#now it is dominated by malicious ignorance.

[blazenexusstar]

I don't think the actual levels of crazy in polititians has actually changed all that much, but the real factor is the ability and willingness to tell those politicians that those are stupid ideas and they should be rightfully ridiculed for it have either decreased or have been ignored, while more people who blindly follow these politicians and those who maliciously push agendas and create false moral panics have increased tenfold.

remember when this was the craziest thing politicians ever said

[circeyoru]

Shadow and Void _ Part 5

[Yandere!Sung Jinwoo x Enemy Monarch!Reader]

Arc 1: Part 1 ― Part 2 ― Part 3 Arc 2: Part 4 ― Part 5 (here) Arc 3: Part 6 ― Part 7 Arc 4: Part 8 ― Part 9 ― Part 10 ― Part 11

Without a second left to process, you disappeared before her eyes again and reappeared behind her. Hae-In only managed to turn around just in the nick of time and block an attack. When the dust cleared, she realized her blade was blocking off a staff, and her arms trembled as she tried to stop it from slamming into her face. 

Her eyes widened when the top part of the staff had a misty aura, and sensing imminent danger, she immediately backed away with the sword in hand. She stared at the spot she once stood, now with a craved blade in her place. The staff had turned into a scythe within seconds. If she hadn’t trusted her instincts, she might have been stabbed.

You clicked your tongue and moved in for another swipe at her. Without enough time to dodge, she used her blade to block it as best she could. However, it only managed to knock her to the side. You retracted the blade back into a staff, your hand hovered over the middle of the staff and moved towards the end to make a needle. Then you shot it in her direction without a second to spare. 

This time, she dodged it, but the sharp tip scraped her dominant arm. She faltered as she kneeled on one knee, using the sword as a support to prevent herself from falling over and creating more of a disadvantage to her already dire situation.

Seems like the winner of this match has been decided… Jinwoo thought to himself. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Not yet…” Hae-In panted, the colour on her face drained, “I can still fight.”

You could feel your eye twitch. This was getting more and more annoying by the second. You couldn’t help but leak a bit of your malicious aura out at her defiance and troublesome attitude. Why in the realms did you think she could be useful to you?

What’s she thinking? I didn’t think she’d be reckless enough to keep fighting even after realizing their difference in strength. This is not an actual summon of mine but a Monarch who’s still hostile to me. His eyes landed on your form. Though calm, he noticed the twitch in your fingers and eyes that gave away your irritation if one ignored the dark aura around you. I can tell… There’s an overwhelming thirst to kill being suppressed. If the Monarch of this realm wants to kill her, she’s dead.

“One more move,” Jinwoo said. He looked over to Hae-In. “If you can’t defeat my summon ally with the next move, then it’s your loss.”

The giant needle that was launched disappeared and reformed in your hand, this time as a pair of sharp claws extended from your hands. You ran forward at her. The quicker she loses, the quicker all this ends, and you can relax. 

{Skill: Sword Dance} Hae-In’s sword glowed a golden aura. When you were within range, her blade attacked without missing a beat and unstopping. You didn’t even appear to be in trouble as your claws swatted off the attack with ease. You glared at her as you grabbed onto the blade and broke it into pieces. This is the end for her.

Yet Hae-In didn’t stop as she went for another technique {Skill: Sword of Light}. What remained of the sword reformed its bladed shape with a golden glow. She made her move quickly as she tried to stab into your chest. You merely raised your open palm at her and your mist devoured her technique. Amid her disbelief, you kicked her in the stomach and raised your claw at her. Your glowing eyes stared down at her.

This ends now.

“Stop!”

When you came to realization, Jinwoo had his dagger out, blocking your attack aimed at Hae-In as the two solid surfaces clashed with sparks flying. Your crazed eyes turned back to normal, as did your aura. However, your eyes widened as they met the vessel’s, there was a brief moment of question and a burning sensation you couldn’t explain. None of that! You tsked and backed up, snapping your fingers to bring everyone back to the human world, back to that insufferable vessel’s office.

“My ally won, Hunter Cha.” That was all you needed to hear and left them without a word of exchange, leave Jinwoo’s presence for the moment.

You fell into a vortex and reappeared on some rooftop of a building. You sat down and crossed your arms with a scowl on your face. “Annoying. So annoying. How could Ashborn pick such a demanding vessel?” Like a volcano erupting, you screamed your lungs out, “Ahhhhhhhh!!!”

The shadow behind you shifted and a figure appeared.

You felt tick marks appeared on your forehead when you sensed another presence behind you, “Listen here, you little vessel! If you think―” Your words were cut short the moment your head turned around to see a familiar Shadow. “Igris.”

The humanoid Shadow bowed with a hand over his ‘heart’ area before stepping closer to where you were.

“It’s been so long. No wonder you weren’t in the army, you were sent to that vessel to look after.” You smiled at the loyal knight. “That vessel’s a handful, right?”

Igris seem to take a moment to think before he shook his head.

You raised a brow, “Why aren’t you saying anything?” At his silence, your eyes widened. “No… You aren’t at full strength, aren’t you? That’s why you can’t talk.”

Igris nodded.

“That vessel is incompetent…” You huffed.

Igris’ hand ruffled the top of your head.

“I am so complaining on your behalf! Wait. What name did he give you? Don’t tell me he took away your manly name!”

Igris shook his head.

That caught your attention, then another question popped up. “Then that special word. Is it still… [Arise]?”

Igris nodded.

“No way…” You turned to look down at the city below of the people mingling and living without fear or knowing what’s to come. One’s a chance, two is just… It can’t be a coincidence. The fact that this vessel, Jinwoo, was protected and raised to be such a powerhouse, even given Igris as his Shadow from the original army. Ashborn can’t be serious…

“I’m going to have a successor. Can you watch over them for me?”

No way. You shook your head forcefully. You hugged your knees close to your chest. The difference between a vessel and a successor was simple: a vessel is where the human soul is devoured the moment the Monarch arrives while a successor is where the original Monarch’s essence is… You buried your head in your arms.

“Igris… Is Ashborn mad at me for betraying him?”

Out of your view, Igris kneeled and placed a hand on your head, his cape wrapped around you for support and comfort. In a way, he was telling you as best he could that his former master had already forgotten about the ordeal.

You’ve waited too long for your answer, your redemption, your punishment, to be passed on to some outsider, worse, to some human. This was too much, such a cruel joke. Were you a fool to wait so long? 

You raised your head and stared at the tiny humans below that looked like ants crawling around. What did Ashborn see in these humans that made him pick a successor and sacrifice himself? What made this vessel, Jinwoo, so special?

Well, yes, Jinwoo was unlike any other human you’d met. He was kind and cold simultaneously, fair and just to those he met, strong and controlled in his overwhelming power. He could have the entire world at his feet if he wished. However, he strived for the simple things in life, like caring for his family. When you were held captive, you had seen how fast his mood changed at the call or text from his mother and sister. Even his guild’s vice master was a lowly D-Rank, but he treasures friendship over status.

But these were things he could do after having power. What happened before? Had he changed? Had Ashborn changed plans after Jinwoo’s growth? No, unlikely. If Ashborn had long ago said he was looking for a successor, he would have been thorough with his options. Something in Jinwoo must have caught his attention that he would make such a choice.

You need to know―to understand―why Jinwoo.

Why him, Ashborn?

You don’t want to admit it and you know you’re denying it. Ashborn wouldn’t abandon you and leave you in the care of his successor, this human that caught his favour with whatever stunts pulled before you met him. Ashborn cared for you, unlike the transactional relationship you would have with the Monarch of Destruction or the give-and-take relationship you have with the other Monarchs, you knew. You cared for him the same way, unlike how you treated the others, that he knew too.

So why? Why was there a need for a successor? You could understand building and growing a vessel. But an actual successor that was born a human? You can’t understand it at all. You can chop off your head and grow a new one over and over again, yet still can’t think of a reason why Ashborn would throw away his everything to give to a human successor.

Humans are fragile. Humans are complex. Humans are short-lived. You have seen first hand during your days on Earth. You’ve once grown attached to someone, that same someone was gone in the blink of an eye. That human that gave you unique security and affection gone like the dust in the wind. Your world shattered with that someone. Just like Ashborn.

Why else did you stall Ashborn in your realm of nothingness? You wanted him to be alive and well, without the need for any silly vessel or successor to continue living. Or the war, whatever. So long as he was alive.

Did Sung Jinwoo take Ashborn from you? No. He’s not powerful enough. He was a puppet, at least in the beginning. Ashborn wasn’t weak enough to be pushed by some humans as well. He was a strong warrior, one of the strongest. So the remaining answer was…

Ashborn picked Sung Jinwoo because he was worthy.

“Sung Jinwoo’s worthy…” Your eyes narrowed, the words that escaped your lips felt wrong but right at the same time. Igris, who stood by your side, bowed his head, agreeing with your statement. Your eyes slowly closed with your head tilted to the side in defeat, “Have it your way, Ashborn.” You exhaled through your nostrils, eyes opening with a faint glow as you stared at the setting sun. “But I have the final say for your real army.”

Note: There are more parts to come and I divided them into arcs. I might update this series into a mini-novel or not (cause it'll have more parts then all the other series I've done), maybe there's gonna be a new masterlist for this. I'll see. Are you guys still interested in this series though?

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

My Works: MASTERLIST *(regarding requests, check the Masterlist to see if it’s opened or not and other info related before sending one. Thanks.)

Taglist: @rozuburedo @ariseverdark @skylar896 @o-qi-shisme @2021animeandwebtoons @mochinon-yah @rai-xxx @lilliana-14 @larettajudith @r3va-dwme @my-arietta @sikyulioness @sabrina-senpai @bubera974 @weaponxgames

[calder]

The Fandom Fallout wiki is still dominated by white supremacists and child abusers. It is a textbook high-control group. Nukapedia is a racist institution of abuse. It is not safe. Any marginalized person who joins that community will be bullied into defending the alt-right power structure, or they will be hatestalked, silenced, and defamed. They will warp reality to paint you as a monster and then dehumanize you. They will follow you offsite and anonymously harass you. They ignore all proof that does not serve alt-right domination.

They dehumanize anyone who calls out their racism, 'because it's unjustifiable to call us racist,' but they obsessively police people of color for making white people uncomfortable, and incessantly call them "racist against white people" or even "reverse racist." They say 'there is no discrimination at NP' because 'the trolls who were prejudiced against white people were already banned.'

They overwhelmingly favor alt-right users who have never contributed over progressive wiki contributors. Many influential in-group voices have never edited the wiki at all.

They punish anyone who calls another user alt-right, but they also explicitly allow alt-right rhetoric in the current linked server. Talk of addressing the alt-right problem prompts the in-group to start identifying "alt-left" users to punish. Any discussion pertaining to their abuses or biases will be immediately perverted into something they can use to further harm their victims and consolidate their power.

They lie and spread hate speech to provoke reactions and then use those reactions as an excuse to dehumanize people. They pretend "policy" forces them to abuse the people they target. Alt-right-adjacent users are immune to being banned at Nukapedia; any ban against an alt-right user will always be overturned by the head admin, even for non-contributing malicious vandals, and the banning staffer will be severely punished if they challenge the decision.

