#or being highly uncomfortable or insensitive

[waywardsalt]

When Tetra was petrified, she remained somewhat concious and could vaguely hear her surroundings, but, obviously, couldn't communicate back. Now, being a descendant of the royal bloodline and/or having a Triforce-induced superpowers, she'd usually be able to contact Link telepathically, but, after being turned to stone, Tetra's call is too quiet, and Link can't hear it, because he has his own innate and pretty potent wind magic, drowning any weak external signals, not to mention Ciela and her siblings adding their magic into the mix.

There is someone else who can hear her in that state, though, and that's Linebeck. He doesn't wield any magic (or nothing significant, at least), so he doesn't drown her out. Whenever Link and Ciela/other spirits leave his ship to go dungeon-crawling or stuff, if the engine's turned off, only then can Linebeck hear Tetra calling out. At first, he's naturally freaked out and thinks Link brougt a ghost from the Ghost Ship, but later they figure everything out and manage to communicate with Tetra and relay what she had to say to Link.

(Also, for a first couple of days Linebeck referred to Tetra as a "figuredeck", until realizing that the subject is too sensitive for Link).

That's a cool idea! Giving Tetra a sort of role, a new role for Linebeck, and some new group dynamic stuff, that's a neat concept.

[apollos-olives]

hello! If this question is too personal, please feel free to ignore. I’m writing an informative essay on the Palestinian experience under occupation (college English final) and I just wanted to ask this.

As children in Palestine (or outside of Palestine, but born to Palestinian parents), are you raised with the knowledge of the hatred and disdain of the Israelis towards the Palestinians or would you say that Palestinian parents “shelter” (for lack of a better word that I can think of) or attempt to “shelter” their children from the pain of the Israeli’s hatred? I would assume that protecting the emotions and minds of the children would be somewhat impossible to do, but I would appreciate if you could provide some insight into this and also how children deal with the mental toll of being under occupation or knowing that their people are not free. My apologies if this is question is insensitive, please feel free to ignore and delete this if you feel uncomfortable. Thank you!

we, as palestinians, are raised with the complete knowledge that zionists hate us. there is no "hiding" that fact. when you live under an occupation, you know it. you feel the effects of it. you see it every day. one of the very first things i've been raised to learn is that i am a person who majority of the world hates. and you genuinely cannot hide that. even though we were, and are, children, we have to face the truth immediately. we are an oppressed people. our parents do not hide this from us. it would be cruel if they did. we deserve to know that there is a better life for us than this, and we deserve to know what is happening against us. you cannot hide the effects of oppression and occupation. we will learn about it whether someone tells us or not.

because of this, palestinians raise their children to be extremely educated. palestinians are some of the most highly educated people in the world. we become educated when we're young and continue to become more and more educated as we grow because that is what we believe will set us free. the newer generations must have knowledge to fight back. the children are the future, as we all know. the sooner we are educated, the sooner we can start fighting back against oppression. that is why we urge other people to become educated, so they can help us fight against oppression as well. oppression cannot be hidden from us. we must learn to notice it wherever we go, in order to end it. that is why palestinians do not hide away their children. of course, we love our children and we try to ease the pain for them as much as possible, but the pain is our real life. our suffering is part of our fight, our identity. and we are fighting for a day where our suffering will never have to be permanent part of our identity again. we want to protect our children, but we cannot protect them against a world that wants them dead. we cannot do it alone, so we need people to step up and stand with us, in order to raise our children without them having to know the suffering we've endured.

being a child living under the occupation is difficult. you make friends one year, you lose them the next year. you finally manage to get out of palestine, and suddenly you're never allowed to go back in. you see posters on the wall of every city, full of faces of the people who were martyred by the hands of the oppressors and you pray to god that your face isn't going to be on there next. you are constantly surrounded by death and suffering. palestine is beautiful. our culture is beautiful. we constantly try to appreciate our beauty. but we cannot just do that without also facing the reality. we are an oppressed people. we know this. we see this. we feel this.

being a child living in the diaspora is also difficult. seeing how everyone around you can go on with their day, all smiles and laughs, not knowing your family in palestine were just killed the other day. seeing the media twist the narrative and make up lies about you and your people. being wary of everyone around you because you're not sure if they're a zionist or not so you have to hide your identity and who you are. watching as your people are massacred on tv while you're sitting there in your living room from a continent away, shaking with fear because "what if that was me?"

we know zionists hate us. this is the first thing we learn. we cannot hide our children from this truth, because that would only harm them more than it would protect them.

[caffeinelemur]

Stolitz Communication Styles

I feel like I need to talk about this.

Stolas’ high education and verbal gymnastics, versus Blitzø’s lack of equivalent education, dyslexia, and difficulty expressing emotions, especially through words. Because it plays a huge part in why they haven’t been, and still aren’t, communicating effectively. Also both of them are neurodivergent as fuck and communication is a bitch for us anyway.

Specifically, this is a dive into that different classes/mindsets dynamic, leading up to a look at that text conversation at the end of Western Energy, and how it leads into their possible growth.

From the very start of the series, Blitzø shows that he has difficulty with writing/spelling and prefers verbal communication. (Even if we look outside the instagrams, which are not technically canon.) The first episode has the billboard that was entirely speech-to-text and not proofread, (he’s too uncomfortable writing that big of a message out, and he thought it was easier to just say it, and was thus not equipped to proofread or edit it, as that would mean he was capable of knowing how to write it out correctly in the first place), his text messages and notes are generally short and often full of typos and phonetic spelling, and his whiteboard is usually covered in doodles and small attempts at writing that varies in levels of spelling prowess. He uses pictographs to help in proving his point or explaining his thought process. He has trouble expressing himself verbally, as his true feelings are expressed through actions, but his direct, vulgar, and often angry or insensitive wording and tone make it difficult for most people to see past this to his actual true feelings, (not to mention he often lies to others and to himself about those anyway). Issues with tone and blunt speech are a big thing with neurodivergent people, autistic and ADHD people especially, of which I think Blitzø is both. Stan an AuDHD king.

Stolas is rich, highly educated, and spent much of his life, especially early on, reading books instead of socializing. His house basically doubles as a library. He said himself that he “loves words”, and got excited about reading legal documents. He uses flowery, posh language and carefully talks around other people using this skill. His emotionally abusive past, both with his father and with Stella, make him a careful people-pleaser, and so he’s constantly giving others the upper hand in a conversation, more give than take, in attempts to not anger or have his intentions misunderstood and then incite said anger. A common thing in both abuse victims and neurodivergent people, especially autistic people, which Stolas clearly is. He does also have issues with tone and knowing when he should and shouldn’t say certain things, and he can often misunderstand others’ points and questions, and then answers or responds too bluntly or literally. Hashtag Just Autism Things.

Blitzø is an imp, the lowest class alongside hellhounds, and was raised in a circus. He clearly did not grow up wealthy in any respect (as his father resorted to selling his son and stealing from the fucking Ars Goetia so quickly, though that could also be attributed to just being living trash), nor is he particularly affluent now, as his small apartment has literally one bedroom, for Loona, and he sleeps on the couch. He outright says he can’t afford art classes. He hasn’t had the same level of educational opportunities as Stolas. On top of that, he’s also dyslexic, based on how, when he does write, it’s either written phonetically, as he would say the word, or he gets letters flipped around. He can write coherently, he’s not illiterate, but usually only when he tries really hard. He mixes capitals and lowercase in the same word sometimes. He’s even worse at texting than he is at writing by hand, with many typos, and resorting to text-speak abbreviations and emojis to lessen the amount of time he has to take trying to type shit out, and, again, doesn’t proofread.

Taking all of this into account, Blitzø is not going to understand a lot of what Stolas says when he uses larger words and talks around a point, especially since, unlike Stolas most of the time, Blitzø is very direct and uncensored when he talks (as in, no brain-to-mouth filter, but also he uses vulgarity in place of more eloquent speech), and when he is trying to say things with actual forethought, he ends up stuttering and has trouble finding the right words (ADHD brain fail ftw), and then gets angry at himself, and occasionally takes it out on others too (poor Moxxie). Stolas tries to talk around the point and backtracks his own words even more in stressful or emotional situations, giving more ground to the other, and this difference in stress response plays a part in their misunderstanding and inability to see from the other’s perspective.

In the first episode, during Stolas’ inopportune phone call, Blitzø thinks he’s being insulted when Stolas uses the word “grimoire,” because he doesn’t know it and always jumps to this conclusion, then has to get Stolas to stop using flowery language to talk around the point by telling him to “stop using your fancy ass rich people talk,” and Stolas has to change the way he’s been speaking to be more direct and clear. (He doesn’t retain this information for later, sadly).

All of this, to talk about the post-Ozzie’s text conversations. We know several things now:

1) Blitzø is not good with spelling and is more comfortable using pictographs to make his point, which you can’t do in a text. He’s also uncomfortable with honest emotional expression and has problems with tone.

2) Stolas uses overly flowery and complicated language to express himself, leading to paragraphs of talking around the main point in an attempt to explain his meaning, often to the extent that it’s extremely unclear what the point is that he’s actually trying to get to. This gets worse when he’s trying too hard to express himself or is thinking too much about the other person’s response.

3) They both have little experience with conversation of an emotional nature that’s not coming with some sort of protective front (Stolas’ open-ended people-pleasing statements, Blitzø’s use of false anger and vulgarity to push people away), so when they do try to say something without the mask, the other is unequipped for the change and misunderstands the intentions, especially when it’s through text.

Blitzø is uncomfortable with writing and especially with texting, and so says very little, using short abbreviated text-speak and emojis to express himself, like he would with his drawings. Stolas overexplains and writes paragraphs of vague statements and loquaciousness in an attempt to get a point across. These are very different approaches to the situation, and from the other’s perspective they come across differently than they intend, due to the conflicting communication styles.

So.

In the text conversations we see in Western Energy, Blitzø says very little, and doesn’t initiates the conversation. Stolas sends walls of text, overexplaining and going back and forth on his intent and the purpose of the text.

Now, we know that Stolas is trying to give Blitzø space and options, and clearly cares a lot about his feelings, and is going out of his way to make sure he’s comfortable with the situation. In doing so, he gives him several outs, minimizes the entire experience at Ozzie’s at his own expense (and therefore Blitzø’s, but he doesn’t understand that yet), and pokes at the idea of talking emotionally far too soon for Blitzø, who is freshly re-traumatizing himself from said experience at Ozzie’s.

Stolas, from his own perspective, is giving so much and getting very little in return (a common theme in his life). He would see this lack of reciprocity in communication as lack of interest or being upset. A common thing irl, it’s easy to read a “K” after a long emotional message as a negative or indifferent response, regardless of the other party’s true feelings. (Which is possibly why a lot of people get upset on Stolas’ behalf in this moment, thinking Blitzø doesn’t care as much about Stolas as Stolas does him. It’s a common thing to experience. It’s not true, though.)

Meanwhile, Blitzø already hates writing, is bad at expressing himself in general, and reads into everything as negative. He thinks that when someone says something he doesn’t fully understand that they’re insulting him or making fun of him, or he misunderstands the intention and wording to be an insult (tonal and indirect or vague speech issues), like with that first phone call with Stolas, the “that’s what she said” joke Loona made, and Crimson’s mention of hearing things about him. He has a lifetime of evidence to back up this thought process. He is constantly demeaned and insulted by larger Hell society, and was treated as unworthy and lesser since childhood. He also just fucking hates himself and blames himself for everything. He’s not gonna suddenly gush his feelings, especially over text. He’s also gonna read into others’ words extremely negatively, until the true meaning is explicitly explained to him. Which isn’t very likely in a text conversation, when he’s not going to ask for proper clarification and the other party can’t tell that he’s misconstruing the intention and so doesn’t know they need to explain more anyway.

So, he isn’t going to initiate a text conversation unless it’s for a serious reason. He clearly doesn’t use it as a method of conversation as much as a quick way to get in touch with other people and exchange information (ex- his seemingly “impossible to misunderstand” text to Loopty in C.H.E.R.U.B. & his conversation about the portal with Millie in Seeing Stars). In Blitzø’s eyes, Stolas says "hey this is/isn’t happening", and he says "ok got the info" and he moves on from there. Information exchange. Then Stolas starts trying too hard, after Ozzie’s, to take his feelings into account without fully understanding Blitzø’s feelings to begin with, and starts backtracking and talking around the point again. He already got Blitzø’s reply, but then backtracks, which doesn’t give Blitzø the direct information he needs, leading to him misunderstand the proffered options as a dismissal instead of a clear confirmation with the option for him to refuse. Blitzø already is going to have issues reading/fully understanding the long wordy messages Stolas sends, he isn’t going to understand the nuance that Stolas’ specific phrasing is trying to say, and is going to see a “but you don’t have to/only if you want” attempt at giving him autonomy and boundaries, as a “don’t/I don’t want you to” full negation.

