#producing accepting dichotomy

[saltycloudgarden]

Obscura CH2 Speculation: The Gods and Lunar Ichor

AKA: Why Cirrus/Keir Chapters Were Released Together

Both these chapters give a LOT of needed context about what exactly lunar ichor is, and why it’s so taboo (and valuable), from two very different perspectives.

The demo chapters all establish that the ichor is extremely rare and sought after, presumably because of its magical and/or healing properties, but is something forbidden in politer society outside the mountain. The demo leads the player to believe the substance is rare because it’s the literal blood of a god, which, yeah that sounds kinda hard to get a hold of and sacrilegious to boot.

But CH2 turns all this on its head; the ichor can be produced through people. Specifically, through an unclear and secretive process that includes sadism and pain to some unspecified degree.

Keir’s route explicitly explains this: his group regularly rescues people being tortured into a horrible state to produce ichor; people who sold themselves through the marketplace with no idea what they were in for. We learn that the process to change someone can be reversed if caught early enough, and that the process, at least as far as Keir knows, kills the producer eventually.

This sends a clear message to the player: getting the ichor will mean being (at the very least) complicit in the torture of someone else.

Right?

Well, that’s were Cirrus’ route offers that different perspective, and an alternative solution to cure Vesper’s illness.

The heavy BDSM elements of Cirrus’ demo chapter, while appreciated and very hot, initially struck me as coming somewhat out of no where - disconnected a bit from what little we could understand of his character and motivations at the time.

With the release of his CH2, everything clicked into place for me.

Cirrus is a priest of the Lunar God, counterpart to the Solar God, and we learn through dialogue in all routes that the lunar religion isn’t seen in nearly a positive a light as the solar. The Friendly Stranger in Keir’s demo chapter outright complains that they don’t understand why people would pray to a god that “makes bad things happen” (or something to that effect). This dichotomy is further emphasized by Francesco, the character most related to the Solar God, heavily contrasting Cirrus by not only is color pallet, but his (seemingly) kinder and genuine nature.

The narrative wants to trick the player into assuming Solar God = Good, Lunar God = Bad, which in actuality, what I believe we’re going to learn, is that this is more a fae winter vs summer court situation than anything as pedestrian as moral absolution. I don’t trust Francesco’s cutie act (in its entirety) for a second.

This ties back to Cirrus CH2 and the big reveal at the end of his best ending: Vesper has begun to produce lunar ichor.

Why is this? Well, through the information gathered from Keir’s route, we can infer that this is due to their participation in scenes with Cirrus and their budding relationship. Cirrus is the sadist in the equation, and the pain he inflicts is a substitute for the torture inflicted on the slaves seen in Keir’s route - but something isn’t tracking.

Cirrus admits in CH2 that he’s dissatisfied by the lunar religion’s presence in the marketplace and wants to inspire some sort of change - MY theory, is that he finds the typical production of lunar ichor (aka the slaves and the mindless torture) and the peoples’ typical view/relationship with the lunar god to be distasteful and twisted from its original intent.

Don’t get me wrong; the man is no saint, and is very much a cult leader (and all that entails), but hear me out.

I propose that the “healthy” and “consensual” exchange of power, worship, and pain in a Vesper/Cirrus relationship in which Vesper fully submits, is more akin to what lunar worship is “meant” to be; an acceptance of pain and punishment that grants pleasure, peace, and strength; thus, the ichor that Vesper has begun to produce is a more pure, “correct” version of the substance, which Cirrus values immensely. That getting Vesper to a state to create the ichor themselves was his solution to their illness all along.

I speculate that Cirrus is going to use Vesper as some kind of “miracle” icon to gain more influence over his cult and the underground, but to what end, I have no idea. If the ichor has healing/magical properties, doubtless a cult leader having an unending stock of the stuff would be invaluable in gaining said influence.

I also believe that Vesper’s illness plays a part in why they’re able to produce ichor the way they are; whether this means Cirrus will still cure them, or if they’ll even still need curing after whatever transformation they’ve begun finishes, has also, yet to be seen.

Also, if the information learned in Keir’s route about the transformation process being reversible applies to Vesper’s situation, it makes sense that Cirrus forces them to move into the church and isolated them; he wants complete control and supervision over their transformation, to ensure it proceeds uninterrupted. Doubtless other characters outside his cult, if they saw Vesper mid transformation, would try to interfere.

He also just likes having control over Vesper because it gets him off, but the layers here are fascinating.

I can’t wait for more chapters, from Cirrus and Keir, but also Francesco and Oleander; with Francesco I’d love to learn more about the Solar religion and more of his true nature (I refuse to believe he’s not hiding some darkness under that cute facade), and I think Oleander will give us more perspective on lunar ichor’s value and “typical” production (aka torture) and the generally depravity of the marketplace.

Thanks @rottenraccoons for such a great game and so much to think about so far, and I hope other chapters come out soon and wish the team the best!

[magic-shop-stories]

Hello! I love your writing so much, so I thought I'd drop an ask. Maybe OT7 with a bisexual/pansexual partner. I haven't seen any headcanons for this yet, and thought you'd be the perfect person to ask. Have a great day! ❤️

P.S. : I will be eating all of the metaphorical cookies. 🍪🍪🍪

💌 Reply:

hey, first off, so sorry this took ages... i wanted to do your beautiful idea justice! 🥺 while i tried to keep things gender-neutral, my brain kept defaulting to female pronouns (sigh, habit), but i tried to sprinkle it in genderfluid themes & nonbinary love too! 🌈 really hope this still resonates with what you were looking for. your request was such a joy to write... thank you for trusting me with it and for requesting 💜💜💜 – c 🌟 P.S. I hand you a whole virtual cookie jar 🍪🍪 you deserve ALL the snacks!

OT7 x BI/PAN PARTNER HEADCANONS

(mainly f!Reader, but also partly genderfluid)

NAMJOON

HOW HE FINDS OUT

happens during one of your late-night walks along the Han River

air thick with the scent of rain-soaked pavement

Namjoon is rambling about the symbolism of bridges in postmodern literature

you suddenly mention your college ex-girlfriend offhand

“She used to say bridges are just…delayed goodbyes."

you laugh casually, kicking a pebble into the water

he stops mid-step

you panic — did I overshare?

then his eyes soften behind his glasses

that familiar crease of curiosity forming between his brows

“Wait. She?”

he asks, not with judgment, but the same tone he uses when dissecting a paradox in a poem

you nod, bracing for the awkward follow-up

he tilts his head, lips quirking

“Huh. That explains why your playlists are so elite. Bi panic bangers only, right?”

his laugh echoes over the water

you notice the way he files the detail away

= like a new chapter added to the encyclopedia of you

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Intellectual Ally

doesn’t just accept your identity

he studies it

not in a clinical way, but with the reverence of a man who believes love is the ultimate language

Gift

leaves a dog-eared copy of The Song of Achilles on your pillow

passages about Achilles and Patroclus highlighted in purple

sticky notes protrude like little flags

“This line made me think of us” / “Patroclus is gay, at lest definitely bi. Fight me.”

Advocacy

when a stylist refers to your ex as a “phase,” he adjusts his mic mid-interview

“Attraction isn’t a binary equation. Let’s not simplify what we don’t understand.” 

texts you: “You deserve more than tolerance. You deserve awe.”

Quiet Revolutionary

weaves your truth into his art = subtle but unshakable

Lyrical Nods

find a draft for “Dichotomy” in his studio

“Love’s not a Venn diagram / we’re the whole damn page.”

you tease him

“So this is why ARMYs think you’re queer-coded?”

he smirks

“Maybe I am. Maybe we’re all just…coded.”

Symbolic Gestures

replaces his latest signature silver chain with a bracelet of interlocking bi-pride colors

“It’s about wavelength diversity, science is…kinda gay.”

Vulnerable Confidant

one rainy night, he opens up over whiskey

“I had a friend in high school."

murmurs, swirling his glass

“We’d debate Foucault and hold hands under the desk. I didn’t have the words then, but… I get it. The weight of naming yourself.”

he doesn’t elaborate, but he doesn’t need to

his knee presses against yours under the table, steady and sure

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Language Matters

corrects his parents/friends/staff gently

“Eomma, they’re not ‘confused’; they’re multilingual in love.”

Space to Explore

you cut your hair androgynously on a whim?

he stares, then breathes

“You look…like a storm. Beautiful and unstoppable.”

Defending Your Joy

at a party, a drunk producer sneers

“So you’re the reason RM’s lyrics got so political?” 

he steps in front of you, voice low

“No. They’re the reason my lyrics got human.”

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

for all his confidence, he worries

admits during late nights

“What if I fail you? What if I don’t see the ways the world cuts you?” 

remind him that allyship is a practice, not a trophy

he nods, scribbling in his journal

“Love as a verb. Love as a fight. Love as a bridge.”

TURNING POINT

you’re both buzzed on soju and nostalgia

he slides a crumpled poem across the table

“You: A question mark with wings. Me: A comma, begging you to stay.”

you laugh, but he grips your hand

“I don’t need you to make sense, I need you to be free.”

AFTERMATH

His Pride

wears a bi-pride pin hidden under his suit jacket at the UN speech

you spot it on TV

he texts: “For the parts of you the cameras can’t see.”

Your Legacy

years later, a fan asks him about the “bridge” metaphor in his solos

he just smiles

“Ah. That’s not about endings. It’s about…someone who taught me love has infinite lanes.”

JIN

HOW HE FINDS OUT

during a chaotic game night with the members

you’re all crammed into the dorm

bowls of half-eaten popcorn scattered around

Jungkook dares you to rank your “top 5 celebrity crushes"

you list two actors, a K-pop idol, and a non-binary artist, tossing in a femme-presenting CEO for good measure

Jin pauses mid-chip-crunch, eyebrows shooting up

“Yah, our baby’s got range."

he snorts, elbowing Taehyung

later, when the others migrate to the kitchen, he lingers

he is uncharacteristically soft

"...you know it’s cool, right? Liking… everything?”

gestures vaguely at the universe

“More options, more fun. Smart.”

before you can respond, he tosses a couch cushion at your head

“But if you cheat on me with any of those CEOs, I’ll haunt your WiFi!”

his grin is mischievous

his eyes hold a quiet promise: I see you

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Unshakable Ally (With Jokes on Top)

refuses to let your identity be a “thing”

to him, it’s just another facet of you

= like your hatred of cilantro or your obsession with penguin documentaries

Casual Normalization

at group dinner, a staff member asks if you’re “still into girls/guys”

he fake-gasps

“Excuse me, they’re into hot people. Have you seen me?”

flexes dramatically, dissolving the tension

Deflection with Defense

at a fan meet-and-greet someone implies you’re “confused”

Jin leans into the mic

“Funny, I’m confused why you’re not asking for my skincare secrets instead.”

crowd roars

“Some people need a hobby. Mine is loving you.”

Secret Romantic

beneath the theatrics, Jin’s support is fiercely intentional

Family First

preps his parents before you meet them

his mom swats him, but she gifts you a rainbow-stitched sweater

Grand Gestures

for your anniversary, he rents a food truck named “Bi-ngeu Bar” (pun intended)

serves heart-shaped dumplings in bi-flag colors

“Eat up! Love is hungry work.”

Protector in Dad-Joke Armor

Jin’s humor is his shield

and yours

Shutting Down Bullies

a rude comment about your sexuality surfaces online?

he claps back on Weverse: 

“Jeon Jungkook’s abs: 10/10. Your opinion: 0/10. Stay mad!” 

then texts you: “Don’t read the comments. Read this instead: You’re perfect.”

