#or not doing a few of them because its simply not what i want to draw
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seewetter · 16 hours ago
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While I'm not totally on board with OPs presentation of the topic (I think there's a bit of connective tissue missing as to why the hostility of men specifically in blue collar jobs has relevance to a discussion of right-wing men in general), this post says things that I've been trying to articulate for a while.
To draw a somewhat absurd comparison, I think the people OP is criticizing seem to internalize a view of conservative ideas akin to sappy Hollywood films like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", where the intolerant people simply "come around" and warm up to the idea of a intercultural wedding (or some other new state of affairs) because there was demand for them to change their minds. Nothing wrong with stories simplifying the world like that, but the realities of changing minds are more complex than "everyone clapped".
To me, one of the most under-discussed factors holding back feminist movements is that our society hasn't yet solved creating a financially safe environment for men leaving the workforce to enter traditionally feminine-coded domains like housework. This is true for blue-collar workers who if they try to re-enter the work force suddenly have big gaps on their resume and its true for white-collar workers: a lawyer would have to go to law school again for several years to re-enter the field (ditto for a doctor, etc.). This doesn't necessarily affect how society thinks about transgressive gender expression or sexual orientation or about trans people, for example, but in an economy where businesses try to cut corners and pay as few people as possible it is a factor that means that many men will view the destruction of the patriarchy as a huge risk of their personal, individual ability to financially survive. Some feminists might tell these men to suck it up and become house-husbands, but that position comes with far less prestige, far less voice in society, far less autonomy, far less social mobility and requires ingenuity (taking on smaller jobs) in order to survive. It generates a dependency on another individual: this is why women's magazines so often revolve around what men want, what men like, what pleases men and how to make men happy while men's magazines revolve around male hobbies.
What OP is criticizing has to be viewed in that context: not only is OP correct that male peer groups make personal status and respect conditional on edgyness at best and often on outright bigotry... but if our society doesn't figure out the financial escape route for male independence then they will continue to intuitively think of genders as naturally polar opposites, some subsets of men will automatically oppose women entering the workforce (or men leaving it), maintaining fragile masculinity and emasculation will continue to be (in a certain bounded rationality sense where we don't consider broader and more radical alternatives) valid concerns.
Like: are conservative parents who let their sons bring girls home but don't let their daughters bring boys home not effectively showing concern about the future prospects of their children in a proportionate way? Men who fool around and disappoint or challenge their partners with a broader pool of sexual or romantic encounters can continue to have a nice life if their financial subsistence comes not from their current main partner but from their job. If the wife is unhappy with her married husband, he can receive a pay raise from the boss tomorrow because the boss is probably not the wife and the wife's wants and needs are totally unrelated to the employers wants and needs. If the husband is unhappy with his married wife, he can dump her...and now she has to scramble to figure out if she can receive alimony, how to receive alimony or whether she can survive with her relatives for a while. I agree that most conservatives are probably not thinking this deep into it, but their value systems allow for a kind of bounded rationality where if society operates like this, placing an unfair double standard on your children gives those children the maximum autonomy that that society grants without getting those kids into risk of serious trouble.
If we can solve this problem then presumably convincing conservatives to raise their kids different will be significantly easier -- it will be comparable to the kind of progress women made in the 1920s when wearing pants and earning money from a "man's job" often went together and enabled women to pay their own bills and do what they wanted without social punishment. And if the kids are raised different, they will have different priorities. These male spaces where men prove themselves by socially reinforcing loyalty to the hierarchies of society and glorifying the power they have over others...they will stop making as much sense to a younger generation. There will be respected and well-known men in society who are not conforming in any way to male norms. The male chauvinism will become less important to those groups which previously seemed to be fueled by it. In such a world, patriarchal attitudes will just be opinions, not a form of bounded rationality. Nothing important will hinge on these opinions, people will be far more able to give up these opinions...especially future generations.
If your vision for the deradicalization of right-wing men begins and ends with "other men telling them that that's gross and to stop it" then I'm sorry, you do not understand how masculinity works.
"Men who hold patriarchal status" and "men who are feminists" are two groups who overlap less than you want them to. I'm sorry. That's not solely because men are so happy with patriarchal status that they don't want to risk it by policing misogyny/queerphobia/racism, It's because being misogynistic, queerphobic, and racist, end expressing other forms of toxic masculinity(and often abusively so) are part of how people establish and maintain patriarchal status. The men who have the ability to stop this via nothing but peer pressure are the very people who are doing it. That's by design. And engaging in feminist intervention is, in and of itself, usually the abrupt end of that status and its associated power to persuade misogynistic men.
Like, I have worked in blue collar jobs as a notably queer person. It was pretty much a constant deluge of verbal abuse. In my experience, most blue collar work environments are exploitative, abusive, and bigoted, and very gleefully so. On the occasions I have spoken up about someone saying something that was super fucking out of line (asking me which of the girls walking by was hottest. We were installing a portable classroom at a middle school), believe it or not, they completely failed to be shamed! Because nobody else on the crew gave a fuck. *I* was the weird one. They ghosted me. A full blown company ghosted me. I suddenly didn't have a job anymore because they just straightforwardly stopped telling me where the next job site was.
Like, this doesn't mean that it's your job to do it, but this vision you have of these big groups of men where everyone is on the fence and there is precisely one shit stirrer who can be shut down by a brave feminist man who can single handedly set the example for all these other guys...you are high. You are describing an "everybody clapped" level absurd scenario. Most of these truly virulent misogynistic guys either have zero friends, because, you know, our society is atomized to fuck, or they are in a group where the feminist guy is actually the weirdo who can be shut down and ostracized much, much easier than the misogynists, because there is no such thing as a man misogynists respect who stands up for women.
You might be saying "well, we're talking about longstanding personal relationships, actually. Like, they need to have to want to spend time with you and then, as a side effect, you can mind control them out of being a threat to us."
Problem with that being:
1: Many feminist men also have no friends, see the atomized society above.
2: Feminist men already stopped hanging out with men who make rape jokes because why the fuck would we want to spend time with them.
3: That isn't just because we respect women so hard. We are in many cases talking about men who are also deeply queerphobic, heirarchical, violent and abusive to other men. What initially drew me to feminism and women was a lack of heirarchical squabbling and constant bullying, and the ability to be openly queer. A lot of men who came to feminism did so because they knew that the patriarchy was not a place they would find success or acceptance. These are not the men who are gonna be able to change right wing minds.
4. Men do not view themselves as a monolith. There is no universal brotherhood of men. The actual meaning of the term "Fragile masculinity" is that men are constantly expected to prove that they are deserving of the status of being a member of their own gender. There are large swathes of men--including most of the men who you'd look to as examples of good, feminist men who you want to undertake this project--who are considered failed men, sissies, f****ts, soyboys, ect. They are. Not. Going. To. Convince. These. Men. Of. Jack. Shit. Much less successfully *shame* them. Jesus.
I know all of this sucks. I know it would be cool to be able to just point at a group and have them be responsible for the work. But nah. It's gonna have to be a societal project, one that will probably outlast all of us. Sorry. The thing you want these men to do is, absolutely, the morally correct thing to do. But presuming that it would be effective is, and once again I am so sorry about this, just ignorance of how these social groups function.
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dark-dragon-8 · 20 hours ago
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A Supernatural × Batman crossover where the Batfam are actual cryptids and the brothers are sent to hunt them, only to find out that these guys are pretty much immortal, god like beings whose only weaknesses are each other, the sun and some weird sentient manifestation of their home city that they seem to care about, and most of them already grew out of the second one, since, apparently, the sun only affects them when they're newborns/newly transformed/changed.
The whole reason they ended up in Gotham in the first place was because of some online rumors saying that there is a demon cult in the city, as well as Blüdhaven [it's true, partially, the Bat clan has had several cults and/or religions painting them as godly beings/saviours of Gotham throughout the years, still do (imagine the colonies from F'ing Demon Bats, only this time the cryptid part of them is actually real)] along with shrines for human sacrifices.
At first they thought the locals sold themselves to a Pagan God in exchange for their safety, that the shrines and "holy grounds" spread throughout the city were for blood and human sacrifices and the creatures were feeding on the souls of their followers or something.
Turns out, that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes there were bloody sacrifices at the shrines, but most of the time those were just grieving kids bringing their dead pets to silence's holy grounds for them to be healed, or taken care of, by the spirit and have their souls at peace. But, again, that was rare, and only occurred at the holy grounds themselves rather than the shrines people attended to daily.
Majority of those shrines were filled with books, art supplies, music boxes with ballerinas and, sometimes, you could even find a few trinkets and computer parts, as well as the occasional plates and plastic boxes filled with home cooked meals, sometimes they even put pots and kettles filled to the brim with savory goods and nice tea. Nobody ever touched the food, not even the poor and desperate, when asked why all the brothers received were looks of horror and hushed whispers about how "The bats don't like thieves" and "They'll stop coming by the shrine, maybe even destroy it if we do that"
Dean didn't like it, neither did Sam, they didn't like how the locals, people who barely even bat an eye when they see a dead body on their way to work, get so scared and terrified as soon as they hear of something that might displease the Bats. They tried asking around, trying to figure out what is it that makes them so scared of their dearly beloved deities, after all, they talk about them like such a wonder, like they're the best thing that ever happened to them. Hell, one of them is named Mercy and was revered for its compassion and understanding of those around them.
They only got their answer when investigating a place called Crime Alley. They locals were all the same, if not even more reserved than their city's counterparts, but there was one person, a young girl who couldn't be older than ten that said she'll be willing to answer their questions in return for some money and stories from their time as hunters. They were reluctant at first, but seeing as they haven't had much of an option, they agreed.
"So, Masey" Dean started
"Missy" she corrected
"Right, sorry, Missy, you said that you could tell us what's up regarding those demons"
"Deities" she said sternly, the man simply nodded "And yes, I can do that, but you'll have to do something for me first"
"And what would that be?"
"You said you were a hunter, right?" He nodded "And you also said you have some money. So I want you to give me two hundred dollars, cash, and a written story containing at least three of your adventures with your partner. You can't use big fonts, lie or omit any details from the story, it needs to be one hundred percent real and legible and needs to be at least fifty pages, understood?"
Dean was confused, confused and worried. Why would this child need a story about them hunting monsters? And why did she need it to be so long and accurate? Was she trying to sell them out to the Bats or something? Why was this so important?
A million questions flooded his head and looking at Sammy, he could tell the feeling was very much mutual.
"Um Missy" it was Sam talking to her this time "Why would you want a story of us hunting like that? We could tell you about our time together on the field, if you want, but why do you need that written so meticulously?"
The little girl shook her head before he even finished speaking "No, no, I need it written"
"How so?"
"For Passion, of course"
"Passion?"
"Yeah, Passion, the component watching over Crime Alley, it loves reading stories but only when they're worth it. It doesn't like when people give them stories only to please it or for it to give them undeserved attention. It needs to be good and interesting, a story about two hunters will definitely do that"
The two hunters met each other's eyes, both their expressions filled with worry, apprehension and suspicion.
"And why all the other rules? Why does have to be so long and accurate?"