Stolas is also downplaying their experience at Ozzie’s, which is not only negating his own traumatic experiences with being shamed and insulted (not the healthiest mindset), but also minimizes Blitzø’s feelings and experience then as a result. Blitzø is going to see this as confirmation that it wasn’t as important/emotionally painful to Stolas as it was to Blitzø. Stolas making light of a situation that started a breakdown for Blitzø just proves to Blitzø that he’s the one overreacting, and that Stolas does find him less important, as the entire situation was already about Stolas valuing him less, in his eyes.

Stolas trying to overexplain and backtrack in the lack of access to Blitzø’s own thoughts is hurting them both in this situation. None of his pushing and flip-flopping is going to make Blitzø more eager to initiate a conversation or respond more, especially through a form he’s uncomfortable with using. And this makes Stolas feel unheard and undervalued, which leads to him try even harder, which leads to Blitzø shutting himself off even more, and so on. A lovely miscommunication feedback loop.

And knowing all of this is what makes that last text so important.

Blitzø initates the conversation for the first time. He writes what is, for him, a full sentence, with an emoji. He’s expressing himself as best he can, and is showing his actual feelings in the message. He’s going out of his way to say something to Stolas.

Which then… Stolas overwhelms him with more emotions and words. He’s not comfortable with emotional conversation and too much at once would freak him out, and the immediate upfront honest thoughts Stolas sends in the wake of Blitzø’s own emotional expression aren’t what he necessarily needs or wants to deal with, especially so soon after that worldview-shattering realization, the following guilt spiral, and the subsequent opening up that the first text is.

Yet he then, in spite of these hurdles, starts to reply.

But he gives up.

We don’t know for sure what he was going to say, but an easy read of his thoughts would be: he tried to express his feelings again in some way, was failing to do it right, was overwhelmed with feelings he didn’t know how to handle, and angrily gave up. Probably cursing himself out for even trying.

It’s not callous or uncaring or lacking reciprocity. It’s the full opposite. He’s trying so hard, but failing again. He cares so much and is incapable of expressing it verbally and unable to receive similar care in return.

Look back to the other time he tried this hard to write something emotional. The letter for Fizz. The love letter. And see how that situation went? He got overwhelmed, angry at everything and at himself for thinking he could try at all, and it all ended in fucking disaster. That he blames himself for. That he hates himself for. But here he tried to do it again anyway, while thinking, again, what happened to Stolas was his fault. That one message means so fucking much.

To Blitzø, the idea of visiting Stolas in the hospital was out of the question entirely, and him being asked to so immediately and candidly would make his guilty brain fall over itself even more. He’s never been allowed to visit his loved ones in the hospital, and the entire reason they were hospitalized to begin with was because of Blitzø, so how could this situation be any different? He wasn’t allowed to visit Fizz or Barbie, people who at least at one point he believed cared about him, so he’s definitely not going to be allowed to visit Stolas, who he already thinks doesn’t really give a shit.

That text was the best he could do at that time.

To really communicate effectively, these two need to sit down in front of each other and actually explain where they’re coming from. The lack of knowledge of the other’s position and situation, both in their past and currently in this relationship, is hurting them, and making understanding each other more difficult. The class difference and the differences in upbringing, despite both having garbage fathers and fucking meeting each other as children, are impeding their understanding and view of the other. Both Stolas’ obliviousness toward the actual differences in station and opportunity between him and imps as a whole, and inability to realize Blitzø’s personal difficulties with communication (based in the same place he’s blind to), and Blitzø’s (valid) disdain for the upper class and his view of the stronger, and especially of Stolas, as too good and important to bother with him and too powerful to feel actual pain, are the things they need to fucking address.

Blitzø already got this worldview fucked with, between seeing Stolas worry so much over his daughter, and then actually getting badly hurt. He now knows Stolas can care, and that he can feel pain, and that makes him at least peripherally aware that he’s able to be emotionally hurt.

By Blitzø.

Stolas, meanwhile, is vaguely at the point of comprehending he holds more power in their dynamic because of their differences in status, and him holding the key to Blitzø’s entire business and livelihood. He now knows Blitzø didn’t think he wanted anything other than sex, because of his hasty and overly selfish attempt at keeping him around. And it was a sex deal! He realizes he was wrong for holding that over Blitzø and that his actions and words in the past helped cause the misunderstanding that he didn’t care for Blitzø past getting sexual favors.

Stolas is gonna try to fix this power imbalance by giving up the entire premise of their current relationship, in the vain hope Blitzø will understand and then reciprocate his actual feelings, while Blitzø is now vaguely trying to actively prove he gives a shit about people, even while unsure of Stolas’ feelings toward him, and the result of these intentions clashing is gonna be a goddamn mess, unless miraculously they can communicate around the inevitable misunderstanding.

Please somebody let them explain themselves and have the other fucking listen.

They both love each other, but are fucked up from trauma and are neurodivergent, so they express themselves differently and can barely figure out their own shit, let alone explain it to the other. Get therapy and try new communication styles.

But they are slowly learning. They have the tools and ability to figure this out if they both try. It’s not futile. It just might take some fuck ups and more time to fully get there.

Sincerely, an AuDHD emotional abuse victim that sees themself in both of these idiots and wants to scream.

[i-was-never-sane]

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

[TW: SH, MY FRIEND'S DRAMA]

Back again with some opinions.

I am using gender neutral pronouns because I am uncomfortable with saying their name as of now.

This is not hate at all, I'm just trying to explain my view of the situation.

Okay so like my last post, I expressed that I do not support what my friend did with an AU.

And recently, Freddie, their boyfriend, has said that they have had multiple breakdowns and has done SH a lot lately. However, I have trust issues and find it quite hard to believe because my friend has never mentioned a partner. But, I don't wanna start accusations, it's my preview.

Even though I have my suspicions, I feel sorry that they are going through such a state, and I mean this wholeheartedly. No one should feel the need to do that.

But, that does not mean I will encourage the behaviour of both anon and my friend.

The anon was very wrong in how they worded that message, as I said last time.

My friend is also wrong with how they reacted.

To the anon who sent that.

You are wrong, very very wrong with how that message was delivered.

I understand your anger, and I am also saddened. But that was not a proper approach to the situation. Due to that, see how the people are highly affected.

How the other roleplayers are having to explain and pick sides.

How majority of us are super uncomfortable, stressed and/or tired.

But still, I, personally, view you both, OP and Anon, wrong in your own ways.

To my friend who started the AU.

Again, I feel sorry to how you are dealing with this, no one should do that to themselves.

But I would politely like to say that, the AU can serve as total disrespect to male victims and to people who highly value that story.

Which can make you look and sound very insensitive about that topic.

Now back to my view.

I have read the apology post, and I am not meaning to be bossy or mean or insensitive etc.

But, I am not satisfied with the apology.

Because the 'apology' itself didn't even have the words 'sorry' or 'I am so remorseful' in the first place

I found that the AU also made me mad, seeing as male victims are being discarded.

I remember talking to my friends in real life, the shock and confusion on their faces when I told them that boys could be SA'd as well.

I know some will say; "They made a mistake! Everyone makes mistakes." "They screwed up, but every human screws up!"

I get it, people do make mistakes, but what I saw on @unhinged-waterlilly 's post was something else.

The way they reacted, it just wasn't it for me. It disturbed me too much.

ESPECIALLY THIS POST.

And to find out that someone helped them write that apology made me think; 'Why would they take someone else's responsibility?'

I'm not saying it's their fault but, think about it. Just think about it. I know a person's mindset if they were asked to do something for a friend would be; 'Oh, okay! They're my friend, what's wrong with that?'

What's wrong is, you're doing something that isn't even your responsibility.

I am an atheist, but the stories and myths in Greek Mythology mean the world to me.

So seeing that Odysseus's trauma with Circe being altered so carelessly made me disappointed.

Lilly is and will always be right. If you're gonna make a character get SA'd, fucking learn about it first.

I do not know if I can forgive and forget. But I am trying my best to understand the situation properly, but I really am drained. Just like the others.

my friend's taglist.

@zariahthewitch @thegroovydaughterofhestia @if-chaos-was-a-boy @the-gods-strange-children

@silena-daughterofaphrodite @fabulousdaughterofhecate @weakest-son-of-sun

@chaos-pers0nified @neoptolemus-achilles-son @bast-the-best26

@goddess-of-bubblegum @gaygirldoodles @luck-is-crucial @reyna4ever

@vicious-daughter-of-zeus @feral-hermes-child @unfortunate-daughter-of-hestia

@that-girl-cupid @ariathemortal @love-lightning-forethought @emdabitchass @kaiaalwayswins

@champion-of-revenge @clown-energy-skyrocketing @zoe-aura-of-d3ath @itsyourboyezra

@lunar-eklipso-r @pink-koi-lovejoy @that-daughter-of-athena @sleepy-as-a-song @smileyalater

@gellyhelio @daughter-ofthe-moontitan @the-smart-and-the-dumb-one

@trinket-snatcher @southerndaughterofeos @creature-under-ur-bed @burnt-out-bitxhes

[anokayapple-blog]

Lessons in Being a Fan/in a Fandom

In light of what happened with III and the possibility of Sleep Token no longer making music, I would like to refresh some of us who participate in media and fandom on how to engage with media in a healthy way and keep these artists safe and comfortable in interacting with their fanbase.

Of course, it isn't new for artists and content creators to feel hesitancy in interacting with their fanbases. Taylor Swift has been accused of being queer for a very long time and there are some people in her fandom that still refuse to believe she isn't queer and will become enraged at the suggestion she isn't. There is the rumor that Markiplier and Jacksepticeye don't make videos together anymore/rarely will make videos together because of the Septiplier stuff getting out of hand. So, I'm not saying this is a new behavior for some fans to exhibit, I just want to do my part to try and encourage good behavior among not just other fans, but other people in general.

Things to not Do:

This will be a comprehensive list of things I've seen in most fandoms that i would call "feral" behavior. If you do these things currently, i would highly encourage you to stop. It is not healthy behavior, and it certainly isn't good for you or whoever is on the receiving end.

Doxing in general. If you seek out the addresses/phone numbers of an artists/content creators/influencers at all, it's not okay. If you do this with the intention of going to visit them, you are weird. Think of it like showing up to a coworker/classmates home uninvited. No one really wants that, especially if they don't know you that well or at all. This is not healthy behavior and could land you with legal issues. Please, please do not do this.

Sexual advances. I'm sorry to say this, but you are not in a Wattpad story, and you are not Y/N. It is very, very unlikely that an artist/content creator/influencer will EVER take you up on these advances or date/marry you. Honestly it's kind of predatory if they do. Sure, it's fun to imagine, but to chase after them like this (especially at a meet and greet or just running into them on the street) is really uncomfortable for them, and frankly is super cringe to watch. Just to add onto this, please do not send these people explicit messages and images. If you don't want them from randos, they don't want them from you.

Hateful messages. Sometimes our favorite artists and creators do something we don't like. This could be them saying something insensitive or doing something dumb or dangerous. This does not mean we get to fill their comments or inboxes with hate (more on this below). The Taylor Swift situation is a good example for this, Taylor Swift has said many times that she isn't queer, and she gets hate for this. She in no way has done anything to lead people to believe she is homophobic or transphobic or anything, but she still receives hate just for being cishet. You see this a lot in kpop fandoms as well, especially if a certain idol has put on weight or has done something to not abide by/naturally does not abide by beauty standards. They receive hate for interacting with idols of a different sex because they "could be flirting" or "could be dating." Honestly i feel bad for kpop idols because i feel like they get hate just for breathing. I will say this again: if you send hate to an artist or creator for something miniscule like this, you are being weird. You need to stop. This is not healthy behavior and you need to stop and think of why you do this because. It is very damaging behavior not just for the person on the receiving end, but for you as well.

Being delulu. It's kind of a meme, but honestly it's startling to see how many people genuinely believe in their delusional fantasies and try to bring them to life with artists and creators. Please stop doing this, it is cringe and can at times be distressing for creators and artists.

Just to double down on this: this behavior is dangerous for artists and creators. It is harmful to their mental health and can at times be harmful for them physically. I am begging you on my hands and knees to not continue with this behavior and to make better choices.

Engaging Healthily:

This is a list of ways to engage with fandom culture in a healthy way and to encourage others to do so as well.

Engage with content. Leaving a like on an artist or creators media is always a nice, arm's length way to participate in fandoms. Lurking is absolutely fine, leaving a comment to tell them how much you enjoy their content is even better. I highly encourage you to do this with smaller creators, as feedback is the best way to keep them posting! Share their media as well! Please keep in mind when you do this, keep it positive! There is such a thing as unproductive criticism! Please also do not be creepy!

When going to meet and greets, it's absolutely okay to tell creators and artists that their art has saved your life. If their art means a lot to you, let them know! Please always ask before you hug, please do not kiss them. It's okay to cry. When it is time to move on, please don't linger too long. Please don't make sexual advances on them or touch them inappropriately. If you want to be silly or goofy, ask them to participate! If they say no, that's sad, but move on. Don't be mean.