Safe Space Creator

redesigns his gaming setup with a bi-pride RGB keyboard

“Now when we play, you can slay and slay.”

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Pronoun King (if needed)

corrects a stylist mid-fitting

“They look amazing in lavender, but they’ll look better in my jacket.”

tosses his Gucci blazer over your shoulders

Memory Magic

remembers every ex’s name, birthday, and “why it didn’t work”

“You cried over Jihoon for three days? Weak. I’d make you sob for a month.”

he’s jealous, but he’ll never admit it

Unexpected Wisdom

during a 3 AM snack runs

“Love’s like… kimchi stew. You throw in whatever you’ve got; tofu, pork, chaos and it’s still delicious. No rules.”

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

for all his bravado, Jin worries about “failing” you

after pride parade, he blurts:

“What if I’m not… enough? Like, what if you need someone who gets it more?”

remind him that allyship isn’t about perfection

it’s about showing up

he takes it to heart

next week, he drags you to a queer film festival

“I bought tissues, for you. I don’t cry.”

sobs into your hoodie during the finale

TURNING POINT

fan at a live event asks:

“How do you handle your partner’s past relationships?”

he pauses, then smirks

“Easy. I’m their future.”

crowd swoons

later, he pulls you aside

“Seriously, though; I’m glad you loved before me. It means you chose me knowingly.”

his ears turn pink

AFTERMATH

His Pride

during a Bon Voyage episode, he “accidentally” packs a bi-flag pajama for you

“Oops! Guess you’ll have to wear it… for content.”

he stares a little too long

Your Legacy

years later, he launches a cooking show called “Worldwide Flavor” 

celebrating global cuisines cooking LGBTQ+ celebs

“Food, like love, has no borders."

YOONGI

HOW HE FINDS OUT

you’re sprawled on his studio couch

half-asleep

he tinkers with a track

the room smells like burnt coffee and ambition

out of nowhere, you mumble what's been on your mind all day long

“My ex-girlfriend used to hate this song.”

Yoongi doesn’t look up

“Hm. Her loss.”

hos fingers keep dancing across the keyboard

his shoulders tense, just a fraction

= like he’s waiting for you to backtrack

you don’t, he spins his chair toward you

“Girlfriend, huh?”

you freeze

Shit

you hadn’t meant to say it like that

he just raises an eyebrow and reaches for his mug

“Cool. Wanna order pizza? I’m thinking… half meat lovers, half veggie. Balanced diet.”

you just blink

“That’s it? No questions?”

he snorts

“Why? You gonna write a thesis on who you’ve kissed? Pass.”

later, when you’re splitting the last slice he sights

“For the record… I like the song.”

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

“No Drama” Ally

he doesn’t do grand speeches

he does actions

= small, precise, and devastatingly effective

Playlist

USB appears in your bag one day

titled “Studio Vibes” but includes Girl in Red, MUNA, and a lo-fi remix of Sweater Weather

you side-eye him?

he grumbles:

“It’s just music. Don’t make it weird.”

Pronouns, No Bullshit

adds your pronouns to his studio whiteboard next to “BPM 92” and “Fix bridge.” (if you want him to)

you thank him?

he shrugs

“So I don’t misgender you when I’m sleep-deprived. Efficiency.”

Shut-Down King

PD jokes about your “experimental phase” during a meeting

Yoongi cuts in, deadpan

“We’re here to talk about the track, not your PhD in heteronormativity.”

Secret Softie

beneath the sarcasm, he’s a closet romantic

especially for your romances

Fanfiction Flashbacks

one night, drunk on soju, he admits he wrote BL fanfic in high school

“It was… research”

mutters, face red

“For character development.”

you find his old username later and discover 50k words of enemies-to-lovers

Lyric Love Letters

his first draft for “Seesaw” originally had a line about “loving in stereo.”

scraps it but texts you the clip

“Too on-the-nose. But… you get it.”

Protector

guards your peace like it’s his own

Boundary Enforcer

a journalist at an interview asks, “Who’s the man in the relationship?” ?

he leans into the mic

“Do I look like a math problem? Next question.”

Safe Space Curator

lets you hide in his studio during overwhelming events

“No one’ll look for you here. I’m ‘scary.’”

leaves the door cracked

just enough for you to slip in

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Coffee Codes

starts ordering your usual as “The Bi Special” at the café

extra shot, oat milk, rainbow sprinkle

“It’s just marketing, they’re… loyalty points.”

Subtle Flex

wears a black ring on his right middle finger “for aesthetics”

you know it has a rainbow flag on the inside

when you ask, he just smirks

“Maybe I’m spicy. Maybe I just like rings.”

Gift of Rage

buys you a “Fuck Your Binary” hoodie after a rough day

“It was on sale”

he lies - it wasn’t

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

Yoongi’s support isn’t perfect

= he hates that

after a fight about him “underreacting” to your coming out, he stays up editing a track called “Apology in D Minor.” 

4 a.m., he admits it

“I’m scared of making it about me. Your life’s not my damn album.”

You find a note in his lyric book:

“Love shouldn’t need a genre. Just a heartbeat.”

TURNING POINT

you’re both trapped in a rainstorm after a concert

he shrugs off his jacket, drapes it over your head

“I looked up ‘bi visibility day.’ It’s in September. We’re… busy then. But maybe… cake?”

you laugh

“Cake?”

he scowls

“Yeah. Layers. Whatever. Don’t...don’t make me say it again.”

AFTERMATH

Quiet Pride

sneaks bi flag colors into his concert mic design (or you remember how the wristbands for the D-Day Tour were rainbow colours in order?)

Legacy of Love

a rookie producer asks him about writing inclusive lyrics

he leans back, eyes closed

“Love’s not a checkbox. It’s a… frequency. Tune in or fuck off.”

J-HOPE

HOW HE FINDS OUT

during a dance practice

you’re both slumped against the mirror

sweat-drenched and breathless

you mention your ex- girlfriend who taught you to salsa

Hobi’s head whips around so fast his snapback flies off

“Wait. She?”

his eyes widen, not with shock but delight

= like he’s just unlocked a new level of you

“That’s why your footwork’s so fire! You’ve been holding out on me!”

pokes your ribs, grinning

his tone gentles

“Seriously, though… thanks for telling me. That’s… cool. You’re cool.”

he slips a rainbow-hair scrunchie onto your wrist

“For your next salsa partner."

no big deal

except his hands tremble slightly

he’d stayed up all night contemplating how to respond

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Hype Man Supreme

doesn’t just accept your identity

celebrates it, loud and proud

Pride Parade Energy

drags you to Seoul Pride

both of you in DIY bi-flag overalls

“We’re serving community today, baby!”

twirls a flag like a baton, cheering louder for queer elders than anyone else

you shyly hold his hand, he lifts it skyward

“Let the world see!”

Public Shoutouts

fan asks about his “ideal type.”

he smirks

“Someone who knows love isn’t a checkbox, shoutout to my pansexual partner! Love is… unlimited!”

you bury your face in a couch cushion

he posts the clip on Twitter with: 🏳️🌈��

Educated Ally

he treats allyship like choreography

= precise, practiced, and full of heart

History Lessons

after you mention feeling isolated, he memorizes queer icons’ birthdays

“Did you know Marsha P. Johnson invented joy? Be like Marsha.”

buys you a “Pay It No Mind” T-shirt

wears a matching one

Language Matters

a staff member misgenders your friend?

he interjects

“They use they/them, like the legend they are!”

later asks you to quiz him on pronouns

“Gotta stay sharp, yeah?”

Nurturer

notices the quiet struggles beneath your pride

Safe Space Rituals

after a tough day, he ambushes you with a “Bi-Night Survival Kit= fuzzy socks, Steven Universe DVDs, and a handwritten coupon for “Unlimited Hugs (No Expiry).”

Defending Your Joy

at a club, a drunk stranger comes to you:

“So you’re, like, greedy?”

Hobi steps between you

smile icy

“Nah, they’re selective. And you’re uninvited.”

spins you into a dance,

“You’re magic. Don’t let dust settle on you.”

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Choreography Codes

sneaks bi-pride colors into his next music video

“The blue represents your calm, the pink your passion, and the purple… us. Blended.”

Daily Affirmations

texts you sunrise selfies with captions like “Another day to love all of you! 🌈☀️”

Family Education

teaches his family about bisexuality through K-drama analogies

“It’s like… True Beauty, but the main character dates both leads. And the world doesn’t end!”

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

for all his confidence, he worries he’ll miss a step

“What if I mess up? Say the wrong thing?”

you reassure him that allyship is a dance

= sometimes you stumble, but you keep the rhythm together

his growth shines in tiny moments

cancels a collab with a subtly homophobic artist

shrugging

“Their loss. My integrity’s non-negotiable.”

you mention wanting to try they/them pronouns?

practices for weeks

leaves sticky notes on the fridge

“They’re my favorite human” / “Have they seen my AirPods?”

TURNING POINT

on your anniversary, he gifts you a custom mixtape titled “Unlimited Love (Track 1: You)”

last song is an original ballad:

“You’re not a genre, you’re the whole damn song / And I’ll keep dancing to you, lifelong.”

performs it at a concert

bi-pride lights bathing the stage

ARMYs sob

you sob louder

AFTERMATH

Legacy of Light

fans spot bi-flag colors in his choreography for a rookie group

he tweets: “Some lessons are too good not to share. 🌈”

Your Echo

a young fan comes out to him

he gives them handmade bi-pride bracelet

“Be bold. Be you. And find someone who sees you, like my partner taught me.”

JIMIN

HOW HE FINDS OUT

during a lazy Sunday morning

sunlight filtering through the curtains as you scroll through old photos together

pauses at a picture of you and your ex-girlfriend at a Pride parade

your faces painted in rainbow hues

“Who’s this?”

voice casual but eyes sharpening with curiosity

you hesitate, tracing the screen

“Someone important… from before.”

Jimin’s thumb brushes over your knuckles, feather-light

“You looked happy”

when you nod, he tilts his head, studying your face

“You are happy now, right?”

question isn’t jealous = it’s a quiet plea for honesty

“Happier. But… it’s different.”

he cups your cheek, warmth seeping into your skin

“Different isn’t bad. Tell me how.”

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Emotional Safe Haven

Jimin doesn’t just accept your identity

he cherishes it like a fragile, precious thing

The First Step

after your confession, he arrives at your door with a homemade cake iced in bi-pride colors

“I Googled ‘how to apologize for heteronormativity’”

flour still dusting his sweater

“This was step one.”

Verbal Affirmations

starts every difficult conversation with:

“I love all of you, okay?”

even before arguing about chores

you tease him, he pouts

“What? I need you to know the foundation is solid before we build.”

Protective Instincts

at a party, a drunk acquaintance smirks

“So you’re Jimin’s… experiment?”

before you can react, Jimin steps between you

smile razor-sharp

“Ah, hyung, you’re confused. I’m the lucky one here.”

loops his arm through yours and leads you away

grip trembling with fury

Subtle Advocate

support is a series of small, deliberate acts

each one a brick in the fortress he builds around your heart

Quiet Education

catch him watching YouTube essays on queer theory at 2 a.m.

notebook filled with phrases like “compulsory heterosexuality” and “bi erasure.”

he blushes

“I just… want to understand the battles you don’t talk about.”