The girl tilted her head, looking at them as though they've said something stupid "Because you're introducing yourself, maybe"
"I can't just tell you guys all there is to know about the Bat without at least one of the components acknowledging you guys and giving me permission to share that information with outsiders"
"And what makes you think it won't just kill us as soon as it realizes what we do for a living?" They might've been desperate, but that doesn't mean they're going to give an essay about their weaknesses and hunting methods to a freaky, probably homicidal spirit on a silver platter
"Because they like people like you, people who put their lives on the line in order to help those around them. Also" she leveled her gaze with Dean's, which was pretty impressive considering she barely reached his hip "Had it wanted you dead, you wouldn't have been able to take two steps inside Crime Alley without having a heart attack, or your head magically disappearing"
The two brothers tensed, the taller's eyes rapidly scanning their surroundings, hands fishing out a weird cellular device, probably an EMF reader or maybe a bottle of holy water, as the shorter failed to keep up his confident facade in front of the (probably) ten year old (because Dean isn't going to be spooked by a kid that hasn't even reached the double digits yet, he's 𝘯𝘰𝘵)
The little girl laughed, completely ignoring their - very justified!!! - panic "Relax, would ya? Passion doesn't kill people unless they feel like it's necessary"
They didn't seem to be very relaxed, she didn't care, she just told them to meet her again on the border of Crime Alley and its neighbor city in a week, before leaving.
Two hours later, Carrie Kelley was skipping into the main living room of Wayne Manor, where several of her siblings played video games and with their father reading the newspaper on the side, the perfect illusion of a normal, happy, completely human family.
She walked up to Bruce, sitting on the arm of his sofa as the last of her illusion magic slipped away
"Did you do it?"
"I offered them the deal, still not sure if they'll end up actually agreeing to it"
"Mn. You did well"
The young teen preened under the praise, thanking her father before going off to boast and scheme with the rest of her siblings, they were up planning contingencies and devising plans until Sundown.
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the-s1lly-corner · 2 days ago
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May I request various creepypastas x teen!bullied!reader who goes to them for comfort? Platonic of course <:
Ticci Toby, Laughing Jack, Jeff the Killer x bullied!teen!reader (platonic)
ran for the first time in a few years today and woooooooough boy my shins!! owie!! OUCH! notes: reader is gn, no specified age for the reader outside of them being a teenager, reader is a normal kid save for the fact theyre friends with monsters and killers cws: bullying mentions
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TICCI TOBY
god he feels for you big time- it feels like so long ago that he himself was in your own shoes- and yet not that far away in his past. he loathes bullies, and when you open up to him about whats going on at school hes going to be so.... pissed...
hes not going to go out and kill them for you, that would get you in so much trouble, but hes not going to lie when he says the idea isnt tempting... oh who is he kidding? hes above going after a bunch of students... maybe... it does hit a specific nerve in him
as a compromise he teaches you come backs- ways to make them falter and how to humiliate them back. granted a lot of them is stuff he wished he had the nerve to say when he was in your shoes. youre simply doing younger toby proud by doing this
that said he does give you some pointers in the event that you need to physically fight someone... no one said you had to fight fair, aim for the shins. kick them in the shins. please kick them in the shins plsplsplsplsplspls
JEFF THE KILLER
like toby he also has a history with dealing with bullies- though the way he dealt with them may be a little too extreme for your taste. whatever, theyre youre problem ultimately hes not going to force you to carry a knife around on you
that being said hes going to shit talk them every chance he gets, if they can dish it then they can handle it... even if theyre not there to hear it... you do bookmark some of the things he said to repeat down the line, some of the things he utters is enough to make a sailor flustered! enough to make the devil take some notes. he does not hold any punches
rather than trying to get you to fight back- be it physically or verbally-... okay well he IS going to help you in that area because hes not going to have some snot nosed brats push you around- hes going to try to help you let the harassment slip off your back
see he knows the one thing they hate most is not giving them a reaction- take it from him, someone who likes getting a reaction from those around him
LAUGHING JACK
hell if its possible you could probably keep him in his box and carry him around with you in your backpack- out of the three hes the easiest to hide in plain sight thanks to that little quirk of his!
he is not above tripping someone, when no ones paying attention hes going to use his long arms to trip your bullies up and make sure everyone sees them fall over "nothing". or trip them up if they try to get physical with you- definitely makes you look a lot more skilled in fighting than you might actually be. and hes quick too, hardly anyone would be able to tell whats going on before hes dipping his arms back into your bag
whispers jokes and insults in your ear in live time to repeat to the people trying to make you feel like shit... sometimes he has no filter and he may go to far but ultimately its on you if you want to put those words out into the public
always has something sweet on hand as a little pick me up
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ofthemorningstars · 2 days ago
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A Black Heart (Part 1)
TerzOmega ~ Secondo's POV ~ Family Fluff ~ Light Angst ~ Resurrection AU
3.9k words
Part 2
Ao3 Version
When Terzo is rushed to the infirmary, a reluctant Uncle Secondo must watch Terzo and Omega's oldest child. Trouble ensues.
Content warning: mpreg(cis), pregnancy complications, medical trauma
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Secondo stormed through the hallways of the ministry in a fury, pissed off and ready to start a fight. He was headed towards the infirmary, and not by his own will; he had gotten a frantic call from Omega, at two fifteen in the morning, no less. Terzo was going to regret disturbing him at this hour. 
Meeting his brother’s newest child was a formality at best, and there was absolutely no reason that it had to happen in the wee hours of a Sunday morning, the busiest day of the week for him. Unlike his brother, he still pulled his weight within the ministry. He had shit to do. As he rounded the corner and laid eyes on where his ghoulish brother-in-law was seated in the waiting area, he was about to open his mouth to rip Omega a new asshole, but he stopped when he saw the look on his face. On both of their faces. 
His oldest niece, Starlight, was sitting next to him and leaning on him heavily, still in her rainbow-print pajamas. She looked upset, her purple-grey complexion stained with tear tracks. She had a death grip on a fuzzy pink blanket, her other hand in her mouth, sucking her thumb. Secondo grimaced in disgust; what a filthy habit. If he had a child, he’d never… Well, he’d never, would he. He and children simply didn’t mix, so he did his best to avoid them. Even children that were his own blood. 
He evaluated Omega with fresh eyes. He didn’t look much better than his daughter did. His complexion, while identical to hers, looked somehow ashen, as though the blood was drained from his face, which was lined with worry. His white hair was out of its usual neat bun, hanging around his face in messy waves. One of his large hands rested on Starlight’s shoulder, while the other was furiously typing on his phone. 
When Omega spotted him, he rose quickly to his feet, picking his daughter up and situating her on his hip. She clung tightly to him, grabbing onto his hair hard. If it bothered him, he didn’t show it. It took only a few strides of Omega’s long legs to cross the room to him, and when he stopped, he was far too close for comfort, towering over him as he did. Secondo refused to allow the ghoul’s stature to intimidate him, scowling up at him with his arms crossed. 
“What the hell is this all about? Do you have any idea what time it is? I know your husband gets to sit on his ass all day now, but some of us have to–”
“Language!” Omega hissed at Secondo, covering one of his daughter’s pointed ears and pulling her head against him tightly. She looked positively frightened. Secondo felt his face heat up, anger bubbling up within him. He continued on, pushing past the warning.
“I can meet your damn baby any time, did this REALLY need to happen at nearly three in the morning?!” When the little girl looked like she was about to cry, he cut himself off, if only to avoid the noise.
“Frankly, Secondo, no one cares about you meeting our kit,” Omega spat back, venom in his voice, although he appeared to be restraining himself. “I called you here because we need you to watch Starlight. Terzo… isn’t well.”
At this, Starlight well and truly began to cry. Omega turned his attention to her, shushing her softly and running a hand through her white hair, the same shade as his. “It’ll just be for a day or two, ok princess? You’ll be back home with Daddy and Papa in no time.” He punctuated his reassurances with a kiss on her forehead. Secondo wanted to gag at the saccharine sweetness of the scene before him. 
“Why the hell can’t Primo watch her? I have important shit to do!” Secondo was done playing games, hellbent on putting his foot down. Omega pinched the bridge of his nose, looking for all the world like he was talking to a petulant child.
“Primo has to assist with the delivery. He’s the only one who knows how to perform the binding ritual on ghouls who aren’t summoned from the pit,” Omega explained, sounding as though he were repeating the same line for the hundredth time that day. Perhaps he was. It was only then that the severity of the situation hit him. Primo “has” to assist with the delivery, not “had”. The baby hadn’t been born yet. More worrying was the realization that, obviously, they never would have called him prior to the obligatory newborn visit. Not unless it was an emergency. 
Fuck.
“Sir?” A nurse popped her head out from around the corner, her gaze fixed on Omega. Omega bristled, barely concealing the look of panic and fear that crossed his face. He turned his head, nodding in acknowledgment and holding up a finger, asking for one more moment. She nodded back at him before disappearing. Omega returned his attention to the distraught toddler in his arms.
“I’ve got to go watch after Papa and your baby sister. I need you to be a big girl for me and go with Uncle Secondo for right now, ok?” To both of their dismay, she started hyperventilating, tugging hard on the lock of her father’s hair that she still held tightly in her clenched fist. Secondo watched as Omega gently grabbed the back of her head, pulling her forward until they were pressed together forehead to forehead. They were doing their weird quintessence ghoul thing, Secondo thought. He rolled his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently. If Omega heard him, he didn’t pay him any mind.
After a few long moments, Starlight’s crying ceased, her breathing returning to normal and her body visibly relaxing. Omega pulled back, wiping the young girl’s tears away and giving her a final kiss, this time on the cheek, before setting her gingerly down on her feet. With a gentle nudge, she took a few tentative steps towards her uncle. Omega handed him a large bag that he somehow hadn’t seen earlier, as well as a key to their chambers, in case she needed something they'd forgotten in their haste.
“We’ll see you soon, sweetie,” Omega assured her, but the slight quiver in his voice gave him away: he was scared. Shit, shit, shit!
When Starlight reached out and grabbed Secondo’s hand, his eyes grew wide with shock. He froze, unsure of what to do, before settling on giving her clawed little hand a firm squeeze. With that, she nearly collapsed into him, grabbing hold of his arm and clinging tightly. He led her back to his quarters, the journey far more slow and awkward than he would have liked. Finally, though, they reached his door, and he unlocked it and let them both in. His head was spinning, overwhelmed by the prospect of his newfound responsibility. At least, he thought, she would soon be asleep, and he could worry about it when she woke up. She was already beginning to nod off on the way back to his room, after all.
When he closed and locked the door behind him, he slumped against it, letting out a deep, exasperated sigh. Starlight looked around at her new surroundings, eyes wild, overwhelmed. To Secondo’s dismay, her earlier cries resumed, and she sat heavily on the floor with a thud, rubbing her eyes, grabbing at her own horns in what seemed to be a self-soothing gesture. Her tail was wrapped tightly around one of her legs. 
Unsure of what to do, Secondo gave her a half-hearted pat on the back, reluctantly kneeling on the ground to better reach her. He’d regret this later, he knew he would. His knees weren’t what they used to be, but he’d do anything to get that infernal crying to stop. She lunged forward, catching him off guard when she wrapped her little arms around his middle, wiping her nose on his shirt. Ugh. Gross. This was why he didn’t spend time with children.