If you see your favorite creator on the street or out in the wild, please read the room if you want to approach. It is perfectly okay to approach and tell them you like their content. If they seem to not want to have a conversation or take a selfie, then leave it at that. Please don't force it on them. If they seem receptive, go ahead and ask for a selfie or an autograph! If they still say no, then leave it at that! It's certainly okay to be disappointed in not getting that, but being mean about it isn't fair to that artist or creator. Once the interaction seems to be at an end, move on with your day.

Guys, it's this easy. Artists and creators are people just like you and me, and chances are if you wouldn't want this behavior done to you, they don't want it done to them. Treat artists and creators as normal people, they have feelings and emotions and lives just like the rest of us. They are not deities or Gods, they are mortals who fart and poop and make mistakes just like we do. The sooner we learn this, the sooner we can engage with these creators better.

Okay, but Apple, sometimes these people suck.

This is very true. Sometimes these artists and creators suck a lot. Sometimes they make mistakes that boggle our minds and hold beliefs that are damaging for people like them to have a platform. So what do we do, then? How do we vent our frustrations and do our best to lower or totally abolish their platforms?

Hey, super easy: stop engaging with their media. But APPLE. What if that isn't enough? Well, let's gauge it.

For those of you who were on social media back in the wild west days, you may remember Onision. To make a long story short: he is walking garbage. He has been totally deplatformed because people stopped engaging with his media. Not only that, a lot of people told other people about what he did and said to stop engaging with him. Onision did his best to do damage control and at times did some absurd things to try and get some of that sweet, sweet bad publicity, but in the end his channel died. Sure, he still posts, but he has little to no engagement.

Let's look at this from a different perspective. JK Rowling is a known TERF. She does her best to demonize and at times try to erase trans culture and existence. Many, many people do their best to voice this about JKR and do not engage with her media to try and lower her platform. Of course, it is very hard to do this because Harry Potter is a literal cash cow and you can find HP merchandise for literally everything. So how do we deal with this? Well, we simply don't engage. We spread awareness and ignore her. Does it do a lot? No, she's a billionaire. We can't touch her. But we can certainly denounce her and let her know we don't approve.

Fantastic. So when you say "let her know we don't approve" you mean threaten her on social media and dox her, right? Hey, no! That is unhealthy behavior! While some of us would love nothing more than to see JKR get her just desserts for being a TERF, YOU SHOULD NOT BRING HARM TO ANY PERSON UNLESS THEY ARE DIRECTLY HARMING YOU. And when i say directly harming, i mean literally hitting you with fists or baseball bats or something.

It is perfectly acceptable to be mad and frustrated at the inhuman things some of these people with platforms do/say, especially if it is harmful to your way of life. No one is saying you can't be, and no one is saying there is nothing you can do about it. What you can't do is be the reason someone gets hurt or dies. That is the very real outcome of some of these behaviors. I promise you, if someone gets hurt or dies from your behavior, no matter who they are, you are going to feel it and you will never be okay again.

Hey Apple, you're wrong and you should feel bad.

Nuh uh.

If you don't like this, sorry. I'm putting this here in an effort to be a positive force in the world and if you don't agree that is perfectly fine. Not everyone has the ability to gauge when its okay to approach their favorite creators, and not everyone knows when they're getting a little too excited to meet their favorite person. I completely understand that, and it is okay if you make things a little awkward because of this. No one is saying you're a bad person for not being able to figure this out. Sometimes we need learning opportunities, sometimes we simply go on with our lives.

I am saying if you are going into a situation with the intent on harming someone or ruining their day, you suck. I don't care who you are or what your beliefs are, you are propagating bad energy and you should feel bad.

I know it doesn't feel like it, but the world isn't black and white. Everything is gray, some things are darker shades of gray and others are lighter shades. Sometimes the rules in this post won't apply, other times they will. I am begging you guys to take this seriously and stop being feral to our favorite artists and creators because when you act out of pocket you ruin it for the rest of us. Because someone decided to act like a wild child and dox III, it is very possible we will lose a band that could make (and very much have already made) waves in the music industry and possibly change the game altogether.

Let's try to keep this from happening again. Hold your friends and those you see on social media accountable, be the change you want to see.

[nikethestatue]

TW: sexual assault

I just need to vent. I saw a post today (and it’s been the case almost everyday this last week) of a certain Gwynriel posting about Gwyn’s SA and how she can have a sexual relationship. I know when Elriels even bridge this conversation we get destroyed and told we’re disgusting. I think there are obviously problematic takes on both sides of this and a lot of nuance. However, even when very informed people share their thoughts about this topic, that side goes into attack mode. Even when it’s sensitively handled, people get attacked. Even when it’s clearly stated nobody is saying Gwyn or survivors cannot have a healthy sexual relationship. Even when it’s stated this is just the opinion based on how Gwyn’s character is written and how challenging that book would be to write (and read) with power dynamics, etc.

Well today, I saw a post of a bigger Gwynriel saying that Gwyn is not a virgin and I am just…at a total loss. I sincerely do not know how this is not incredibly offensive, but people on the other side who say Gwyn is very traumatized and has severe concerns associated with her trauma, to the extent that this would be a highly triggering and complex book to write, are evil and offensive. How is it not extremely offensive for somebody to associate a violent sexual assault with a character not being a virgin!? R*pe is not consensual. It is not sex.

If this person is so upset and opposed to this dialogue, why discuss it all the time? Why bring this up every single day this week?

I’m sorry but it’s frustrating for us to be told we’re these evil and terrible people for saying that a character who is a survivor of sexual assault, who lives in a court-funded shelter for vulnerable women and can barely leave said shelter without 1. Permission and 2. High levels of anxiety and struggles to be around men, would have a more powerful story healing outside of sex and a man. It’s so frustrating that this is such an offensive take to them, but it’s fully acceptable to use this character’s sexual assault as a rationale for why she isn’t a virgin and can have a sexual relationship?? It’s fully acceptable to say that Gwyn is going to jump into a sexual relationship with bdsm involved when she hasn’t even expressed sexual interest in anybody? That’s acceptable?? But we’re the bad guys for pointing out Gwyn is uncomfortable around men and this would be a highly triggering book for so many actual, real-life women bc the book would have to deeply explore themes of intimacy after sexual trauma and have an on page first sexual experience after this?

Just because some people heal via sex and bdsm does not mean it would be and is healing to all people who have been through a similar experience.

There would have to be major disclaimers and trigger warnings to that book. And that’s something a lot of people just do not want to read. And that’s valid. I don’t want to read that, personally, either. And I want better for Gwyn’s character than for this to be the mechanism of her healing. For sex and a man, who witnessed this happen to her, and is in a position of authority and has power over her, to be that vessel of her healing.

Idk - it just seems like there is ownership of this topic on that side. I’ve seen posts accusing us of not being survivors when statistically we know this isn’t true and is again, insensitive. There is just so much nuance that is missed. People respond to trauma differently and some characters are written with more symptoms than others. If it’s somehow acceptable to say Gwyn isn’t a virgin (when as far as we know the only experience she has had was non-consensual), but it’s unacceptable to say her character, who is written as highly traumatized, may need more time and her healing in this regard not happen on page after the last book where we left her struggling to leave the library to go to Nesta’s mating ceremony, idk what to even say.

It really feels like some people in this fandom are absolved of accountability and can say horribly offensive things but it’s ok bc they’re gwynriels. How is that compassionate towards a character you claim to care about?

And using Rhys and Lucien as a rationale for why this is possible is just…not even a justifiable comparison. There is so much nuance to this and again, everyone recovers and responds differently. Rhys and Lucien can be around women comfortably. Rhys and Lucien can be in public spaces. Gwyn will get there, but not bc of a man. But bc of her own strength and fortitude in her recovery.

All of this nuance is why I think it would be difficult to write this story sensitively. I guess in summary, of course Gwyn can have a sexual relationship. I don’t think anybody has said otherwise, as far as I have seen. It’s the timing and nature of these spinoffs that make it difficult to give this story the justice it deserves. And I argue that there is nothing offensive about believing that. But there is something highly offensive about saying Gwyn isn’t a virgin when we know her only sexual experience to have been non-consensual.

Sorry. I needed to get that out.

I agree with everything you said, Anon. I think, overall, Gwynriels are so consumed by this ship, the overwhelming NEED for the ship to happen that they fail to see the optics of the ship.

In general, Gwyn wasn't written to be in any ship, at least as it was written in ACOSF, Gwyn wasn't written to be a LI to any many, let alone Azriel. Her whole history was made up for SJM for one purpose, to put her in the Library and make her a friend to Nesta.

This utter misunderstanding and misappropriation of her character by GAs leads to all these very charged and uncomfortable conversations. The issue isnt that she is ready or not ready, or that people in RL ready or arent ready for sexual relations -- it's that she wasn't WRITTEN as a character who was meant to be having any sex with anyone. She isn't going to be tying Azriel up with the ribbon in the Library, or having BDSM sex with him, because again, she was written as a Valkyrie and a friend to Nesta.

That's why the infamous bonus was so sexually charged in the beginning, and then completely lacking in any sexuality in the second part. The sexual potential, the attraction,the desire were firmly set up with elriel. NOT Gwynriel. That's why Azriel wouldn't touch her, that's why there is an underlining theme of him being her teacher, being an 'opponent' to overcome (aka cut the ribbon), and her not being interested in him.

It's not 'oh evil Eriels don't want Gwyn to have sex!!! because they hate women with SA!' (we've all heard this nonsense). We don't give a fuck, frankly, if Gwyn has sex. What we DO understand is how characters and interactions are written. If Elain is extremely uncomfortable with Lucien, we are not going to twist and write 50K metas about how she is secretly pining for him. Sometimes, things are stated with specific intention. Same with Gwyn and Azriel and Gwyn and men--SJM isn't going there, because it's not a place she needs to be as a writer and that's not where her story is going. The setup is Elriel. That's it. It's not us. It's the author, who didn't write Gwyn as a LI. That's it.

[notesfromthepalace]

Vanilla Coconut

I don't mean to boast but I am a well-traveled woman and I know how it feels to be sought after by men from all Nationalities, okay.

And as said before, the Lord has sent me my African King so I am not looking for attention from other men or woman - I am beyond happy.

And as I write at one of my favorite places, "On My Mama" by Victoria Monet is playing - and I know I've been giving big body gyal and goals lately - "I look fly, I look good".

But back to being world-wide and highly sought after.

Prior to being with my Ghanian heart-throb, I have and have always been open to dating outside my culture and race, meaning dating men that are not Haitian, and also men who are not Black. Even now, with both he and I being Black, we're still of different cultures.

Friends, when I went to Europe at 19, the men were enamored. The hair, the curves, the skin, I was exotic to them.

Now, at 25, I understand some of it was the hyper-sexualization and fetishization of Black women, but for others, that were just mesmerized by the beauty, I allowed them to take me to fancy dinners and have amazing conversations about the world and everything glamorous and expensive.

Point being, I am not un-accustomed to they eyes of men that do not look like me.

Now, what I have noticed is you'll have men that are not black, but are well traveled and when they compliment you its:

"You are so beautiful"

Actually, it's always that.

But when it comes to American white men who are not from a diverse community - and you can tell their version of traveling is just being on guided tours and not immersing themselves in the culture of whatever country they're in, the compliments are either very racially insensitive or super "frat-boy" language:

"You're so hot" "You're so different" "I love how long and straight your hair is" "You're hot AF" "I always thought you were so hot"

Emphasis on the "hotness" thing right? That's how 16 year-old horny teenagers talk. And if I'm completely honest, after hearing it multiple times from the same person, especially with the statement being an assessment of just sex-appeal, it starts to make me feel a little uncomfortable just because I don't like being hyper-sexualized. And those comments usually come from a place of hyper-sexualization.

Sometimes it doesn't, but you mean to tell me that there are grown men who are well established who don't know how to talk to women?

Further more, there are women who are actually receptive to this type of dialogue?

*Bombastic side eye

Mind you, I am so messy when it comes to spilling the tea to the African Chief: I was literally on the phone with him telling him everything this man was telling me as he was slipping and sliding in my DM's, and still is - even after I said I had a boyfriend and that I'm not interested.

And of course, my Lover-man makes the joke "Oh, you thought you would get a man and other men would stop trying to get with you? No baby, you are a beautiful woman, men will always seek you".

Before I continue with the story, I just wanted to thank God for my man. He is truly a Godly man who understands that:

He is with a woman who loves him unconditionally - meaning I tell him these things because he's my man, but I am not going anywhere. He gives BIG HUSBAND BIG PROVIDER GREAT FATHER GREAT LEADER - and that's what I prayed for when I felt like I was ready to be with the love of my life.

He also understands that he is with a very desirable woman - meaning he's so secure in himself that he knows men will throw themselves at me because I am attractive. But he loves the fact that when we walk into places with me on his arm, we're the focus of the room - really me but we all get the point *wink wink

And we talked about it and from a Spiritual standpoint, the devil will always try to destroy good things. But my GOD is greater and rebuke all of that.