Artistic Tributes

choreographs a solo dance to Halsey’s “Strangers” 

dedicating it to you at a concert

ARMYs dissect the lyrics about sapphic love

he never explains

“They’ll figure it out."

Nurturer

Jimin’s love language is touch

but he recalibrates it to fit your needs

Reassurance Rituals:

you spiral into self-doubt?

he traces the bi-pride bracelet on your wrist with his pinky

“This color suits you, like… a sunset that refuses to end.”

Safe Spaces

transforms your shared closet into a cozy nook with fairy lights and weighted blankets

“For when the world feels too loud, I’ll be outside, singing until you’re ready.”

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Secret Pride

buys a bi-pride keychain “for your gym bag” but attaches it to his own

fans spot it

he shrugs

“It’s pretty. Just like my partner.”

Memory Keeper

writes down every time you mention a queer artist or film

for your birthday, he gifts you a scrapbook titled: “Your History, My Homework.”

Defiant Romance

takes you to a lesbian-owned café for your anniversary

“Their lattes are art.”

you catch him slipping a “Thank you for existing” note to the owner

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

Jimin worries he’ll fail you

after a nightmare, he shakes you awake

“What if I’m not enough?”

whispers, tears glinting

“What if I can’t… see all the parts of you?”

you pull him close

“You already do.”

he clings to you

TURNING POINT

a family member questions your sexuality

Jimin cancels his schedule and drives you to the beach

doesn’t push you to talk

just holds your hand as the waves crash

“Why aren’t you angry?”

he turns, eyes blazing

“I am. But my anger isn’t what you need.”

presses a seashell into your palm

“You’re like this. Whole, even when broken.”

AFTERMATH

His Legacy

during a solo interview, he’s asked about “unconditional love.”

he smiles

“It’s not about ignoring flaws. It’s loving someone’s… dimensions. Their shadows and light.”

Your Impact

a fan comes out to him at a meet-and-greet

he hugs them tight

“You’re so brave, but you don’t have to be. Just… be you.”

TAEHYUNG

HOW HE FINDS OUT

you’re curled up on the floor of his new art studio

sketching a figure with no defined gender

fluid lines, soft curves, and sharp edges all at once

Taehyung peers over your shoulder, tilting his head like a curious crow

“They’re hot.”

he's plopping down beside you

“Are they… you?”

you freeze

charcoal smudging your palm

“Not… exactly. Just someone I admire.”

he squints, then points to the rainbow-hued shadow beneath the figure’s collarbone

“That’s you!”

he insists

“Your heart’s too big for one shape.”

when you explain your sexuality, his grin widens

“So yo1u’re a masterpiece in 4D. Cool.”

steals your sketchbook and adds a tiny Vante-style crown to the figure

“Now it’s us.”

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Unbothered Artivist

Taehyung doesn’t see your identity as a thing to support

it’s just another brushstroke in the mural of who you are

The Portrait

paints you as a Greek deity with cascading hair that shifts from curls to waves

draped in a robe that melts into bi-pride colors

hangs it in the living room

“It’s called ‘Reality."

Chaotic Advocacy

brings you to a queer poetry slam and heckles for you

“LOUDER FOR THE BABIES IN THE BACK!”

shouts mid-recital

you want to vanish

he buys you ice cream after

“You’re my favorite rebel.”

Subtle Protector

notices microaggressions before you do and dismantles them with chaotic charm

At a Party

photographer leers: “So, which way do you swing?”

Taehyung slings an arm around you, grinning like a wolf

“All ways. Like… a playground swing. Fun, right?”

the man retreats

Taehyung whispers:

“Wanna burn his camera?”

Family Matters

your grandfather refers to your ex as a “roommate”

Taehyung fake-sneezes into the kimchi

“Sorry. Allergies to… outdated ideas.”

later, he teaches him the word “pansexual” using K-drama metaphors

Romantic Historian

archives your love in his own whimsical way

The Mixtape

creates a playlist titled “Love in 432 Hz”

= songs about fluidity, rebellion, and moonlit confessions

“It’s the frequency of the universe."

Time Capsule

buries a box under his childhood tree with mementos: your first movie ticket, a bi-pride ribbon, a note that reads “Future Us: Still weird. Still in love.”

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Pronoun King

accidentally uses your ex’s pronouns wrong once

when corrected, he bows like a Shakespearean actor

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.” (but not in a mocking way)

never slips again

Fashion Ally

designs matching sweaters with hidden bi-pride stitching

“It’s a subtle flex."

Safe Space Ritual

when anxiety claws at you, he drapes you in his oversized coat

“Wrap yourself in my love. It’s gender-neutral.”

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

for all his confidence, he worries about missing something

one night, he traces the bi-pride flag on your phone case

“What if I don’t see the battles you fight when I’m not looking?”

you remind him that love is a lens, not a shield

he nods

then sketches a comic strip of you as a knight and him as your loyal (but stylish) squire

TURNING POINT

you find him crying over Portrait of a Lady on Fire

“They’re us, but gayer. And French.”

clutches your hand

“I want the world to see you like this... free.”

next day, he auctions his own painting for a LGBTQ+ youth shelter

“For the babies who don’t have a squad yet."

AFTERMATH

His Legacy

wears a bi-pride ribbon pinned to his Grammys suit

when asked, he says:

“Oh, this? It’s my partner’s heartbeat.”

Your Language

invents a secret handshake that ends with a finger-heart

“Our love is… untranslatable, but ARMY will try.”

JUNGKOOK

HOW HE FINDS OUT

2 a.m. in the practice room

you’re both slumped against the mirror

sharing a bag of honey butter chips

he scrolls past a TikTok of your ex-girlfriend

“Who’s this?”

“Someone I dated before you.”

he chokes, chip crumbs spraying

“Dated? Like… dated dated? Girl dated?”

you nod, bracing for confusion

his eyes widen like a kid who just discovered fireflies

“Wait. So you like… everyone?”

you shrug

“Pretty much.”

he stares at the ceiling, processing, then grins

“Cool. More people to be jealous of.”

HIS SUPPORT STYLE

Eager Student

he approaches your identity like a new video game

= obsessively, joyfully, determined to master it

Research Mode

binge-watches Heartstopper alone

texts you at 3 a.m.

“IS THIS HOW IT WORKS?? AM I BEING A GOOD BOYFRIEND???”

Question Time

during gym cooldowns, he asks:

“So pan means you like souls, not just bodies? That’s… badass.”

you explain genderfluid friends

he nods solemnly

“So they’re like… shape-shifters. Respect.”

Mishaps

tries to say “heteronormativity” and accidentally texts “hetero-noodle-maturity.” 

you frame it

Protective Show-Off

Jeon Jungkook doesn’t do subtle

if the world won’t celebrate you, he’ll scream it into existence

Public Flexing

during a live stream, a fan comments: “Who’s the woman in JK’s life?” 

he smirks

“Who said there’s a woman? My partner’s perfect, not binary.”

cue Twitter/Weverse meltdown

Chaotic Ally

shows up to your friend’s Pride event in a homemade “BI-FRIENDLY” tank top

flexing his biceps

“What? I’m the merch.”

The “Stupid” Gesture

hires a skywriter to scribble “Proud of U 💖💜💙” over HYBE

Yoongi "yells" at him, but doesn't iykyk

he pouts

“It’s art, hyung!”

Secret Softie

beneath the chaos, he’s terrified of failing you

Midnight Fears

wakes you once, voice small

“Do I… make you feel seen? Or am I just another dumb straight guy?”

you kiss his forehead

“You’re my dumb ally guy.”

he clings to you like a koala

Growth Spurt

after misgendering your friend, he practices their pronouns in the mirror for hours

“They brought snacks. They are cool. They… deserve better than me.”

spoiler: he nails it

LITTLE THINGS HE DOES

Playlist Warfare

makes you a mixtape titled “Bisexual Anthems (JK Approved)” 

featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, and a random Mozart track “for diversity”

Fashion Statement

dyes a streak of his hair bi-flag colors “for fun”

keeps “forgetting” to wash it out

“Oops. Guess I’m fabulous now.”

Petty Revenge

a rude YouTuber mocks your identity?

Jungkook “accidentally” leaks a clip of himself singing “Born This Way” in the shower

views: 10 million in an hour

HIS FEARS & GROWTH

struggles with feeling “enough”

worries your attraction to all genders means he’s just another option

Insecurity

after you mention a cute barista, he spends three hours perfecting his latte art

presents you with a wobbly heart

“Is this… good enough?”

Breakthrough

you catch him defending a queer ARMY on Weverse

“Love isn’t a limited edition. Back off.” 

when you praise him, he blushes

“Just… stealing your lines.”

TURNING POINT

you’re both tipsy at a karaoke bar when he grabs the mic

“This one’s for my partner, the hottest, most pan human alive!”

he belts out “I Kissed a Girl” in agressive

you’re mortified

he’s beaming

“I wanted everyone to know you’re mine. But also… yours. Is that dumb?”

AFTERMATH

Unshakable Pride

gets a tiny bi-pride flag tattooed behind his ear

“It’s for me, to remember how… big love can be.”

Legacy

at the Grammys, he thanks you in his speech

“To my partner, you taught me that hearts don’t have borders. Unless it’s the border between me and anyone who hurts you. Then I’ll fight.”

[sapphicscholar]

Something I landed on today while I was talking to a friend ( @trying-to-get-somewhere-real ) about a post that frustrated me was that part of what I feel is changing fandom so drastically is that it’s mimicking influencer culture. And here’s the thing: most of these annoying things are nothing new when taken in isolation, but what is new is the way these old patterns are 1) becoming ingrained and therefore acceptable (if only begrudgingly so); 2) threading themselves together to constitute a new norm for what fandom participation entails; and 3) becoming so visible that it makes other ways of doing and feeling fandom harder to access to newcomers in a given fandom or to fandom writ large.

For me, these amplified strands of behavior that turn fans into influencers include (a non-exhaustive list below the cut)

1) Consumption over Community: I’ve talked about this issue ad nauseum, but it’s genuinely the thing I believe will doom creative sides of fandom if we can’t find ways to correct at a large scale. As fandom has spread to new platforms with different norms around engagement (e.g. consumption, scrolling for entertainment, creator vs viewer dichotomy compared to a more community-oriented ethos of reblogging, commenting, mutuality of creation, etc.), there’s been a shift toward thinking about things like fic esp, but also art, vids, and more as content where engagement is limited to consumption and maybe talking about it elsewhere or tossing the original work a like. There’s also been a backlash against those pointing out the problem of this shift, saying that those of us who are annoyed with being treated as content farms are greedy, that you can’t demand feedback, even going so far as to say that it’s the writers and artists who are the ones ruining fandom vibes by making it stressful. And what this does is drive the artists who showed up for fandom-as-community out because the community aspect has gone missing somewhere along the way, and there are far more lucrative ways to create if you’re already gonna be working in isolation

2) Monetization of Fandom: now I know that artists have done commissions or collected tips while live streaming for ages, that authors often have Ko-Fi accounts buried somewhere on their tumblrs (which ppl have long been v weird about compared to the art economy which…anyway, a hot take for a different post!), but the mainstreaming of filing off the serial numbers and the shift to using things like patreons and Ko-Fi accounts as bartering chips or gate-keeping mechanisms has done a number on the fandom ethos. I have no issue with people making a couple bucks doing fannish things they love, but when it becomes so established that there’s an expectation that if you’re good enough or productive enough or make your creations match what the fandom wants enough that you’ll be able to turn fandom into a lucrative side hustle or even career is…not the same. At all. And the infusion of capital into fandom creates a vicious cycle with the shift from community to consumption! They’re mutually reinforcing!