“U-uncle Secondo, will Papa and my b-baby sister be ok?” she sniffled after she’d seemingly cried herself out. Secondo didn’t immediately answer, unsure of how best to respond. “Papa was hurt, he was s-screaming and holding his tummy. I heard Daddy say it was too early for my sister to come,” she continued. 
Secondo’s earlier worry returned. Sure, he and his brother weren’t exactly close, but he certainly didn’t want him to die , or to suffer the loss of a child. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. She sensed his hesitation, her cries threatening to break into a wail. In a desperate bid to calm her, he put both hands on her shoulders, steadying her.
“Sì, they will be fine. I promise.” He hoped he wasn't lying.
He got her settled down on the sofa, her eyes closing almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. He changed his tear and snot stained shirt with mild disgust. Before going back to bed himself, he called Omega, hoping to get some answers as to just what the hell was happening with his little brother. The call went straight to voicemail.
When he awoke the next morning, Starlight’s face was a foot from his own, standing at the edge of his bed and staring at him with watery eyes. She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand.
“Uncle Secondo, I’m hungry,” she whined. Secondo looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was only 7:45.
“Jeeze, kid. Are you usually up this early?” Starlight stared at him blankly. He got up with a sigh. He was greeted by mostly empty cupboards in the kitchen. He didn’t eat at home much, preferring to go to the great hall over cooking. He found a box of bran cereal, figuring it would have to do. She made a face when he put the bowl in front of her, sniffing it cautiously. Secondo watched with amusement as she ate all of it anyway, even drinking the milk. She really must have been hungry after all.
Not knowing what else to do, and having called out of his ministry duties, Secondo put on cartoons and let her sit and watch for the rest of the day, despite being told that her fathers didn’t let her watch much TV. She remained glued to the screen until just before noon, when she started to get visibly bored and antsy. He sympathized, feeling much the same way. Surely there was something they could do. Suddenly an idea occurred to him.
“Hey kid, do you wanna go pull a prank?” Secondo asked with an evil grin. She looked at him quizzically, her head cocked to the side.
“What’s a prank?” she asked innocently. Secondo’s smile evaporated. Man, he thought, his brother really sheltered this kid. He ignored her question and got her dressed. Once he had applied his face paint and gotten dressed himself, they headed to the great hall together, bringing a secret weapon. 
The walk felt like it took ages, Starlight continuously asking questions about the nature of pranking someone. When they finally arrived and Secondo was sure no one was looking, they snuck into the kitchen, quickly spotting their target. It was easy to identify Copia’s food, as he ate the same thing nearly every day, like the little weirdo he was. He fished the bottle of extra-hot hot sauce out of his pocket, lacing the red sauce on his rigatoni with it with a snicker. Starlight looked up at him, puzzled.
“Won’t that hurt Uncle Copia?” Her concern was endearing, but her voice rang out a little too loud. Secondo shushed her, quickly ushering her out of the kitchen and into the great hall. They ate lunch in silence at a table directly across from Copia, Secondo trying hard to be inconspicuous as he watched Copia like a hawk.
When Copia finally took a bite of his food after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Secondo watched with delight as he quickly spit it out, downing an entire glass of water before fanning his mouth cartoonishly.
“Fucking shit, that’s hot! What the fuck?!” Copia exclaimed, more shocked than angry. Starlight began to giggle, and Secondo elbowed her in the ribs, not wanting to get caught. Copia’s gaze flew to them immediately, his eyes widening in horror and his hand flying to his mouth as he seemed to only now realize that there was a small child present. He stalked towards them, glaring at Secondo before turning his attention to Starlight, expression softening. He crouched down to her level in a deep squat. 
“Do you know who messed with my food, little Star? You look like you do,” he stated plainly, face a mask of seriousness, but his voice was soft. Her eyes darted to Secondo for a moment, but she quickly stared forward, shaking her head. “Now now, I know your fathers taught you not to lie. That’s not very nice.” Copia took her hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb when her lip began to quiver. She turned her whole head to stare at Secondo this time. “Yeah, that’s about what I figured.”
Secondo scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“I did no such thing. She’s three! You’re really going to believe her?” Secondo managed to sound indignant despite being fully aware of his own guilt. 
“A heck of a lot more than I believe you,” Copia snarked. “Why’s she hanging out with a grumpy old man like you anyway?” Secondo rubbed the back of his neck when he felt Starlight stiffen beside him. Please, not another meltdown.
“Terzo is… in the infirmary, and Omega is with him,” Secondo said, choosing his words carefully.
“Ah, mazel tov! A new baby, how wonderful,” Copia exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Secondo shot him a look, shaking his head. Copia looked confused, then concerned. He opened his mouth to ask the question that Secondo could feel coming, when Starlight chimed in, opening her mouth for the first time since Copia had come to their table.
“Papa isn’t feeling good. He got hurt,” she said quietly, her voice threatening to break. A look of panic crossed over Copia’s features, and he rose to his feet, patting his pockets, clearly looking for his cell phone.
“Don’t bother, Omega’s phone is off. I tried last night and again this morning.” He sounded defeated. “Primo is with them. I’m sure everyone will be just fine.” The last part was added more for Starlight’s benefit than for anything else. Copia sighed, deciding to sit down beside Starlight, wrapping an arm around her.
“Why doesn’t anyone ever call me for these things? I love children!” Copia sounded genuinely hurt.
“No one ever calls you for these things because you’re a fucking idiot,” Secondo said bitterly. Copia covered Starlight's little ears, but to his surprise, she let out a giggle.
“Language!” Secondo was cautioned for the second time that day. He rolled his eyes. Whatever. She’d learn it before they knew it anyway. 
“Uncle Copia, could you come play with us? Watching TV is boring,” Starlight pleaded. Omega looked chuffed.
“Of course I can, little Star! I’d love nothing more. Why don’t the two of you come back to my chambers after lunch? I’ve got something I’d like to show you.” Copia patted her on the back and walked back to his table, taking the rigatoni to the trash and going into the kitchen himself. Secondo pinched the bridge of his nose. This was an unexpected consequence, and a huge pain in his ass.
After they ate, Secondo followed them to the papal suite, trailing behind like a shadow while Starlight skipped ahead of him, holding Copia’s hand. Copia was talking a million miles a minute at the little ghoul, although Secondo couldn’t have told you what he was talking about even with a gun to his head. 
When they entered, Secondo felt a sense of bitter familiarity; this suite had once been his home, and then Terzo’s after him. All of the brothers had taken turns residing in these luxurious quarters, but Copia was the one who’d been allowed to stay the longest. It was an unpleasant reminder of everything that had happened over the last decade or so. While, yes, Copia had been the one to overthrow the previous tyrannical regime and bring all of them back from the pit, he had also been the reason they were sent there to begin with. To say it had soured their already strained relationship was an understatement. 
He hated what Copia had done with the place. How could someone manage to make such glorious living quarters look like a pathetic bachelor pad? Empty pizza boxes, video games, an arcade cabinet… And worst of all, a cage filled with filthy vermin: Copia’s beloved pet rats.
Starlight squealed with delight when she saw the fat furry little shits, running over to their cage and putting her fingers through the bars. Three large rats scurried over to her, sniffing her hand curiously.
“Would you like to hold one?” Copia asked, and Starlight began jumping up and down, clapping her hands. Copia opened the cage, pulling out a light brown rat with beady black eyes, the largest of the bunch. “His name is, eh… Rigatoni. I guess you could say I really like pasta.” He patted his belly for emphasis. The ghoul giggled as she was handed the creature, her face lighting up. She held it carefully, with an awareness of her claws that Secondo found impressive for a child her age.
Copia sat her down in his armchair with Rigatoni, watching fondly for a while as they played together. While she was distracted, Copia pulled Secondo aside, walking to the far side of the sitting room, his face uncharacteristically serious.
“Ok, now are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on with my brother?”
“I don’t know any more than you do,” Secondo replied defensively. “Omega called me at two in the morning demanding I go down to the infirmary. He sent Starlight home with me, and she told me that Terzo was hurt. She said he was screaming and grabbing his stomach. Now Omega won’t answer the phone, and Primo is nowhere to be found. I’m assuming he’s still with them.”
Copia grimaced. Secondo could see the cogs turning in his brain, trying to figure out what exactly was going to happen next. Secondo turned around to check on Starlight, doing a double take when he saw her curled up with the rat in her arms. Both of them were fast asleep. 
“Man, she’s really tuckered out. What time does she usually take a nap?” Copia asked, amused. When Secondo stared blankly at him, Copia shook his head judgmentally.  “Toddlers need naps, dipshit.” Secondo just shrugged in reply. They sat for about fifteen minutes in uncomfortable silence, letting the little girl sleep. 
Eventually, though, Secondo got tired of waiting. He decided to pick her up and carry her back to his own quarters. When they got there, Secondo set her down on the sofa. He felt a twinge of guilt, though, at making her sleep there. Surely it wasn’t comfortable or healthy for a growing child, and he knew her fathers wouldn’t be pleased about it if they found out. With a deep sigh, he stripped his bed, putting fresh linens and blankets down. He transferred her to the bed, covering her up and going so far as to tuck her in. He wondered when he’d become such a softie.
After she woke up, the rest of the day was just as stilted and awkward as that early morning had been, with his niece again growing restless. Secondo gave her a bath, wanting to wash away the germs of that filthy rat. That night after she’d gone to bed, Secondo texted Copia, reluctantly asking him to come over tomorrow to help with Starlight. His reply was nearly instantaneous, eagerly accepting the invitation, almost like he expected it. Secondo didn't sleep well that night, tossing and turning on the sofa.
Copia followed them back to Secondo’s chambers after breakfast like a lost puppy the next morning, a small animal carrier in tow. To say that Secondo wasn’t thrilled about the unexpected furry guest would be an understatement, but Starlight was very excited, and he supposed that was what really mattered. 
They spent the afternoon playing together, and when she again fell asleep with Rigatoni, Secondo expected Copia to gather up the animal and leave, but to his dismay, Copia whipped out some sort of handheld video game system. Apparently, he came prepared to wait out naptime. Secondo rubbed his temples as he realized what he had set himself up for. 
They played until evening, and when it was dinner time, Copia followed them there too and ate with them, sitting next to Starlight, trying the whole time, with moderate success, to make her laugh. After dinner, Copia tried following them once again, but Secondo decided that enough was enough. He had overstayed his welcome, and Secondo made that clear to Copia in no uncertain terms. Copia sulked, clearly taking it personally, and went to leave, but not before giving Starlight a big hug. She happily returned it, squeezing tight. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, much to Secondo’s relief. 
Secondo had just gotten her situated on the sofa watching TV again when his phone rang. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was his brother-in-law. He went into his bedroom, silently shutting the door behind him.
“Hello?” Secondo answered, trying to sound calm and collected, not wanting to let the ghoul know how frazzled he felt. 
“Secondo,” came the deep voice of Omega. He sounded exhausted. 
“Yes? Where the hell have you been?” Secondo was getting a little irritated, wanting him to cut to the chase. There was a pause, followed by a long sigh on the other end of the line.