And even as I am writing this, this man is still in my DM's.

And yes, the Ghanian Protector will hear about this tonight.

But I thought this was just too juicy to keep to myself until the weekend.

Moral of the story is homie is giving single-white-female and the Ghanian King knows everything!

As always ladies,

Fall is here and it is time for the oranges and yellows, boots and coats, and smoky eye-shadow.

With love, a little shade and tea,

Sarah Chanel

bisous

[aquatic-mycologist]

may we please have some collective headcanons for the Gang w/ a gn! reader who has six fingers on each hand (like ford pines from gravity falls) and is kinda self conscious about it? keeping their arms crossed and their hands in their pockets a lot, and handshakes are very rare

Sorry for taking so long! Hope this is to your liking, if it's not what you had in mind pls do tell and I'll give it another shot!!

Under the cut cause it got long </3

The first time they met you was probably...a bit chaotic, honestly

At first they didn't really think anything about you, you keeping your hands in your pockets all the time was a bit odd, not gonna lie, but hey they've seen weirder (like a dolphin man and a gigantic sentient mushroom, for one)

It wasn't until you HAD to file some papers that you reluctantly showed your hands as you grabbed your pen from across the table

No matter what you had expected, it certainly didn't prepare you for the instant bombarding of questions and comments

Now, I will say, NONE of them have any malice in their hearts...But that doesn't stop the experience from being highly uncomfortable

Because on one side, you had Reagan curiously studying your hand as if they were a rare animal

On the other, you had Myc making a crude joking comparison to his own six flagella

And then there was Brett, who was oh so sweetly excited and musing about how Wow he has never seen anyone like you!! and asking a million questions per minute

And before the rest joined in, you pulled your hands away and back into your pockets, which made everyone realize that Yeah that. was pretty insensitive

But after receiving a well deserved apology, you are no longer being suffocated by the attention, and they soon become so used to it that they barely think about it anymore

Honestly? It ends up being a really comfortable place for you with the way they acommodated

And they all look after you so that the experience you had with them the first time you met NEVER happens again

Meeting someone new in the office and they offer a handshake? Brett will discreetly take it himself and make the moment pass naturally

Myc may or may not read your mind often to distract you when you start getting self-conscious along with Andre, but you didn't hear that from me

Glenn shoots...the DIRTIEST death glares in the direction of anyone who stares too long at your hands or is generally being inappropiate. And having the LITERAL HEAD OF THE WEAPONRY DEPARTMENT by your side like that? Rest assured you're never bothered by other people

If you ever wanted to conceal your hands, Gigi and Reagan team up and make some discreet, comfortable and stylish gloves for you to wear, which were neatly placed on your desk at work in a box with a sweet encouraging note, half in neat cursive and half in clean and sharp writing and a few sentences scribbled out from previous attempts at wording stuff correctly

In general? They just really care about you and will do their best so you're comfortable

[amewinterswriting]

Fresh off the phone call with my doctor and I can report: I have polycystic ovarian syndrome! Woo! This isn't actually bad news, exactly - I knew it was very likely, given a family history and symptoms, and since I definitely don't want children, it's more a confirmation that what I was experiencing isn't normal and I shouldn't be expected to just 'deal with it' and that going onto birth control as a committed lesbian with a cis(ish) partner makes perfect sense.

Below the cut is frank and no nonsense description of menstrual symptoms. While not explicitly NSFW, it might be squicky or uncomfortable reading in public.

So, friends, Romans and fellow countrymen with uterii, here are some symptoms you might want to get checked out:

Are your periods irregular? As they might come earlier or later than expected, they might last for only a few days one month and then two weeks the next? You might skip the bleeding entirely but get other symptoms like mood instability, tenderness of breasts and cramping. You might get periods only a week apart from each other or five weeks apart from each other with no discernible reason.

Do you experience intense feelings of 'unexplainable' sadness or irrationality or irritability and then start your period a day or so later? You might chalk these episodes up to a kind of depression at the time, but over time you might notice a pattern of them only happening or getting noticeably worse pre-bleeding.

Do you bleed heavily during your period? As in, you only ever buy 'overnight' or '8 hour' sanitary products because if you used anything less absorbent you would bleed through them within an hour and stain clothing or bedding? Do you still somehow manage to bleed through an 'overnight' sanitary product despite putting a fresh one on before sleep and you have a graveyard of ruined bedsheets? Yeah, turns out that isn't normal and that's the one that really surprised me. You might also pass large clots of bloody substance (usually uterine lining that hasn't broken down properly but when everything is covered with blood, it's pretty difficult to tell for sure).

Is your pain while bleeding at a level that over the counter medication like paracetamol (tylenol) and ibuprofen at recommended dose and taken together still often doesn't eradicate the pain entirely, if at all. Stronger medication like co-codamol (codeine and paracetamol) may or may not help temporarily. You might experience the effects of any painkillers being short-lived, and you might have taken doses closer together than recommended (every 3 hours instead of 4, for example). You might have taken muscle relaxers like tranexamic acid with some limited success as managing cramping.

Is your pain so strong that it wakes you up as soon as pain medication wears off overnight? Do you have disturbed sleep (waking up at least once a night while bleeding) and struggle to get back to sleep again until the fresh dose of medication kicks in?

Do you naturally grow dark hair in places atypical of AFAB people? Facial hair and/or chest hair in particular. (Luckily I'm not all that concerned about my gender presentation - which is why I say cis(ish) - but I do find it funny that my beard grows the odd grey hair when I've never found any greys on my head hair!)

If any of this sounds familiar, it isn't normal and it's worth getting checked out. Even without POS, it could be something like thyroid not functioning normally, androgen insensitivity or any number of other things.

If you are going to get it checked out, a good doctor should recommend blood tests (and if not, push them for blood tests and describe your symptoms in as much bloody detail as you can). These should screen for all of the above. In my particular case, the blood tests were inconclusive because I was already taking progesterone to manage periods (highly recommend if you are able to take it - a daily pill, entirely stopped my periods after a couple of months and that's a fairly common use of it. It tends not to cause the erratic moods and unpredictable periods of estrogen-based contraception but do your own research) and that masked some of the hormonal markers of POS. (I would have had to have stopped birth control for three months to get more conclusive blood tests, which would have been nice to know before I had bloods drawn, so I could make that choice.)

If bloods are inconclusive (and possibly even if they are a strong indicator of a problem), you might be referred to get a transvaginal ultrasound. They will use an ultrasound device to get images externally (with you having a full bladder, like a pregnancy ultrasound you might have seen on television) and potentially internally, with a condom covered probe. They should ask you if you have any concerns about penetration, latex allergies and for your consent, and you may or may not have a chaperone/assistant present to check up on you and how you are feeling throughout. In my experience, it was awkward but painless, and I'd much rather have another transvaginal ultrasound than another pap/smear test.

Treatment options are limited with POS. My doctor did discuss his reluctance to recommend a hysterectomy with me, which is perfectly valid: it is a major operation with all the risks that involves, including anesthesia and proximity to other vital organs. There's also the long recovery period which would sign me off work for a period of time. We did discuss the fertility aspect briefly, but my doctor seemed far more worried about 'risks from complicated surgery' than 'you might want a child someday' and he readily accepted that I had already had the child-free conversation with my wife and we were both enthusiastically on board with never having children and had been for some time.

At the moment, I'm happy to continue taking progesterone, as it has entirely removed all my period-related symptoms with virtually no side effects (I feel like libido might be a little lower than it was and I might have gained a small amount of weight but both of those could also be lifestyle related changes). The only thing it doesn't stop is facial/body hair but that can be managed by usual cosmetic routes if desired. But this does give me the information to make informed choices if I do need to come off of birth control for any reasons (they do carry a small additional risk of breast cancer, and aren't suitable if you have high blood pressure or are prone to migraines and those are only the things I know off the top of my head that might result in me coming off them). But it's also just the confirmation that no, I wasn't being unreasonable about this, I shouldn't have had to 'just deal with it' for so long and I honestly wish I'd gotten the ball rolling on this years ago.

Another potential treatment for trans masc folks: testosterone does usually stop or reduce period symptoms, so that's worth considering and researching if you were planning to go on T anyway.

So yeah, if your uterus is making your life a pain and you don't know why, consider this your sign to go get it looked at, if you can. You don't have to live with it, there are potential options to manage and/or cure it, depending on what exactly you have going on. I won't lie, I had to drive a lot of this myself and specifically request that this gets looked at, and that was very difficult for a few reasons (I'm not comfortable with phonecalls, I've had to make and transport myself to all the appointments, I'm autistic and my mother isn't super fond of doctors or medication, so I've had to do this independently as an adult when this could have been picked up as a teenager and I'll probably always be bitter about that) but it has been so worth doing.

[wickedslip]

HOW ABOUT WE DISSECT THE PERSONALITY OF OUR FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH; I’ve indicated that Nausi is an INTJ to a perfect T.   The INTJ: introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.

Sometimes referred to as the "Architect" or the "Strategist," Nausi is highly analytical, creative, and logical.She is independent, ambitious, and has goal-oriented traits. Super logical and well-informed—she loves staying caught up on the latest facts and events of the world and her city (this trait is already super important / relevant as she is a witch, which defines her, first and foremost). She is highly curious and has a passion for learning and knowledge but is willing to consider multiple points of view and reconsider their opinions considering new information.

Being that Nausi is tortured by her art, she is always wanting to develop different strategies and medium for control. She goes to school to learn everything she can to try and cope with the stresses of it. If she can take it apart, she can get a better understanding and grasp on it so it can’t get a grasp on her.

INTJ subtypes:

INTJ-A: This subtype is known as the Assertive Architect. An INTJ-A tends to have more self-confidence than an INTJ-T, particularly when handling life’s ups and downs.  If things don't go the way they expect, an INTJ-A is not likely to second-guess their initial actions or experience regret.

INTJ-T: This subtype is known as the Turbulent Architect and has a greater concern about the areas where they may fall short, whether in reality or perception. They also tend to use this concern to their advantage by pushing themselves harder and paying more attention to detail.

Nausi is highly intuitive, and she does take matters to heart, especially as she has an altered sense of perception.  While she does have self-confidence in her achievements and obtaining her goals, her past often foreshadows her, and makes her constantly question herself. With the loss of her brother, she has the aspect of always falling short, losing herself in the process. But on the same token, she pushes herself, her craft, her goals and her abilities to extremes to make up for what she considers as her failures. In this regard, she is an INTJ-T.

RARITY.

According to psychologist David Keirsey, approximately 1% to 4% of the population has an INTJ personality type. This makes those with this personality quite rare.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS.

Independent

Logical

Productive

Analytical

Organized

Reserved

Quiet

Creative

Capable

Controlling

Single-minded

Innovative

Relentless

Curious

EVERDAY LIFE.

INTJs tend to be introverted and prefer to work alone. Nausi is self-confident and hard-working, which is a strength. However, it can also be a weakness as they may come across as insensitive or callous.

As an INTJ, Nausi looks at the big picture and focuses on abstract information rather than concrete details. She also tends to be a perfectionist.

She tends to emphasize logic and objective information rather than subjective emotions, and talking about emotions makes them uncomfortable.

INTJs like a world with control and order. As a result, Nausi prefers to make plans well in advance. Some INTJs may even employ manipulation to get a specific outcome.

Nausi is a creature of habit. She is independent and has only RECENTLY allowed help at the apothecary. She operates and thrives on productivity, both in her art, her work, and her crafts. You won’t find creepy cobwebs hanging throughout the apothecary, as she is orderly and organized, sometimes even closing the whole shop just to give it a deep clean before reopening. She is a very inward girl, highly reserved and very much introverted in every aspect. Because of this, she keenly hones into her crafts to the point of single-minded precision, not stopping or giving up unless it’s perfect. Very driven and innovated with her ideas and the way she gathers information to make decisions, she always creates new ways of reinventing herself.

STRENGTHS.

Enjoys theoretical and abstract concepts

High expectations

Good at listening

Takes criticism well

Self-confident and hard-working

WEAKNESSES.

Can be overly analytical and judgmental

Very perfectionistic

Dislikes talking about emotions

Sometimes seems callous or insensitive

Nausi has a very vivid imagination, and she thinks outside of the box, often gathering thoughts and ideas of fancy that no other sane person would think of. On the same token, sometimes she has this inclination that everyone thinks the same way she does, since she isn’t involved with lots of people like others would. She prefers to surround herself with likeminded individuals when she wants to be surrounded at all. She has high expectations for friendships and relationships, and for those she wants to impress (even if she doesn’t think she needs to impress them). Since she doesn’t talk a lot, she listens and hears everything, even when others might not think she’s heard them. She doesn’t give confirmation as she considers it small talk—something she doesn’t care to do. With someone like Nausi, you wouldn’t think she would attune herself to constructive criticism, but she does well with it. She likes to hear other’s points of view, seeing how it might contrast to hers. She is self-sufficient and has an air of confidence, most indebted to her hard work, Rosethorns Apothecary, and honed skills.