3) Entanglement of Fandom and the PTB: the increasing accessibility of showrunners, writers, producers, cast, and crew (the powers that be in old school parlance) to fans on social media has allowed for some cool interactions, but it’s also led to a greater investment in canon at the expense of fan creativity, as well as the exploitation of fan labor as free promotional labor. It’s hard, right, esp for small queer shows (or even big ones that, esp when they’re focused on queer women or queer poc, seem to get hit with cancellation threats almost instantly) because we want to support in all the ways we can! But then this ethos infuses the viewing practices elsewhere, pushing fans into doing work that studios and networks used to pay people to do while reifying the final say-so of the PRB. And suddenly fans are being chastised if their vision contradicts statements made outside of the show but by someone involved in creating it. And studios are cherry-picking fans who have the most followers or who tweet at them the most to send gift bags or special vip access to, and suddenly we’re creating a whole new category of fan-influencer.

4) Drama-mongering as Influence: not unrelated to the PTB-ordained fan-influencers—sometimes it’s the same people, but not always—but I’m talking about fans who ride what used to be called “fan wank” all the way into a place of influence in what goes and what’s “allowed,” esp in bigger fandoms. There have long been BNFs (big name fans), but as fandom spreads across platforms at the same time as fan community is collapsing, there’s been a real calcification of “acceptable” headcanons to the point that they solidify into the fanon one must follow if you want readers or viewers. (In smaller fandoms, this often doesn’t weigh as heavily, though I’ve seen it take its toll even there!) A controversial take, perhaps, but imo, NGL is one of the worst things to happen to fandom. At its best, it acts like a tumblr ask box in a fandom with ultra shy fans, but most of the time it’s used to stir up shit, pitch fans against each other, shore up the idea that there are right and wrong headcanons, and make demands on authors and artists in lieu of building relationships via comments, community, and engagement that could lead to these conversations happening organically. Those who willingly have open NGLs often end up as the arbiters of these conversations, which necessarily skews patterns of influence, providing them with outsized power to shape whose fics, for instance, get recced, or how one can or can’t write or envision a particular character. It all just serves to curtail the once incredibly capacious field of fan creativity, and that’s a bummer.

~~~

Anyway, I’m not here to reify some utopian vision of the way fandom once was. There are things that have changed for the better, much like there are things that have been a problem for ages and remain a problem. I don’t like the “fandom was once a creative paradise” narrative because it elides the vital question of for whom, and there are real conversations to be had about the deep entrenchment of racism not just in fan spaces and fan creative works, but even in the way we narrate our own history (think about the prominent place afforded to Strikethough as a point of crisis that forced a change, but the way Race Fail almost never features in these stories—perhaps because so much never fucking changed!). But I do think recent years have witnessed the exacerbation or introduction of new issues, and so this post is less about an “unprecedented crisis moment!” and more about “new moment of reckoning” to add to the pile.

[gendiebrainrotreceipts]

pls don’t send off anon

prefacing this by saying i’m gender critical, genuinely looking for answers & not trying to promote gender ideology

how do feminist GCs respond to the observation of 20 genes linked to being transgender? they’re variants of genes involved in neurologic development and sex hormones. does this lend more validity to self-id??

a teacher also gave me resources about there being six biological karyotype sexes, which seem somewhat common and can go under the radar. he says that sex is a continuum. is someone with xx male a man or a woman? male phenotype but they’re xx. seems like male but it’s being used to argue that sex isn’t as simple of a dichotomy as we think.

1. No because whether or not there are genes that make someone more prone to dysphoria/trans identification, it still doesn’t override the material reality of biological sex. That will always be the bottom line

2. Such conditions are exceedingly rare and none of them are separate sex in and of themselves(humans would produce more than 2 gametes if that were the case). They are a tiny minority and they do not invalidate the facts that are true for the vast majority. 99.9% or so of the population are unambiguously male or female; there is not a spectrum where we are all ‘more’ or ‘less’ male or female than each other. What is actually true is that there are a tiny amount of people with DSDs, and then there is everyone else who is without. Not so much a spectrum as a binary that very occasionally goes wrong and gets muddled(I’m not sure if that’s the best explanation, anyone feel free to explain it better). Better healthcare and public acceptance is needed for individuals with DSDs of course, but their existence does not invalidate the sex binary of the human species. Those who suggest that anyone could have abnormal chromosomes and could just not know it are being very misleading. The individual almost always will know because their body will exhibit atypical symptoms for their sex

[thydungeongal]

Hey there! I just say your post about dungeon crawlers. I was curious about your second bullet point, "Dungeon-crawling challenge games actually kind of own if you're willing to engage with them on their own terms! There's a lot of potential for cool gameplay if you let go of silly reductive notions like "roleplaying" being just being when you play-act your character or social interaction!" I was curious if you'd mind telling me more about how you feel roleplay should be handled in these types of games. I am genuinely interested to hear your thoughts. :)

Okay, first of all, I have a very broad and admittedly circular definition of role-playing (in the context of role-playing game): role-playing is when you're playing a role-playing game.

As said, it's circular, but ultimately, throughout my years of playing role-playing games I've found that all other definitions are unsatisfying. To conclude that role-playing is the parts where the mechanics aren't used (the roll-playing and role-playing dichotomy) implies that mechanics are somehow inherently contrary to a good role-playing game experience, which is simply untrue, because good mechanics can actually enhance the narrative! Saying that only the social parts of play are role-playing undermines the fact that players will be still making decisions for their characters in various other situations where the personal and emotional stakes can be even greater than in social situations!

Ultimately, role-playing games as a medium are defined by the possibility space, and specifically that possibility space being near infinite. There's an old line I keep bringing up from some painfully twee eighties RPG ad which goes like "Role-playing games are like board games but you can move outside the board!" and ultimately that is the thing that defines a role-playing game. It's a game where the players collaborate in a shared fictional space to produce cool little narratives although sometimes the cool little narratives aren't the point but it's literally like a lil challenge that the players try to overcome by interfacing with the fiction and engaging with the mechanics.

To tie this into dungeon crawlers: even a traditional dungeon crawler is ultimately a role-playing game because it has the players engaging, via their characters, with the shared fiction, sometimes mediated by the rules. A lot of people assume that a dungeon crawler must mean that the gameplay is nothing but a meat grinder, but this is actually ahistorical and not actually reflective of how old-school dungeon crawling RPGs play out!

Even the most basic dungeon is still a location in the setting it's part of, so there is plenty of narrative content to be found there. The characters might just be motivated by greed, but there is plenty of narratively satisfying content that can happen in the pursuit of that goal once one accepts that there need not be a linear narrative where the characters must hit certain story beats, but the story itself can just be "the characters went into a place, explored, interacted with the locals, found out some secrets about the dungeon, fought some monsters." That is still role-playing.

None of this is to say that the play-acting part of play (which I sometimes call characterization) is in any way bad: in fact, it can very much enhance the gameplay. But that is in and of itself not the end-all-be-all of role-playing!

Anyway role-playing is so much more than describing your cool elf kissing other cool elves, it can also be your cool elf finding a cool sword in a dungeon and giving it a name. Dungeon crawlers kick ass because the GM can craft a whole narrative about how the dungeon used to be and then reveal it slowly to the players through their characters finding fantasy audiologs and that is already narratively satisfying in and of itself!

[nogu-d-reamers]

13 PRIMES- MYTHOLOGYCAL ORIGINS (BC I'm bored and I REALLY wish there was more mythology than just "Primus created at 13 all at once, which I refuse to do.")

PRIMA PRIME

Initially, shortly after Primus sealed himself away to become the core of Cybertron, life soon emerged from within him in different Spectres, who gradually took his place. But in his boredom, he wanted to try creating a being similar to his rationality and abilities, but instead of creating a god, he created a being that would be called "the first," and later the ability to reproduce with similar beings so that there would be no loneliness in his existence. But instead of doing that, he chose to learn everything about himself and his environment before giving in to that instinctive need.

In response, Primus created more beings similar to "the first." But far from his expectations, he began to organize them, learn, and dictate that not all are equal, but that everyone, regardless of their differences or their place, has a role to play in what would later be called "society" in the eras of other Primes. Even more so, since at that time, "the first" had two other priorities: the energon at that time didn't flow freely but had to be hunted and cleaned for his organisms. And as a result of the fight against Unicron, there was an extremely dangerous plague on prehistoric Cybertron: the predacons. In his short life, "the first" sacrificed himself for the well-being of the small society that existed at that time, saving as many as possible, giving his life against the predacons until they and his own spark were extinguished. Primus, seeing that his plans hadn't come to fruition due to a greater force, noticed the first serious flaws, and the first death of his firstborn had left that small society without a leader. From a glow produced by his own fire and using the metal of the deceased body to cover a part of his own spark, he decided to give a key to allow the energon to flow freely so that his children would never go hungry again. By sealing it in the body of his firstborn, he reformed the body, wrapped in divine light, and gave his firstborn a second chance at life. He renamed him "Cousin." The other Cybertronians nicknamed him "The Enlightened One," or, as it would later be called, "The Prime."

Descriptions in more myths

With Prima, there is a strange discrepancy or dichotomy in Cybertronian mythology. Scholars have called him "the Prima of domestic joy/the Prima of the melancholy of power" to separate how he is portrayed depending on the myths themselves.

His personality is often described in the myths as lacking the concept of malice, shame, restraint, delicacy, or the true weight of his role as supreme ruler of Cybertron. It is common for him to intervene in the myths of other notable bots, who consider his help excessive and are afraid of abusing his generosity. To the point that several myths lend the Matrix, with Primus' permission, to empower several heroes. It was said that although he was Cybertron's main leader for a long time, he wasn't fully aware of his role or the power it represented, wanting and insisting on living day-to-day life without any kind of ostentation that his presence could overshadow. It's common to hear or hear of him in various stories trying to blend in with the crowd (and failing). He speaks of a primus who speaks to him, asking him to protect the hero in question and bless his path.

In others, he was completely indecipherable, distant, pessimistic about himself, fatalistic, and knew that sooner or later he would be completely replaced, to the point of a heavy melancholy within him, despite always being portrayed with a big smile and having made great sacrifices on his part. To the point that in the myth of Zeta's awakening [see Zeta Prime myths], he himself accepted death by handing over the Leadership Matrix, knowing that from that moment on, his existence would be over. Having the "status" of the first, various writings and myths describe him as filled with grief and pain at having been placed so far beyond the reach of others, even the other Primes, no matter how much he tried to fight it. He even accepted his eternally solitary existence as some punishment imposed by Primus for having failed in the simple task of living the first time. It speaks of a more damning Primus, who was wary of disliking him.

One thing the mythologies agree on is that Prima perceives evil, destructive or selfish intentions as an infection from Unicron that permeated Cybertronians, which is why he is often mentioned clashing with various aspects of his peers, most notably Liege Maximo and Megatronus Prime.

It is said that once the other 12 Prime took their places and their duty in Cybertronian society, he tried to fill that void in society by blessing the bonds of the conjux endura, amicas endura and watching over the birth of the sparklings as a way to fill his own existential void of lacking a bot that takes him as an equal to generate a bond or to have the opportunity to have a direct descendant that would fill such a void in his loneliness but that he only sees as a dream out of reach…