I cannot stress enough that over the past year they have purged nearly every person of color and queer person from the community. They are brutally unfair to marginalized editors, and they dehumanize and hunt them after they leave. They continue to harm and provoke them with lies under the pretense of "enforcing policy".

Their leadership abusively deny reality to protect eachother and harm their targets. They spread nazi propaganda. They harm children for fun. They engage in the degradation of women they hate, up to and including sexual degradation.

The community has died. The remaining members openly lament the sudden lack of activity. They have enabled anonymous editing because they crucified or scared off nearly every editor.

In 2023, Fallout IP personnel used to engage with Nukapedia. Now, nobody of repute involves themselves with Nukapedia, because it is a hate community.

They punish people who tell the truth. They will force you to affirm their lies to earn basic respect. They will harass and bully you if you refuse to validate their abuses, and when you push back, they will call you a bully, ban you, shit on your name for months and months, and send you anon hate offsite if possible.

The recent death of my cat was the most traumatic event of my life. They messaged me saying I deserved it.

In response to my posting this they will tell lies about me and argue that the admins need more power. They obsessively watch me and treat my acknowledgement of reality as persecution. They compare me to a demon and dehumanize anyone who admits they speak to me. Nukastaff have discussed suing me with the explicit goal of financial harassment. They want to intimidate me into silence so they can keep abusing people unchallenged.

[primrosebow]

Idea I had

_--> Vox x reader //

//

!content warnings!: nsfw, vox is a warning of his own right

This is so goofy ya'll.......

//

//

He watches you through the cameras, he sees your every movement: every yawn from absolutely mind-numbingly boring paperwork, every sip of whatever drink you got to try and keep yourself awake, every flick you give to a page to try and make sense of the words after they start to scramble toguether in your mind... he.. felt a familiar pride rise in him as he noticed you do that last one in particular.

Vox... tries to be confident. Were it not annoying, you'd probably commend his commitment to "the bit" (that "bit" being his dominant act). His cold and controlled demeanor carefully stringed toguether by him holds up as well as a sugar cube in tea when he tries to still somehow hold it up even when you are mixed into the situation.

He had been observing you for quite the substantial ammount of time. In your bedroom. In your house. Through your electronics, your every move was permanently etched into his mind so he could look back at it during those times where the strain in his pants got far too uncomfortable to bare- he's getting sidetracked- (probably because that is the exact situation he is in right now) what brought him pride was the way you'd watch his shows with rapt attention, the way you'd talk of him so fondly to your friends, the way he was taking sleep away from you because of how in love you are with him! (Yes, his delusions do run that deep. Whatever it takes not to crush that fragile ego he has, I suppose.) Because you were anxious to be around him because you were flustered, of course, (because he is the equivalent of a ticking bomb except you never know when it's going to explode. But, whatever helps him sleep at night) and it definetly gets to you when you're trying to sleep, and THAT'S why you're so tired (the unshakable feeling of being watched at night doesn't exactly allow for much sleeping.).

And he calls you up to his office, having planned out everything down to his tone of voice. Down to the precise words he would say. His woven persona built with love for what he thinks is what you find attractive laid in front of you as you look at him mildly shocked, but weirdly unimpressed. While of course Vox would do something like this, there is also the "what the hell? What has gotten into him?" Aspect that can't seem to answer itself in your head.

Your silence and furrowed brows as you look at him don't inspire the same confidence he started with. The words that came from you next weren't the kindest, but they made the fuzzy feeling in his brain grow further. Your expression that went from mild surprise to a sly, malicious smile had him reeling- this- isn't going as planned-

"W-Well! Do something about it!" He exclaims after some moments of bickering between the two of you. His voice is slightly glitched out and his screen shows an occasional error message, but, despite that shameful display of vulnerability and lack of control over his emotions, you quickly grabbed onto his thigh and slowly brought it further up so you could get into a more comfortable position yourself. Your willingness to do this made the screaming voices of self deprication get quickly replaced by his unchecked ego. He felt like the most powerful man to have ever walked this earth.

You look at him again as you reach out to touch where he needed it most- and it was better than anything he could have hoped for. It made his entire body jolt as he finally got the reward he's been desiring for ages-

But he can't ever let things just be good the way they are without interfering in it unnecessarily. His resolve was breaking but he couldn't even tell, his screen brightened noticeably as even more glitches were escaping onto it along with a vague noise like building pressure in a lightbulb that was very hard to ignore. It was in the middle of that where he decided that this was a perfectly good moment to establish his dominance (which he hadn't noticed he was barely grasping at) and degrade you.

"You slu-" his voice is suddently cut off by a seeming "system default" one which overcame your senses with the message "[Error 404: "dominance" not found]"

You wanted to laugh-

This is just too perfect.

Your grin widens as he stumbles over an attempt to make up an excuse for what you just witnessed- though he is quickly cut off by you sliding your finger over the leaking tip of his dick.

Your turn.

// //

//

Goofy recreation of the last scene WHWHEHEHE

I had so much fun with this.

//

@bigfatbimbo as you accepted being tagged in my every post... and because it's vox

I had a blast with this. Not proof read. Not proof anything I'm just word vomiting. It is nearly 4am

[bogkeep]

Would you recommend the SSSS comic? I know little of it beside the very beautiful artstyle and premise

to answer the question of if i would recommend SSSS as a comic: yes, yes i would.

a description for those who don't know: Stand Still Stay Silent is a post-apocalyptic horror + adventure webcomic set in the nordics (norway, sweden, denmark, finland, iceland) that have been isolated from the rest of the world and gone back to their old gods. the the world outside of safe zones is full of trolls and beasts - humans and mammals that got infected by a horrible virus and turned into monsters. the story follows a ragtag crew that ventures into the old world (derelict denmark) on an expedition to collect books.

the comic updated every workday until it concluded in 2022, and consists of two Adventures. the creator had plans for many adventures with these characters in this world, but ended it after two when she wanted to take a new direction with her life.

what i love about it:

- the art is GORGEOUS. it's been a huge source of inspiration for me. open any page and it's a masterpiece, and you will ask yourself "how the FUCK did she update this FIVE DAYS A WEEK"

- the characters are wonderful and endearing. i just, i love them so much. i am so thankful lalli hotakainen exists he is one of my #1 blorbos forever

- the world is so cool. the blend of chunky sci-fi and norse mythology fantasy magic slaps. it goes so hard. i fell so hard for this comic when i got to the big ferry ship with a viking style dragon head prow added to it. it's everything

- it really really gets nordic cultures. it's difficult to explain all the dynamics and nuances but it just gets it. it brings me as a scandinavian a lot of joy to read a story that speaks to my heart this way. the attitudes, the language barriers, the cultural differences... it was so refreshing to me in a media landscape dominated by american stories. when the pandemic hit, i decided to reread the comic because i found such an odd comfort in seeing how it depicted the scandinavian countries reacting to, well, a pandemic.

- there's kittycats

what i don't like about it:

- the most glaring and obvious flaw is that everyone in the comic is white. there's not a single character of color anywhere, not even i background shots or the prologue. there's no mention of the saami people (the indigenous people of northern europe), either. i believe this was done in ignorance more than malicious intent, but the implications are Extremely Bad and it's been bothering me (AND MANY OTHERS) since day 1. that is the number one caveat i will give to anyone wanting to check this comic out. i've been in the discourse trenches and i am not going to excuse this. it's just bad!

- you can tell in the middle of adventure 2 that the creator has kind of lost interest in the work, around the time when she found jesus i guess. like, very few people can keep up work on the same creative project for years and years and years and i think it's fine that she wanted to drop it, but it's a bit sad to see the comic dragged to its end like a limp corpse, and feeling like the creator no longer really cares about the characters.

- minna sundberg has said and done some questionable things, presumably gotten somewhat radicalised over time, and has also converted to hardcore christianity which is what her new works are about. there's nothing about this in SSSS - there is a moment of christianity represented in the story in a sort of mythological sense, just like the other religions, but this was written before minna's conversion. her new works... are a Choice. i have much to say about them, and i have, and im not gonna rehash it now.

SO YEAH hopefully this will help you take an Informed Choice! i got into this comic in 2015 and was deep in the fandom and it's for better or for worse part of my soul foundation now.

i also recommend A Redtail's Dream, minna's "practice comic" before SSSS, based on finnish mythology and the kalevala.

[cumaeansibyl]

are we overthinking the Trump victory?

From America’s Democrats to Britain’s Tories, Emmanuel’s Macron’s Ensemble coalition to Japan’s Liberal Democrats, even to Narendra Modi’s erstwhile dominant BJP, governing parties and leaders have undergone an unprecedented series of reversals this year. The incumbents in every single one of the 10 major countries that have been tracked by the ParlGov global research project and held national elections in 2024 were given a kicking by voters. This is the first time this has ever happened in almost 120 years of records.

It may well be that Trump lost in 2020 mostly because people blamed him for their job losses and other difficulties during the pandemic, and now Harris has lost because people blamed Biden for price gouging post-pandemic.

That doesn't mean other factors weren't in play -- Harris's race and gender, for example -- but it might mean that there was nothing she or any candidate could have done to change the overall outcome.

It also doesn't mean that there isn't a general rightward swing in politics across the world, but the Tories got their asses beat in the last election, and the vote share for whatever the fuck UKIP's calling itself these days didn't account for that much of it. It was just a straightforward "we don't like where you've brought us, we'll try the other lot."

Maybe that's where the vast majority of voters are at, actually: discontented and ignorant rather than malicious. It's not going to make the next four years any easier, materially speaking, but it's a little bit reassuring that I'm not surrounded by actual Nazis.

[masochist-marmot]

I hate the Naoto gender discourse

TW: transphobia, gender dysphoria, Naoto Shirogane

First of all, I think it's entirely valid to read whatever you want into fictional characters. Art is meant to be interpreted and to evoke something in the audience, and while it's useful to consider the author's intent, it's just as valid to interpret the text on its own.

In Persona 4, the intended reading is this: Naoto is and has always been a girl who wishes to be taken seriously in her male-dominated field. She confuses these feelings for identifying as a boy, and it's up to our party to set her back on the straight path and accept her role as young woman. Rise is incredibly eager to chastise this "young lady" immediately after learning about the reality, and throughout the game we are helping her to be more comfortable with being a girl. This is quite straightforwardly what the text is saying.

How many fans (me included) see the text is this: Naoto displays signs of gender dysphoria and struggles with their gender identity. Even after you have talked them out of a literal gender-affirming surgery (performed by a mad scientist, because why not make it extra scary to boot), they continue to present as a boy. During the rest of the game as well as Naoto's social link, you and your party can continue to push femininity on them. They're forced into a swimsuit contest, where they refuse to show up on the stage, and Yosuke says he knew it would happen. If you want to date Naoto, you have to pick the options where you tell them you like them as a girl, even though you get more social link points if you say their gender doesn't matter. This implies that Naoto is more comfortable with the way they present now, but feels that they have to present more feminine if they want to date you (which sounds like heteronormative bullshit to me). It's probably not difficult to see why this would make some players uncomfortable.