On the other hand, while she takes criticism well, it’s on a case-by-case basis. She can be very hard on herself and judges not only others but what she does and how she reacts to certain situations. She does not forgive easily, and as her original coven betrayed her, she has still not forgiven them for what they did. She cannot fathom being a part of something that is so wrong in their actions, that the end narrowly justifies the means. She surrounds herself in her day-to-day tasks, whether it is work at the shop or her courses, just so she doesn’t have to think about the past. She would rather achieve, to the point of being OCD, her goals from the smallest down to the largest with precision, even if attainability seems impossible. She cannot stand talking about her feelings and emotions, and that is why she hasn’t wanted to reach out to a therapist. Having someone pick at her brain, and dissect her on a table, would be torture for her. Because she is reserved others might take this as apathetic or emotionless. And while she is apathetic, she IS fundamentally curious.

COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS.

There is a dominant function that sets the tone of a personality. In addition to the dominant, there are auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior functions that play supporting roles in making up an person's personality characteristics.

Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Nausi, being an INTJ, uses introverted intuition to look at patterns, meanings, and possibilities. That means that instead of looking at concrete facts, she is more interested in what they mean behind the scenes. She also enjoys thinking about her future and exploring possibilities. She likes to consider all the possible options and imagine different possibilities, which can influence her day-to-day decision-making.

Because she is more of a big picture person, she tends to remember impressions more than exact details. So, while she struggles to remember the specifics, she is good at recalling the general gist or idea behind past events. Abstract thinking comes naturally for her. As a result, she is good at "reading between the lines / reading the room" to figure out what things might really mean or how to perceive something.

Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking (Ti)

This brings balance to her personality. If she uses her dominant function all the time, her personality will be one-dimensional. While the dominant function drives personality, the auxiliary function is there to offer tips, directions, and support. For Nausi, it's the extraverted thinking that steps in to offer assistance. As a secondary function in her personality, extroverted thinking leads her to seek order, control, and structure in the world around her.

Thanks to this function, INTJs can be very deliberate and methodical when approaching problems. Nausi tends to make decisions based on logic. She organizes her thoughts to see cause-and-effect relationships and can see it playing out before her eyes.

Tertiary: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

Nausi is often less conscious of using this function and doesn’t necessarily feel comfortable using it if she does become aware. It tends to emerge when she is under stress.

This function involves her being able to grasp her emotions, including understanding her feelings and feelings regarding others. When it moves to the forefront, she makes decisions based on emotion rather than logic and in greater attention in detail. As a result, she is more drawn to people and activities that are aligned with her values.

Inferior: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

The inferior function is the least developed part of Nausi’s personality. It is not used often, and when she does, she runs into problems. It represents the polar, extreme opposite of her dominant function.

With her specific personality, extraverted sensing is the least developed of her cognitive functions. While weak, it still exerts influence. This allows her to process information through her senses—it would also explain why she has great difficulty getting control on her premonitions.

When she uses the inferior, she can become distracted by herself, becoming less confident with her decisions than she normally would, feeling the need to perform and project, becoming a people pleaser.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.

Nausi is introverted and reserved and spends a lot of time in her head. She works best by herself and strongly prefers her solitude in personal, hobbies and work environments.

While she tends not to be particularly interested in other people's thoughts and feelings, Nausi does care about the emotions and feelings of the select few she is close to. In personal relationships, she is willing to devote time and energy toward making her relationships successful.

She sees little value in social rituals and small talk, making it more difficult to get to know others in different social groups. Others might view her as cool, aloof, and disinterested, which can make forming new friendships with her challenging. This explains why she doesn’t want to belong to a coven, even if there was no betrayal. She prefers her solitude and works best as a solitary witch, solely relying on herself.

COMPATIBILITY.

Il figlio del diavolo? All ill omens aside, personality types that mesh well with hers, and potentially when making good relationship choices, include ENFP, ENTP, and ESTP. INTJs, as a whole, tend to have less compatibility with someone who is an ISFP, ISFJ, or ESFJ personality type.

CAREER PATHS.

When Nausicaä develops an interest in something, she strives to become as knowledgeable and skilled as she can in that area. She has high expectations and holds herself to the highest possible standards. INTJs are good at gathering information from the outside world, analyzing it, and reaching new insights. She tends to be very analytical and logical.

She values information, knowledge, and intelligence, and would make excellent scientists, detectives and mathematicians. INTJs also tend to do particularly well in fields that require efficiency and the ability to interpret complex information, such as engineering, academia, law, and research.

INTJs typically do well in careers that integrate their strong ability to understand and evaluate complex information with their ability to put this knowledge into practice. Careers that allow the INTJ to work independently and autonomously are also ideal.

POPULAR INTJ CAREERS.

Scientist

Mathematician

Engineer

Dentist

Detective

Doctor

Teacher

Judge

Lawyer

COVEN LEADER

SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

TRAINER OF WITCHERY

MEDIUM

TIPS FOR INTERACTION.

If you have a NAUSI in your life, here are tips for interacting with her based on your specific relationship.

Friendships

She tends to be solitary and self-sufficient, so establishing friendships can sometimes be difficult. Because she is an INTJ who tends to think so much of the future, she may avoid getting to know people because of her belief that a long-term friendship will just not work out, so why bother.

The good news is that while she may not have a lot of friends, those that she does become very close and committed to, she cultivates and cares for. INTJs tend to prefer friends who are also introverted, rational, and low on emotional drama. Anything more, she will vehemently disregard out of her circle.

Parenting

If she ever became a parent ( yeah not in this lifetime—the curse ends here, mate ) , being an INTJ she is typically not high on affection. INTJs have high expectations for children and offer support by helping children think logically when faced with decisions. They encourage children to be self-directed critical thinkers who are capable of solving problems on their own.

For INTJ children, they focus on finding ways to encourage their intellectual strengths but try to find a balance to avoid excessive perfectionism. They need to develop their emotional strengths and find ways to express their feelings, something that Nausi is specifically stunted with from an early age. Imagine her bringing another person into this world that she must ultimately be responsible for. It’s a no for her.

Relationships

Because she can be difficult to get to know, romantic relationships with Nausi and any other INTJ can falter. Loyalty and understanding are important and are the key foundations for success. Don't be afraid to show your dedication, but also don't pressure them to spill their emotions. Communication is critical when in a relationship with her. Rather than expecting her to pick up on your subtle cues (or fragility), focus on being straightforward or even blunt about what you expect.

TAKEAWAYS.

It’s important to remember that Nausi is unique. No one is just like her or anyone else. Learning your own personality, and its traits, will help you to better understand your own tendencies, appreciate the value in your strengths, and feel prepared to deal with some of the challenges you may face with them. She’s an icy little spitfire. Good luck.

[eisforeidolon]

About the Cas is autistic thing..

While watching the show in real time, it was pretty clear they were writing Cas’ struggle with cultural assimilation- except on steroids as a species assimilation. That was why Cas was so interesting at first. Immensely powerful with no humanity because he wasn’t human. Watching him struggle with understanding the complexity of the human experience was a side arc I enjoyed. The writers got lazy and could find no other use for him then to parody that early arc in later seasons. Sad, really. And then Misha just ruined him with the queer baiting and it was “So long Cas!! You’re a joke now.”

The autism thing is interesting. My son is autistic, and I’ve learned so much from him as he’s gotten older about what all that entails. I think there are a lot of people who resent the autism parallel, and others who identify with it. It’s highly relatable for the autistic individual to look at a character who is struggling with social norms and boundaries, and feels uncomfortable in his own skin at times. It can also be insulting when that discomfort was exploited as a way to make him a joke, or parody. Others may feel it insensitive to insinuate an autistic person just needs to learn how to human better, and that autism is something you can overcome (for lack of a better word- I don’t believe it’s something anyone has to overcome)

I think it’s really great people can find things to relate to in characters, but it’s so bizarre when people insist it’s the ONLY way to relate to the character, and only a subset of people can understand it. Awkwardness is a pretty standard human experience. As is pain, grief, love, silliness, etc etc. I’ll never understand how groups of people can claim a human emotion as strictly their own when it’s so universally experienced- not to mention the regressive way they think everyone within a subset of people will respond the exact same way to each iteration. It’s an incredibly simplistic and boring way of viewing people

Yeah, season 4 Castiel and season 15 Castiel are entirely different characters. IMNSHO, it was far less character development and far more character decay from neglect, indifference, and just plain bad judgement. He started out as an awkward outsider, which was occasionally played situationally for laughs - but he was also knowledgeable, competent, and occasionally straight up badass. By the end, though? He was the butt of the joke, he rarely had anything useful to contribute except more bad decisions to move the latest so-called plot along, and villains even made fun of him for needing to be rescued by the Winchesters because by that point he was shown as just that incompetently pathetic in a fight. And then to turn what he still had left, an overall arc of learning about free will and trying to do the right thing while finding out how hard that could be ... into just being obsessed with Dean? Oof.

Okay, that was a bit of a sidetrack, so back to the autism issue? The thing is, even if Castiel had been written as an autistic person, that still wouldn't be some all-encompassing good representation everyone with the condition would be obliged to see themselves in. As it is, when the character was not written with that intention at all (as you say and as per last post, he's an obviously recognizable trope about alien outsiders)? It's even more questionable to state it as some definitive inherent connection to an autistic person's experiences - especially in this case, where it's effectively equating autism to not being human. Which is very obviously potentially insulting and offensive. It doesn't have to be, and there's nothing wrong with seeing it either way - which is why someone speaking for the character in a definitive direction that is not coming from authorial intent is Not Great. I think wanting to make those definitive kind of statements of interpretations of the characters are overall a complication of how much we as people tend to think in terms of ingroups and outgroups and like to label things, but, again, as you say? That's a very simplistic and inaccurate way of viewing people. Not only that, but being so focused on categorizing people can be ultimately unnecessarily divisive and easily lead into othering and dehumanizing people who you decide aren't enough like you.

[i-guess-im-into-this-now]

HIStory 1: My Hero

Right off the bat the premise of this show is 🦇💩, which I usually love.

However...

This scenario does make me a bit uncomfortable.

Premise:

Due to the mistake of some reaper-like character, the soul of a young lady, Lan Shi, gets taken instead of the young man, Gu Si Ren. To fix his mistake Reaper ends up taking Gu Si Ren's soul and allowing Lan Shi to have his body, which she can keep if she can get her boyfriend, Hero, to kiss her within 7 days, and she can't tell anyone the truth.

I'm not great at analysis, nor am I especially well educated in gender or queer studies, so I may not be able to eloquently put into thought or words what bothers me about the premise.

But. There is something about unwillingly stripping a character of their gender that bothers me. I'm all for trans characters (and real people), but that is not what is happening here.

This is a woman being forced into the body of a man. Will she retain her identity as a woman? Will she identify as a man? How does this affect her sexuality? She has already lamented that in order to keep this body she will have to "turn" her boyfriend gay. Will she be comfortable seducing Hero?

I also feel bad for Gu Si Ren, who by any metric had a terrible life, and terrible death. His soul is gone but his body remains, to be given to someone else to use. Which also feels like a violation.

I'm also a little unsettled with the boyfriend Hero's place in this story as well, but for a wholly different reason. As far as he knows his girlfriend just died, and this character is expected to be kissing someone else within a week?! I'm guessing this show is going to blow right past Hero's grief.

Will this show use this premise as a chance to explore issues of gender identity and sexuality? I'll admit my hopes have bottomed out for this show. I'll have to finish it to see.

I've seen that some of the other episodes/seasons of HIStory are highly recommended, so I won't allow whatever happens in this one to dissuade me from watching the others.

***************************************

After finishing watching it, the show was better than I anticipated, but I still have some issues with it.

Spoilers

Lan Shi had more agency in the body swap than I originally thought. She was complicit in taking Gu Si Ren's body. Her actions which came from a place of desperation, are actually pretty reprehensible.

Her plan was to take Gu Si Ren's body, identy and life, and use them for her own purpose. It's pretty heinous, if you think about it. For her plan to work she needs to deceive and manipulate Hero. And she never considers for a moment what her actions mean for Gu Si Ren. Also, Lan Shi never shows guilt or remorse for her actions.

She learns over the course of the week that Hero, wasn't in love with her, but likely had a crush on Gu Si Ren. She also discovers that Gu Si Ren was in love with Hero through reading his journals. Suddenly she feels like she's inserted herself into a place she doesn't belong (you think?!).

Lan Shi does eventually give back Gu Si Ren's body. It's at a time that is poignant for her, but awkward for Gu Si Ren and Hero.

Lan Shi doesn't ever try to correct any of the problems she created between the two guys, including some pretty insensitive comments about gay men that really upset Hero.

My Hero is a strange story with an uncomfortable premise that I think actually had more potential for exploring issues with gender/sexual identity, than it utilized.

It failed to be a romance due to the fact that the actual lovers are only together briefly, and we see very little of how their relationship evolved.