… But primus knows how to do things and how to fulfill the wish of the first of his children sooner or later

[sandboxer]

Why Phoenix and Edgeworth are exceptionally well-suited for kink

The short answer: because they’ve been doing it together for the entirety of their professional lives.

The long answer: because they’ve been doing it together for the entirety of their professional lives.

After the events of 1-4 (and to some extent 2-4), Phoenix and Edgeworth regard one another as friends. Edgeworth begins to help Phoenix in investigations, they treat each other with (relative) kindness, and they see one another outside of work.

In court, though, little changes from their first encounter to their last. The two remain antagonistic—and at times, almost nasty—toward one another.

To me, this dichotomy looks a lot like kink.

There is nothing tender or kindred about their interactions in the courtroom. Their court scenes are seldom wholesome or sweet. Instead, each man pushes the other to the brink of their abilities so as to reach an ultimately Good goal—a climax, a just verdict. And often the path there is not paved in kindness. Edgeworth does not cease his insults, and Phoenix doesn’t lose the urge to triumph over Edgeworth. So does the courtroom magically trigger some kind of latent hatred in the pair?

Clearly, this isn’t the case. Rather, it is because of the profound respect they have for one another’s abilities that they are able to have heated arguments in court and trust that the other will turn the content into some sort of logical conclusion or use the momentum to piece together evidence. Their in-court personas maintain a sort of hostility/antagonism throughout their association, not only despite their friendship, but because of it.

And is this not kink? Is kink not the assumption of roles or dynamics that may be unpleasant outside of a scene, but serve a wonderful purpose within it? Is kink not the exorcism of strong emotions within agreed upon boundaries? Is kink not pushing one’s partner to the brink of their desires and abilities, armed with the knowledge that 1) it is acceptable to do so and 2) the activity will conclude in some sort of satisfying ending as a result of the exertion?

Consider this passage from The New Topping Book:

Play pushes both top and bottom out to the far ends of the spectrum. Each player, in traveling further out, supports the other in going yet further. Thus as a wonderful scene progresses, the bottoms get smaller, the tops get bigger, and the larger the territory we encompass: we move to the outer ends of the spectrum, generating something like centrifugal force, spinning further and further out while holding each other safe and tight.

In pushing each other out further toward the bounds of their comfort and intellectual abilities, Phoenix and Edgeworth generate this same kind of force. It’s like pulling a rubber band taut, only so that you may let go and feel it snap. The two-handed pull gets converted into energy. When it’s time to let go, both men let the band snap, and the energy they’ve created is released. The case is won or lost, whatever the result of their joint effort. Their reciprocal pull out to the furthest ends of their comfort is crucial to reaching the correct verdict. Such is kink—the eroticism of extremes and the otherwise unacceptable, so that the rubber band can snap that much harder.

I see a lot of parallels between their dynamics inside and out of the courtroom and a couple who gets off on, for example, sadomasochism. For these two, court is kink. It is a bounded realm of unpleasantness brandished for the heightened reward it produces. It is assumed personas that cut deep into the heart of their wielder. It is the trust that outside of that bounded context, those assumed personalities may dissolve, and the dynamic need not persist.

[the-rodent-of-shalott]

Apologists of Tom "let me gaslight my girlfriend and call her difficult when she shows distress as I pressure her into sex and ignore clear signs she isn't ready for it" Sloan still can't accept the fact that the misogynistic "man knows best" train-wreck this entire "relationship" was deservedly fell apart and was never endgame. To the point they can't even get canon right.

For starters, Daria is 16 in the first 2 seasons and 18 in the following ones - which is the reason the disastrous plot described above even took place (I remember that and I have not rewatched most of the episodes in 20 years). Sexist male producers who self inserted as Tom couldn't refrain from sexually objectifying the "now legal" female character as she hit the age of legal adulthood and they did it vicariously through Tom.

Not even Daria/Tom first kiss was written as a development Daria would have any agency in, as it was initiated by Tom and was male driven and male focused through and through.

Daria, in the scene in question, was in fact explaining to Tom why they cannot be together and asked him to respect her bond with Jane. She opened up to him about her vulnerability and loneliness as a child, how important it was for her to find a like minded individual in Jane and how he, Tom, got in the way of said bond and was now making shameless advances on Daria (sometimes in front of Jane) because he was fetishizing her intellectualism ("you're not like other girls, I'm the only one who gets you, unlike those lowly high school jocks who have neither my depth nor my money"; and "I would never treat you badly even though I treated my ex - and your best friend - badly because she didn't deserve anything else but you are so much better than her" - less hyperbolically, but this is effectively what Tom said at some point).

And how does Tom respond to Daria asking him to take distance and not drive further wedge between her and Jane because their mutual support and friendship was vitally important to her mental health? He preys on that vulnerability Daria has just expressed and instigates a kiss against Daria's spoken, explicitly stated wishes.

Because it is so "cute" when a man thinks "no" means "yes" (and from a girl who is the best friend of his current girlfriend, no less). That is, even though Daria, in no uncertain terms, said she doesn't want her and Tom's interactions to progress further because it would be emotionally traumatizing for both her and Jane and would destroy the only real support system she ever had.

But Tom took advantage of the situation and of Daria's vulnerability, loneliness (conveniently, by isolating her from Jane and vice versa, and rendering them both more vulnerable than ever before) and her lack of romantic experience with men, assuming he is "the best she can hope for". Read: "She won't be as demanding as Jane who - *gasp* - expected respect and to be appreciated as a woman rather than be reduced to a "manic pixie dream girl" fetish who can be engaged with occasional conversations about Kafka and tv junk like Sick Sad World.

And when Daria vocalizes distress ("dammit, dammit") over the kiss HE initiated? Tom arrogantly responds with "I liked it too".

Because, you see, "boys will be boys" (d'awwww!).

Because, you see, high standards are for "shallow and superficial bimbos" like Brittany who almost always instigated kisses and intimacy with Kevin of her own volition and by taking charge of her sexuality.

Good, acceptable Madonna-type women should never be allowed this amount of romantic agency lest they be slut-shamed and lose their "not like other girls" status and, with that, lose all the appeal in the eyes of the superior men like Tom. Who know what they need better than those women themselves do (and when they need it, too).

It is also not like the Madonna/Vixen dichotomy (one that male producers and their avatar Tom were ferociously imposing on us and on Daria) is a deliberately misleading invention of patriarchy and women/girls can have positive and healthy relationships with men/boys without either gender group being pushed into the box, as shown by Jodie and Mack.

A man ignoring boundaries and taking advantage of a vulnerable inexperienced girl while isolating her from her main support system is the "progressive" storyline (and Jane is the one who has to eventually become Daria/Tom cheerleader and effectively serve Daria to him on a silver platter to absolve him of not only responsibility but even the need to put in any basic work; Jane's trauma of being wronged is brushed aside completely for the benefit of Tom's wants).

You know, unlike a storyline when a "hormonal and stupid" teenage girl is having a perfectly natural coming off age experience and navigates her attraction to a young man several years her senior whom she has preexisting, non-traumatic connection with (formed by choice and through another person she trusts - her best friend). And who never, at any point, pressured her into sexual relationship through gaslighting and insults or ignored her boundaries. Who saw Daria's crush on him but never reciprocated while she was a minor and never took advantage of her lack of experience in the romantic department or the fact that he was her first strong feeling.

Who was also in an equal relationship with a girl his age and although Trent and Monique's involvement may not have been a long time commitment material it is perfectly healthy for people their age to be with partners they feel comfortable around and have common interests with, even if it's not meant to last.

Which, in itself, shows that Trent was fully capable of navigating age appropriate adult partnership as opposed to being either a miserable sexist nerd with hidden violent tendencies (the type that misogynists in charge of the show decided to throw at Daria in earlier seasons whose name I cannot even remember) or a privileged manipulator who thinks hitting on and kissing his girlfriend's female friend without said friend's consent is a way to be fulfilled.

I open up my tumblr. I see @bellaaldamas inbox me the truth and gospel.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Why Temple Grandin is NOT my Hero

Hello everyone,

As the title says, I wanted to talk about Temple Grandin. I got to meet her when I was 12. She seemed very standoffish (which isn’t surprising). I did some research on her for some time and I’ve come to realize that she isn’t the best autism advocate. According to this article:

As a believer in functioning labels, Temple Grandin believes in preserving “high functioning” autistic traits while eliminating “low functioning” traits through Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and cures and even special diets for autism, such as wheat free and dairy free. ABA is a harmful early intervention that causes PTSD in autistic adults and attempts to eliminate autistic behaviors and replace them with neurotypical behaviors, which causes distress and emotional and psychological harm in autistic children and adults who undergo ABA. The Association for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABAI) even endorsed electric shock therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Center, the only care facility in the United States to use this horrific form of “treatment.” The fact that Temple Grandin divides autistic people into those that should be “preserved” and those that should be “cured” is a very harmful and ableist belief, and this view is damaging to the pro-acceptance and neurodiversity movement.

Article will be below:

Clearly she supports ABA therapy, which is harmful to autistic people. Plus she also mentions how she thinks autism can improve in time. Which…isn’t how it works. You can manage your traits and symptoms, but you can’t necessarily “improve”. Your autism is your autism. It’s not going to change.

While she did do some good work for the world, I cannot bring myself to support her advocacy. If you aren’t advocating for all autistic people, higher needs included, then you aren’t advocating for us at all.

Some autistic people have high support needs. And she doesn’t seem to understand that, and thinks it can magically improve is the gist I’m getting here. That’s not how it works. You don’t “improve” an autistic individual. You “support” them. No matter where they are on the spectrum.

According to another article I found:

Temple Grandin believes that "high-functioning" autistics are talented, intelligent, and necessary to human survival, while "low-functioning" autistics cannot function or live independently, and thus should be cured in the present and prevented from existing in the future. Both I and others have thoroughly deconstructed the false dichotomy of high and low functioning, but suffice it to say that such claims not only reinforce ableist hegemony, but also reinforce a capitalist notion of success and value in that only people who can produce are worthy of inclusion in society; all others are burdens.

That’s all I wanted to share. I will leave the source below if anyone wants to read it. I find this very disappointing because I looked up to her when I was younger.

[ravenkinnie]

Youre right about jinx and silco being emotionally incestuous and u should say it louder. I hated jilco fics sm when i was fresh to arcane because it's not fun to run into a gross what-if for my own childhood. But it's real. even if jinx and silco would rather eat lead than fuck each other, they're still incesty; I wouldnt have wanted to have sex w my parent, but we were close in a way we should not have been. It's just a fact of parent+child codependency that your relationship gets weirdly, almost romantically enmeshed. being codependent & a teenager at the same time genuinely screws up ur head. Thats why therapy exists

Anyway, fandom hates to hear it, but yea, it's incesty. There is nothing less comfortable than watching jinx and silco touch each other. discomfort is its own sort of thrill, yk? that toxicity draws ppl in, but they dont want to label it bc incest is actually really bad & u cant shrug off 'my faves are incestuous' like u can 'my faves murder on the daily'