“We need you to keep Starlight for another couple of days. Two, maybe three. Hopefully no longer than that.” Anger bubbled up within Secondo. Was he really to be expected to put his entire life on pause at a moment’s notice for these people?!
“Why can’t Primo take her? Surely the new ghoul has been bound to our world by now, his job is done!” Secondo hissed through clenched teeth.
“We still need him here. He’s been working around the clock to help keep Terzo alive.” Omega’s voice was dark. There was another long pause, Secondo stunned into silence. He took a moment to appreciate the severity of the situation.
“That bad, huh?” Secondo said, keeping his voice down.
“Yes,” was all he got in reply. Secondo hung up the phone before he could say anything else, feeling numb, his extremities tingling. He peeked through a crack in the door at the little girl currently perched on his sofa, her stark white hair standing out like a beacon in the dim glow of the television. He braced himself to tell her the news of her extended stay, praying to whatever would listen that he wouldn’t soon have to deliver even worse news.
Starlight cried herself to sleep that night.
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nimrochan · 11 hours ago
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Thank you for your question. To really simplify the answer, no, Israel has never sought to annihilate Gaza or its people. Any pro-Israel activity calling to end Gaza is very rare and not consistent with what most Israelis (including myself) want.
There has been a *very successful* anti-Israel propaganda campaign from terrorist groups ever since WWII ended, spearheaded by Mufta al-Husseini (a friend of Hitler) and tailored to appeal to progressive intellectuals in the west. The “Gaza genocide” is common knowledge now, but there is simply not enough unbiased evidence to support it.
Many claim that there has been a genocide “for 80 years,” yet Gazan population has gone from 80,000 to 2 million, not consistent with ~80 years~ of genocide. At least not a successful one.
In fact before the recent war started by Hamas, most Gazans just… lived their lives. It was a beautiful piece of land. Roughly 150,000 Gazans crossed into Israel every day for work (and that will no longer be allowed probably, because a few of them turned out to be scoping and mapping the area that would later be the site of the 10/07 attacks). There was no IDF presence there. There were no Jewish residents since 2005, because, well, they didn’t want them and Israel agreed to yank them out. Again before the recent war, Israel accepted 1000-2000 Palestinian citizens a year. They, along with roughly 2 million other Israeli Arabs, have equal rights and opportunities (Meanwhile in the West Bank, a Palestinian faces the death penalty if they sell property to a Jew.). A very small handful of these Israeli-Palestinian citizens committed terrorist attacks on Jews over the years (look up the 2015 Palestinian attacks, as an example. I was there, watching it unfold on the news). There is a border around Gaza because of a history of suicide bombers and other attackers crossing over to hurt civilians. I was also there in the 90’s when that was a common problem. I was scared to take the bus to school, because buses were popular targets.
Meanwhile, Hamas put a foothold on Gaza and started firing unprovoked rockets into civilian areas in Israel, since they couldn’t easily cross the border anymore to plant bombs. They’ve been doing this for 20 years. Then they found a way to cross over en masse and rape/slaughter 1200 noncombatant people (I’m sure you know that story at least).
It turns out that the decades of propaganda over Israel’s alleged horrendous treatment of Gazans gave them billions of dollars in aid to build tunnels and rockets.
Hamas continued to send rockets from hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings so that IDF retaliatory rockets would hit civilians. Then they plaster it all over social media - look what Israel did! Then they continue firing rockets over and over and over again. They continue hanging on to the remaining 101 hostages, at least half of whom are dead.
Meanwhile, the IDF utilizes pamphlets and alerts and sirens and all kinds of methods to clear out civilians before they bomb an area. Not exactly “annihilation” behavior.
Why are they displacing upwards of at least a million Gazans from their homes? Because Hamas built tunnels and weapons under them. For the sole purpose of killing Israelis. So yeah, the IDF wants to put a stop to that. As would any normal army from a normal country.
Reliable sources put the combatant - to - civilian ratio at around 1:1 - 1:2.5, which is extremely low. For a dense urban area, average is 1:9.
Looking at it another way - there are about 300,000 IDF soldiers in Gaza right now. They have superior weapons, they have air space. That’s 100 times the number of Hamas members involved in 10/07. So if they killed Gazans with the same unhinged violence as Hamas did in one day … 100 times the soldiers leading to 100 times the deaths, over 400 days… They would have killed over ~20x the population in Gaza by now.
So between the population growth, the forcible removal of Jewish residents from Gaza in 2005, the multiple offers for a two state solution denied by Hamas, the fact that Israel has never sent a rocket first (and you can look that up), the distribution of aid, and the care taken to minimize civilian death in an extremely urban strip of land as small as Manhattan, there doesn’t seem to be an annihilation goal.
Are they capable of annihilating all Gazans? Yes. They’re a powerful military. But they haven’t so far. And I never see accurate or unbiased information to prove otherwise. What I HAVE seen is footage of Hamas torturing Gazans and shooting at people for trying to flee areas that the IDF warned them they would strike.
Let me be clear that I am in no way minimizing the suffering and death of Gazans, especially considering that children make up such a large number of the population. I’ve seen that footage too. It’s awful. It doesn’t have to be labeled a genocide to be horrific. War is horrific.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that every IDF member is free from sin, that would be foolish and naive, but to spread misinformation about the war is to embolden terrorists and keep them throwing their own citizens in harm’s way for the sake of killing Jews. Yes, I believe that a large part of the pro-Palestine movement is harming both sides.
We don’t want Gaza. (Egypt didn’t even want Gaza when offered). We want people to stop using it to terrorize us. We continue to receive 100+ rockets a day from Hamas and Hezbollah. One of them hit a kindergarten today.
You are welcome to ask me more questions as long as it doesn’t come from a hostile place.
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ccbatman · 5 months ago
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actually so evil how much of hal's internal world gets obliterated with the rewriting of his relationships with jessica and martin.
#hal jordan#empyrean posting#ok going in the tags because im not actually v confident in my understanding of his character. i read all of his 80s/90s stuff but forgot#90% of it but ANYWAY.#so much of him just does not make sense with how geoff johns characterises him and his relationships with his parents particularly the#parallax stuff simply because of how much his relationship with the guardians and their apathy/'betrayal' is influenced by hal's original#relationship with his dad. like at its heart it's pretty much the same dynamic in how hal blindly trusts and sort of idolises the guardians#despite their repeated infractions in hope of... something in return just as he had with his father and the abuse he suffered at martin's#hands. that's what makes his anger at the guardians make sense when it does show itself because the relationship parallel didn't stop there.#as with martin hal gets nothing for his devotion. he gets nothing for doing everything that's asked of him and more and it ends the same way#too: with a man in the sky burning like a newborn star. and you lose so much of that nuance and intrigue behind that if you just make#jessica the 'bad one' because!!! you cheapen it!!!!#the whole idea of hal is that he has his father's face but his mother's scars#(to me). in the sense that they both reacted to martin the same way with that cognisance of who he was as a man yet inability to pull away#because... love. both the love they had for him and the conviction that he did or could love them too. and jessica arguably did eventually#but also she didnt did she? because she held onto that notion of love till the very end. the few scraps she had she ballooned outwards until#they became the whole. but hal didnt have even that and he spent his whole life chasing it & running away from wanting it at the same time#like i think there's something so interesting to the fact that he had to be convinced that flying was what he wanted to do. how much of that#was touched by his father? the fear that he was already too much like him than he could bear to be? he already had his face now he had his#dreams and longing for the sky. how much more could he have before he began repeating the cycle?#and at the end he even had his father's death. burning in the clouds. like there's so much there and that's not even touching on how it#impacts his relationships with other heroes. not just in the sense of why did kyle clark and diana get to keep their close yet complex#relationships with their moms when hal had to lose his (although yeah why did they) but also just how he lets himself come across to them.#because it's on purpose right? that he lets them think his reflection of his father is born out of unadulterated love for a man worthy of it#? he has his father's job he wears his father's jacket he smiles his father's smile. what else are they supposed to think.#and isnt that interesting!!! that this man who is so committed to being good & just can lie so casually to people he thinks of as friends!!!#can you see how that might be his mother through and through!!! in how she might have glossed over the abuse to other people and herself!!!#can you see how in spite of it all he might want to be perceived as his father that paragon of masculinity and resent that he is not!!!#do you understand how everything he loves has been poisoned!!! im thinking of that scene where he tells bruce about watching martin die &#wouldnt it have been so much more interesting through this lens. how he is both revealing & obfuscating at once. i hate the change sm
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xejune · 6 months ago
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hey, did you know? if you want me to draw something, you can pay me to do so!
my commissions are currently open (and likely will be so year-round!) and you can find the price sheet for them here -> commissions
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batsinurbelfrey · 8 months ago
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molqr · 2 days ago
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YIPPEE YAY!! hi guy. beauty that is The Tagging Games <3
favourite colour: green!! used to be mainly that super eye-strainy yellow-green radioactive colour but all shades of green are sooo gorgeous to me i cant pick favourites. well theres one i like the most which is 'green leafs on trees when the sun shines through them' its very specific but its my favourite colour of all time forever...
last song: i had to go through ten pages of tf2 fight songs on last.fm for this. its such a funny bit but by god. anyway it was kuso breaking nou breaking lily by maximum the hormone. listened to that album for the first time a while back and this song is like my all time favourite from it, used to loop it constantly a few weeks/months ago pff
currently reading: cuckoo by gretchen felker-martin! ive yet to finish it but its really good i like it a lot... ive gotta hurry the fuck up i have to take it back to the library in like 3 days lmfao. really want to take a shot at drawning the main cast and the body horror.
currently watching: metalocalypse babyyyyyyyy. honestly wanted to just rewatch aotd again but wanted to finish rewatching the show first. supposed to be rewatching all of jjba but i hate part 2 i dont want to look at it.. also need to finish the golden girls lmao.
currently craving: b&j's cookie dough... i dont even like the cookie dough that much the vanilla ice cream is just so fucking delicious... havent had it in forever though because the price is absolutely fucking ridiculous lmao
coffee or tea: i love iced coffee and i love tea... fuck... i have to go with coffee simply because i like my iced coffees too much. tea is delicious though where would i be without it during winter.
hobby to try: all of them must be done i need to start my projects... drawing, writing, reading more, and uh, squints, making character edits that counts right. i need to learn how to use shotcut lol. been meaning to get into clay stuff or to learn to knit but i always forget to get on it lmao.
current au: cant think of any for the life of me tbh. OH SHIT YEAH my psychonauts metalocalypse au i forgot completely about that. i think dethklok being psychics would be so fucking funny they'd be so terrible. i can imagine revealing their horrors using their mental worlds so easy. i grin sinisterly. psychonauts aus are just so good always. also theyre so fun to design!! besides that all the current others are co-owned so if i was gonna mention them i'd want to make a big thing about it. like a really shitty gender reveal. (they're all really shitty, but you get what i mean right) congratulations, it's a freak!
tagging: friends and mutuals yippee yay! im shy tagging my mutuals so if you dont want to do this per some random internet fellow giving the say-so, then no pressure LOL @brookiesandcream @its-me-im-bumblebee @the-archivists-plus-one @classic-heavy @ruthytwoshakes @maplemaplemaplemaplemaple + anybody else who feels up to it, get silly w/ it!!