The show instead revolves around Lan Shi and her inability to recognize that her relationship with Hero had failed, and her unwillingness to accept that. Which, I also could have got behind if Lan Shi had been able to do some introspection and shown some growth.

It did turn out to be a lot better than I feared it would be at first glance, but ultimately it was underwhelming.

[iwannarunawayandbeapirate]

hi.

so i did a test to see if i'm autistic a couple of months ago, like an official diagnosis, and when the results came in i was told that i'm not autistic but a highly sensitive person (hsp).

i do not feel very comfortable with that label because i do not experience many of the symptoms (e.g. feeling other peoples' "energy", feeling the same emotions as them, avoiding violence in movies/tv) and i feel like my struggles aren't properly acknowledged. additionally, i have found while looking into the topic that many sources associate hsp with high iqs and "gifted" people, which i am just personally uncomfortable with. i also don't like the way many hsp posts are phrased, because they paint it as a gift and don't really talk about the problems and struggles that come with it.

i want to use a label that more accurately describes my experience, but i'm reluctant to self-diagnose as autistic because i have been told by professionals that i'm not. i absolutely support other self-diagnosed autistic people, but to be honest, i'm just too scared personally that i might be wrong. and also that nobody irl would believe me.

today i found out that there is another problem regarding the term "hsp": hsp and autistic people share many traits. most people who say that there is a difference between the two describe the difference between hsp and autistic people like "it's bad to be autistic and being a hsp is entirely different and even though there are so many shared traits hsp are inherently superior because they're more empathic". they also use outdated definitions of autism to make these distinctions.

i don't think it's wrong to use both the terms hsp and autistic, or just identify as hsp and not autistic. i am just talking about my personal experiences and feelings.

i am also diagnosed with adhd, so i think i might just describe myself as neurodivergent. if anyone has any advice for me, please let me know.

(also if i phrased something badly and came across as rude or insensitive in any way, please tell me!)

[princebenvi]

Genuine question: if there was a trans actor who had already had top surgery (or not idk if this even matters), would you draw them or a character they played with a pre-surgery chest? Cause I feel like that would be pretty insensitive and would probably make them uncomfortable. So why is it okay to draw a cis actor like that?

hello anon!

first, it depends on if the character the trans person is playing is trans or not i suppose? trans people aren’t exclusively limited to trans roles and if a trans person played a canonically cis character in a show, i suppose i’d draw them as if they were cis? which is to say, not much would probably change apart from a lack of surgery scars. that being said if a trans actor’s character’s gender is left up to interpretation, even if not Stated that character as trans, i’d still treat them as such because being trans is a very beautiful and complicated and difficult existence that is often very impactful on one’s life and to erase that would be insensitive.

second, i guess my answer to your question is that it’s not hurting anyone and it’s helping someone? if i were to draw a trans person as cis, im erasing a rich history of gender from a person who has put a lot of thought and effort into how they identify, how they present, who has faced discrimination, perhaps from their own community, friends, family, who’s discovered their euphoria, maybe dealt with dysphoria, something i deal with every day. drawing these characters helps me feel like i’m not going through it alone, make me feel comforted.

if i may pose a question to you- why do you care? /gen

truly i believe im not hurting anyone with my art, i’m drawing the characters, not the actors, even if they look similar (i do keep them separated in my mind) and i highly doubt that jason sudeikis or james lance are going to see these any time soon, and if they did? i think they’d be a little confused, because they’re (presumably) cis men who haven’t thought about The Trans Experience™️ very often or for very long periods of time. i think if they had the context of “i am a trans person and it helped me to create something in their likeness” they’d be less confused but i truly think people have made worse fanart in the long run than some people learning to love their bodies.

im sorry that it rubbed you the wrong way- that may mean it’s just not for you and that’s okay!

thank you for your question :) /gen

[stargirlfeyre]

If Cerridwen and Nuala are training Elain in secret couldn’t they …get in trouble for keeping that a secret from Feysand who they work for? Not that I want them in trouble but why would they be keeping secrets from their employers in the first place and under their own roof? Rhysand usually keeps tabs on everyone, Az too, the twins work as their literal spies, so am I supposed to believe that they’re both unaware of Elain possibly training her stealthiness with the twins? I just feel like Elain is going to be such a secret keeper and I just don’t like that? Go move into your own house with all that mating drama, Az drama, and secret keeping. I like her but Feyre’s sisters are so full of drama..That bonus chapter proved it for Elain.

Why would she think it’s smart to kiss or makeout with Azriel…WHILE HER MATE WAS UPSTAIRS? I don’t care how in the moment someone is lol, SJM made them both seem highly inconsiderate of everyone in that house. “Oh my mates upstairs nbd ☺️ let me makeout with this other guy downstairs as he’s up there sleeping while also not considering that Lucien might feel disrespected since Im doing it while he’s right upstairs, and nbd if he gets pissed enough he starts a fight with Az over it while a pregnant fragile Feyre is upstairs asleep after her birthday Solstice party hehe Az is so cute I like him” I know she wrote it to be this forbidden moment but SJM writes things at the cost of making her characters seem SO morally questionable insensitive or idiotic. I prefer Az over Lucien don’t get me wrong! I prefer Elriel too! but I still think they were wrong to not to be more cautious of Lucien or a pregnant Feyre upstairs..As much as I’m glad we’ll get a look into Feysands life with Nyx as long as Elain lives there in her POV..the drama with Az and Lucien she brings to Feysands household has run its course for me. Take it somewhere else..Im torn between wanting her to live there to see Feysandnyx updates while wanting her to move out so Feyre doesn’t have to deal with her secret keeping and men drama. Feyre already had to deal with her sisters drama and well being give her a damn break SJM

She can’t even invite Lucien over without Elriel fans crying about it saying it makes Elain uncomfortable 😒 Have your adult fave who is mooching off Feyre get a job and move out then, bc Lucien is her friend, even if he was a history of being a super shitty friend ..they love eachother, she can invite him over whenever the hell she wants even if Lucien isn’t my fave. Moochers can’t tell her who to have over and who not to have over sorry to break it to y’all, either move out or deal with it. Not my fault you got bonded to MY friend sis

I don’t think Elain or the twins would get in trouble for it unless they were doing it with bad intentions. Like if they were teaching her to be sneaky so she could spy on Feysand or something then I’d think they’d get in trouble for it but other than that I don’t think anyone would care what the twins were teaching her. As long as it didn’t put her in harms way. And secret keeping is going to be a main factor in Elain’s book I think. Both her and Azriel are very mysterious characters and they have the perfect set up for a secret relationship…Then again Feysand usually knows everything that’s going on (especially Feyre).

And the whole Elriel solstice situation will always just be incredibly stupid to me. Especially how their fans reacted to Rhys interrupting them. Like yes Lucien is not entitled to Elain at all but the fact of the matter is those two are mates and mates tend to act on instinct rather than logic. If Lucien had caught them a fight would have most likely broken out. Remember how he acted just from the thought of Azriel and Elain being alone together? How do you think he would have acted if he’d actually caught them in the middle of something? And on Feyre’s fucking birthday and while she was pregnant too😭. Azriel and Elain were just being horny dumbasses and Rhys wasn’t harsh enough.

I agree Nesta and Elain are just way too much drama and it’s clear that Sjm is always going to insert Feysand into it. She uses them to make their stories more interesting.

And I never take elriels seriously when they cry about how “Feyre makes Elain uncomfortable by inviting Lucien over” because one it’s her house and if Elain doesn’t like whose invited to a house that doesn’t belong to her then she can move out. And two Lucien was Feyre’s friend before he was Elain’s mate. He’s most likely going to stay Feyre’s friend no matter what choice Elain makes with the mating bond. It’s so selfish and entitled for Elriels to think that Feyre, who has already given up all her teen years for her sisters, is now obligated to give up her friendships too just because Elain isn’t ready to get her shit together. I know y’all love to baby that girl but other characters aren’t obligated to cater to her feelings.

Elain is in the middle of some drama and instead of wanting her to just grow up and talk it out like normal adults do, her fans turn around and try to shit on Feyre for not working around Elain’s feelings even though all of this is an easy fix.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 4 - A Vet's Nightmare

For once in so very long, Kisara woke up feeling like sunshine and daisies - Everything in life was beautiful, inside and outside of the house - What a lovely time to be alive!  She stretched like a Disney princess before hopping off the bed to get ready and enjoy her day. Her first destination was the cafe nearby, to start the day with the sweetest caramel cappuccino and a warm panini, before going shopping for some self-care items and meal ingredients. 

In the evening, after a long yet highly relaxing day, she took out the music player and put on the rock songs playlist while taking a hot bubble bath, surrounded by scented candles. Everything was so perfect, so calming and soothing, that for that time, all worries and nervousness about ghosts and stupid people were completely erased. This was her day off, and she was truly happy - She deserved it, after all!

Well...

So much for a day off though, as a call forcefully brought her out of her reverie, just as she was brushing her hair by the vanity. Her few hours of vacation were over, and it was time to start a new episode of Ghost Adventures... And a rather messed up one, while at it.

"Doctor Mashita Kisara speaking, how may I help you?" Kisara spoke her usual intro absent-mindedly, not bothering to look at the caller ID as she started curling her long, silky hair. "Perhaps a date would make me feel better after the new ghost rumours I was forced to hear just now." Seiji's playful tone rang smoothly through the phone, and from the background, Kisara could hear some giggles and groans. "Kakuya visited Akira again?" she asked in a somber voice, stopping myself while curling my hair. "Awww, come one, Kisara, don't make that the main focus. Why don't you meet us at the Kissouji Station? We're heading there right now. It will be like a double date." he chuckled, making the girl shake her head in amusement, only to drop the curler with a hiss of pain as she managed to accidentally burn her skin. Now she's going to get asked if she's got a hickey. The age-old highschool excuse. "God damn it... I burnt myself. Yeah, sure, I'll be there, hope I won't be late. Can you tell me the basics of the rumours, if you know any?" she picked up the blasted curler, finishing her hair, though the tingling of her skin kept bothering her.  "It... May be a bit sensitive. I think I'd rather tell you in person, so it won't shock you too much." Seiji hesitated, his voice going a bit more serious. "I'm 21, not 11. After everything I went through, I don't think there's anything that could potentially trigger me or make me uncomfortable in any way." she reminded him again, which only earned a sigh of defeat and remorse. "It is related to animal abuse. Considering your profession, which SOME people are rather insensitive enough to forget, I believe you wouldn't quite like it." he explained, putting emphasis on that word, making Kaoru protest in the background. Still, Kisara was silent. "Kisara...? Are you okay?" no, she wasn't okay. She was furious. "... I'll be there." she hung up quickly, putting on a plaid green shirt, rolling up her sleeves, then her black jeans, with a pair of boots, the usual silver rings and a silver paw necklace, and she bolted out of the house.

Thankfully enough, there was no traffic, so the taxi dropped her by the Station in a jiffy, and even more, she got there earlier than the rest - Either that, or they left without her, which hopefully, isn't the case. Being a bit bored, she went to lean on a light pole, then took out the pocket mirror from her bag and started fixing the loose curls of her hair, not noticing when the others arrived, until she heard a whistle.

"You truly outdid yourself today, Miss Kisara. You look even more radiant than the Sun. If you ever wear a red dress, you're going to look even more stunning than Jessica Rabbit." Seiji flashed the beautiful lady a charming smile, kissing the back of her hand. "You should hear me sing, then." the girl hummed cutely. "Now, tell me about this new ghost we're dealing with and where are we going." she asked more seriously, and before Seiji could explain, Kaoru chimed in. "There's been some dog beheadings in Kintoki, and we suspect this new ghost, Kubitarou of Kintoki, is the reason behind them." she said, which made Kisara's eye twitch, and look seemingly unresponsive. "Kisara... Are you alright?" Seiji asked gingerly. "No." her reply came deadpan. "Let's get this over with." 

Leaving Kaoru behind, the trio walk towards Kintoki, a region surprisingly close to Kissouji; The night was calm and warm, and Kisara felt rather peaceful. Somehow, she wasn't feeling yet any of the nervousness before encountering a new ghost and learning of their death-stories, and even with the dog situation, she kept her mind closed. She spoke no word the whole time, absent-mindedly daydreaming and gazing fondly at the clear starry sky... How beautiful nature can be, she thought, feeling peaceful, for as long as she can, before running head-first into yet another supernatural mess. Seiji's hand brushed against her own every so often, and with each soft touch, she felt her own fingers gravitating towards his own, as if pulled by a magnetic force that wanted to hold his hand and never let go.

Though she wasn't sure when they arrived in Kintoki already, her zoning-out got snapped to reality by a dog barking; Due to her animal-affinity, she stopped in her tracks and went towards the adorable source of the noise, jumping on the fence. Looking down, she noticed the cutest little puppy, wagging its tail as it tried to jump up the gate to reach her.

"Aww, aren't you the most adorable little thing in the world?" she cooed at the puppy, reaching down a little too far, to give it kisses and play with it.

"If you lean any more down, you'll fall on your head." Akira mocked, seeing the otherwise impassive girl bent down in half down the fence, just to appeal to a dog.