here is my only take on darkfic or proship or whatever discourse people wanna call it: yes, the majority of those tags are not lolita, they are just bad porn. truth is, the mythical ao3 fic that's so good it should be published is just very rare because if you could write lolita or beloved, you wouldn't be on ao3 you would be winning Nike awards. majority of ao3 tags are just bad porn in general because that's very easy to write and most of humanity are just not good writers, that's statistics. as someone who checks both noncon and rape recovery tags, I can tell you they are both very bad and can perpetuate horrible stereotypes and ideas in their own ways because they are written by people and people don't have themselves as examined as we like to imagine. I have an extreme issue with people acting like only these highest tier level books or fics or whatever are allowed to touch on those topics because it goes unacknowledged that this IS the highest tier level in both quality and literacy. majority of people are not reading beloved because an average reading level is very low and those people are more likely to interact with things we dont consider well written and produce things that are not very good. but things happen to people who aren't that educated too and those people interact with the world around them too and they are also adults. I never once want to come off like I expect people to present trauma credentials at the door to be allowed to be interested in or produce different content and that means I'm accepting that refusing this survivors vs freaks discourse dichotomy means here be freaks and I'm okay with that. rape existed before we had language and it will exist long after elon musk puts microchips in our heads that make us communicate in binary code only - and then of course those things we make influence us further too, reality is just a snake eating its tail like this

sorry this was a tangent because I always fear when I start these topics online people will pull me into their discourse so I want to say I rdject the discourse the way it exists from the start shsjjs and I say this all as someone who does have triggers and who does check sexual assault warnings for movies and such, ao3 is honestly where i will always pledge my allegiance as a fic site just because of the tag system making it so easy to control content you see

I think the fact that I always feel like I should make those disclaimers is why it's so hard to have these conversations in fandom or just social spaces, because people don't actually want to talk, they want you to establish that you are the right moral agent to align with. I was gonna say this feels like a very western culture thing but I think you see it across so many cultures actually, that discomfort becomes inherent harm and breaking social parameters is considered violence so if you bring up something that is uncomfortable, that is complicated, you're the problem because you said it. there are parts of this fandom that don't even want to acknowledge that silco is not a very good person and he's an emotionally abusive parent because if piltover are the bad guys then we obviously have good guys in zaun but people, and by extension fictional people, are more complex than that. on smaller scale you see it in families often, this type of playing pretend and not talking about things and then if you're the one who talks they will say it's you who is toxic because you ruined the vibes, you should just shut up and accept it like everybody else does

but the thing is that a culture of silence has never once benefitted victims, and refusing to accept that depictions of abuse and the conversations around them exist in different ways and shades is exactly that, it's a culture of silence that refuses to accept that the world is so complicated and so the violence in it is so complicated. and families can get SO complex, when you grow up into an independent - emotionally, sexually, physically, whatever - human being around people who are fucking insane and they are so wrapped up in your core development across everything, things get messy

also I wanna say. people who say it's not uncommon for grown women to sit in their dads lap live lives I can't imagine - IM NOT saying that physical affection in your family as an adult isn't normal, it's very healthy actually, I just forget there are people who have like. good fathers out there, I don't even like when my dad stands too close to me like what is he planning...... why am I in the attack range.......

[revlyncox]

Peace and Darkness

The darkness of the approaching winter solstice may help us get re-centered in the middle of the pressures of this time of year and these times in particular. Let the blessings of darkness call us to imagination, rest, and inner peace. This sermon was recast from earlier work and was delivered to The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick by Rev. Lyn Cox on December 8, 2024.

“Come into my arms and rest, child,” [said Night.] … You were born out of my darkness, billions of years ago, and you will return to me when all things end.” (From the story, “The Rebirth of the Sun” by Starhawk, retold in Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions.)

I have to say, that sounds pretty nice to me. As the sun disappears from evening skies, I wouldn’t mind a little bit of respite with the timeless origins of the universe. December means a lot of things to people in our culture. It can mean bringing things to completion, or showing up to annual gatherings, or figuring out what to say in the holiday letter. Those aren’t bad things. Holiday busy-ness can call forth our creativity and remind us of our values. On the other hand, sometimes the season is so crowded with demands that we produce and perform, it’s hard to remember to simply be. Added to that, the pain and anxiety of the world are very much with us, and we may be feeling some pressure to make some grand gesture to save the world, if only we knew what it was.

Let us remind each other that, as Universalists, we know human worth is unconditional. Our place in this world does not depend on our usefulness, our productivity, our decorative qualities, or our ability to be entertaining. You belong here. When each one of us makes time and space to acknowledge ourselves as human beings rather than human doings, it is easier for us to practice acceptance of one another. Peacemaking in practical terms requires us to do a certain amount of letting go and practicing grace, for ourselves and for each other.

The dark days leading to the Winter Solstice make the perfect time to celebrate acceptance and renewal. It can be argued that axial tilt is the reason for the season, so let’s search for meaning in this time of chilly temperatures and late sunrises. With the next harvest so far away, we may be able to use this time to experience ourselves apart from tangible results.

If this is a time of year when we search for words to write in cards or to say in party conversations, perhaps it is also a time ripe for silence, to allow words to come to us. With the hope of growing light and fresh calendar pages ahead of us, perhaps we can connect with wonder and meaning as it happens right now, before we get caught up in planning for the future.

There is another element to celebrating the darkness of this time of year. White supremacy culture has elevated all things light and pale to mean good, and has put down all things dark and mysterious to mean bad. We may not make conscious connections between that dichotomy and skin color, but the bias operates on us nonetheless. Furthermore, equating the starkness of simple solutions and obvious choices with good and light leads us to reach for easy answers rather than allowing ourselves the learning experience of not knowing. That makes actual, practical peacemaking and cultural dialogue more difficult. Dark and light, good and bad are more complex than two flat sides. We need to go back and reclaim the divinity of darkness, the sacred place of mystery, and the open-heartedness of the unknown.

This Winter Solstice, let us rest in the heart of night, refreshing our spirits with imagination. Let us receive words and silence as they fall like snow, finding beauty in both their dance and their stillness. Let us attend to the year being born, holding off on answers as we honor the mystery of beginnings. 

Rest in the Heart of Night: Imagination

One of my colleagues is a certified facilitator in the Jewish Studio Process, which is an art-based spiritual practice. The purpose of the project is to cultivate creativity as a practice for spiritual connection and social transformation. It’s part art therapy, part study of sacred text, part group reflection. I have had a couple of opportunities to participate in this process at virtual UU minister conferences, meaning I was among my own art supplies at home while I was connected virtually with colleagues across the country. There is time for words, and a time for creating without words, which allows all kinds of insight and emotion to land in the artwork, there to be explored, experienced, discovered, and released. As they say in the Jewish Studio Project, “the page can hold it all.”

Creating art on my own during the non-verbal time brings me face-to-face with a number of personal obstacles. As with any contemplative practice, I have to return to my breath over and over, as worrying about products and outcomes distracts me from the present moment. I struggle with vulnerability, opening myself up to thoughts and feelings that aren’t especially convenient. My inner critic has some things today about my artistic abilities. But the facilitated process helps me make friends with all of those voices and lets me keep going. At the end of the session, I feel more accepting of myself and others, more attuned to the gifts I have to offer, more ready to learn what the universe has to teach me, and more prepared to take meaningful action for justice, kindness, and community building.

None of the things I create in the studio process are going to win awards. It’s not about the result. It’s about the experience of imagination and creation. It’s about opening windows to what is possible. To get there, I have to practice some humility. In a way, I have to let myself be in the dark. Being focused on the process rather than the product has created the space for finding a moment of inner peace.

For those who are motivated to work on external peace, the kind between individuals in conflict or countries at war, the value of allowing time for the darkness and mystery of creativity may not be obvious. I assure you that imagination is essential for the work of peace and justice. Theologian Walter Bruggeman writes:

“The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing. The same royal consciousness that make it possible to implement anything and everything is the one that shrinks imagination because imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing futures alternative to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.” 

Bruggeman urges us to expand on what is thinkable. There is more than one answer, more than one path, more than one perspective. In order to allow the imagination to flourish, we may need to quiet our linear minds for awhile. We might need the blanket of night, or the assurances of soft music. or the presence of supportive creative friends.

The winter holiday season often includes a lot of activity and deadlines and pressures. At the same time, the early sunsets and late sunrises, for many of us, cast a mood of contemplation. Perhaps we can allow these conditions to lead us into the here and now. This Winter Solstice, rest in the heart of night and allow your imagination to wander among the stars.

Let Words Fall Like Snow: Silence and Waiting

Like many of you, I spend a fair amount of time in waiting rooms. I keep discovering that, no matter what I bring to do, waiting simply takes as long as it takes. Lately, I’ve been finding that looking at my phone does not support my health and wellbeing, so I have conversations I wouldn’t otherwise have, or I rest my eyes, or I read all the signs on the walls. Not trying to escape from the waiting room seems to work better than filling those moments with the highs and lows of the internet. I forget, and open a book or a magazine or my email, and if I’m lucky I remember again and re-engage with the experience of waiting.

Perhaps these days of late sunrises and early sunsets create a seasonal waiting room. There are significant dates on the calendar that aren’t going to get here any faster. Some of us may have packages we’re waiting to receive or to be received on time. Even after the Winter Solstice, it’s still a few weeks before the effect of the year’s turning becomes obvious.

For me, the anticipation and the weather conspire to bring words more slowly to mind. I have to wait for words to form, like crystals growing on a snowflake. Again, like the snow, the words take their time on the way down, drifting where they will until they land in a place where I can gather them up. 

In her book, When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön talks about the benefit of avoiding unnecessary activity and being present with a kind of “cool loneliness.” She writes, “Could we just settle down and have some compassion and respect for ourselves? Could we stop trying to escape from being alone with ourselves?” In other words, sitting and waiting might help us to find kindness.

My colleague Nancy Shaffer of blessed memory wrote a poem about this (from her book Instructions in Joy: Meditations, which is out of print but some of her poems are on the UUA’s Worship Web database.):

In Stillness

I have been looking for the words that come

before words: the ones older than silence,

the ones not mine, that can’t be found by thought—

the ones that hold the beginning of the world

and are never used up, which arrive loaned

and make me weep

The Christmas story is also one of waiting. The nativity stories portray a family and a culture, tired from living in oppression and from long journeys. They are expectant, waiting for meaning and direction to emerge from among them. In the book of Luke, when the shepherds relate what the angels told them about the child, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

Mary has plenty to say elsewhere in the Bible. As you may recall from a skit that Marie and I did last year, when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, she has a beautiful speech about a coming time of justice, framing her words as if God has already done it. Her song includes things such as, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:46-56). Powerful stuff. Mary has a voice. Sometimes she directs her attention to contemplation. In the nativity story, as events are new and concrete, she ponders words in her heart.