Now to the point of this post: There's a big (or just vocal?) portion of the fanbase that will call you media illiterate or delusional if you bring up your discomfort with how Naoto's gender was handled. And I can't stand it. As I demonstrated above, I know what the text is saying and have a problem with it. Media literacy isn't just about recognising what is being said, but also why it's being said. And Naoto's character arc displays well intentioned ignorance and heteronormative values at best, and malicious TERF-like ideology at worst. I'm inclined to believe it's the former, as the game and the series more widely don't seem to have a malicious intent behind them, although they certainly have other uncomfortable parts (I could make a very similar post about Kanji).

So why do so many people have an issue with the trans Naoto reading? Well, in games like these, players tend to form strong emotional connections to the characters. I'm guessing that for a lot of people it's important that their waifu is, well, a waifu. (I'm personally too pan to understand this and will advocate using "waifu" as a gender neutral word.) I'm sure some of it is annoyance with the notion of the interpretation contradicting with canon, which is apparently law. People feel like you're projecting something onto the text and not getting the intended meaning. Which feels like a weird point, since everyone is projecting some of their own feelings onto any text. And then there's your good old transphobia that manifests as a myriad of rationalisations (including the one about canon being law). I usually try to understand where people are coming from, but some people can't be reasoned with.

I don't have a conclusion, I just had to get this out.

TLDR; Stop bullying people who choose to view a character through a different lens than you do, and please practice your empathy and critical thinking skills.

[misseviehyde]

GHOST LIT

Melissa had never thought she would meet the love of her life, fall instantly in love and get married so quickly, (especially after being single for so long) - but all her dreams had finally come true.  Dan was gorgeous - a well-read and well-spoken gentleman who had an impeccable taste in fashion and interior decoration and was the CEO of a small, but successful limited company.  

Melissa was a piano teacher, and she'd met Dan when he came for lessons.  As he brushed back his sexy hair and grinned at her with his confident smile, she'd felt her stomach flutter and known she had finally met the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Her heart had sank when she'd seen the wedding ring on his finger, but he'd blushed at her gaze - almost reading her mind.

"I... was... married.  She died in an accident.  I still wear the ring, though I don't know why.  My former wife... well she wasn't a very nice person.  It wasn't until she died that I realised she'd been dominating my life, gas-lighting me into thinking everything was my fault.  She had me totally under her heel and treated me very poorly.  Sorry, I shouldn't speak so ill of the dead, but I'm glad she died, I finally feel free.  That's why I'm having these lessons, I want to live - I want to finally do all the things I should have done when I was married to Cassandra."

They'd hit it off immediately and begun dating a week later.  A year later and they were married - and Melissa was finally moving into Dan's amazing mansion home.  She didn't care that he was rich, or that he'd lived here with his evil ex-wife... all that mattered was that she was finally with the man of her dreams.

Still - as they passed into the house, Melissa couldn't help but shiver.  The house still bore the marks of Cassandra's spoiled influence.  The more Melissa had learned of the evil, manipulative, vain and cruel Cassandra - the more she was glad she had never met the bitch.  She wondered how Dan had ended up with such a bad girl - or why he had allowed her to gaslight him for so long.  Dan had told him that Cassandra had even fucked other guys, but somehow made him feel it was his fault for being an inadequate lover. 

"She gets into your head and makes you her puppet," he had sighed sadly.  "Sorry - I mean, got into your head.  You know... it's funny, but sometimes I almost feel like she is still here. Crazy I know! Just ignore me, I'm being a fool of course."

That had really made Melissa shiver.  The thought that Dan's ex-wife might be haunting the house - watching them like some malicious purveyor really made her feel uncomfortable.  Good job she didn't believe in ghosts. 

"This is our home now baby," she had smiled. "We're going to be happy here.  Now forget all about your ex-wife and lets start our new life together."

****

In the dark corners of the bedroom an evil spirit gloated as it watched Melissa innocently unpack her things. At last - a woman was here.  A weak, willed, goody-two-shoes of a woman.  A foolish little slut with no idea of the transformation she was going to undergo. Cassandara smiled as she drifted close to her victim and tasted her innocent spirit.  Sustained by spite and bitterness, the spirit of Dan's former wife looked appraisingly at Melissa as an artist might look at a piece of clay.  So much potential... so much fun to be had.

Melissa shivered and she turned her head, almost as if she sensed something.  Weird, it felt like she was being watched.  For a moment the tension seemed to stretch out and then Melissa shrieked and nearly jumped out of her skin, as with a clatter, something fell from the top of the wardrobe... almost as if it had been pushed off.  Regaining her composure, Melissa convinced herself the object had fallen naturally and walked over to pick it up.  It was a jewel case containing a DVD.  Why it had been hidden on top of the wardrobe, she wasn't sure.  

"What the hell is this?" she mused, walking over to the bedroom TV and sliding the DVD into the player beneath. It whirred up and Melissa sat on the bed to watch.  To her surprise when the screen came on, it showed a video of the very bedroom she was now sitting it, only it was at night.  Red candles and soft lighting lit the room, and the sheets were white satin.

Melissa gasped and her hand went to her mouth as she saw two figures on the bed.  One was Dan, only slightly younger looking - the other was an amazing looking woman with a perfect, toned, body and firm full breasts.  Her body oozed sensuality as with a moan of pleasure she lowered herself onto Dan's cock and began to ride him.

Melissa watched in horror as the woman in the video fucked her husband.  Fucked.  That was the only way to describe it. When she and Dan had sex it was gentle love-making, this was like watching a porn video.  Dan's face was a mask of ecstasy, the woman on top of him moaning as she thrust her hips obscenely like she wanted to suck his dick up into herself and she took his straining cock deeper and deeper inside her.

"Oh Cassie, fuck me," he moaned... "I need you so badly."

"That's right Dan," she hissed, "my pussy controls you - only I can make you feel this way.  Say it."

"YES! OH YES, CASSIE, your pussy owns me - you're better than every other woman.  Only you can make me feel this way."

"Mmmmmh, good boy - I will ALWAYS be in control of your life."

Melissa felt sick to her stomach, yet she couldn't stop watching.  Cassie bounced on top of Dan with hot wet slaps, moaning and laughing as she squeezed her tight pussy around his dick and made him hers.  Dan was shaking, his uncontrollable lust for his bitch wife clear to see.  His eyes shone with devotion and with a wracking sob, Melissa realised he had never looked at her like that.  

"Oh my God Dan, why did I have to see this?" she sobbed.  "I thought we had a special connection, but now I see what you were like with her... you'll never need me like you needed her.  I can't believe this, I can't compete with that bitch!"

Hearing movement downstairs, Melissa quickly turned off the DVD, ejected and hid it under the bed.  She used some tissues to quickly blot her tears and put on a fake smile as Dan entered the room.  He walked over and put his arm around her lovingly.  "Everything okay baby?"

"Of course," she lied, "everything is fine."

****

It was hours later and Melissa couldn't sleep.  She couldn't stop thinking about the DVD and what she had seen.  The scene seemed to replay in her mind again and again and again.  As she lay in the bed, tossing and turning, with Dan snoring next to her, she wanted to scream but she couldn't.

Grinning maliciously, Cassandra floated over to Melissa and took a position up behind the bed-head. Reaching down she slid her spectral fingers towards Melissa's brow and sighed pleasurably as her phantasmal digits slid into the other woman's head.  She'd tried this before, but Melissa's unconscious mental defences had been too strong.  Now her mind was wide open.

Melissa groaned in relief as a sudden cool sensation seemed to slide into her head.  After hours of restlessness, she suddenly felt drowsy, and though the sex scene in her head continued to play - it no longer made her feel sad.  Instead she began to feel horny as she watched the lovers fuck.

The memory became a dream, and as she watched the lovers rutting - Cassie's face seemed to melt like wax and then reform.  With a gasp of astonishment Melissa realised she was now watching herself riding Dan - only, with a body like Cassie's.  Melissa couldn't believe how good her face looked on that bitchy body, all tanned and perfect.  She felt her heart beat faster and a sudden yearning to be like the woman in her dream and make this fantasy come true began to fill her mind.

Why not become more like Cassie?  Why not see if you can make Dan lust for you like he used to lust for her?

Melissa sighed happily in her dreams as strange thoughts and whispers filled her mind and her lips twisted into a unfamiliar smile.  Finally she slept, and her dreams were sooooo naughty that night...

*****

Dan blinked in surprise as he walked into the kitchen to find Melissa on a stool whistling and doing her makeup.  For a second he was struck by deja-vu then he realised why.  

"Melissa, are you wearing my ex-wife's clothes?  What the hell? I packed all that stuff away in the garage months ago!  Did you go unbox it?"

Melissa looked at him in confusion.  "Baby, I found this stuff in my wardrobe, I thought since you'd left it out, you wouldn't mind me wearing it.  I never thought of wearing clothes like this before, these leather pants feel really nice. Don't you like how they look?"

Dan had to admit that Melissa did look good in Cassie's bitchy clothes... he felt his cock twitch. There was something kind of hot about nice girl Melissa being a bit more like his nympho-ex, but why was she lying to him?  

"Melissa, tell the truth - I never left those clothes out - you must have got them from the garage."

Melissa frowned, "Dan - I promise you, they were in my wardrobe when I woke up this morning.  Are you accusing me of being a liar?"

"Of course not," he said reluctantly - but full now of spite, he snapped - "They don't fit you anyway, you'd need to lose weight and tone up to pull those off."

Melissa scowled. "Maybe I will then!" she snarled, stomping off back up to the bedroom.

Dan immediately regretted being mean to Melissa, but he was too proud to go apologise, so he left her to fester.

Cassie smiled as she invisibly watched - it had all played out exactly as she had known it would.  Floating through the wall into the bedroom she smirked as she floated behind Melissa and slid her fingers into the other woman's head.  They slid in easier now, like Melissa's mind was embracing their touch - almost pulling them in.

Melissa's eyes widened slightly and a lovely relaxed feeling throbbed through her body as Cassie's evil influence pulsed into her body.  The clothes seemed to pulse with the same corruption, Melissa was now encased in Cassie's bitchiness and it was starting to transfer into her body.

He's right - you do need to tone up and shape up - and you will.  You know you deserve to wear these clothes and you only want to dress like this.  Throw away all your old clothes, go to the garage and take all of Cassie's things - replace your entire wardrobe with hers.  Dan will only lust for you if you become more like Cassie.  Do it...

Melissa moaned as her brain pulsed with pleasure.  Standing up she walked to her wardrobe and with a sneer, began to rip her old clothes out.  It was time to upgrade... and join a gym.

****

"Yes, this is more like it," smiled Melissa as she admired herself in the mirror a few weeks later.  The amount of weight and toning up that she had achieved in such a small amount of time was incredible. In fact, it was almost supernatural.  If she didn't know better she'd say that some outside force had been assisting her - speeding up her physical transformation from a slightly frumpy housewife into a toned and athletic looking hottie.