Get to Know Me (tagged by @slingbees)
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rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better and catch up with
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Favorite Color(s): ORANGE!!!!! but also yellow!
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Last Song:
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Currently Reading: them Guardians of Ga'hoole books because when I was in the hospital I read one of them.
Currently Watching: I'm going through Red Vs Blue with some friends.
Currently Craving: this peach monster right beside me. don't tempt me.
Coffee or Tea: I haven't been drinking much of either recently, but coffee.
Hobby to Try: Start animating at home.
Current AU: I guess I've been thinking about that Simpsons comic where Smithers gets cloned, fucking hilarious they just start killing each other. Other than that, I don't know.
TAGGING:@sleepypuddding @funkyjunkyfangz @beeframennoodles100 @danklemckspankle @potatoqueensays @notevenhodgepodge @butchbarneygumble @lorogy662 @calpalsworld anyone else too!
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piplupod · 9 months ago
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mother: "theres this great job where you'd be on-call to come in!"
me: "ahhh i don't really want to be on-call, that would stress me out a lot because I'd always be on edge,,"
mother: "no you wouldn't, you could make it your thing!"
me: "...my thing?"
mother: "being on call! it'd be great! :)"
me: "i would probably be crying like... a lot ahaha. because I would always be on edge never knowing when to expect having to go into work, yknow?"
mother: "nooo, you could just make it a thing!"
me: "sorry, what do you mean by thing?"
AND I NEVER FOUND OUT !!
#i feel very ill fdsjkl tonight was ... not good#not the worst definitely not the worst#just. a lot of diet talk and making fun of other ppl that she expected us to all laugh at (and we did. idk if they found it funny.)#and brother labelling some influencer having rape charges against him just ''internet drama''#number one: i dont want to hear about that. number two: that is not just ''drama'' that is like. serious. what the fuck is wrong w youuuu#my mother will say that all the food i eat is very bad for me and do that while knowing full well i struggle to eat Anything#and say that simply Adding things to the diet is pointless bc ur poisoning urself still! u have to Take Out things! i cant fucking do that!#im still baffled that two years ago when i tried to go to them for help when i was almost fainting from not eating they just shrugged at me#''okay? why are u telling us this?'' BECAUSE YOU ARE MY PARENTS. AND I AM TRYING TO GET HELP.#i should've known better than to try tbh but like. its so hard to completely let go of every sliver of hope that they'll... be kind#like me saying i was feeling suicidal a few yrs ago just garnered a ''oh don't start this again. we're not doing this again.''#and me admitting my own damn self to the psych ward just had her telling me ''i dont think you actually needed to go :/''#mother dearest if it werent for the other fuckers in the brain (caused by you abusing me) then i would've been dead several times over#i am so fucking tired i am so sick of these ppl it is so incredibly painful and terrifying that this is supposed to be my family#this is the one support system i get in life. and it is no support system at all. i am fucked !! i am so unbelievably fucked!!!#i know other ppl make it thru but they are much stronger than me. i am lacking something that they all have lmao. i am cowardly and weak!!!#i have been trying so fucking hard to figure out how to like. make this work. how to survive in this society and its just. impossible#i think we're back to the clock ticking down as my bank account runs out#i cannot be employed and ppl keep telling me disability won't accept me so i am just. unanimously fucked over i suppose#i have two years !! two years until i run out of money!!! thats a lot of time!! to make all the art i want to make!!#i will make this work for these two years i will cope and make my art and disconnect and daydream through the intolerable parts#i will make these two years so good sdfjkl im gonna make it to the end of them#sorry this is all coming flooding out fsjdkl i've just tried so hard to be like. positive abt things and laugh abt things and be okay#im tired of trying to make it okay fdsjkl i am wallowing tonight i guess. boohoo poor little me fdsjkl i'll probably get over it soon#just need to like. let a little of the pressure leak out so i don't completely crack and do smth stupid#it will be okay !!! or as okay as it can be !!! this will be blocked out by tomorrow morning probably!!#or it'll have to be LMAO i have my silly old lady yarn group tomorrow and i need to be Normal for that#suicide tw#abuse tw#ed tw
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arolesbianism · 2 months ago
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Doodle I did of my girl Juliet earlier
#keese draws#lobotomy corporation#oc art#not super happy with this but I do enjoy looking at her so I can lower my standards for her#at least I feel like I have a better idea of her general shapes now#I spent hours and hours today on the lob corp grind and I think Im Finally ready to actually move forward with they story#Ive also been thinking abt my nuggets during their lor eras and thats been fun#in particular its been fun to think abt my ogs because half of them are experiencing their crash from finally being free from lob corp hell#and the other half are like frolicking in fields and making friendship bracelets and have made peace with their past and upcoming futures#and that half is the half that are all just godawful people who do not deserve that peace and happiness while the people they actively#traumatized are just left to deal with it#this is mostly abt juliet and loki they both suck I love them sm <3#juliet is the one thats caused more active harm tho since shes that type of boss that will obsess over those she thinks have ~potential~#and once youve caught her attention you are guaranteed to have a horrible time as she will get what she wants out of you no matter what#she doesn't even work on abnormalities anymore just just breaths down ppls necks and fights when need be#loki is very similar in that regard he puts a lot of pressure on his team to provide the results he wants#hes less likely to like. directly psychologically torture those who are under him. but he still isnt a good boss.#hes also more openly rude and disrespectful towards those around him because while neither respect anyone but eachother#loki much more frequently openly states that fact to ppls faces because he feels like everyone around him is wasting his time#now loki actually does legitimately like a few other ppl he works with which is smth that cant rly be said for juliet#but hes also the one whos always on team 'lets murder the newbies for science' so y'know#ding is like his least favorite person here and its like 30% because he specifically accepted her into the info department because he#planned on getting her killed to finish off some research on a tool abno that was being worked on#but she survived the process so now she just like actually works here and he despises her despite the fact that shes rly good at her job#juliet doesn't usually send ger guys to die on purpose but if they do die she doesn't care#she simply feels that if they die early they were weak links anyways#she will still be 'nice' to newbies and to all of her coworkers for that matter but she still has quite the bad reputation regardless#some newbies do fall for her polite act but anyone whos been here for more than like a few days knows that she doesn't give a shit abt them#theyre both doing fine in lor theyre just like we may have lost everything but at least we have eachother :) (mason wants to strangle them)
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hollenka99 · 6 months ago
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YouTube yesterday: Hey btw The Longest Johns just released a song about Horatio Nelson's death.
Me: Cool, excuse me as I stare off into space and think about L'Manburgian soldiers' reaction to hearing about Kiril's dying to withering whenever I play the song.
#regicide au#like yes I know realistically Kiril would be a bit of a controversial figure in L'Manburg#his father (and ancestry in general tbh) represents centuries of colonialism and oppression#like ffs you can't just walk into a place like Pogtopia going 'hi I promise I'm a good Krafta'#when you've had to spend the past few years drastically unlearning all the colonialist propaganda you were fed as a child#anyway Artur is representative of continuing the oppression of an entire people no matter how hard you have to grind your boot on them#while Kiril represents the effort to at least make a start on fixing the mistakes of the past#with liberation in the hopes that will open the door for reparations etc#not that he ever expects to see that because he'll be dead from fratricide#(not to mention shit like that will take generations for the wounds to begin healing so no veteran of this war will live to see it either)#he still wants to do *something* as a way to work towards that better future though#a war of independence sure as fuck wasn't what he imagined but 'the universal language is violence' yada yada#it certainly seems to be Artur's universal language#and Kiril gains an even better image of himself as a general who is willing to fight and potentially die with his soldiers#those under his command absolutely have deep respect for him thanks to how he conducts himself#...and then the withered arrows start flying#people are going to end up talking about how he never let on he was hit himself#he simply visited the affected soldiers in the infirmary some of whom were doomed to die in one of the worst ways possible#then he was gone. just grabbed by his brother so he could be killed in Rayusel (or away from the public eye in general)#rumours are going to fly about all sorts of things pertaining to Kiril's final hours but one thing is for sure#there is going to be grief amongst the soldiers who loved him#'let him die in peace' ...yeah they really are going to hope that somehow he didn't suffer as much as a typical withering victim#god I am just shaking this song vigourously by its shoulders I swear
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acid-ixx · 5 months ago
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ch.2: again &. again (platonic! yandere batfam x neglected! gn reader)
directory: preq, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four
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read until the end for an author's note.
*"XX/XX/XXXX, entry no. 13.
i hate everything. i hate my family. i hate my father, i hate my brothers, i hate my classmates, i hate alfred, i hate this place, i hate my mom, i hate everyone.
why can't i ever get what i wanted? what do i have to do? i tried so hard to be everything for them, but why do i only amount to nothing? it's been a year, or two, i don't know. it hurts trying to remember when was the last time i saw him. saw, not talk, because he never talks to me, bruce never even looks at me. and i hate myself for trying to get him to look at me.
is he disgusted at me? does he see my mother in me? does he hate me that much? i don't know, i don't want to know, it hurts to know. i don't know why i'm trying anymore, i don't know how longer i can last in this hell. i can feel it, the longer i stay here, the more i lose a part of myself. i don't want to be here.
i don't want to pray anymore.
so if there's any god out there watching over me, then i wish for you to burn, to suffer, to go through the same thing i have been experiencing for years— all for putting me in this place. i would've been fine living in the streets with my mother. i would've been alright providing for our small family, i would've known to never get my hopes high, but you took her away from me!—
i hate you."
"master (name), are you awake? dinner is ready."
you had to shut your diary at the sound of the knock and alfred's voice.
"alfr-"
a cough, hoarse and croaky, cuts you out from calling his name. it was accompanied by uncontrollable sniffles, mucus blocking your nose from breathing properly. your room was dark, save for the lamp that lights up your bedside, where you currently were seated on your bed to write another entry, grip on your pen unknowingly harsh. you didn't even have to look at your reflection from your phone laying beside the diary to know that hiding your tears were fruitless.
salty were the crystalline droplets that streaks your face, but bitter were the emotions that had your heart ache.
you hear a sigh from the other room. before he could muster a reply, you beat him to it.
"i'm not eating dinner, alfred," you hate hearing your voice, sounding so obviously scrathy from the hours of wailing. "at least not with them. i don't want to get out at all."
"then may i at least bring them over to you, master (name)?"
his answer was final, you have no choice on retaliating and starving yourself like you did for the past few days. but it wasn't your fault that you had forgotten your body's needs. it wasn't your fault that your mind blanks itself out on the dinner table. it wasn't your fault that bile quickly crawls up your throat at hearing their voices.
you simply lost your appetite seeing them happy without you.