Giving the puppy one last kiss, Kisara hopped off the fence, and back on the ground, stumbling a bit as she lost balance trying to hide the blush of embarrassment painting her face. "I... Refuse to comment on that." "I bet you're that kind of weirdo who yells DOG or CAT whenever they see one, and goes to pet it, even if it has an owner." Akira smirked at her, and she could only chuckle awkwardly at him. "...Oopsy Daisy, I got busted." was her only excuse, as it made both boys huff in amusement. "As much as that was adorable, I wanted to ask.. .Don't you think security has been a lot more lax than expected?" Seiji asked casually. "Why would security be on some random alleys around a peaceful neighbourhood like this one?" the girl looked at them confused. "Supposedly, the police were concerned by all the... Animal abuse happening, to put it lightly. In the end, them not being here works well for us, we don't have to sneak around and worry... Though you have to wonder if they can really keep the peace like this." he explained, as if nothing of interest happened. "Says the guy who disrupts the peace." Akira jabbed his friend. "Haha, what are you talking about? It's thanks to people like me that they even have jobs. It's an arrangement that's mutually beneficial." Seiji retorted with just as much spunk. "What a terrible world we live in." Akira smirked right back. "Now just who made it like this?" Seiji chuckled darkly.

Their conversation was unfortunately interrupted; The Yakuza Prince ended up jinxing them, as a policeman, scared out of his mind, spotted them out of nowhere, making them tense up and look at each other, thinking of ways of escaping. Based on his clear nervousness, he must have knowledge of the rumours - And in spite of his fears, he still had to do his job... Somehow.

"What are you doing here so late?" the cop asked in an almost shaky voice. "Oh, uhm, we just..." Akira tried to say something, but stuttered.  "There's been a rash of dangerous, disturbing cases lately, you shouldn't wander about. I've seen the recent crime scene myself... It was gruesome. Mind if I ask you a few things? And I'd like to see some form of ID, just as a precaution. A lot of people are reporting crazy supernatural things to the station for some reason. Seriously, the police aren't shamans. We don't deal with ghosts and the like. Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you cooperate." he said, obviously talkative because of his nervousness.

"Here you go." Kisara stepped in front of the boys, rummaging through her purse and offering the ID card to the policeman. "Mashita Kisara, 21 years old, resident of H city, currently studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Kyoto." she spoke in such a confident and professional voice that Seiji couldn't help but gaze at her in adoration; At the same time, despite the dark of the night, he noticed the faint blush on the policeman's face, as he handed the ID back to the very attractive lady. "Since we are on vacation, we decided to do some leisure strolling - This Summer night is especially warm and beautiful, don't you think?" she hummed, wearing a little, sultry smile.

"Ergh... Yes, it's a fine weather we are having... I suppose." the policeman cleared his throat. "Anyway, as I said, it's unadvisable to walk at this hour, considering how many disturbing cases of animal killings happened recently. You should go home soon and choose better times to hang out."

"You will keep us safe, won't you, Mr. Officer...?" Seiji was almost shocked at how well Kisara could seduce a man like that; Pouting her lips a little, batting those long lashes, pitching her voice just a little bit, shifting the curves of her lovely body just right - It definitely wasn't the first time she's done it, because it was working flawlessly. "Now that we know those scary rumours... Well, I am a little afraid. What if we encounter a ghost on our way back to the station? I... I am really scared, Mr. Officer." "O-Oh, uhm... I... The station is very close to our location. There's no way any criminal could slide past me, miss! Now please, go home and make sure you stay on alert. "  he stuttered, his eyes shifting left and right - His confidence game was absolute shit. Talk about Law & Order. The police force was absolutely useless, both boys internally scoffed. "You are so brave, Mr. Policeman! I feel so safe, knowing you are protecting us!" she giggled sweetly. "But... You see... There is something that has been bothering me for the past few minutes..." she stepped closer to the man, hearing the soft gulped of nervousness as she approached. "If you look behind you, right there, behind that pole, something that resembles the silhouette of a very scary dog has been staring dead at us." she whined cutely, one hand trailing up his biceps, as the other was pointing towards the dark corner of an alleyway. "It is making me feel very much afraid, and I don't think I'll have the courage to go home knowing that such a big, frightening dog could be coming after us. Would you be so brave as to please check it out, Mr. Policeman?" Kisara asked in a worried voice, which made him bite his lip and nod vigorously. What a yes-man. "Yes, ma'am, right away! Some mangy mutt won't scare away the citizens while I'm around!" he tried to play the hero, rushing in that direction. "What a doofus." Kisara giggled, jogging away from there. "Well, that went well. Thankfully, Miss Kisara was here to save the day with her incredible charm." Seiji chuckled, putting his arm around the girl. "I wonder, where could you have possibly have learnt that, you little seductress." he teased the girl, only to end up laughing together.

"My brother was a police man, and a lot of pretty girls would try to flirt their way out of getting in trouble. Needless to say, my brother is unaffected by things like this, and would always end up mocking them to hell and back. I figured it wouldn't be a problem with that guy though."  she hummed, smirking in victory - Such a dazzling smile that she shone brighter than the stars. "Not only am I impressed, but I am also very intrigued by this brother of yours. You two must be close." the girl did the cutest kitten smile, nodding in approval.

Their conversation was cut short as echoing footsteps got them on high alert - Was the cop on their back? Could he have followed them?  Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and instead, it was Maruhashi bringing them a whole bag of Kintoki Manju, and telling them how to get to the Kintoki Tower - In fact, the biker guided them there.

All the way to the location, they found an old, sealed well and a mini-shrine that had quite the interesting history - It was said that a Sacred Tree called 'Kintoki Cedar' used to be in place of the shrine, and it had a counter part in another spot in the neighbourhood, and each tree was named after a pair of brothers, Jirou and Tarou. Maruhashi proceeded in telling the trio some urban legends he heard growing up, as Akira gave a Manju offering to the shrine... Unfortunately, nothing of note happened.

That is, until Kisara felt a weird sensation tingling, similar to a burning gaze on the back of her neck - It, however, went away as the boys started praying, and she snapped back to reality, eagerly telling them they should really go back home and investigate on the morrow. Her intuition was telling her to retreat soon.

Only Maruhashi's voice was heard as they walked back to the station - Alas, just as they reached the intersection where they got stopped by the policeman, a blood-curling shriek of pure agony and fright pierced their ears, echoing throughout the town, startling the group. Opposite of what any sane person would do, the four rushed in the direction of the screech - Once arrived, they spotted the cop on the ground, letting out strangled screams, hollering out of his wits....

And up there, hanging with rope from a light post, was the source of his terror... The headless, bloody corpse of a white dog, dangling with the wind.

Kisara felt the air from her lungs being punched harshly, her whole world was spinning like vertigo and her knees weakened dramatically; Were it not for Seiji brushing away his shock to quickly catch the girl in his embrace, she would have fallen to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Kisara, breathe, take it easy, look at me, calm down." Seiji tried his best to keep her grounded. His hands were cupping her soft cheeks, forcing her to look at him, rather than the grotesque imagery of the poor, butchered dog. He knew very well dogs were her favourite pets, and he was in agreement with that notion; Seeing a dog being so ruthlessly massacred... What kind of monster will they be facing anyway?! And why the hell would a ghost want to kill a dog, of all things?! "A-Axe... Head... C-Can't... Have mine..." the man tried to stuttered, but he couldn't keep his gaze away from the gruesome sight in front of him.

"Hey, did you see Kubitarou?!" Akira grabbed the man by his shoulders, shaking him back to reality. "An axe... Large man... T-T-Took... The head... Went to... The transmission tower..." he managed to say, before letting out another shrill scream, which made the girl tsk in annoyance. "It should have been you, not the dog." Kisara glared at the pathetic man, barely keeping herself from kicking him down. "The police will forever be useless and let down the people they're supposed to protect." although she went ahead to get the boys back to the Tower... The Yakuza boy couldn't help but wonder... If her brother was a policeman, why was she trashing the whole police force so badly? Her words sounded so targeted and personal. She couldn't have gotten let down by them, could she? Although... Who DOESN'T the police force disappoint, anyway? Was it related to the way the justice system failed her in the stalker-situation?

Akira sprinted there like his life depended on it, letting the rest of the group in the dust until they too arrived, panting for oxygen and complaining about him being too fast for his own good... Or theirs, rather. Unfortunately, even despite him being some human Speedy Gonzales, he wasn't able to catch even a glimpse of the ghost...

Although, there was something definitely off.

"I don't want to alarm you, since I'm not sure how good my sense of smell is after all the formalin I had to sniff, but... Doesn't it smell a bit like... Blood?" Kisara asked, feeling a bit uneasy. "I was about to point out the same thing." Akira said with a frown. "Huh? Really? I don't really smell anything." Maruhashi blinked in confusion. "I place full trust in this guy's senses. He's like a superman, at least physically. Besides, Kisara is a doctor, she's used to this smell. We've checked that place earlier, but there's no harm in looking one more time. Things are gonna start moving fast soon after because of that dog thing... We don't have much time, so hurry." Seiji pointed out sensibly. "Akira... Does it seem to you like the smell is coming from the well?" the girl muttered, earning a nod as she crouched by the well, touching it... Until she felt a slimy sensation, and before even realising that it was blood, a vertigo feeling struck her down, and her cursed ability sent her to yet another vision.

Everything was black, and she still felt dizzy; She felt awfully scared - Was she blindfolded, she wondered? Why couldn't she see anything at all? She was tragically reminded of the trauma she suffered at the imaginary men from her vision, during the Little Red Hood case. Bound and blindfolded... And very much at the mercy of your perverted captors.

All around her resounded a single noise - The echoing sound of a children's song, blending the faint whimpering of a dog.

"Head to the Great Tarou Kintoki... On the 15th night... Off to the Great Tarou Kintoki... To make Dad feel be-" the voice sang in what seemed like a joyful voice, and yet, a vibe of sorrow tingled at her skin.

As soon as the song ended, the swishing sound of a rapid blade coming down was heard, and the last thing she saw amidst the blackness was a faint light... Which indicated the end of the vision. Finally come back to her senses, Kisara tried to recollect what just happened, forcing herself to hum the very same song she heard, while putting her hands on her neck, gulping. It really stung, even now.

"We have to check what this song is about... I heard it as well. It seemed like a children's song... But the dog growling... I bet this blood belonged to the dog we just saw." Akira thought it over out loud. "Must be some custom of people praying on the 15th night. Who knows, but we have to get out of here before the cop sees us again and we get in trouble." Seiji warned the group.

"If I see that guy again, I will bark at him, and he'll run back to his mum." Kisara scoffed dryly. "Still... This is going to be one hell of a case to solve." they started walking towards the station. "Kisara, are you okay? You seem to be more on the edge than with the Urashima woman." Seiji put his arm around her shoulder casually, pulling her closer to him.

"Humans can die for all I care, but this is the first time I see an animal killed in front of me, and frankly, I am not a fan of being emotionally abused like this." she sighed, relaxing in his embrace. "I though seeing mangled corpses of dead animals while studying anatomy and doing necropsies would have toughened me up a little - I was insensitive to death - I mean, they were already dead, not much else to do there... But this was fresh. i cannot imagine what kind of beef this stupid ghost has with dogs, of all things, but so far, our little vengeful spirit is doing nothing to earn sympathy points from me." "It's normal to be shocked and uneasy when things like this happen in front of you. Don't blame yourself, it was inevitable." he tried to pacify the girl, but she could only sigh. "You don't have to sympathise with the ghost - As long as it's gone, no more killings will happen, right?" she nodded. "Then let's get this over with quickly. Innocent dogs are depending on us." "I suppose. I'm going to research this song or whatever it is, and hopefully, I'll find something useful." she said thoughtlessly. "... Can you promise me you'll keep an eye on Yuki when you go home? I know Kubitarou can't go to your home, and Yuki is a house puppy... But this whole thing is making me very uneasy."

"Of course. I promise."

With that, they returned in silence to the station, where they explained everything to Kaoru and went back home; Of course, Seiji walked her home and, as usual, told her to take care of herself and to have sweet dreams, and should she get scared sleeping all by herself, to call him with any occasion - All that, as he kissed her forehead and bid her good night.

Just as he predicted, Kisara's night was a most frightful one; Not only was the song stuck in her head the whole time, but in the morning, as she opened the curtains of her balcony door, she noticed one terrifying wake-up call. On the glass door was taped a single sheet of paper, and in the middle of it, there was writing in crimson red. 

DID YOU MISS ME?

What a terrifying reality she had to live in. She needn't any ghost to scare her off, nor any horror movie. People were, by far, the scariest monsters she's ever experienced in her lifetime.

Though inconsolable, Kisara settled for chatting with her brother and making sure all windows and the front door was tightly locked; Yet a question still stood - How did he manage to get on the outer part of her balcony, considering she lives on the third floor?  She was so confused - What was she supposed to do now? Where was she supposed to go? Should she drop every supernatural investigation and bolt off back to her brother's home? She was sure that bastard could track her Kyoto apartment regardless, so living alone was off-limits. Who knows what is in his head, what he is capable of... He's been stalking her for years now. He was dangerous.