Dan had certainly noticed, but not complained - their sex becoming more ambitious and his pleasure in her superior body noticeable.  Melissa had almost completely stopped playing the piano or taking lessons in order to shape up and Dan hadn't objected when she had told him she wouldn't be contributing to the finances this month. 

In truth, he felt guilty that he had told Melissa she needed to shape up, and his guilt gave her power over him. Power Melissa was starting to enjoy.

She walked into her bedroom and sat on the bed.  All at once the delicious tingling throbbing feeling she got in her head whenever she was in this room came back and she smiled happily.  She always had her best ideas in the bedroom - it was almost like someone was projecting ideas into her head and the more she relaxed and welcomed it, the faster the ideas seemed to come. 

"Yes, I should try on some of the tighter, bitchier, clothes that Cassie used to own. I can probably fit into them now," grinned Melissa as she opened the wardrobe where she had put all the naughtiest clothes she had found - but had not quite been able to fit into - in.  Now she was about the same body build as Cassie though, it should be easy.

Melissa shivered as she stroked the latex clothing, faux-fur, leather boots and bougie jewellery on display.  Could she really wear this stuff?  It seemed like something some sort of slutty bad bitch might wear.

"Hurry up and try them on... you're going to feel sooooo fucking hot and horny in those clothes.  Haven't you seen how Dan has been responding to your physical improvements, next you need to start acting like a bad-bitch.  He enjoys being bullied and pushed around, it actually turns him on.  Try it. Put on an outfit and go tease him."

Melissa shivered and nodded.  Sometimes it felt like there was a voice in her mind whispering such deliciously evil things to her, but she had to admit - everything the voice told her to do worked.  With shaking hands she reached out and chose a bitchy outfit.

It was tight - far tighter than anything she had ever worn.  A tight black one-piece black and white bodysuit.  It was funny how the suit seemed to squeeze her tits up and out - she was sure they seemed bigger these days.  High heels shoes also pushed her up - her feet felt smaller and more arched since she moved in with Dan and a generous application of expensive makeup made her look like a total bitch.

She was immediately aroused and she felt hotter and more powerful than ever before.  With a confident stride, she clip clopped around the room, smirking at the feeling of power Cassie's clothes gave her.  It felt like the old her was being smothered and something cruel and bitchy was taking over.  She loved the feeling and wanted more.

Striding next door, Melissa felt arousal as Dan gasped at her outfit.  His eyes lustfully drank in her body and she smirked to see the effect she was having on him.  He came towards her, but she disdainfully pushed him away.  "You'll spoil my makeup, keep back.  You've been pissing me off lately, so if you want a piece of my ass, you're going to have to start treating me better."

For a moment Dan looked like he might object... then he licked his lips nervously.  "Yes... dear, whatever you say. I'm sorry."

Melissa felt her pussy tingle and her nipples get hard.  Wow - making your man do what you wanted, felt really good.  "Good boy, perhaps later, if you're good I'll reward you - but for now I'm going shopping and I want to spend some big money.  You don't mind do you dear?"

"Of course not baby," muttered Dan.  

Melissa was acting more and more like his old wife every day - yet somehow, that was really turning him on.

******

Cassie looked around the shop in delight - her hold over Melissa had grown strong enough that she was now finally able to leave the house.  A thin cord of energy, steadily growing thicker and heavier was growing between them and Cassie could feel her influence pulsing into the other woman, feeding Melissa's lust, ambition and cruelty. 

Melissa's body had changed so much in the last few weeks and the stupid bitch hadn't even questioned how her tits had got three sizes bigger.  Instead, she was proud of her sluttier body and thanks to the constant corruptive thoughts Cassie was sending into her protegee's head - she was getting worse by the minute.

"Yes, I deserve nice things and for Dan to pay for it all," hissed Melissa in glee as she tried on a pair of $500 boots that felt so nice over her latex bodysuit. She knew she didn't need the boots but she wanted them, so she took them.  It felt great to get what she wanted and be a spoiled bitch.

Melissa admired herself as she passed a mirror.  She'd been for a full body-wax this morning and her perfect abs, big-booty and huge tits were straining to break free of her super tight bodysuit.  She looked amazing and she revelled in feeling the hungry stares of men and women alike as they passed her.  "I'm a fucking Goddess," she laughed as she strutted down the street in her new boots, heading for home.

Entering the house, Melissa found Dan in the living room and beckoned him with a finger.  "Come with me. I'm horny and I want you to fuck me."

They entered the bedroom and Dan excitedly unzipped Melissa out of her latex suit - her smooth, naked body ready to be ravished.  She smiled excitedly as she pushed him onto the bed and drawing the curtains lit a number of candles.  There - now things looked exactly as they had on the DVD.  Dan seemed confused, but also turned on as Melissa straddled him and with an excited gasp lowered herself onto his cock.

"Oooooh, yes," she groaned loving how good it felt to finally be the bitch of her dreams as she began to gyrate her hips and ride her husband, just as she'd seen on the video. 

"Oh my God Melissa, your pussy feels so tight... it's amazing," groaned Dan.  

"I've been working out," purred Melissa as she fucked her man.  "Tell me that you like the bitchy new me, tell me how much you love that I've become more like your ex-wife."

"Ohhhh yes, I love what you've become, I don't know why or how, but it turns me on so much."

"Good boy," purred Melissa as she increased her bounces.  "I love what a bad girl I'm turning into and it feels like there is still so much more for more to do."

Cassie watched proudly as Melissa took control of Dan and made him her pussy slave.  Corrupting the other woman had been so much fun and there was still so much more to do.  A bit more gas-lighting and Melissa would be even bitchier.  Cassie was wondering if eventually she could even make the other woman worse than she had ever been.

It was definitely going to be fun to try...

****

EPILOGUE (Weeks later)

Ghosts don't sleep - but they do fade in and out from time to time. Cassie had been somewhere else when she was suddenly rudely pulled into reality.

She was in a room - her living room - only there were candles lit everywhere. This wasn't something she had planned... what was happening?

In the middle of the room around the table sat Melissa and Dan. They were holding hands and Melissa had her head thrown back as in rapture.

"Hear me... spirit of this place. I summon thee and bind thee. Thou shalt obey me."

"Honey are you sure this is a good idea? You don't really believe there is a ghost do you?"

Melissa's lips twitched into an evil smile. "Oh yes honey. There is a ghost and I know who she is. But don't worry - I know how to deal with her."

Cassie felt a flash of panic and admiration. How had Melissa learnt of her existence - she thought she had been careful.

"Oh spirit of Cassie. I bind thee and summon thee into my body. All your bitchiness, all your knowledge shall be mine. I absorb thee and consume thee. Make me even more powerful!"

Cassie tried to fight, but her spirit was being pulled towards Melissa. She screamed as she was sucked into the other woman, her personality and consciousness unravelling as Melissa greedily sucked her up and consumed the concentrated evil.

Melissa screamed in pleasure, her tits swelling up even bigger and her body becoming hotter and stronger as she absorbed all of Cassies power, knowledge and memories.

In moments it was done. The ghost was no more and now only the fully evolved bitch Melissa remained.

"Mmmmh," she giggled stretching her slutty body with pride. "I love how it feels to be such a fucking bitch. Now I have ALL the power."

"Did you banish the ghost my love?" stuttered Dan.

"What ghost?" smirked Melissa fake innocently. "You must be imagining things. There was never any ghost and if there was - well she isn't a problem anymore."

Laughing cruelly Melissa strode off leaving her pussy whipped gas lit husband to tidy up the room.

She was the only bitch around here now and she wouldn't be manipulated by a ghost.

She was the gas-lighter now... and she loved it.

[41-kiraraaa]

🎣 ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ 𝕪𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕣𝕔𝕒!𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕪𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕞𝕚 𝕩 𝕕𝕠𝕝𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕟!𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣

your pod often intersected with his.

even though you both came from two different species of dolphins, light yagami being an orca and you being a pacific white-sided dolphin, the emotional intelligence that both of you possessed as dolphins had both of your pods living in relative harmony, even going so far as to help and share food when dinner wasn’t always seals. or shark liver.

as of right now however, you were relaxing before you were due in to hunt with your pod. the orcas didn’t seem to be in your vicinity, so it would just be you and the other pod members.

after swimming a bit on your own, you used echolocation to determine the location of your pod and started your trek back to them, when you suddenly registered another mer coming your way.

when you swished around, you couldn’t help but preen in approval. there was no mistaking it. his dominance. his attractiveness. his cunning and wit. light yagami was in your presence again, and you could see a polite smile forming on his face to cover up his malicious intent.

“ah, light!” you chirped cheerfully. he chittered contentedly at your greeting and, as you gleaned from one of your many interactions from him as he continued a quick approach, he wanted to play chase.

so, you obliged to the unspoken request and turned around and swam in the direction of your pod, going up and down and doing little neat spins as you went to tease him and flaunt your underwater grace, unaware of his growing desire and impatience at the… other kind of teasing you didn’t seem to know you were subjecting him to.

of course, he was enough of a gentleman to let you keep the lead for a couple moments, but then reached your speed with a bit more force and caught up with you in swift, powerful strokes of his tail, grabbing you from behind and pulling you close.

you chittered a laugh, all the while his hold on you gradually tightened. he snuck in a few nibbles on your ear and brushes of his teeth on your neck he (reluctantly) let go, feeling your warmth dissipate with the increase in distance between you, watching you swim up a bit further up before turning your head back and motioning for him to join you for a visit with your pod.

his little smile widened, though you had already focused your attention up ahead before you could see the darkened look in his eyes. you’d already accepted him enough to invite him personally into your pod, with him in the process of befriending and knowing the ins and outs of everything there.

more information to use against their case if you ever wanted to set your eyes on another, though, with the way you had given in to his advancements gradually, it was likely impossible you would ever want to get with anyone but him.

your pod welcomed you upon your arrival, also giving out greetings to light as well. you ignored the swooning of the other girls and the not-so subtle chittering relaying light’s presence across the entire area, though he didn’t seem to pay them any mind.

he easily swam up beside you and wrapped his arms loosely around your waist for a moment before relinquishing his hold on you when you protested halfheartedly. you had no qualms falling prey to his antics in private, but you and him had a front to maintain in the presence of your respective species.

still, you didn’t mind all that much. if anything, you felt more at ease with him and his strong, stable aura ensuring your and his survival and comfort. he could have anything and anyone he wanted, seeing as he was also popular back at his own pod.

which was why it didn’t make sense that he seemed to give chase after you. you were ordinary and like any one of your other pod members, with your physical and mental capabilities similar to everyone else around you. the only thing you had to yourself were your thoughts, opinions and a worldview unique and privately kept because they weren’t important. not in the face of a problem such as survival.

though, you didn’t quite know how much you gave those thoughts away to him.

even though it was uncommon for mers to mate with other species outside of their own, it wasn’t unheard of. it was just that everyone preferred to keep their gene pool to their pod, and that was that.

it seemed as though running into this pod a few years ago would sort of blur those lines, though, as light’s introduction would have other mers flocking to him like clownfish to sea anemone. you soon fell victim to his good looks and devilish charm, now exasperatedly dealing with the other side of him that he didn’t show much to anyone else.