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alfred pennyworth would never play favorite.
it was drilled into his head ever since he had sworn to serve the wayne family and its extended members— he is to serve anyone and everyone, regardless if they respect him or they do not; as long as they do not pose any danger within the manor, then he is to attend to them.
you'd think that in his decades of service for the wayne's - with all the contrasting personalities he had to deal with - he would maintain professional standards and tell everybody in the world, "i, of course, do not favor anyone within the family, i live to serve and that is truth." when in fact, he wouldn't hesistate to admit that he does, in actuality, have a favorite.
and no, it wouldn't be the eldest child, dick grayson, as much as he is alfred's pride and joy, nor would it be the youngest, damian wayne, who had been slowly correcting his mistakes. it wouldn't even be the head of the house, master bruce.
it would be you, (name) wayne, the infamous, yet forgetten child of the wayne family.
it wouldn't be a far fetch for alfred to admit that you weren't like the others. in all of the years that he served the wayne's, you were a contrast of the family.
the first few hours that he had picked you up from the police department upon the news of bruce's secret child, he knew you were more than just a child raised by the brutal streets of gotham.
you pose secrets that speak of the underground.
he remembers your seated form on the stiff chair of the interrogation room, pose unnervingly straight, as if you had solidified yourself against the metal seat. your fingers were the only signs that showed life, twiddling with each other as if it's some form of distraction.
you stared at nothing.
not even at the police as your name was called for pick up.
it took merely a signature of confirmation to dictate the future years of your life.
what's left of your belongings were given to alfred. the police officer, a woman with a kind smile then had to walk across the interrogation table to pat your back, gesturing for you to stand up and follow her and alfred on the way outside of the station, where the car was parked.
you hadn't uttered a word nor snapped out of your dreamlike gaze. not even when you were greeted with a thousand clicks of the cameras, the buzzing crowd that drowns the police station, or the hundreds of voices that yell at you to look at them.
(name) (last name), now formally adopted by bruce wayne, would be (name) wayne. it wouldn't be a shock that your sudden appearance as the child of a scandalous relationship between a prostitute and a billionaire would cause immense reactions. news would be spreading left and right, most of which were negative on your side.
he had to shield you from the crowd of photographers and journalists itching their way to the crowd to get a glance on you.
yet you didn't display any discomfort. you had only sat on the car obediently, fastening your seatbelts robotically and ignoring the lenses that unsettlingly tried to poke through the car windows to take pictures of you.
you were more like batman than you were bruce.
alfred had tried to get you communicate with questions like, "how are you over there, master (name)?" yet you would only mumble unintelligible responses to his questions without any ounce of emotion. he had to look at the rear view mirror to take in your stiff form. again, your eyes were set on nothing, even if they were casted down on the carpeted floorboards of the car.
when he had first met bruce, that child was overflowing with anger and vengeance for his parent's killer, yet you, who refused to explain your mother's disappearance, are devoid of anything.
the silence was defeaning throughout the ride. the only comfort that was provided was the rain that began to patter against the glass windows.
alfred throught you would retain the same behavior the entire day.
yet it was only when you first walked up the steps of the manor did your demeanor change, fingers immediately reaching up to hold the cuffs of his sleeves, pulling it as if you were hesitant to step in.
the first emotion you had shown him was concern, like a switch had flickered you out of your trance. it was the first time in a while that alfred had to do a double take to check if what was happening was real.
"can you... hold my hand?" and it was the first time he had heard you speak, voice unnaturally scratchy from the lack of water. you stared at him with wide, doe eyes that refused to blink, waiting for answers. alfred had to gaze at your entire body to finally notice that you were covered head to toe in sloppy bandages with blood seeping through the grime-filled gauze. your shoes were worn, your clothes were ripped, and other uncovered scars littered your body.
the most conspicuous color on your shirt was crimson red.
yet you do not display pain.
a child, five years of age, had been through more than enough anguish to know how to block their pain out.
you were unlike the rest, truly, you were unwavering of the world's cruelty.
the world does not deserve someone like you.
alfred takes it in himself to always hold your hand after that.
through the mansion doors, inside the kitchen, on your way to school; whenever and wherever, as long as he had time.
even if it were filled with scars and bruises, dirt and grime, he will always hold your hand if it meant guiding you through the darkness of the manor.
you may not consider yourself bruce's child, but you will always be alfred's.
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another knock on your door had you snapping out of your trance. time passed by so quickly in the manor. well, it does when you have nothing to do but stare at your diary, draw on your sketchbook or scroll through your phone. yet time would always be the quickest whenever you drown in your own misery.
"come in," you croak out, aware that it would only be alfred who would come by your room. it was long ago since you had given up on awaiting for dick's visits.
a turn of the knob, then the door swings quietly; the hinges creak, you need them oiled sooner. alfred walks in, you notice he holds a tray that contains two cupcakes and a plate of your favorite dish, but you don't notice the small box with a bow hidden skillfully from the back of the tray. from over your seat, you could already smell the aromatic herbs that flutter in the room and see the colorful frosting from both cupcakes; an already lit candle sticking in from one.
the candle at least provides just a split second of light inside your dim room; the moonlight just like your family, absent.
alfred graciously places the tray on your nightstand, on the left of your diary. your room was still too silent.
you could only hear yourself.
"master (name), are you simply going to sit there and stare? or would you rather i spoonfeed you like i had when you had broken your wrist?"
you blink it out again, oblivious to your very own hyperawareness. alfred's still here. you hope that, in the presence of darkness, he wouldn't see just how much of a mess you are. how your hands could barely grip onto anything, hair unwashed, face stained with tears, difficulty breathing through the buildup of mucus, foot tapping up and down erratically— you wished he would pretend to be blind about your suffering for just this once.
"no—" came your sudden reply, "i can- yeah, i can eat by myself."
it's harder to lie to yourself than it is to others.
he looks at you with doubt, it makes you shiver.
despite you wishing for company inside the manor, you could never be used to attention. it would never be normal for someone like you. though, you wish it was. you wish you never hesitated when someone gives you attention.
you hear your mattress creak, there's a dip on your bed. alfred sits beside you, only then did you realize just how quickly you lean into his side, craving for warmth in the solace of your empty room.
everything hurts, it truly does.
you wish you were strong enough to cease the sudden burst of tears when his one hand circles your shoulder and the other holds the cupcake with a candle near your face. and you wish that you weren't so weak in the presence of another, trying to find a semblance of your worth in their attention.
you at least try to stifle your sobs—
"happy birthday, master (name)."
— but you were always weak, yet alfred never seems to mind, patting your back to console you from your wailing.
you blow the fire out with a single promise to yourself, crying a bit more when alfred had given you a gift box, laced with a ribbon of your favorite color.
it was one of the few gifts you would cherish, fondness seeping into the cracks of your heart.
though it wouldn't erase the bitterness that fills your being either way, knowing your family is still downstairs, unaware of the anguish the torment that they have put you through— it's still enough to let you hate alfred a little less.
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"alfred?"
it was your meek voice, one that was always drowned out by the sound of the dishes clanking.
"yes, master (name)?" yet alfred could always strain out the sound of anything just to hear your talk. after all, you were a silent kid throughout your childhood.
"—if i move out of this place; would promise you wouldn't forget about me?"
... (name) wayne was full of surpises.
even at the ripe age of seventeen, and in the near fourteen years of raising you, alfred could never predict your words nor your actions.
you had always said things spontaneously, carrying an aura of awkwardness in your tone, reminiscent of someone who had their personal growth (moreover their social life) stunted.
but now, with the way you had said your resolve so confidently, it felt like he was looking at a different version of you; all the more confident and resilient.
except... you were behind him when you had said that - so he wasn't really looking at you - eating the first batch of his cookies whilst he was polishing the dishes with a cloth.
when he had turned around to look at you, though, you were still the socially inept child he knows and love, sitting on the breakfast bar and twirling around the stool as you attempt to not get crumbs everywhere. you were still so young in his eyes.
it's just, the way you had looked at him expectedly like you needed his approval that shocked him. it was always your eyes that had expressed the most emotions, glazing with anticipation for his response.
he knows it when you lie, and right now, you were dead serious in your resolve.
alfred had to relax the crease on his brows before he ages faster than he already is.
"well, master (name)," he continues, turning back to wiping the dishes clean before he could fully face you. "i would fully support you in your... journey, but what warranted you to be suddenly motivated on moving out?"
alfred had finished setting aside the dishes, but he still doesn't look back.
"i mean, i thought i already told you? i have a scholarship for college but it's on the other side of gotham and...
— i kind of don't want to be chauffeured by a limo around the campus everyday, you know? so the next best thing is to get a dorm."
alfred knows it when you lie. and right now, your hesitance tells him everything he needs to know.
you may have proved a point, but that point was an entire lie. with a person name wayne flaunting across a city whilst riding a limousine, you might find yourself into more trouble than anything else.
but he had always been the one to pick you up and drop you off from elementary and halfway through your highschool life— and you never seemed to mind until now.
it doesn't take a genius to know that you had already deviced a full plan of moving out and taken it into action; all you had to do was confront the only man in the manor who had cared about you enough to raise you about your worries.
it wasn't enough to convince him to let you go, though, especially not right after an incident that had occured prior to you highschool life. if he allows you to gain independence in gotham, he wouldn't know how long you would last.
but when he looks back at you again, he couldn't bring it in himself to oppose to your whims. you need a new environment; one that provides you a way to gain independence and, most preferably, social skills. staying cooped up in a manor with barely anybody talking to you does more harm than good.
and being ignored by your own family for almost fourteen years wouldn't be a great way to celebrate your already nearing eighteenth birthday.
alfred doesn't want to admit it, but if he keeps you here any longer, you would never grow up. one person could only do so much.
he whips out a sigh, looking at you with resignation in his eyes. but you know it in yourself that he swears his life on the promise.
"master (name)," he walks over to you, eyes darting at the cookie crumbs that litter around your mouth making a note to scold you on your manner later. he sits directly in front of you, hand patting your head as you merely stare at him expectedly.
"i have raised you for almost fourteen years, it's like you are my very own child. i would never forget you." he takes your hands in his. "but you have to also promise me to stay safe out there, master (name). call me once you're there."
alfred would find a way to get you to come back eventually, even if it meant utilizing your family's neglect, which was primarily the reason why you had moved out on the first place.
he just hopes you wouldn't connect the dots and pin the blame on him once you're back and safe in the manor.
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and now, it had only been months since you had gotten away from the manor. he was proud of your development, of your choice and overall, you, but he wouldn't lie and say he doesn't miss you.
he misses hearing your voice directly, the line on the phone being too blotchy to properly hear you. he misses it when he would sit on your bed as your only audience whilst he watches you paint on your canvases, drawling on and on about highschool's latest drama. he misses it when you would always be the first to taste his dishes, face lighting up whenever the food was seasoned up; now he has to constantly remind you to eat a nutritious diet, even offering to send you money whenever you mention you were short on it.
in the good of your heart, you would always decline, even going as far to deny him of any liberty to track you down and bring you a meal himself.
alfred misses you.
does he regret allowing you your freedom? not really, no. but he knows it in himself that a greedy part of him prefers it if you were would visit the manor occasionally during your vacations, at least to bond with him. but you simply chose not to, even going as far to legally change your name once you had become eighteen so you wouldn't be associated with your father's last name.
but that wouldn't erase the past you had tried to meticulously cover.