She did nothing but stare blankly at the war in front of her for hours throughout the day, until she was snapped back to the world of the living as her phone rung like crazy, giving her a sheer heart attack. Answering, she found out it was Seiji, informing her that Ban invited them to the Shinza Station for whatever reason, and specifically requested all three of them to be present. 

Perfect. Not only did she want to get out of the house and feel safe, but she had some beef to settle with Ban - She had to aggressively scare the truth out of him - Surely, he couldn't be the one who told her of her address, could he? If he went out of his way to warn her... He wouldn't, even for money.... He might be a cutthroat, but he's not evil... Right?

Quickly, she got ready and ordered a taxi to get her by the bridge, where she leaned idly on the railing, admiring the lights from the gorgeous Moon tower, still absent-mindedly humming that sickening song under her breath.

The intrusive thoughts causing her anxieties and worries over her being too late, or in the wrong place kind of flew by her as she was all too lost in her own mind, in her own reasonings and ideas, so much so that she didn't realise when Seiji and Akira came over, greeting her.

"Hey." she nodded at them, not taking her eyes away from the tower. "Did he contact you because of the ghost thing? He seemed to be weirdly interested in that topic the last time we saw him." she asked emptily. "He seemed surprisingly concerned about what we were doing at Yamato Shrine." Seiji responded in amusement. "Let's hope he tells us the right things. If it comes down to it, I'll just beat it out of him." Akira threatened, which earned the response of the man in cause, who appeared before them, like the mysterious villain of an old movie. "Jeez, so violent, runt. You should study how adults handle things... Don't you agree, undefeated champion of the UG Match, Akira Kijima?" Ban gave a knowing smirk.

"Are you going to play down all your cards and speak out Akira's whole life now, just to prove you have info on him as well? Spare us the trivialities, we believe you, so why don't we cut to the chase and speak about the true matters at hand?" Seiji spoke in a cold, passive tone, making the journalist bark a cackle.

"If you know my reputation, you should know you won't leave without telling us what we need to know." Akira cracked his knuckles, glaring menacingly at the man, who only looked at the silhouette of the girl who hadn't even bothered to greet or look at him.

"You should know how to train your puppies better, Vet girl." he chuckled, walking towards her, wanting to get a reaction out of her.

"And you should learn how to keep your associates under a tighter leash, you money-hungry maniac." Kisara turned to face him in a twirling flash of carmine red, marching in front of him with the threatening paper in cause. 

"You're angry at the wrong person. I have nothing to do with your stalker anymore, I already told you I cut him loose. I may be unhinged, but I am above being the direct cause of a deliberate murder." the deep stare into each other's eyes was enough to verify the validity of his words. Ban snatched the paper in his hands, folding it neatly before putting it in his back pocket. "Whatever situation you've got yourself into, blame it on your beauty, not on me." "I heard you seemed especially bothered about our activity at Yamato shrine. I wonder, Ban, whatever traumatic experience could have happened to you that it made you want to pursue such a dangerous path like ghost hunting? Surely, whoever met an almost-death experience would try to run away from anything related... Are you trying to get revenge on something... Or... Someone, perhaps?" she provoked him, her arms folded over her chest, and looking up with such a look of condescension in her gorgeous jade green eyes, like the jewellery of the Divine Empress, that it stirred a fire of excitement in the nihilistic man, who hadn't felt alive in so long. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Miss Kisara, if that is what you want to be called now, however, I do believe you have a rather... Problematic taste in men. For a woman as mature and intelligent as you, I would believe older men would be much better for the needs of someone in need of constant intelligence-stimulating." he walked in front of her, clearly avoiding the subject.  "I surely hope you wouldn't be referring to yourself, Ban. I wouldn't want to become a widow by the time I'm 40... After all, I wouldn't have any fortune to inherit. As far as I'm concerned, I earn in a month more than you earn in 10 years, with this lame job as a 'Freelancer Journalist' as you name yourself, and yet, all you're doing is threatening kids and running after some will'o'wisps. Furthermore, you seem the type to be wasting even the last bit of money you have on useless things such as alcohol, cigarettes and gambling... Am I wrong in anything I said?" she tilted her head to the side, taunting him, staring at him dead in the eyes with a challenging look. "Then you mean to tell me you enjoyed running around, playing with ghosts, Crimson Knight? Or having your ex stalking you is your new way of keeping yourself busy when you're having too many thoughts that are killing you?" he provoked in a rather aggressive way. "Or would you rather him kill you, then? He's been waiting patiently for the privilege of claiming his most desired prize, after all. How long do you think you can deny him, especially without the official protection of the police, or your brother's custody over you?" not only he knew how harsh he was with everything he said, but he was greatly enjoying the way he could clearly see how the gears of her mind worked flawlessly to come up with words that would hurt him tenfold - And her ruthlessness succeeded. His constant state of hurting was overcome by the fun and whatever firey emotions were being stirred up aggressively in his heart.

On the other hand, Seiji could only stare with a frown at the exchange of verbal blows being delivered between the two - Not only did he want to rip Ban apart for the way he was treating his crush - But this whole thing about her dangerous stalker finding her... That was a priority as important as lifting Akira's curse and finding Ami, and the Prince was going to make sure all three were going to have a most positive outcome. "Was it your fault? Whoever died close to you... You seem to be rather set on getting your revenge, no matter how dirty the trick. Who did you kill, Ban? Was it your sister? Your brother?... You couldn't possibly have a wife with that attitude, can you? Or even a child?" she sneered at him, which made him glare at her with rage in his eyes. How dare she bring up his treasured family, of all things? This got awfully personal very quickly, and he was the cause of all this.  "Don't poke your nose where it doesn't concern you!" he growled at her, which made her smirk like she was a kitsune, true to the name she was born with, ready to feed on his soul out and burn his prison of flesh where he stood. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Don't you know, dear Ban, that the first rule in diplomacy is to never get angry? Clearly, you are failing at even the most basic of things... Is that how you failed them as well?" she let out a hum of arrogant victory, as she realised she easily won.

It was clear Ban hadn't learnt his lesson the first time, for he attempted to grab her shoulders - In return, Kisara quickly took out her scalpel, dragging him down to her level as she tugged on his tie, putting her blade to his artery. "I never claimed to be a good diplomat. And I'm only 40, goddamn it, stop calling me old! No need to attack me like that, you ruthless vixen. Is that why your ex whined so much about you hurting him? You broke up with him, didn't you?" he quickly calmed down, realising that his words made her disgusted enough to let go of him.

"In his dreams, perhaps." she confirmed what he was already suspecting.

"You were never together." Ban earned a nod. " All you need to know is that he is a mentally deranged psychopath who wants to do bad things to me - Again - And I suggest you keep away from him." she huffed, putting back the scalpel in her pocket. "I don't see you running away from ghosts. In fact, it seems like you love hanging around and playing the good samaritan, don't you?" he shot right back.

"Ghosts and stalkers can both kill you - But I, at least, have a way to deal with spirits." she sneered at the man. "And I don't go out of my way chasing ghosts like you, Ban. I was cursed the first time, along with my brother, and we had to find a way to... Not die. After that, we had to help the guy who helped us back then. And now... I just came home, met these guys... And I couldn't possibly let some kids stumble blindly and get killed, when I have the right experience, could I?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "Unlike you, I still have a dose of humanity intact." "You are, by far, the best person to have a light conversation with. Nothing has gotten me this excited in a long while. No wonder you attract all the wrong, dangerous folk, you fox-fire girl, but be careful not the get burnt yourself. I did, and the damage is irreparable." he warned her, making her raise her eyebrow.

"Blaming the victim is cheap, Ban. Fire will never burn a Kitsune, after all." she offered an empty smile. "Besides, the Vermillion Bird has no concern, nor interest in common rodents - She only soars the Celestial Skies with her Golden Dragon." whether she was intentionally posing like the biggest mean girl narcissist, or her overflowing arrogance was doing the work for her, mattered little, for Kisara looked like a merciless Empress for those surrounding her. 

"Where the hell do you get this arrogance from, anyway? Comparing yourself to an Empress - How haughty of someone who pretends to be nothing but a ghost in the crowd." he scoffed, watching her sickening grin, as if she was ready to torture him to death - Mentally and physically.

"A spider's web goes unnoticed, and the birds' song is unremarked on a daily basis. You, of all people, should know that." she hummed lowly. "My friend can kill you, I can get rid of any evidence, and my boyfriend can save me from any legal trouble. Therefore, pray tell, give me a reason why I should NOT be conceited, when it comes to a lowlife scum, such as yourself? Even if you did prove to be a nuisance, I would only have to do this -" she playfully snapped her fingers. "- And my problem - You - Will disappear, like I am Houdini."

"You're one scary woman, Miss Kisara. Gotta condemn your confidence and wit. People like you get far in life." he chuckled softly. "But information on ghosts doesn't put food on the table." he nodded, despite his sneer. "Neither does you wasting your money on gambling, and yet, you're still addicted, aren't you?" she gave him a mocking smile. "I want to know everything you have on the spirit named Kakuya or Kaguya." she demanded regally. "How did you even know those things? Have you been stalking me?" he asked with an irritated, yet curious face. "Goodness, no, you think I don't have anything better to do? I just threw a lot of random accusations at you and clearly, by the way you got so worked up, you assumed I knew the truth, which was the only confirmation I needed. You got played in your own game, Ban. But nice try, better luck next time, but not with me. Clearly, you cannot compete with someone vastly superior to you in both intelligence and wit." she taunted him, which seemed to make him grow on the edge. "I absolutely hate having to deal with you." he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"If you did, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to provoke me." she chuckled light-hearted. "But keep lying to yourself, if it helps you sleep at night."

Thus, Akira explained everything that has been going on since his curse, which in turn, had Ban thinking things over, before mentioning he will only tell whatever he knows after he investigates some loose ends and rumours he's heard on the go. He advised them to focus on Kubitarou for the moment, instead of Kakuya, to keep things on a tight leash and solve them one by one. Kakuya is definitely the end boss of their game. Of course, Seiji had to add in his pleasantries as well, pointing out that Ban is unusually generous, but their group will keep their end of the deal.

"Hey, Amanome kid, spirits and the Prince of Threats are different matter. I have other suspect rumours on you. I won't be generous with those." Ban sneered at him. "We can get into that another time. I expect the Kubitarou info soon. If my friend were to die... By my family name of Amanome, I WILL chase you down." Seiji threatened him with a wicked smile. "What a scary brat you are, threatening adults." Ban noted with disgust, his eyes shifting from the Prince, to the Knight. "Yeah, nevermind, you're perfect for each other. How disgustingly troublesome." "Anything that disturbs the Heavenly Dance of the Phoenix and the Dragon shall be obliterated, Ban, so I advise you don't meddle in our lives any longer... That is, if you value that little lifespan you have left, that is." she chuckled, which only made him growl under his breath and stomp away. "That went well." Akira muttered simply. "What a simple man. Although, I have to say, he is fun to mess around with. I'm sure we are going to get interesting information from him."  Kisara laughed cheerfully for the first time in a while. "He will be helpful for the most part. Clearly, your influence is rather impressive, Kisara. He seemed more threatened by your words than my power, and that says a lot. You would be an incredible Mafia Don, I am sure of that." Seiji said not so subtly. "I would much rather stand by your side, than take your place." she smiled cutely. "Anyway, this served as fantastic entertainment. I can't wait for tomorrow's investigation." Seiji shuddered lightly, calling his men to tell them to back off. The realisation that the Prince brought his guards amused Kisara to hell and back. Wonderful precautions.

After some more friendly banters between Seiji and Akira, they return back home, ready to settle in for the night. Kisara, also, took a shower and plopped in bed, keeping her nightstand lamp lit up, too uneasy to fall asleep, all by herself, in this abyss darkness, especially considering she has a stalker on her back, and she is waiting for the ghost to be added to the count soon. However, despite the unexpected excitement from earlier, she still couldn't get to sleep as easily as she hoped, still having everything that happened today engraved deep in her mind... And yet, when she was half-asleep... Or maybe I was truly dreaming? She started hearing the faint sound of a dog's bark, which made her smile unconsciously...

Suddenly, from the balcony window, two loud, simultaneous taps disturbed the silence of her bedroom and her almost-asleep trance state, only for it to be followed by  a low, threatening, monstrous voice blaring through her ears, which made the girl jolt awake with a screech, her heart beating with fear like crazy. Gulping, she got up on shaky legs, and biting her lip, counting to three, she pulled away the curtains... Unsure if she should expect her stalker or Kubitarou.

Thankfully, she found none - Only two giant, bloody palm stains on the window glass. As expected, Kubitarou went by the bad example of the Urashima Woman, and followed her home, ready to haunt and kill her in her sleep.

Goodbye sleep forever, I suppose.

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