the playful chases. the teeth on skin. the proximity. you’d never initiate any of these things unless you could tell that he wanted to be entertained, as his species of dolphin was still the apex predator of the ocean. but he seemed unfazed by the difference in, well, everything.

he didn’t seem to mind taking things one step further, even going going far once as to mark your neck, leaving a small trail of blood dissolving into the ocean while he apologized, though there was a note in his voice that didn’t seem too sorry about it, just more startled about his lack of self control. lustful at the idea of him claiming you, with your submissiveness urging him onwards.

you forgave him because it didn’t hurt much and you were very good friends, but you were questioning your relationship with him because of how… friendly he became when you were around.

you caught on to the way he’d dismiss everyone around you, not hesitating to call someone out as fraudulent and addressing other potential candidates for your attention with disdain as he took you in his arms or dragged you by the wrist in a direction where no other mers were present.

you’d never noticed that everything he did, the chasing, the biting, that delectable, comforting warmth was courtship on his part, and he couldn’t help but become frustrated at the prospect of you being taken by anyone else.

to light, you almost seemed to not want anything to do with him anymore, as you always ushered yourself back to the other, smaller, weaker dolphin mers in your pod instead of hanging out with him for longer. he could provide everything for you, and all you’d have to do was stay by his side.

but at the end of every day, you relinquished that position in his arms to rejoin the people you called your home. when were you going to obsess over love him as he did to you?

every second you were away from him, the more anxious he became. he was afraid that his honeyed words and exceptional appearance was being brushed off, and by someone that was inferior to him, no less.

so, in order to combat anyone who dared oppose his judgment, light had gradually came and spent time with your pod, getting to know everyone and gleaning all information about you he could get.

your favorite foods? he’d snatch it up in a heartbeat and hand it to you on the weird, silver disks that humans so loved to bring with them onto ships. he’d seen his fair share of shipwrecks, and stored a couple relics away from prying eyes in places he knew his pod, and yours, would cross so he’d never lose them in case he needed to impress you with different curiosities.

he’d also go along with any sort of play you’d want, though he suspected that you were only playing chase because he desired it so. so, if you accepted his games and lost to him in the end, with you in his arms and teeth grazing, tongue tasting you, why wouldn’t you finally give in to his embrace?

why did you still tease him with your lighthearted laugh and getting togethers with your members of your pod?

what was he doing wrong!?

still, he would play the waiting game if he had to. he was a very patient mer, and he’d do anything to get what he wanted.

if his lies charm wouldn’t work on you, then he’d have to work his way into the hearts of everyone in your pod, and then neutralizing any threats in his way to becoming your mate. if his pod was unaccepting of his ways, then he’d either fight tooth and nail to keep you with him, abandon them and take you with him into a life of solidarity, or maybe keep your relationship with him secret.

though, he wasn’t a fan of that last idea, since he adored the idea of you relying so heavily on him and his words, his strength and his wit. anything to make you stay.

light knew that your pod was going on a hunt after casually conversing with some of the other members of the pod, with you beside him to display your significance with him, and was intent on showing off his superiority in species to you.

if he wasn’t fit for you, no one else was.

nobody else could have you, and he’d make sure of that, one way or another.

even if he’d have to kill for you.

[5blondeboytoy5]

About our past... Whitney x Reader

WC: 1452 CW: mentions of sexual assault, abuse forgiveness.

In which you and Whitney talk about your high school years...

The night is quiet. You finish up tucking your youngest into bed as you head to the kitchen to make lunches for tomorrow. The front door opens, and Whitney comes in, still in scrubs from the neurosurgery round he had today. He’s so close to finishing his residency, and you couldn’t be more proud.

Whitney is a far cry from the boy you met over fifteen years ago. If you had asked yourself at freshly eighteen who you thought Whitney was going to turn into, the top of his class in med school, future neurosurgeon, father of your children, and husband would not be it.

“G’evenin’ babe,” he mumbles, coming up behind you and kissing your head, “missed you today.” His arms snake around you, pulling you into a hug from behind. 

“You always miss me,” you giggle, setting down the sandwich knife and hugging his arms.

“Talking like you don’t count down the seconds until I get home,” Whitney teases, flicking your nose before letting go, “lemme go get clean, it’s been a day.” He leaves you with one last kiss on your cheek before hitting the shower.

You finish up your families’ lunches, Whitney still on your mind. Again, you never thought with what a delinquent he was in high school that he would ever get this far. Even more personally, you would’ve never imagined that the man who is singing bedtime songs to your kids and has your wedding photo as his lockscreen is the same man that flashed a busy street with you, made you use the boys’ toilets so you could never escape him, or made you suck him off in detention.

Or, more maliciously, pimped you out, threw your bag into the ocean for you to get raped by sailors, shoved pens in a kid’s ass just for looking at you, and wouldn’t refer to you as anything but slut. In his defense, everyone back home was doing similar things, but it’s much more personal when you remember the trauma that your own husband inflicted on you. Not to mention how smitten you were with him, and how much you did just go along with his antics just for his attention. Does that make his actions okay?

You and him seldom discuss it. Of course, you’ve both said you’re thankful to not be raising your babies back home, that you feel so much safer where you are now, that Whitney feels like this town is a much better influence on him, but you’re not sure he’s ever actually said he’s sorry for all the things he’s done to you. Of course, you did decide to marry him, start a family, a brand new life with him, and it’s not like his behavior hasn’t turned around completely, but some days you can’t help but remember who he used to be.

Walking into the bedroom, you get undressed and put on a tank top to sleep. On your skin is another display of Whitney’s dominance, the phrase Property of Whitney tattooed on your shoulder. You remember the day he dragged you to get it - the way the needle burned into your skin, how he laughed when you whined in pain, how he fucked your throat so hard after you couldn’t talk for three days. This is one of the more pleasant memories from that time, mostly because you were so enamored by him that you didn’t mind his name forever on your skin. Thank god you married him, or else it would’ve aged poorly.

The bathroom door opens, and out pops Whitney in gray sweats, drying off his hair in a towel. He sits down on the bed next to you, twirling your hair in his fingers and making small talk about your days. You must seem particularly out of it, as Whit backs away and gives you a puzzled look.

“Somethin’ the matter?” He asks, “you look down.”

You shrug. This is a conversation that's been over fifteen years in the making, do you bring it up now or just let bygones be bygones?

“I can help, promise. Anything for my girl.”

Your breath hitches. You don’t want to talk about it, making it seem like you’re holding onto the past. However, you can’t ignore you and Whitney’s shared history, even when it’s been so long. 

“Do you ever think about who we used to be?”

Whitney blinks. “Uh, sometimes. Why?” 

“I was just thinkin’ about back home today. All the things that happened in high school.” God, you don’t want to come out and tell him he was an abusive monster back then, but if he won’t own up to it on his own you might have to!

“Oh, yeah. That town is all kinds of fucked up. We went through a lot. I’m glad we’re here and safe now, especially for the kids’ sake.” He replies.

We? You think. I was the one that was assaulted on the daily, sometimes at your hand! You take a deep breath.

“Whit, I went through a lot because of you sometimes. Don’t act like you were such a victim too.”

Whitney looks angry for a second, and for that split second the old Whitney was back. The look on his face fades as he takes a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts.

“I don’t have an excuse or defense for that,” he mumbles, looking ashamed. “I guess I thought you liked it, thought it was okay. You said yes to everything I asked, so I guess I thought that was a yes to everything. You were so submissive, I didn’t see you as a human when we first met. Especially with the reputation you had, I just… didn’t make good choices.” You’re silent, not sure even what to say. Whitney grows uncomfortable, and keeps running his mouth.

“Nobody in that town was nice, remember Leighton? How cruel and perverted she was? I considered her my first for the longest time, until I realized if you don’t want it, it doesn’t count. I was a product of my environment at the time and did a lot of fucked up things. I’m glad you’re so forgiving, and saw something in me, and we’re all good now.” He leans in for a hug, clearly growing uncomfortable with the conversation. You don’t hug back.

“Whitney,” you fight back tears in your eyes, “how can I forgive you when you haven’t even said you’re sorry? When this is the only conversation we’ve had about this in all the years we’ve been together? God, I love you, and you’re a changed man, but I feel like we can’t act like the past never happened. It’s been the elephant in the room for our whole marriage.” Tears fall down your cheeks at this point. Whitney reaches up and wipes them away.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It wasn’t right, I was a stupid shitheaded kid back then. I’m sorry. I love you too.” He leans in for a hug again, enveloping you in his arms as you cry softly. You pull away, wiping your eyes.

“I know you were. Trust me, I remember.”

“What can I do to make it better?”

You stop. What can he do? You don’t want to leave him, or send him back to prison, but going forward like it’s all okay like you have been isn’t going to be okay either.

“Can we just acknowledge it more? Not pretend like it never happened?”

Whitney pauses. Obviously, he doesn’t always want to be reminded of what a terrible person he was as a teenager and young adult, and he’s right, part of it was the environment you and him grew up in. If you are raised in a town where rape and assault go unpunished, and sexual abuse is incredibly normalized, how could he have known how wrong it really was? He’s a victim too - Leighton was incredibly abusive, not to mention whoever else hurt him too.

“Yeah. We can. Of course. I owe you everything.” He envelops you in a hug again, the touchy bastard.It isn’t all okay, to act as if he never abused you is an impossible feat, and you’ve carried this burden for the longest time. But you know the kind of man he is now, and how much of an influence that city really had over him, not to mention his friends, and the adults in his life and the behavior they modeled. It’s a miracle he turned out how he did, and it’s a miracle you’re semi-well adjusted. You’re glad you have this Whitney, and not the Whitney you felt that you had to constantly appease. You hope he’s glad to have you too.

[bopinion]

2025 / 11

Aperçu of the week

"Power to the people, right on."

(John Lennon - nothing more to add here)

Bad News of the Week

I must already assume that the decline of the United States of America under Donald Trump will dominate my bad news this year. Not because there is a lack of other bad news that enlightened people have to deal with. It's simply because so much is going so wrong in our former role model country that it seems more monstrous than so much else. Even in a week in which the civil war in Syria is rearing its ugly head again, the ceasefire in Gaza is becoming more fragile and the Kremlin is still destroying Ukraine.

Donald Trump resembles an ancient god of vengeance who arbitrarily punishes anyone who does not pay him proper homage or question his genius. He clearly suffers from narcissism, which is a serious mental disorder and not just a strange self-image. In his infallibility, he assumes that anyone who doesn't see his personal standards, which are unfortunately anything but democratic, as the ultimate, is simply too stupid. Or malicious or ungrateful. And so he throws his lightning bolts from the Olympus of the Oval Office down on unworthy earthlings.

He is so predictable that he can easily be instrumentalized by those close to him. For example, Elon Musk, who persuaded him to promote Tesla, which was of course not a personal favor, but merely an underlining of the economic policy dogma that a good American must of course drive an American car. Or from JD Vance, who remarked that he had not yet received enough recognition that day and was therefore able to throw Volodymyr Selensky under the bus with a single perfidious sentence about his alleged lack of gratitude. After just two months in office (although you can't really say that about Musk), both of them have been certified as puppet masters.