(name) wayne may have been a name forcefully deleted off of the face of the internet, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its conspiracies of its own. nobody knows who you are beyond the blurry, unsolicited pictures of you. it may have been a photograph of your back, or articles published in unknown websites and buried at the far end about a kid leaving a police station and entering through the fancy gates of the wayne manor.
and most importantly, you are a product of a one-night-stand.
but they don't know who the mother is, don't know your age, or where you come from, and what business bruce has with the woman to guarantee your adoption at the instance she had disappeared without warning.
your existence was a mystery most would like to solve. after all, it was your picture that was plastered all over the newspapers and articles, it was your name that journalists whisper and it was a silhouette of your face that the underground knows by heart. every known information about you was shared discretely yet efficiently like some sort of virus.
you were a target for interest, a large sum of money if they will. and alfred had taken it in his hands to make sure there would never be a repeat of what had happened before.
it was a clumsy mistake, one that cost you your memories, and one he swears on his life he'll never make again.
the first course of action he needs to arrange, which may seem difficult for most; he needs to confront bruce.
after all, your freedom is your doom.
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the wayne manor, in all its glory, could only be described as this palace overflowing his its abundant history and fame.
it was a castle that houses a boy who had lost his parents and became gotham's very own vigilante who stalks through the night to lessen the very evil that devours its citizens. it was the training grounds where the robins, sidekicks dressed in colorful attire, opposite to batman, were raised to be worthy enough to stand by the dark knight's side. but most importantly, it was a home for troubled children who were in their journey of their very own personal struggles.
yet even in its exterior splendour, it would always be innately overcome with loneliness.
for someone like bruce wayne, he embraces this desolation just as he embraces his alter-ego, batman, who wears a suit of black and dons an aura that demanded fear.
even if he carries the persona of 'brucie wayne' a ditsy, playboy who enjoys galas and sleeping with women every other night, he prefers solitude over the sea of interviewers who throng around him like he was a piece of meat.
it would be the only time he could focus on his countless of stacked paperworks to sign and his plans to ransack another criminal's master plan.
before winter could cover gotham in its sheet of pure, white coldness, rain would always terrorize the skies. he finds this the perfect atmosphere; dark grey clouds prevent the sun from peaking through, droplets of rain would pelt against the vast windows that surrounds his study, and there was enough background noise to block out any sounds that would pass through the door.
bruce wayne was focused on his work, and that meant disturbance wasn't allowed inside the manor. thankfully, it was a quiet, uneventful afternoon today.
in fact, it was all too abnormally quiet.
his scarred hands work through signing papers effiently and effortlessly, practiced fingers signing papers after he would meticulously scan over the paragraphs of texts that scale from business deals to partnerships to buying a piece of land. then later, once the moon rises, he would have to patrol with damian and disrupt another drug trade that had been recently dealing with children on the alleys of gotham.
that means he has to sign or reject at least half of the papers before evening falls through, so he could have alfred send them over through the post office tomorrow morning.
he was at least a quarter way through his work, though, when his flow was disrupted by a courteous knock by the mahogany doors.
he didn't have to look up or ask who it was, knowing it was alfred, his butler.
"master bruce, i have your tea ready, along with news to bare," bruce could hear the tone of urgency and a tinge of sullenness in alfred's voice. it was rare for alfred to be emotionally distressed, as he was typically the most composed out of everyone in the family.
"come on in, alfred," bruce's vocal chords were gruff, raspy whenever he's too engrossed in whatever he was doing.
but he was piqued at the news alfred was eager to share, the butler expertly turning the knob and entering with a tray that holds a hot serving of tea.
bruce stopped signing the papers, putting down his pen as he watches alfred, composed as always, place the tray down on his desk, not a single clank that was produced from the metal sheets. he watches as alfred reflexively pours him a cup of tea.
it was only after that action that the two share eye contact, alfred stationing himself to the right of bruce's desk.
if he wasn't a detective, he wouldn't have noticed the furrow of alfred's brows, which was uncharacteristic of the composed butler.
he reckons he should address the elephant in the room.
"what is it that you want to tell me, alfred?" bruce swivels his chair to face alfred, fingers tapping the mahogany desk rhythmically.
"master bruce, i figured you should have known this for quite a long time ago, but your third child had moved out on their own and now lives at the opposite side of gotham. right now, they may have been struggling to make ends meet."
huh?
"what do you mean, alfred? you're aware that tim is currently living in the manor—"
"no, master, i am talking about your third, not fourth child; master (name)."
... (name)?
ah, his... other child.
alfred looks at his seated form, expecting the befuddled reaction from bruce.
it doesn't take long for bruce to recover from his thoughts, eyebrows furrowed the same way as alfred as he leans against his chair.
"and what of (name)? why was i not updated about them?"
alfred had to stifle a groan as he then glares at bruce with what he could suppose was exasperation.
"i had already told you about their leave months ago, master bruce. you had simply waved me off whenever the topic is of master (name)." the butler's glare hardened, reminiscent of the times where bruce was scolded as a child. and like a child, he doesn't know what he had done wrong.
"i feel it is time for you to take it into your hands to deal with master (name)'s situation right now. i do not have access to their location and just like you, they are stubborn and refuse to accept any financial aid that comes to them in any form—"
to make matters worse, alfred had the gall to stop midway into his explanation, sighing and blinking unnervingly which catches more than bruce's attention.
"they would rather not admit it, but if they were to fail to pay for this month's rent of their apartment, they would get evicted from their very own living space."
at pretty much the last sentence, bruce's gaze hardened. not at alfred, no, but at the thought of you; his... forgotten child. if it was money that you need, why had you not ask for any allowance in the first place? bruce would admit that, well, it had been too long since he had last seen your face, nor even... remember it—
but you were still a child of his and he wouldn't deny you of an allowance if it meant persuing your... highschool or college dreams...?
shit, what grade are you in?
why didn't he know you moved out in the first place? wait—
"alfred, how long has it been since they had last moved out?"
"roughly six or seven months ago, master."
"ah, but having a place of your own as a minor would be prohibited by law."
"master bruce, they're eighteen. they're old enough to live in their own apartment."
eighteen years old...? how long had it been since he had last seen or heard of you? if what alfred had said was true, that the butler had attempted to reach out to him about you, then why had he not remember in the first place? you were a quiet kid, sure, but for someone like bruce, people would always not be overlooked.
it wasn't in him to easily forget, but he hates how he couldn't muster up a single memory of your face— not even your hair color nor your eyes. did you even... exist in his eyes? there was not a single memory of you that he could come up in his head.
his child was eighteen now, how could he not have known in the first place? how could he not recollect a single birthday of yours? or any celebration or gala that had you in it?
alfred's sigh snapped him out of his trance once more.
bruce looked up, seeing resignation upon alfred's face. he simply stood there, posture straight as always, but bruce couldn't wash away the shame that cages his heart when there was not a single image of you that pops up in his mind— alfred's disappointment merely worsened
the tea in his desk had long since gone untouched, but bruce couldn't bring it in himself to drink a single drop of it, even if his lips were dried and his throat was begging for even a single droplet of water.
he denies himself of any relief.
"i figure i should leave you in your own, master bruce, to at least compose yourself before nightfall. please do take your child into consideration, though, enough time has passed since you have last seen them." alfred states, as if it was a matter of fact. and it was, bruce should've known about your leave, as your father and as the man who took you in, he should've.
so before the butler could even take a step, bruce hastily stands up from his seat, pen long since discarded on his desk and a quarter of the papers are now messily stacked upon each other, but bruce pays them no mind.
"take me to (name)'s room right now, i need to see things for myself."
if bruce couldn't even remember a single instance of you, then maybe a trip to your room would be enough for him to remember.
but if that doesn't work then... bruce would a find a way, he always would.
and as your father, he needs to at least support you, even financial no matter your stubbornness? even if the shame he feels right now is so immensely disturbing, and the migraine is quickly finding its way into his head— he needs to know more about you, his actual third child.
bruce wayne needs to see your face just once.
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reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.
a/n: 5k+ words. no beta, we die like jason todd with a crowbar. my least favorite part of writing the chapter is literally starting it. i had at least 5 drafts all lined up and it took me an hour in the bed to think about how should i start it. i literally hope you guys enjoy the chapter hehe, and start to yk, notice the patterns and the parallels between your perspective and bruce's perspective bec ur literally his child, u guys share some habits even if u never once talked to him lmao. the most emotionally draining scene was writing the birthday scene, i had to take breaks from typing it out hehe. bruce's descent to yandere-ism isn't as quick as dick's but it would be worst in the next chapter.
also, i hope you guys are able to notice the bad habits that the reader eventually collects because it's important for the next chapters. it would be better if anyone of u could... point them out in my asks or comments, i love rambling about it yk, and a lot of you are absolutely brilliant in making theories that are absolutely right. anyways, i hope u enjoy this chapter because this was one hell of a ride for me and i appreciate all the reblogs and comments despite me not replying to a lot of yall but u guys truly are my motivation so thank u lots :(((<33!
taglist: @lilyalone, @secretomelettetroops, @earlqurl, @simpingfor-wakasa, @amber-content, @ruiroku, @okaybutfullhomo, @trasshy-artist, @obsessedwithromance, @jjsmeowthie, @fairy-lenaa, @maicenitas, @ilovvmyhusband, @6uuyuuhgy, @plsfckmedxddy, @lavender-moony, @sweetheart-era, @chemicalsandghosts, @darling006, @starringyau, @rosecentury, @jaythes1mp, @pi1nkl0ver, @i-thirsty-boi, @sharks-r-cool-l, @silverklaus, @samanthathanes, @traumaramacenter, @maddimoon, @anxrq, @thedarknesslord, @h0rr0r-10ver-69, @lazy-idate, @googeecat44, @simpingfor-wakasa, @zvghfgn, @0patito0 (if i had forgotten to put any of u in a taglist please forgive me, it's hard to keep track !!)
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wordstome · 10 months ago
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how c.ai works and why it's unethical
Okay, since the AI discourse is happening again, I want to make this very clear, because a few weeks ago I had to explain to a (well meaning) person in the community how AI works. I'm going to be addressing people who are maybe younger or aren't familiar with the latest type of "AI", not people who purposely devalue the work of creatives and/or are shills.
The name "Artificial Intelligence" is a bit misleading when it comes to things like AI chatbots. When you think of AI, you think of a robot, and you might think that by making a chatbot you're simply programming a robot to talk about something you want them to talk about, and it's similar to an rp partner. But with current technology, that's not how AI works. For a breakdown on how AI is programmed, CGP grey made a great video about this several years ago (he updated the title and thumbnail recently)
youtube
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you watch this because CGP Grey is good at explaining, but the tl;dr for this post is this: bots are made with a metric shit-ton of data. In C.AI's case, the data is writing. Stolen writing, usually scraped fanfiction.
How do we know chatbots are stealing from fanfiction writers? It knows what omegaverse is [SOURCE] (it's a Wired article, put it in incognito mode if it won't let you read it), and when a Reddit user asked a chatbot to write a story about "Steve", it automatically wrote about characters named "Bucky" and "Tony" [SOURCE].
I also said this in the tags of a previous reblog, but when you're talking to C.AI bots, it's also taking your writing and using it in its algorithm: which seems fine until you realize 1. They're using your work uncredited 2. It's not staying private, they're using your work to make their service better, a service they're trying to make money off of.
"But Bucca," you might say. "Human writers work like that too. We read books and other fanfictions and that's how we come up with material for roleplay or fanfiction."
