Jazz is also a type of music he only heard when he arrived on earth and is something he loves, hence why he chose the name. He chooses to express himself in such a way because its what he enjoys.

It does not mean he is black. A white person can do all that because they have a love for jazz music. It isnt going to make them "black coded"

He is also again, a robot. Not human. Not even organic.

However of all the problems ive seen in the TF fandom the one about whether you should draw a human version of Jazz as black or white is probably the one thats sets people who give a shit off the most.

It doesn't matter what characteristics a character has. It doesnt matter if Jazz is drawn as black or white. Cuz he isn't human. Its literally up to fan interpretation and none of them are wrong but people want to shit fling, and react hostile over others not drawing him as black anyway.

Same could be said about a certain more popular pink skinned character (who is also human and japanese but when have people ever viewed japanese people as important.)

You can have your queer coded villains. Doesn't actually say they are queer. Hell in the past it would be done as a way to demonize queerness and traits. But queer people still loved those villains because they could relate to their tragedies.

What "coding" actually is, is a part of the design process to add depth and character. It's an inspiration born from reality. But it's not always that the character is meant to be that thing.

Theres a character from genshin impact i could say is "DID-coded" because when she falls alseep or is so stressed she passes out there is another version of her that takes her place that she doesnt know about.

In the same vein theres the game "At Dead of Night" (recommend it, its a horror game) where the main antagonist is possessed and murders people. They even had to put a disclaimer that the character didnt have DID and the game wasnt made to demonize people with DID or portray them as unstable serial killers. However despite the creators saying that, fans still "DID-code" the antagonist, not out of hatred for people with DID but because some people with DID still relate to the character. Not so much the killing people but the struggle the antagonist has with "being possessed". Having DID can be a frustrating and tiring experience and not many cope with it very well even when they do no harm. Feeling of loss of control is very relatable even without DID.

Regardless the rampant "coding everything trend" in fandom has caused a new "ship war" like wave of harrassment. If you dont view a character this was your a horrible person and you deserve *insert graphic content and threats of harm and suibaiting and more*

coding can be a cool thing to discover while analyzing a character or even creating one. But its become hated with good reason because people have no reason left in them. Coding is a cool way of adding depth and nuance to a character and would actually REALLY help beginners with their "bland" characters. Unfortunately even thats discouraged, since it can be seen as "baiting" or "stereotyping" and sometimes appropriating culture. (But a giant sentient robot making his entire personality about jazz music isn't? Lol)

Posting since this is a response to a previous problem.

[orchestraytedkhaos]

Rexsoka. Yeah, it's my ship. Still.

I mainly just lurk here, reading fanfic and enjoying the memes. But the angst of the last few has given me the courage to dive in and say a few words.

First, let me clear the air: Rebels was when I started shipping Rexsoka. Prior to their reunion on that show, it had never ever occurred to me to ship them. Despite having read the novels.

So, yeah, look, I totally get the opposition to shipping early Clone Wars Rex and Ahsoka. She's a child. He's a child too, arguably, although his accelerated maturation makes everything super messy. The military structure and fact that Rex is basically a slave means its got power issues galore. Then for those in the US, there is the whole 18 year old age of consent thing (noting, for good or ill, it's 16 most other places). I get why this squicks people. It's the SanSan of Star Wars.

But people grow up. Even on TV.

Season 7 Ahsoka is 17 going on 18, and effectively an adult. She's commanded armies, and just spent a year living and working independently. She is also obviously mature and, frankly, animated that way. Rex is a long term friend, they love and care for each other, and by the end of the season, she basically risks everything for him, and he for her. The episodes are also written in a very obviously shippy way, with the gazing, the chats, the meaningful converstions, the hand holding and the tears. Not to mention that sad, moonlit reunion in Tales of the Jedi.

And although I dont think it matters much, by this time, even taking Rex at double chronological age, the gap is pretty mild by fantasy standards. 17-18 and about 26, roughly the same as Buffy and age-corrected Angel, and way less than Han and Leia.

Fast forward to Rebels, and we have two mature adults with a shared history and goals, who love, trust and admire each other, share common interests, and are amongst the most important people in each other's lives. It's a believable and natural thing for that to progress to something more. The challenges to their relationship are things like, for Ahsoka, the lingering memory of the Jedi code and Anakin and Padme's destructive passion, and Rex's rapid aging, status and limited life experiences. It is those kinds of emotional and external barriers and their shared trauma that make the romance so interesting.

Season 7 + and Rebels Rexsoka is classic friends to lovers, and one of the nicest, softest and most realistic relationships in Star Wars. The opposition to it, and moraliatic shaming of those who like is, is something I simply don't get. It's bizarre. There are heaps of ships that are far, far more problematic (including Anakin/Padme) that don't get this hate.

Like, anti dudes, what exactly *is* the problem here? I suspect the it's that some people just want to get their hate on.

The recent flashbacks? Yeah, that one on Mandalore complicates thing, but I doubt they had stomping on shippers in mind when they cast Ariana, as I have seen suggested elsewhere. The more likely scenario is that - at about 14 yo when this was filmed - Ariana was totally perfect for the first flashback, and is perfect for playing young Ahsoka going forward. Even setting aside that she is an amazing actress, she's insanely athletic and can duel weild light sabres while knee walking though a twist. She's also already tied to Disney. She wasn't quite right for the part, and, I agree, that does make watching it in light of the fanfic a bit uncomfortable. But, it's not just a shipper issue. Putting an Ahsoka that looks and sounds like that in the episodes with the Martez sisters and Bo Katan is weird af too, and doesn't work. I doubt it is meant to.

Story-wise, the best and only real take is that the flashbacks aren't live action replays. The Mandalore scene doesnt even chronologically match what happened (Ahsoka is so fighting Saxon in that scene, which never happened). They are visions about Ahsoka and Anakin and their relationship, not live action replays. Both remember her as a child caught up in a war. Smoke, the fog of war, flashing lights and dying, faceless clones.

And Anakin and Rex.

What I take from these is that in Ahsoka's mind, and Anakin's too for that matter, Rex is always there for her. Standing in the chaos, calm and confident in himself and in her, and looking badass as heck. With an older Ahsoka it would have absolutely been smoking scene from her pov, and no way was it written otherwise. As an older Ahsoka remembering, it's hot. As younger Ahsoka, he's there as her protector and friend.

Do I do ever think this ship will play out on screen? Not, no explicitly. And, yeah, it probably is harder now because of that vision (although if they ever do film a younger Ahsoka series, they will undoubtedly be casting a young actor for Rex, and Ariana will, by then, be 18). But I don't think that was intentional, and I don't think that much has changed. It was always intended to be an "open for interpretation" relationship, written with the possibility not excluded. And I am good with that. Perhaps I even prefer it. Star Wars has a truly dreadful record with romance and, besides, too often cementing subtle or ust-based ships kill them. I just hope this hasn't, because it's still my ship and I love it.