It is now completely unclear whose interests are behind three seemingly harmless trifles that Trump has initiated in recent days. He puts Bhutan, a tiny peaceful Buddhist country in the Himalayas, on the list of red states, from where nobody is allowed to enter the US - just besides Afghanistan and Yemen. He invokes the Alien Enemies Act from 1798 to deport hundreds to El Salvador - despite a federal judge ruling a restraining order against it. He puts words like “climate crisis” or “indigenous people” on a list of 200 terms that federal authorities are no longer allowed to use. These three bizarre details stupidly represent three fundamental views that are highly questionable.

The example of Bhutan illustrates that literally anyone can be caught in the crosshairs without even suspecting it. While a travel ban for North Corea or Iran is still understandable, it is not for the “Land of Happiness”. Some sources suspect visa overstay rates and security vetting concerns behind that decision, according to recently published Department of Homeland Security data. The fact that this is enough to be lumped together with Libya shows frighteningly clearly that proportionality is not exactly being cultivated in the White House at the moment.

The example of the Alien Enemies Act illustrates that the separation of powers is obviously no longer respected. The law, which has only been used three times in history and most recently during the Second World War for the temporary internment of Japanese in the USA, is per se difficult to reconcile with the rule of law. It is inconceivable that a judicial decision is simply ignored in the process. And when the collaborator in this breach of the law, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, posted the court order with the comment “Oopsie... too late.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reposted it. Not even Viktor Orbán has ever allowed himself such a shrugging attitude towards the legal system.

The example of the speech ban illustrates that dissenting opinions no longer even have the right to free expression. Just like the banning of the Associated Press from the White House briefing room - because of the continual use of the term “Gulf of Mexico” - nothing other than censorship is happening. As already practiced in school libraries in Republican-leaning states (where classics such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin were banned because they “put slavery in a bad light”), a cancel culture from the right is taking place here. After the demonization of self-determination, inclusion and diversity, in which woke became a dirty word, there is now an arch-conservative furor. This no longer has anything to do with the “land of the free”, but rather with Myanmar.

All in all, this leaves me with a stale aftertaste. And even if Trump and his MAGA heads don't destroy everything in the world because they stay in NATO and don't invade Panama, the damage to the country itself will be immense. With a divided society in which racism and sexism are resurgent, more environmental damage and climate change consequences, an abolished Ministry of Education, a down-top distribution of money, a health minister who recommends cod liver oil against measles, a dysfunctional administration, alienated neighbors and much more - as mentioned: it's not even two months yet. That leaves 46. Ooph...

Good News of the Week

Angela Merkel's comparatively quiet 16 years at the head of the German government were based on four foundations: cheap energy from Russia, outsourcing security policy to NATO and the USA, reduced infrastructure maintenance and the fetishism of the so-called "debt brake". Today we are in dire straits, as the first two foundations no longer exist and the last two are currently blowing up in our faces. In principle, I appreciate Merkel, who has done a lot of things very right. But she also has done some things very wrong.

We now have the energy crisis more or less under control. Thanks to an increasing proportion of renewable energy sources and a significant increase in imports of liquid gas (mainly from Qatar and Norway, but also from the USA). This has caused prices to rise considerably, both for private consumers and for industry. While the former “only” hurts, the latter has become a real location issue. This is a veritable problem, as many industries in which Germany is strong - such as chemicals or mechanical and automotive engineering - are very energy-demanding. Together with high wage costs and social security contributions, this presents us with a fundamental problem that needs to be tackled.

While the state can only create the framework conditions in which companies and entrepreneurs can then operate when it comes to the necessary restructuring of our economy, it is itself the actor when it comes to security policy, infrastructure and the relevant financial budget. It is therefore a major plus that the two probable coalition partners in the next German government - the conservative CDU/CSU and the social democratic SPD - have already addressed this issue in the initial exploratory talks. And as much as I hate to admit it to the future Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whom I consider to be simply from the day before yesterday, he is doing a pretty good job of it.

The first decisive step was the realization that yes, Germany has to spend a lot of money on the necessary investments in security and infrastructure. Which is only possible with debt if you don't want to make massive cuts to the welfare state. However, in order to be able to incur this debt, the debt brake must be reformed, which sets strict limits on financial policy and makes it practically impossible to take on more debt. This is a point that has been under discussion for some time - mainly because Germany can afford it. For comparison: Japan has a national debt of 261% of its gross domestic product, Italy 145%, the USA 122% and Germany 67%. So there is no reason to stand on the brake.

The second decisive step was pragmatic logic: as the debt brake is in the Basic Law (our constitution) you need a 2/3 majority in parliament to change it. The Bundestag elections at the end of February ensured that the far-right AfD and the Left Party represent more than 1/3 of the new Bundestag, i.e. they have a blocking minority. And both do not want the debt brake to be relaxed, albeit for completely different reasons, as they have nothing in common politically. This means that the Greens would have to be persuaded to participate in the amendment to the Basic Law in the old parliamentary composition, in which the Social Democrats were not yet so massively weakened.

This has now been achieved. Since the Greens are still a fundamentally pacifist party, but not idiots who ignore the changed reality. This is why the Greens are now supporting the party alliance that will replace them in government - for the greater good. At the same time, they have negotiated perfectly sensible aspects into the plan. For example, the topics of intelligence services and cyber security in the financial package for defense. Or that sustainable aspects and climate neutrality are not neglected in the infrastructure, which not only includes railroads, highways, bridges, energy grids and digital, but also daycare centers, schools and healthcare.

There are still a few hurdles to overcome - such as the approval of the federal states - but it seems feasible. If you want to put a negative spin on it, you could call Friedrich Merz the biggest election liar in history. After all, he has now slaughtered the sacred cow of the debt brake during the election campaign even before the official coalition negotiations. But on the altar of pragmatism. Germany is thus demonstrating its ability to act in Europe. Which fits in well with the fact that his party colleague and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also becoming clearer in her tone when she refers to Europe not just as an economic area, but blatantly as a geopolitical power. It looks like we've got the message.

Personal happy moment of the week

My Canadian wife and I were at the immigration office again after years. What an awful experience: facilities from 30 years ago, lots of forms, the charm of a hospital with security gates, unfriendly staff... You just don't feel comfortable. Nevertheless, there was one highlight: instead of a date and in line with our wedding vows, we entered “forever” in the “planned duration of stay” field. A small but heartfelt moment of happiness that even elicited a small smile from the strict official behind the glass.

I couldn't care less...

...about the Norwegian ski jumping cheating scandal. If secretly reinforcing seams in a suit really has a significant impact on performance, sprinters should also be banned from eating beans on the eve of the race - after all, they could fart illegal jet propulsion.

It's fine with me...

...that there are sometimes pretty fashionable allusions on the world political stage. First King Charles III wore a Canadian military uniform and then the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas wore the Canadian national colors at the G7 summit in Québec (!). Both wanted to send a stylish message to the USA that they should drop their colonial claims. Baerbock's smug question to Marco Rubio “Do you still enjoy your job?” fits in with this.

As I write this...

...there are snow flurries in Munich at zero degrees Celsius. While at the same time it's eleven degrees plus in Montreal in the middle of the night. Crazy. Yet both my cities can count themselves lucky that they are only suffering from capricious weather and are neither burning nor being flooded.

Post Scriptum

All the media hyperventilation about the USA, Ukraine and Russia as well as the USA, Palestine and Israel, not to mention Europe and Germany, has allowed some things worth mentioning to slip through the cracks. After a lot of posts in the North American media, I actually had to go searching to discover some great news in the German media, namely a courageous uprising for democracy and pro-Europe, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets. No, not in Berlin, Paris or Madrid, but in places where precisely these values have had a hard time recently: in Romania, Serbia and even (drum roll please) Hungary!

This gives me hope, as Poland has also managed to leave a rather dark era behind it and has clearly bought a ticket to the future. In Donald Tusk, our eastern neighbors now have an avowed European as head of government who is increasingly less held back by the shackles of the past. I am therefore very sure that our new Federal Chancellor's first three trips abroad will be to Brussels, Paris and Warsaw - in whatever order. This welcome development was rounded off by similarly oriented demonstrations in Italy and even Georgia. Europeans are fighting not to lose democracy and freedom - or to get them in the first place. A momentum that makes me proud.

[south-of-heaven]

if your request are open Brandi & Cody x fem wrestler reader where she has a match against nia jax and gets injured if not ignore this!

Injured || Cody Rhodes x Reader x Brandi Rhodes

Summary: Cody and Brandi come and get you after you get injured by Nia Jax.

The arena was buzzing with excitement as you stepped into the ring. It was a crucial match against Nia Jax, a powerhouse, notorious for injuring her opponents. You knew the risks, but you were determined to give it your all.

The match was intense from the start. You and Nia exchanged blows, each of you trying to assert dominance. The crowd roared with every move, a sea of emotions washing over the arena. But as the minutes passed, you couldn't shake the feeling that Nia was taking things a bit too far.

A brutal slam to the mat left you dazed, and you could hear the crowd's collective gasp. Nia towered over you, a malicious glint in her eye. With a swift and forceful kick, she delivered a devastating blow to your midsection. Pain shot through your body, and the realization that something was seriously wrong hit you like a freight train.

You tried to rise, but your body rebelled. Nia continued her assault, seemingly oblivious to your distress. The crowd's cheers had turned to concerned murmurs, and the referee began checking on you.

As the official knelt by your side, it became apparent that the match had to end. He signaled for the bell, and Nia was declared the winner by disqualification. But the outcome was the last thing on your mind as the searing pain in your abdomen intensified.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, you heard a familiar voice. Cody and Brandi, rushed down the ramp, concern etched on their faces. Brandi had gotten her hands on a microphone and was going off on Nia for injuring you.

Cody slid under the ropes, and Brandi followed closely behind. They knelt by your side, their presence providing a comforting anchor amid the chaos.

"Easy, we've got you," Cody reassured you, his voice filled with worry. He gently cradled your head while Brandi carefully examined your condition. Their unwavering support was like a lifeline in that moment.

Nia, who had initially reveled in her "victory," now watched with a hint of trepidation as Cody and Brandi tended to you. The crowd, once filled with fervor for the match, had fallen into a stunned silence.

With their guidance, you managed to sit up, though the pain was still excruciating. Cody and Brandi helped you to your feet, their presence lending you the strength to walk out of the ring and toward the backstage area. As you exited, the crowd's applause for you and your partners filled the arena, their support unwavering even in the face of adversity.

In the locker room, Cody and Brandi continued to care for you, ensuring that you received immediate medical attention. It turned out that you had suffered a serious injury, one that would require time to heal.

Throughout your recovery, Cody and Brandi remained by your side, their unwavering support never wavering. In the world of professional wrestling, where injuries were all too common, having partners like them made all the difference. Together, you faced the physical and emotional challenges of the sport, a united team ready to tackle whatever came your way.