Well, what's the difference between plagiarism and original writing? The answer is that plagiarism is taking what someone else has made and simply editing it or mixing it up to look original. You didn't do any thinking yourself. C.AI doesn't "think" because it's not a brain, it takes all the fanfiction it was taught on, mixes it up with whatever topic you've given it, and generates a response like in old-timey mysteries where somebody cuts a bunch of letters out of magazines and pastes them together to write a letter.
(And might I remind you, people can't monetize their fanfiction the way C.AI is trying to monetize itself. Authors are very lax about fanfiction nowadays: we've come a long way since the Anne Rice days of terror. But this issue is cropping back up again with BookTok complaining that they can't pay someone else for bound copies of fanfiction. Don't do that either.)
Bottom line, here are the problems with using things like C.AI:
It is using material it doesn't have permission to use and doesn't credit anybody. Not only is it ethically wrong, but AI is already beginning to contend with copyright issues.
C.AI sucks at its job anyway. It's not good at basic story structure like building tension, and can't even remember things you've told it. I've also seen many instances of bots saying triggering or disgusting things that deeply upset the user. You don't get that with properly trigger tagged fanworks.
Your work and your time put into the app can be taken away from you at any moment and used to make money for someone else. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people who use AI panic about accidentally deleting a bot that they spent hours conversing with. Your time and effort is so much more stable and well-preserved if you wrote a fanfiction or roleplayed with someone and saved the chatlogs. The company that owns and runs C.AI can not only use whatever you've written as they see fit, they can take your shit away on a whim, either on purpose or by accident due to the nature of the Internet.
DON'T USE C.AI, OR AT THE VERY BARE MINIMUM DO NOT DO THE AI'S WORK FOR IT BY STEALING OTHER PEOPLES' WORK TO PUT INTO IT. Writing fanfiction is a communal labor of love. We share it with each other for free for the love of the original work and ideas we share. Not only can AI not replicate this, but it shouldn't.
(also, this goes without saying, but this entire post also applies to ai art)
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nightingale-prompts · 5 days ago
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You are not Special- DC X DP Prompt
Interdimensional God-like beings are not known for their patience, however it looked like they had gotten lucky.
This being that had been summoned against its will to their universe was actually quite calm. They sat back on a makeshift throne made by the cultists that had brought them here. Its body was the form of a young man draped in silk. He paid little mind to the cult bowing and scraping at his feet as he absentmindedly examined his nails for anything under them. They were as pristine as his marble-like form.
"You know cults get a bad reputation in these modern times." He said not looking up at the heroes who had invaded his sanctuary intent on sealing him away. "Not without cause of course. But not every cult is evil. As oxymoronic as that sounds. But it used to mean a group of people devoted to their god of choice, no different than any other religion except they lived solely to dedicate their lives to it. No tricks or schemes, just beliefs. None of that sacrifice or blood here though. I like cleanliness and a good batch of dessert for my alters."
"We aren't here to give your offerings." Batman said simply.
The teen stretched lazily and shrugged.
"You are free to just pray, take a rest, eat, or do whatever you want."
"You don't belong here. You must return to your own realm." Superman said fimly but cordially.
The cultists panicked as they looked between their god and the heroes. Some had disdain etched on their faces others had sadness.
"Don't belong? I do what I want. Who are you people to tell ME what to do? Do you own this planet? This universe?" The god challenged.
"We are the protectors of this planet. Surely you understand that we can't let you stay here using humans like servants." Superman retorted.
Constantine had a bad feeling about what came next as he got between everyone to speak.
"Sorry, forgive him. We don't want to offend. It's just that our universe has had enough beings like you causing issues in the past. We are a bit exhausted because every major event seems to hit our planet. We are a bit defensive."
The teens's lip curled.
"Do you think you are the only planet with such woes? How conceited. What you believe that your little planet is so special that it is the only one subject to the powers of beings you can't control? As we speak there a thousands of beings influencing this world that have a bigger effect than what I'm currently doing. Are you tired of being the playthings of the universe? Bah! The universe doesn't care one bit what goes on on this little planet over the billions of planets in this universe. You are no more special than a bit of algae on a frozen world." The teen sneered.
"But that doesn't change the fact that we would like one less threat to deal with," Batman said as Constantine tried to shut him up. "Even if you do not care about humans, we care what you can do to us."
"A good point but I never said I didn't care. I'm actually fond of humans but no more fond of them than any other lifeforms. There are billions of aliens in this universe alone. But not one is special because all life is special. Not one is better. But any damage I could possibly do to you could easily be done by the many unseen gods of this realm. These beings have built this world from those that actively created it, ignore it, and those that don't even realize it exists. Could you believe that your own creator doesn't know you are there? It's actually very common."
"You're dodging the question and talking in circles. We just want you to leave." Batman sighed irritably.
"You keep telling me to leave. I have just arrived but I've also always been here. Is this how you greet me?" The teen crossed his arms.
"Are you a god of this world?" Wonder Woman stepped forward this time. "You dress like that of a Roman god."
"Do you like it? I got it from Rome a few thousand years ago."
Well, he never failed to turn something into a compliment, that's for sure.
"But that's a complicated question. If you're asking if I made your universe then, no. If your asking if it exists because of me then, yes. It exists because I do. It's my nature. So I'm not a god. I'm a law of nature." The boy leaned back and kicked his feet childishly.
"You look like a kid." Clark blurted.
"Well... you're right. But you didn't have to point it out." He pouted.
"I mean, you just look...like a person. Not a force of nature." Clark quickly corrected.
"I look like what you can perceive me as. Can't ask a two-dimensional creature to understand three dimensions. Think of me as an anthropomorphic personification of a concept." The teen stood up finally and walked around his bowing worshippers.
"And what are you?" Batman said stiffly as the boy reached him.
"I am the Void. The absence of force or untethered space and infinite possibilities. A place of raw unprocessed energy. So if I exist then a tethered space with one string of possibilities exists. Think string theory." The boy laughed.
"Wait, I know what you are. You're an Ancient, an Endless. I thought I'd get a break from your lot after Morphosis." Constantine said.
The group turned to Constantine in surprise, not surprised that he knew what the kid was but that he had done this before.
"Look, kid. Your lot don't show themselves often. Especially not in front of so many people. You'd usually lay low among mortals." Constantine said suspicious of the young Endless. "Do the others know you are playing around?"
The teen presses his lips together. He glares like someone has ruined his game.
"Should I try summoning them and ask." Constantine smirked, he knew he found his in.
"You wouldn't." He frowned.
"I would." Constantine said "Unless you want to go home on your own."
The boy tried to protest but a portal opened on its own and a hand reached out grabbing the boy by the ear.
"What are you doing in the mortal realm this time?! I told you to focus on fixing the timelines not playing god like a child!" The voice boomed.
"But Clockwork-" The teen whined as he was dragged through the portal "I was just pulling a prank. I swear!"
The boy's voice was muffled and distant as he got to the other side. Then the prtal closed and it was over.
The room went silent.
"He was right. There is nothing special about any life form over another. But that also means he is no different than a human child and held to the same standards." Constantine said lighting a cigarette before leaving the ruins. "You can handle the rest right?"
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Virgin! Jason Todd
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Virgin! Jason Todd who is absolutely whipped as soon as he meets you. Im talking stuttering, fumbling over himself, even a slight blush, dare I say. He just doesn't know what to do with himself in the presence of somebody so blessed with a goddess' beauty.
Virgin! Jason Todd who tries to act tough anyway (because, in all honesty, he is literally a murderer and not just some soft guy anymore.) And fails horribly. Its endearing to see him try, though... With those strong arms that could either snap you in half within moments or hold you throughout the night.
Virgin! Jason Todd who's constantly needy for you, both in an intimate sense and just for affection in general. In fact, you don't think that there's ever an extended period of time where his hands aren't on you in one way or another.
Virgin! Jason Todd who's so into dry humping that it's an every other days occurance. Laying down on the couch or bed cuddling? His hard dick is pressing right up against your clit through both his and your shorts. Doing yoga because your back is sore from work or cooking dinner when he gets home late? He's lightly thrusting onto your plump ass as soon as he gets his hands on you.
Virgin! Jason Todd who initiates things himself for the first time, starting with you simply sitting on his lap while watching a movie. Then, slowly, he starts kissing down your neck with warm lips and even warmer breaths while moving you to straddle his thighs. You can already feel him getting a bit hard from this alone.
Virgin! Jason Todd who gets so into the light kisses he oh so graciously presses against your lips that they end up turning into a heavy make out session. His tongue and yours are tangling together in such a sinful and addicting way that its hard to get enough.
Virgin! Jason Todd who slowly grasps at your hips to grind you at a torturous pace on his toned thigh. The slight amount of friction is divine after getting so worked up over a few kisses, but it's not long until you're humping his thigh like a bitch in heat as you normally do.
Virgin! Jason Todd who's never been afraid to eat you out, and he'll be damned if he doesn't tonight, too. You are his favorite meal, snack, and dessert, after all.
"Come on, gorgeous... You know the drill." He whispers in that deep, gravelly voice from between your legs as you close them, desperately wanting to do something for him in return. "Nuh uh... Let me eat that pretty pussy of yours before anything else, sweetness." And eat he does.
Virgin! Jason Todd who gets off on your pleasure. Every time you moan or squirm yourself closer to his face as he laps at your aching hole and bundle of nerves, he grinds himself right into the mattress or side of the couch.
Virgin! Jason Todd who wants you to ride him for your first time together so he can bury his face into your chest and hold you as close as possible. And because he's scared of going at a pace that you won't like, but after how many orgasms he's pulled out of you just by giving you head, you're sure you wouldn't mind whatever makes him happy.
Virgin! Jason Todd who has to actually stop himself from blowing his load just as you put his girthy tip in. He just cant help it... Your tight, warm, and soaked walls fluttering around him is just too heavenly.
"Fuck... Stay right there, sweetheart. Right there. Please." His voice is strained with his effort and slightly muffled as he buries his face into your chest.
Virgin! Jason Todd who is in pure bliss as soon as you start moving, even at such a slow pace to begin with while your creamy walls get used to the stretch of his beautiful, leaking cock.
Virgin! Jason Todd who never realized how much of a moaner he was until he got to have his first time with you. Sure, he's gotten himself off humping your ass or the mattress while he ate you out, but this was on a whole other level.
"Fuckkk..." His head is thrown back against the pillows or headrest of the couch as his hands grasp your ever moving hips. "Can't take much more of this, pretty girl." Jason is almost whining at this point, the sound of his skin slapping against yours joining the obscene sounds in the air of his apartment. "Gonna.. Im gonna-"
Virgin! Jason Todd who cuts himself off with such a gorgeous moan and whine as he cums that it has you going right alongside him. The large, calloused hands on your hips only tighten as you feel his cock fill you up with thick, warm, pearly ropes of cum.
Virgin! Jason Todd who can only whisper praises and words of love for the first couple of minutes coming down from his intense high.
"Fuck... Fucking love you, y'know that?" His chest is still heaving with every panting breath he takes. "Milking me dry with that pretty pussy..."
Virgin! Jason Todd who makes aftercare a top priority very early on, even though he's just barely gaining his own bearings.
"I love you, pretty girl... So much." He presses kisses along your sore and achy thighs as the cool, damp washcloth brushes over your most sensitive and overstimulated parts.
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Masterlist
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