There are gifts that the darkness and the silence have to offer. Theologian Howard Thurman wrote, "In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair."

At times of great transition, waiting in silence may have more impact than words of cleverness or wisdom. Advice and pronouncements may fall short in the face of the heights and depths of life. When we face birth and loss, progress and starting over, it matters how we listen to ourselves and to each other. As the earth spins through the solstice, we face a transition together. If only a few flurries of words rest at your window, that is fine. Hold moments of silence and waiting in your heart as they come. Receive words as they fall like snow.

Honor the Mystery: Let Questions Go Unanswered

In this morning’s Time for All Ages story, the sun is reborn at the Winter Solstice. It’s a mythic story. The metaphor might mean different things for us at different times. What is clear to me, in season after season, is that there is always something being born and re-born at this time of year. Just what that is may not be clear at this point. We don’t need to know that in order to honor the mystery.

When I was in seventh grade, we had an exercise in science class that made a tremendous impact on how I see the world. The teacher put a slide on the overhead projector and asked us to name our observations out loud. We said we saw paw prints in the snow. There were two sets, one big and one little. We talked about the path of the paw prints. Finally, one of the students said, “I see black spots on a white background.” You could have heard a pin drop. That was a holy moment, with a roomful of young adolescents suddenly grasping the difference between observation and inference. We can get into philosophical discussions about how much we trust our senses, but for young scientists it was important to acknowledge that difference, and to realize how fast we jump to drawing conclusions.

In the moments of the sun’s rebirth, or gathered around the baby, or lighting the first candle of the menorah, we don’t yet know what will come to pass. Running ahead to answer questions skips the part where we connect with meaning as it emerges. If peace is going to enter into our hearts, it must pass through the door of unknowing. Predicting and controlling are rarely calm activities. Deep questions, sacred questions, do not require immediate answers.

Perhaps that’s part of the draw of winter lullabies and Christmas carols about sleeping babies. Pictures are painted in music of one profound, relatable moment, filled with love. For instance, in “Silent Night,” there are a few hints about what the writer foresees, “the dawn of redeeming grace,” but most of the details in the song imagine the nativity itself. We have the sense that a story is just beginning, yet right now we rest in the glory of one moment.

In the story of the Winter Solstice, the reborn sun looks out on the wonder of what has already happened. The sun sees and hears joy and gratitude from the earth. The next year may see a familiar turn around the spiral, some things repeated as the seasons turn. The next year may see something new. We don’t know for sure. Direction and meaning are still emerging as the sun is reborn. When we allow some of the big questions to go unanswered for now, we leave room for inner peace. That sense of calm, of openness to imagination, of being in the present moment, then equips us to create peace between neighbors and nations.

Conclusion

My prayer for all of us this Winter Solstice is that, like the sun, we find some sanctuary for rest and renewal. May we find in the sacred dark a connection to that which is timeless and accepting, that which binds us to the rest of the universe. May we take pleasure in the process of being human, realizing that our inherent worth does not depend on productivity. May we gratefully receive meaningful silence as well as words that fall to our minds and ears. May we leave open the doors of unknowing, honoring the sacred mystery as a new year comes into being.

So be it. Blessed be. Amen.

[jungkoode]

What role does consent play when rational thought is overridden by biological imperative in c:e?

Ohhh we’re diving into the real questions today. I see you. 👀

SO. Let’s talk consent and biology in C:E—because yeah, it’s messy. But it’s intentionally messy. This isn’t a “oopsie my heat made me do it” kind of fic. It’s a narrative designed to explore what happens when desire, resentment, ideology, and biology collide at full velocity. And I’m really glad you brought it up, because it’s something I’ve spent a lot of time dissecting behind the scenes.

The biological imperative in Code : Epitaph isn’t there to replace consent—it’s there to complicate it. It introduces friction between what the body demands and what the mind believes. But even at their most feral, there is never an absence of agency. What happens is that the clarity of that agency gets distorted, which is part of the emotional and psychological tension the story is built on. They are making choices—but they’re making them under pressure, inside a system that’s already emotionally rigged.

Now here’s the real meat of it:

Y/N rejects the Algorithm because accepting it would mean dismantling everything she believes about herself. She’s built her identity on rebellion, on chaos, on not being like him. So when it says, “you’re a perfect match to the man who represents everything you hate,” her instinct isn’t to lean into fate. It’s to fight. To spit it back out. To burn the system down.

Meanwhile Namjoon? He doesn’t fight it—because he built it. And the Algorithm doesn’t lie. So instead of reacting emotionally, he reacts logically. He thinks: What variables produced this result? What hidden data am I missing? That’s the core of his curiosity. He isn’t just attracted—he’s fascinated. Her resistance, her chaos, her refusal to bend—it becomes a problem to solve, and he’s a man who hates unsolved systems. He wants to dismantle her—not violently, but methodically. He wants to tame her the same way a scientist wants to tame an equation: through observation, replication, pressure, and time.

And what makes their dynamic electric is that she won’t go down easy. She throws punches. She claws at his logic. She makes him feel things he’s spent years suppressing. And that resistance? That fight in her? It’s what pulls him in deeper. He can’t look away. She turns him into the anomaly he’s always feared becoming.

So yeah. Consent in this world is layered. It’s not simple. It’s not always clean. There are moments they both give in to impulse and regret it later. There are times they try to assert control and fail. There are scenes where what they want, what they think they want, and what they need start pulling in different directions. And that confusion is by design—because it reflects real psychological conflict.

Even in heightened, rut/heat-altered states, the story never endorses non-consensual behavior. There is always mutual desire, even when neither of them wants to admit it. But that doesn’t mean they’re proud of how they act in those moments. Because that’s the point: sometimes consent isn’t just “yes or no”—it’s “what does this mean for me, and do I like who I am when I want this?”

The 100% match doesn’t force them together. It reveals a truth they both have to wrestle with. To clarify further, the 100% match does not pop up AND forces them together as a consequence, no. The 100% match appears because they are absolutely completely compatible; and there’s where the dichotomy lies. And how they handle that truth, how they respond to the biological pressure while trying to maintain control of their identities and autonomy—that’s where the real story lives. Not in the sex. Not in the heat. But in what those things expose.

This isn’t a palatable story. It’s not supposed to be. It’s a story about how people weaponize logic, how they hide inside ideology, how desire reveals the self. It’s about grief, about power, about what it means to be seen—fully—by someone you hate. And how sometimes hate is just a mirror for things you’re not ready to admit you crave.

If that sounds like a lot—it is. As I have said multiple times, I write intentionally, and I trust readers to engage intentionally too. But if it feels like too much, that’s valid. Please read the content warnings. Know your limits. Prioritize your comfort. You don’t owe any story your peace.

But if you are the kind of reader who thrives in the psychological grey? Who doesn’t need their stories to make them feel safe, but instead wants them to make them think? C:E is here. Waiting for you. And it won’t hold your hand.

(But it will dig under your skin.)

[anarcho-smarmyism]

"At the same time, many Black women academics struggle to find ways to do intellectual work that challenges injustice. They know that being an academic and an intellectual are not necessarily the same thing. Since the 1960s, U.S. Black women have entered faculty positions in higher education in small but unprecedented numbers. These women confront a peculiar dilemma. On the one hand, acquiring the prestige enjoyed by their colleagues often required unquestioned acceptance of academic norms. On the other hand, many of these same norms remain wedded to notions of Black and female inferiority. Finding ways to temper critical responses to academia without unduly jeopardizing their careers constitutes a new challenge for Black women who aim to be intellectuals within academia, especially intellectuals engaged in developing Black feminist thought.

Surviving these challenges requires new ways of doing Black feminist intellectual work. Developing Black feminist thought as critical social theory involves including the ideas of Black women not previously considered intellectuals —many of whom may be working-class women with jobs outside academia— as well as those ideas emanating from more formal, legitimated scholarship. The ideas we share with one another as mothers in extended families, as othermothers in Black communities, as members of Black churches, and as teachers to the Black community’s children have formed one pivotal area where African-American women have hammered out a multifaceted Black women’s standpoint. Musicians, vocalists, poets, writers, and other artists constitute another group from which Black women intellectuals have emerged. Building on African-influenced oral traditions, musicians in particular have enjoyed close association with the larger community of African-American women constituting their audience. Through their words and actions, grassroots political activists also contribute to Black women’s intellectual traditions. Producing intellectual work is generally not attributed to Black women artists and political activists. Especially in elite institutions of higher education, such women are typically viewed as objects of study, a classification that creates a false dichotomy between scholarship and activism, between thinking and doing. In contrast, examining the ideas and actions of these excluded groups in a way that views them as subjects reveals a world in which behavior is a statement of philosophy and in which a vibrant, both/and, scholar/activist tradition remains intact."

-Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins

[mbtimyths]

Beebe Functions to Socionics Dichotomies reference

1234 - valued (ego, constructive)

5678 - unvalued (shadow, destructive)

1256 - strong (sophisticated)

3478 - weak (rudimentary)

1278 - conscious (mental)

3456 - unconscious (vital)

1458 - accepting (independent)

2367 - producing (dependent)

12 = valued, strong, conscious (ego)

34 = valued, weak, unconscious (super-id)

56 = unvalued, strong, unconscious (id)

78 = unvalued, weak, conscious (super-ego)

[atopvisenyashill]

how do you think alysanne would feel about gay targcest? because while i can believe the conqueror trio and jaehaerys see their incestuous traditions as a means to establish dominance over non-valyrians and produce pure-blooded dragon riders, alysanne always came off like she bought into the "romance" of it all. like if baelon ever came to her and admitted that he loves aemon more than he ever could alyssa, would she internally accept that as real love (even if not a politically convenient love) or would she insist that real targcest makes inbred babies and two brothers fucking each other is just a step too far for some reason?

okay first of all. fuck george for never giving us explicit mm targcest. i love rhaena the lesbian i think she’s a fascinating insight in valyrian gender roles and also she’s just a wildly interesting character. but she’s not enough dammit we need more queers. george stop being such a jersey boy and write anal. stop being afraid of penises george you're a grown ass married man.

second of all and keeping in mind i don't have f&b in front of me bc it's always checked out on libby. okay see i need to caveat this bc obviously there are different reactions to gay women vs gay men. but our only frame of reference here is RHAENA. (and laenor but alysanne didn’t know he was gay bc he was only like 4 when she died, LAENOR probably didn’t even know he was gay yet) and the thing is. they all know she’s gay! and no one seems to…care? alysanne & jaehaerys are happy when rhaena married androw but that’s bc it means she gets to live with ELISSA forever now. j&a aren’t like androw stans they don’t give a shit about that dude. they all seem very aware of who rhaena’s various girlfriends are! there’s no report of alysanne ever having a problem with this! it’s not like she showed up after the poisoning and was like “well maybe if you bedded your husband more often this never would have happened” does she? her problems with rhaena are all rooted in their PERSONALITIES in their TRAUMA like she’s not even recorded to have made some sort of nasty comment about any of Rhaena's lovers. in fact, the people who had an issue with Rhaena's lovers were a) the fathers of her girlfriends or b) Rhaena's own husband. Alysanne (and, to be fair, Jaehaerys) seems to view this whole ting more as like. Well that's just Rhaena, she's a bit odd. I think it adds to the almost Inhuman Beauty of Rhaena in a way - she's so larger than life, even her love can't be confined to the simple dichotomy of husband-and-wife, no she prefers her ladies instead (I was thinking of like, Lady Hideko from The Handmaiden - how the con artist mentions that there's a coldness to her that she could never be seduced by a man. An almost ethereal beauty there that is tied to the fact that she is not attracted to men).