[leggerefiore]

Requests are open according to ask box??? Wonderful, an idea hit me earlier while I was at work. Remember the pokevillian sibling meeting the twins post? What about big brother Cyrus meeting N and/or Guzma?

Me thinks Cyrus would approve of his little sibling dating N. The only hang up is Cyrus would probably worry about N's connection to Team Plasma and how that might affect his lil sib (not that Cyrus can say much). Also, Cyrus would probably be awed/confused by how N could have spent so much of his life angry at world (much like Cyrus has), but managed to remain spirited in a gentle and outwardly kind way. I wonder if Cyrus would tell N about the Rotom he used to be friends with.

That said, Cyrus probably wouldn't like Guzma (at first, it could get better but I don't think they'd be close), as loud, vulgar and destructive as he is. And again, big bro Cyrus would be concerned over his lil sib being with a villian. But Cyrus would learn that Guzma has a similar past to him and his little sib i.e. shitty parents and feeling unloved and inadequet, furthermore, he'd learn Team Skull is just a bunch of kids who have no one else trying to get by. Then Cyrus would respect Guz enough to give his blessing, but their would probably still be some shovel talk.

High Five Anon, off anon

djsjdjs got to really give Cyrus an unwanted friend in Colress

cw: older brother Cyrus,

🌿N👑

🟢 Cyrus was not sure how he felt as you spoke about this boyfriend you had met overseas in Unova. Mostly as you had vanished there during his… Certain period with a certain legendary. He understood your reasons as to why. It would be difficult handling the baggage he left you with. It was not that he cared too much as to whom you decided to take up as a partner, so long as there was no abuse of any kind going on in the relationship.

🟢 His visit with you after narrowly escaping custody, thanks to Cynthia believing he deserved a second chance and had learnt from his failed attempt to create his perfect world. Unova held a different air than Sinnoh, he immediately noticed. Busy, modern, towering. Much like Jubilife. You eagerly rushed off the boat in the port to a green-haired man, who stood kneeling and petting a small feline pokemon.

🟢 This must be him. N. Cyrus first wondered what sort of name that was, but it seemed to be apt for how he appeared. Long, wily hair and a strange feeling. Cyrus recalled his face from an article he had read on his trip over. His brow line narrowed. “King of Team Plasma…” the article had unmistakably called him. An organisation so similar yet different from his own, Team Plasma. They were acting as pokemon advocacy group but in actuality had dark intentions. He swallowed.

🟢 N smiled at him with gentle innocence that screamed ignorance of the real world. He froze. You already had yourself nuzzled against his side with a pleased expression. How did he handle this? It felt strange. Nothing malicious or cruel seemed to ruminate from the man. It felt odd for someone in charge of a team that seemed to forcibly separate pokemon and people.

🟢 After he bluntly demanded an explanation, you told him about how N had a rough upbringing, having been left to fend for himself among pokemon in the forest until Ghetsis took him in and raised him to take on the role in his plans for world domination. Cyrus felt a bit taken aback by such a situation, but ultimately understood that N never really had such intentions as he had. The green-haired man looked a bit uncomfortable with the discussion. Cyrus was polite enough to drop it for now, at least until he had a moment alone with you.

🟢 Cyrus finds himself unable to worry about your relationship with N, as he can that he has no bad intents. He only wants to help abused pokemon and find a place for himself in this world. Cyrus almost envies his ability to search in such a manner. There are worries about his connection to Team Plasma and whether or not they may attempt to attack you due to your relationship with him, but he ultimately decides to trust in your ability to handle yourself. Of course, if they did try anything, Cyrus would pull some of his connections to help you.

🟢 Ultimately, he accepts your relationship with N and gives him his mark of approval with a polite handshake. N proceeds to tell him that his Weavile missed him while he was gone, which makes everything more confusing. Cyrus is back to being unsure about this green man, but now wants to about his odd ability. (They have a long talk, and you begin to worry Cyrus is stealing your boyfriend. N manages to drag out how much Cyrus secretly cares for his pokemon, despite how he tries to play apathetic.)

💀Guzma🕶

□ Cyrus had flown out to Alola after his return from the Distortion World and subsequent readjustment and questioning. It felt strange to leave such an oddly dark world and head to somewhere sunny. In fact, the brightness of it all brought on distant feelings in his mind to youthful days in Sunnyshore. He truly did not care for the boyfriend you mentioned, more interested in seeing you in person after so long.

□ The island itself had a feel not that different from his business trips to Johto. He felt curious as he stood around near the restaurant you mentioned to him. A few locals wanted him about some troubled youths that were known for snatching pokemon. He moved to intercept the road when he noticed your approach with a troublesome looking guy.

□ Guzma, he recalled the name you had told him over the phone. Apparently, you met him when you got out of Sinnoh after he… did what he had done. He was someone you instantly connected to, you had claimed. Something about him harkened his mind back to the troubled youths. Bleached white hair with darkened streaks were obvious in his hair, and something about him just screamed problematic. He obviously was a bit stunned at the sight of Cyrus, too.

□ “Hey, man, nice to meet ya',” he held his hand out to Cyrus, but the twenty-seven year old hesitated to take it. The shot a look at him, and he finally moved to shake his hand. He finally questioned the strange amulet that he was wearing, which caused Guzma to chuckle. “Nothing you need to worry about, old man,” he told him. You could obviously tell there was a rising intensity between the two.

□ Cyrus immediately requested to speak with you alone, which you granted. There was little surprise to you when he demanded to know what was up with Guzma. You tried to explain that he may or may not have a group of troubled teens and young adults that hung out in an abandoned town. This, naturally, caused Cyrus to worry about your safety. Team Galactic was orangised and neat, not whatever Team Skull could be considered. Even after explaining their shared experiences of distinct and somewhat cruel parents, Cyrus could only internally panic. This was his fault for committing his actions.

□ The blue-haired man glared at your boyfriend, slightly taller by height and better posture. A heavy intensity ruminated the area. You stood off to the side, watching. It was obvious your organised and “logical” brother would take issue with someone as messy and chaotic as Guzma. The reverse could be established from the Team Skull Boss. Before an intense battle erupted, Cyrus stopped himself and stood stiffly. Team Skull members had rushed over to try to help defend Guzma. The emotionless man noted that they really were just teenagers. An odd thought entered his mind, too. Something about how his admins stood by his side despite everything.

□ In the end, he backs down and accepts your relationship. He had already decided long ago he did not care who you were with as long as they did not seem malicious or dangerous. Guzma just seemed dumb and smug. Annoying, yes, but putting you at risk, he was not. He instead left the bug-type enthusiast with a threat about not involving you in anything harmful. Maybe, one day, you could get them to sit down and speak about their shared traumas, but for now, they would only tear at each other's throats.

[insainted]

this is hardly worth fighting for, but it's little petty shit that i can't ignore. when my fist hits your face and your face hits the floor, it'll be a long time coming, bet you got the message now.

inspiration ・ mirror ・ headcanons ・ playlist ・ pinterest

( general stats. )

› name : graham gardner › nickname(s) : gray; gg2ez; gigi; geegs; geegers; goober; beastie › gender : cis man ( he / him ) › orientation : oddromantic bisexual › date of birth : october 28 ( 30 ) › faction : afterglow research solutions › occupation : engineer › main location : afterglow compound

( physical & mental characteristics. )

› height : 6'4" / 194cm › weight : 196lbs / 89kg › body type : wide, built, dorito-shaped › eye colour : green › hair colour : black › dominant hand : left › tattoos : barbed wire around his wrists and ankles ・ 'giggle possum' with a laughing possum over his heart ・ the whole of dante's inferno's layers of hell covering his back ・ most of his torso is covered with a myriad of disparate tattoos, from a centipede seeming to crawl out and into his body along his collarbones, to skeletons and skulls, more digitally inspired sleeves, bumblebees, absurdism, cartoons, and anything else jonah fisher felt like inking into his skin › piercings : a bunch of ear piercings › scars : rope scars on his wrists ・ cigarette burns all along his arms ・ belt lashes all across his back ・ probably more › conditions : anti-social personality disorder ・ substance use disorder ・ extreme giftedness › schemas : abandonment / instability ・ mistrust / abuse ・ defectiveness / shame

( personality stats. )

› 6 qualities : independent ・ protective ・ intelligent ・ open-minded ・ fearless ・ laid-back › 6 flaws : unpredictable ・ confrontational ・ insensitive ・ private ・ reckless ・ violent › mbti : intp › moral alignment : chaotic evil › temperament : choleric-phlegmatic › enneagram : 8w9 › soul type : scholar › animal : raccoon › greek god : hephaestus › zodiac : scorpio sun ・ aquarius moon ・ scorpio rising

( background check. )

› intelligence : 160+ ↳ type : logical-mathematical ・ visual-spatial › skills : engineering ( software ・ computer ・ electronics ・ computer network ・ mechanical ・ explosives ) ・ cryptography ・ scripting ・ mathematics ・ high reaction time ・ hand-to-eye coordination › likes : oddity ・ video games ・ tinkering ・ engineering ・ drugs ・ oddity ・ the pain of a tattoo gun ・ freedom ・ dogs ・ neve ・ mind quiet ・ winning ・ the smell of gasoline ・ programming ・ fire ・ things exploding ・ working out ・ building little robots to entertain odd with ・ making felix absolutely miserable ・ ieds ・ arson ・ neve ・ horror movies ・ chewing on things ・ oddity ・ strawberries › dislikes : when people ask questions ・ people hurting odd ・ rules ・ orders ・ having to be idle ・ figures of or who represent authority ・ people who take shit too seriously ・ parents (anyone's) ・felix estrada ・ hospitals ・ when people try to get to know him ・ small talk ・ when it gets too hot ・ people touching him out of nowhere (one exception) ・ beer or wine › triggers : being abandoned ・ his last name ・ someone/thing hurting odd ・ someone/thing hurting neve ・ boredom ・ being locked in a room/cell › touchstones : odette oddity winters ・ genevieve neve gardner ・ felix estrada

( facts. )

despite the fact that gray is both aggressive and violent, he's not malicious. he doesn't make it his business to actively harm anyone, and he also doesn't derive any pleasure or positive feelings from hurting people or people getting hurt—he simply doesn't care if you do or don't get hurt. for the most part, if he doesn't get triggered or you don't try to control or deprive him, he's a pretty chill, laid-back dude.

gray is incredibly allergic to attempts at control exertion. so allergic, in fact, that while he doesn't like being told or forced to do what he doesn't want, he also doesn't do it to others. if you don't do something and it's no skin off his teeth, then he'll just shrug and move on. if you don't do something and it gets in the way of his ability to do something he wants to do or affects his own freedom, he'll simply attack you. still doesn't mean you have to do it, mind you. attacking you at that point isn't about trying to make you do something, rather than a reaction to being deprived.

although there's no instance of psychosis present in gray's pathology—not unrelated to drugs, at any rate—one could easily be confused that it might be simply because he has a habit of talking to himself. the biggest issue is that he also has a habit to mumble and mutter—even when he's talking to someone else.

gray is someone who is often incredibly stuck in his own head, to the point where he might zone out to retreat inside of his mind to entertain ideas, or follow mental rabbit holes. externally, it just looks like he goes on stand-by, but whenever gray does into this 'stand-by mode', usually he's visualising and solving problems, or he clocked out momentarily because what's going on in his own head is miles more interesting than whatever's going on outside it.

being hyperintelligent is something that most people would consider a positive, a guarantee to success; to a certain point, however, such level of intelligence stops one from being able to function, in society or otherwise. gray's mind is a machine, an incredibly fast, efficient machine that never stops, that can suck in and process information faster than it can be offered, and while it means he is an engineering prodigy and he has absolutely no lag between his mind and his reaction time—making that sometimes his body reacts before he's consciously aware of it—it also means that he's perpetually fighting against deadly boredom.

boredom is the force that makes him so incredibly maladjusted—aside from his history of violent childhood abuse and his poor socialisation, perhaps. when his mind starving for information or work that sparks creativity, imagination, or necessitates any sort of mental heavy-lifting, that boredom causes a feeling akin to severe anxiety. a restlessness, a physical pain, almost, that drives him to destroy rather than create. this is where most instances of violent destruction—such as arson, immolation, reckless endangerment of himself and others, etc—stems from. when gray is sufficiently stimulated and enriched throughout his day, he is absolutely harmless.

most women-shaped entities elicit more neutral reactions from gray, since at worst, women have been absent from his life and traumas. while as a rule, gray doesn't trust anyone, he trusts men least of all, especially when they're older than he is.

don't be nice to him. don't smile at him. at most, be neutral, treat him like he doesn't exist. paying any attention to him is like needles on his skin. he doesn't want to be perceived, he wants to be left to his own devices. being nice to him is bad, because people aren't nice, and being nice to him means you have an ulterior motive. and that means you're a threat.

afterglow is very careful about what tools they provide him to do the work they force him to do, simply because it's established that he can do a lot of damage with even a little bit. he's a very prolific hacker, and for years he was a thorn in afterglow's side, jacking very important research right from their servers—which he'd slice through like a knife through hot butter—and selling them to the highest bidders, and if he was feeling particularly malicious, he'd just delete dependencies—tools or research upon which other research was reliant to proceed, effectively scuttling a whole bunch of projects in one fell swoop. this all stopped three years ago, and it's the main reason why he's banned from accessing anything with a connection to servers or given anything that he can use to access servers.

[a-student-out-of-time]

I actually remember seeing that someone called Mikan a manipulative person who end up be nurse so she could make patients weak and dependent on her... Is this true?

//This person is wrong about everything and here's why.

//I've actually had this same discussion with Poi before, and I'll repeat the conclusions we came to.

Mikan is not a manipulator, an abuser or a yandere.

//And louder for everyone in the back:

Mikan is not a manipulator, an abuser or a yandere.

//Are we clear on that? Good, now I'll tell you why.

//Whenever this negative interpretation of her character shows up, it's always because people think about the standout examples of her worst traits in isolation and jump to the worst possible conclusions about her as a result:

//Yeah, if you look at any of these on their own, it sounds bad, but that's not how you get a complete look at a character.

//For one, that scene in Island Mode? It's immediately followed up by this:

//Mikan Tsumiki is one of the most interesting and complicated characters in Danganronpa, and that's the reason why she's my favorite.

//See, Mikan's behavior is explained through one simple fact. It's not that she was abused and bullied throughout childhood, it's why it happened at all.

//The idea that Mikan is only trying to control people or that she has a self-serving victim complex are rooted in a very malicious interpretation of her actions, when these two scenes together showcase the most important core motivation she has.

//Mikan is afraid of being forgotten/ignored. I'd go so far as to say she has a real condition called Athazagoraphobia.

//This already in relation to PTSD and feelings of low self-esteem.

//With this in mind, it perfectly describes all of Mikan's actions and responses to her situation. She's desperately afraid of being ignored or forgotten about by others, which lead to her allowing herself to be abused throughout her early life. I've had my interpretations as to why, but whatever abusive environment she grew up in left her with an actual phobia likely related to neglect or exclusion.

//It's probably why Mikan is constantly asking to be forgiven, because she believes that not being forgiven meets that people are going to ignore, exclude or reject her.

//It's also why she finds herself in "compromising positions" so often. To her, being hurt, humiliated or leered at was still a better than people ignoring her. We have a bad habit of framing attention-seeking behavior in a purely negative light and never ask what drives people to do it.

//And that brings us to why she became a nurse in the first place. Mikan was hurt so often and people refused to help her, so she had to learn how to treat her own wounds, which is how she became a nurse.

//Think about everything I've talked about so far and apply it to this situation. Mikan's realization isn't about a desire for power and domination over others, it's about a desperate craving for acknowledgement. To be in a position where she can't be ignored.

//The reason I say Mikan doesn't have a victim complex is because, outside of her rants in Chapter 3, she only ever apologizes and tries to make sure people aren't mad at her. Real victim complexes are about people framing themselves as the biggest sufferers in any given situation and why they deserve special treatment, which Mikan never does. Anything she says in the third trial is colored by her interactions with Junko, so they should really be taken with a grain of salt.

//But she never fishes for compliments or seeks sympathy for her situation, she doesn't lash out at other people regularly, she doesn't actively blame anyone, she doesn't make up scapegoats, and she doesn't find new things to complain about. Everything she says about herself is very earnest and always very negative, because that's how she sees herself.

//That's not a victim complex, that's bottom-tier self-esteem. Frankly, and I say this because I also enjoy her as a character, but Toko is a better example of someone with a victim complex than her ^^;

//Instead, Mikan puts her own fear and insecurity at the center of her actions. She worries that she's the problem, and that she needs to have people acknowledge her in some manner or else they'll ignore her and forget about her. To her, that's a failing on her part or a punishment for not being good enough.

//It's caused her to develop this perspective where people are either acknowledging her, and that's good, or they're ignoring her, and that's bad. Rather than seeking power, Mikan seems more like she's trying to be a servant and prove that she's useful, thus worthy of attention. She doesn't really grasp that people not acknowledging her doesn't mean they hate her, and that she only ever defines herself based on how other people view her.

//Hajime's response at the end of her FTEs is actually a very fitting rebuttal.

//Does that mean she's done nothing wrong? Of course not. Her attitude has had negative consequences and, yes, it's led to her making bad decisions. However, that doesn't equate to her being manipulative and abusive, it means she's someone who needs to understand that relationships can be built outside of the cycle of acknowledgement and neglect that she's grown accustomed to.

//Bad actions don't equate to someone being a bad person, and the role of psychological harm in those actions shouldn't be ignored or a cause for dismissing them as people completely.

//And this feels like I'm only scratching the surface of her as a character, because there's so much else I could say, but I think I've made my point clear with this much.

//Mikan is one of DR's best characters and I want more people to fucking acknowledge that.

[the-damned-and-divine]

“Look into my eyes” for Gabe uwu

I see:

Absolute Conviction  |  Aggression  |  Ambition  |  Anger  |  Anxiety  |  Apathy  | Arrogance  |  Bloodthirst  |  Bravery  |  Compassion  |  Confidence  |  Conflict  | Courage  |  Darkness  |  Defeat |  Denial  |  Desire  |  Despair  |  Determination  | Devotion  |  Disappointment  |  Distrust  |  Dominance  |  Emptiness  |  An Enemy  | Enlightenment  |  Envy  |  Excitement  |  Exhaustion  |  Elitism  |  Experience  |  Fear  | A Friend  |  A Future  |  Gentleness  |  Greed  |  Grief  |  Guilt  |  Honesty  |  Honor  | Hope  |  Hostility  |  Ignorance  |  An Illness  |  Insecurity  |  Integrity  |  Intoxication  | Kindness  |  Lies  |  Loneliness  |  Longing  |  Loss  |  A Lover?  |  Loyalty  |  Malicious Intent  |  Mania  |  Melancholy  |  Misery  |  Negativity  |  Overcompensation  |  Pain  |  Paranoia  |  Passion  |  Perseverance  |  Pettiness  |  Pity  |  Positivity  |  Pressure  |  Pride  |  A Purpose  |  Racism  |  Regret  |  Resentment  |  Resignation  |  Resolve  |  Sadness  |  Self-Hatred  |  Sexism  |  Shattered Remains  |  A Shining Light  |  Something Familiar  |  Spite  |  Stress  |  Stupidity  |  Submission  |  Tranquility  |  Trauma  |  Trust  |  Vengeance  |  Warmth  |  Wisdom  |  Wrath  |  A Cry for Help  |  Something Eating Your Mind  |  The Years Have Changed You

You’re:

Animalistic  |  Approachable  |  Broken  |  Closed-Off  |  Cold  |  Crafty  |  Crazy  | Defensive  |  Devious  |  Difficult  |  Disheartened  |  Emotionally Detached  | Frightened  |  Frightening  |  Genuine  |  Guarded  |  Headstrong  |  Heartless  |  Human | Immature  |  Impatient  |  Inhuman  |  Insane  |  Intuitive  |  Lost  |  Mature  |  Noble  | Patient  |  Pitiful  |  Primitive  |  Pure  |  Reliable  |  Remorseless  |  Reserved  | Resourceful  |  Short-Tempered  |  Simplistic  |  Sly  |  Soft-Hearted  |  Struggling  |  A Threat  |  Trapped  |  A Troublemaker  |  Trusting  |  Understanding  |  Unique |   Unpredictable  |  Unwavering  | A Victim  |  Wicked  |  Feeling Vindictive  |  Guilty of Something  |  Hiding Something  |  Lost in Thought  |  Planning Something  |  Scared of Me  |  Scaring Me  |  Someone I Can Trust  |  Someone I Can’t Recognize Anymore | Someone to Fear  |  Someone Worthy of Respect  |  Weak to Manipulation  | Weighed By Something

You:

Aren’t Being Yourself  |  Belittle Yourself  |  Don’t Want to Hurt Me  |  Don’t Want to Leave Me  |  Drown Yourself in Something  |  Feel Alone  |  Feel Empowered  |  Have a Plan that Involves Me  |  Have No One Else to Turn to  |  Have Nowhere Else to Go  | Have Seen Some Things  |  Haven’t Been Sleeping  |  Lie to Yourself  |  Lost Faith/Trust in Me  |  Lost Something/Someone Important  |  Need Me/My Help  |  No Longer Believe Me  |  See Me as a Thing  |  See Me as Someone Else  |  Seek to Hurt/Harm  |  Seek to Manipulate  |  Think Highly of Yourself  |  Think I’m Hiding Something |  Think Little of Yourself  |  Think You Know Best  |  Want to Hurt Me  |  Want to Protect Me  |  Want to Sleep with Me  |  Want to Use Me

In case my choices don't make sense, Gabriel does see Lute as a victim in need of help, but also someone of great potential

At first, he was just acting like a good samaritan, but he's now fully invested in her recovery and admires her for several reasons---one reason being the apparent strength and conviction she has (because of how far she's come and how hard recovery is to begin with), which gives him new hope for the future