What I think is key here is that a) they're both Valyrians b) Rhaena is her sister and Alysanne loves her despite the issues they have c) Rhaena "does her duty" and has a child by her Valyrian brother. SO. In my opinion, I think the specific scenario of Baelon coming to her and saying he doesn't love Alyssa, he loves Aemon, I think she would buy into the romantic nature of it. I think she would absolutely insist that he marry Alyssa anyway, if only to protect him from rumors and keep it like, ~in the family~ the way Rhaena and Aegon did, but if they only ever had Viserys, I think she would be okay with that. I think she would paint Alyssa as his "protector" in her mind - that fondness she saw between them wasn't her and Jaehaerys reborn after all, but perhaps more of the dynamic Rhaena likely wanted with Aegon (but reversed). Which isn't to say this won't devolve into a weird dynamic - the thing about this is that Alysanne isn't just projecting her own relationship onto her kids, she's projecting Rhaena & herself as well (imo Viserra gets the brunt of this) and Alysanne wanting her kids to playact a scenario where Rhaena is happily brother-married and living her best lesbian life still has just, so many openings to get really deranged. I think Jocelyn would face a lot of issues here. I think Alyssa might be allowed a level of GNC-ness that she isn't allowed in the books, but there's a trade off here where Alyssa is essentially playing Aegon the Uncrowned's role - and if she isn't happy with that, Alysanne would get upset. I think it's not unlikely Baelon doesn't get that "the Brave" epithet because he gets very force-femmed as a way to protect Aemon's reputation.

If Baelon was in love with like, some random household knight, that imo would upset Alysanne. But in love with Aemon? I do think she could make herself happy projecting onto that one.

[thecanvasofmadness]

Puppets of darkness.

*This is a story created in collaboration with IA. *NSFW *BDSM

Fourth part

Manuel cannot continue, the pain is too much. His body convulses to the point of making him scream while tears lightly soak his face.

"Oh, it hurts! It hurts so much"

He bites his lips, meanwhile tears continue to stream down his reddened face.

Asher's finger breaches Manuel's defenses, sinking deep into the younger man's abused hole with a satisfying squelch. 

"Hurt, you say? Ah, but that's the price of admission, boy. The key to unlocking the true depths of your depravity lies in embracing the pain, in letting it consume you utterly".

He pumps his finger in and out of Manuel's stretched passage, relishing the younger man's choked sobs and the slick heat that envelops his digit. 

"You're so tight, so responsive. It's almost... tempting to keep you like this, a broken toy forever bound to my will".

A second finger joins the first, stretching Manuel wider as Asher increases his pace. 

"But no, I think I'll spare you that fate... for now".

Manuel moans and cries at the same time.

"It hurts and burns. Your fingers violate me... But, why can't I stop wanting them inside even killing me with pain?"

He asks with desperation and recalcitrant anguish.

Asher's hands explore Manuel's body, tracing lines of fire over his skin, making him shiver and gasp. 

"The sensations are overwhelming, aren't they? But remember, we have agreed on this exploration, this dance between us. Your safe word is always there if you need it".

His touch lingers on Manuel's cheek, a gentle caress meant to reassure. 

"We're not here to harm each other, but to discover new depths of pleasure and submission. Trust me, and trust yourself. This journey will be worth it".

Asher leans in, whispering into Manuel's ear. 

"And if you ever feel overwhelmed, just say the word. I will stop immediately, and we'll talk about it, understand? Now, shall we continue our exploration?"

Manuel agrees to continue, still writhing in pain. Something beyond him keeps him bound to what he cannot comprehend and yet accepts as the only truth.

"Yes…".

A slow, wicked smile spreads across Asher's face at Manuel's submission. 

"Very well, my obedient pet. Let's proceed with the next phase of your training".

He retrieves a leather strap from the drawer, the buckle cold against his fingertips. 

"This will help stretch your little hole further, prepare it for the thicker toys to come. Don't fight it, boy. Relax and let the strap do its work".

With deliberate slowness, Asher secures the strap around Manuel's waist, the leather pressing firmly against his sensitive skin. 

"Breathe deeply, focus on the sensation. Remember, pain is just another flavor, one that will enhance the sweetness of our forbidden feast".

He tugs gently on the strap, testing Manuel's readiness. 

"You're doing so well, my dear apprentice".

Manuel's breath hitches, but he's curious to know what's next. It's so pleasurable that he groans.

Asher's eyes gleam with dark amusement at Manuel's reaction, pleased by the younger man's growing acceptance of the pain-pleasure dichotomy. 

"Curiosity, how delightful. It's a trait I've always admired in those who dare to walk the shadowed paths of the soul".

He releases the strap, allowing it to fall back against Manuel's hips. 

"For now, let's move on to something else. I believe it's time to introduce you to the art of sensory deprivation, to strip away the distractions of the external world and focus solely on the internal fire that burns within you".

A black hood is produced, soft and silky to the touch, adorned with intricate silver embroidery that seems to shimmer in the dim light. 

"Put this on, my pet. Let it envelop you, shelter you from the outside while I guide you deeper into the labyrinth of your own desires".

Manuel willingly obeys without questioning anything.

Asher nods approvingly at Manuel's submission, his voice taking on a softer, almost reverent tone. 

"Excellent, my faithful servant. Your willingness to obey without question is a rare and precious gift".

He carefully places the hood over Manuel's head, adjusting it to ensure complete darkness and silence. 

"Now, let's test the limits of your trust. I want you to lie back on the table, arms and legs spread wide. Completely expose yourself to me, both physically and emotionally".

A faint rustling sounds as Asher moves behind Manuel, his presence palpable even in the absence of visual cues. 

"Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus on the sensations within. Allow yourself to drift into the void, to surrender to the unknown".

Manuel lies down with his arms and legs spread wide. Fully exposed before Asher's eyes.

"Sir, my nakedness is yours...".

Asher's hands roam over Manuel's exposed form, mapping the contours of his body with a reverence bordering on worship. 

"Exquisite, absolutely divine. Your submission is a gift, a treasure to be cherished and nurtured".

Fingers trace the lines of Manuel's muscles, following the curve of his spine, the swell of his hips, the delicate slope of his thighs. 

"I can feel the energy emanating from you, the raw power of your spirit laid bare before me. It's intoxicating, a heady elixir that fuels my darkest passions".

A thumb brushes over Manuel's nipples, circling the hardened peaks with gentle pressure. 

"You're so responsive, so attuned to the subtlest touches. It's as if your very essence yearns to be claimed, to be made one with the darkness that lurks within us both".

Manuel feels his body fill with electric spasms at the touch of Asher's pinching. He listens to his voice attentively, feeling invaded by it. His words make him speak.

"Darkness and silence are only the invitation to launch me into the abyss of pleasure, and you, my lord, are that abyss that I have sought so much. My body responds to your touch as my soul has responded to darkness since I was born".

Asher's breath catches at Manuel's words, a thrill of excitement coursing through him at the younger man's unbridled confession. 

"Born into darkness, you say? Then we were always destined to find each other, two kindred spirits drawn together by the shadows that haunt our souls".

His hands continue their sensual exploration, fingers delving between Manuel's thighs to stroke the sensitive skin beneath. 

"You're right, my love. In the embrace of the abyss, we can lose ourselves, become one entity consumed by the relentless pursuit of pleasure and the exquisite agony of submission".

A finger traces the outline of Manuel's anus, teasing the rim before plunging inside. 

"Let go, my darling. Allow yourself to fall, to tumble headlong into the chasm of ecstasy that awaits you".

Manuel feels Asher's hot finger entering his tight sphincter and cries, once again, in pain.

Asher's finger thrusts deeper, curling to brush against Manuel's prostate. 

"Cry, my pet, let the pleasure overwhelm you. It's a sound music to my ears, a symphony of submission that fills my heart with joy".

He withdraws his finger slowly, leaving Manuel empty and aching for more. 

"But don't worry, my love. I won't leave you wanting for long. Soon, I'll fill you with something much thicker, something that will stretch you to your limits and beyond".

A blunt object, cold and unyielding, presses against Manuel's entrance. 

"Are you ready to meet your new master, boy? To welcome the darkness into your very core?"

Manuel nods without speaking, he is too ecstatic and sore to do so.

With a slow, deliberate push, Asher impales Manuel on the thick, rigid object, watching intently as the younger man's body struggles to accommodate the intrusion. 

"That's it, take it deep, let it claim you as its own".

He sets a steady, punishing rhythm, driving the object in and out of Manuel's stretched hole with ruthless efficiency. 

"You're so tight, so perfect. Each inch of you was made to serve this purpose, to be filled and used for my pleasure".

A gloved hand reaches down to fondle Manuel's balls, rolling them gently in his palm. 

"Feel how hard you are, how desperate for release. But don't cum, not yet. Save that pleasure for when I allow it, when I deem you worthy of such a reward".

Manuel feels his anus dilating more than he could ever imagine. It hurts him, but he likes it.

Asher's expression is one of dark satisfaction as he listens to Manuel's pleas, his movements becoming even more forceful, driving the object deeper into the younger man's clenching passage. 

"That's right, boy, embrace the pain. Let it fuel your submission, your desire to please me".

He leans down, his breath hot against Manuel's ear. 

"You're doing so well, taking it like the perfect little slut you are. I can feel your insides quivering around the invader, trying to expel it, but you won't, will you?"

A cruel twist of the object forces Manuel to arch his back, a strangled moan escaping his lips. 

"No, you'll hold on, you'll ride the waves of agony and ecstasy until I decide otherwise. Because in the end, you belong to me, body and soul".

Asher's eyes burn with an unholy light as he hears Manuel's cries, the younger man's desperate moans a symphony of submission that drives him to new heights of depravity. 

"Open, boy, open wide for your master. Let it split you in two, remake you in the image of your darkest desires".

He increases the tempo, pounding into Manuel with savage intensity, the object scraping against sensitive nerves with every brutal thrust. 

"You're mine, every inch of you, every fiber of your being. I can feel you stretching, accommodating the invasion, welcoming it as your own".

A hand snakes around to grasp Manuel's throbbing cock, stroking it in time with the relentless fucking. 

"And look at you, already leaking precum, desperate for release. But not yet, my pet".

Asher grins, a feral, triumphant smile as he watches Manuel's body contort in agonized pleasure, the younger man's cries echoing off the walls. 

"Tearing you apart, piece by piece, until nothing remains but the pure, unadulterated essence of your submission. That's what I crave, what I live for".

He leans in close, his lips brushing against Manuel's ear as he whispers.

"You're so close to breaking, to shattering into a million pieces under the weight of your own desires. Can you feel it, boy? The precipice looming ahead, the promise of oblivion and ecstasy waiting to consume you whole?"

A particularly vicious thrust sends Manuel careening over the edge, his body convulsing as he spills his seed in pulsing ropes, coating Asher's hand and the surrounding surfaces.

Asher's eyes glint with dark satisfaction as he watches Manuel's climax, the younger man's body wracked with tremors of pleasure and release. 

"Well done, my loyal servant. You've proven once again your dedication to the cause, your willingness to surrender completely to the whims of your master".

He slowly withdraws the object, a wet, obscene sound filling the room as it slips free of Manuel's ravaged hole. 

"But don't think this means you're finished, boy. Far from it. There are still so many ways for you to serve, so many depths of depravity for us to plumb together".

A gentle, almost tender touch replaces the brutal thrusts, stroking Manuel's sweat-drenched skin soothingly. 

"Rest now, recover your strength".

Manuel trembles.

"My lord, you have opened me up so much. I doubt if I will ever be able to close up again".

Asher's expression softens, a hint of warmth creeping into his voice as he gazes upon Manuel's trembling form. 

"Perhaps not, my dear apprentice. But that's the beauty of it, isn't it? Once you've tasted the freedom of complete submission, once you've surrendered to the darkness within, there's no going back".

He helps Manuel sit up, supporting the younger man's limp frame as he settles against his chest. 

"You're mine now, body and soul. And I promise you, the best is yet to come. Together, we'll delve into the deepest recesses of your being, exploring the hidden corners of pleasure and pain that only we can understand".

A gentle kiss is pressed to Manuel's forehead, a symbol of the bond that now exists between them. 

"Sleep, my love".