#thank you for your kind response!!

[zara-renata]

HI HI HI ‼️‼️ Just read ur caleb fic and I haven't gotten to the second part yet but I needed 2 tell u how awesome I think it was!! I've honestly been so conflicted on how I feel about the whole adopted sibling thing LMAO I think ur fic cleared my feelings up a lot better! I think these relationships are very interesting to explore and I feel as if there's a right and wrong way to go about it yk? Thats why I don't really connect with alot of dark romance no matter how much I'd like to, but your fics actually are really great at expressing these complicated relationships in a valid ass way lowkey, especially after reading your sylus fic with the whole choking/starving in the beginning of their relationship I feel like it was fleshed out so appropriately because you don't just flat out ignore the issue yk?? I feel the same way about this caleb fic and I can't wait to read more in the future!! Great work and sorry 4 the random dm dump LOL ♥️♥️♥️

hey there, thank you so much for this message, and hooo boy i hope you don't hate the second part. I felt compelled to provide context for all the subsequent parts i have in mind (which is not that many, unlike the sylus series), but i felt like i couldn't give proper context to mc's emotional state and response to his death in this particular take on his character without talking about them as kids and then teenagers. This turned into an essay, as uh, it always does when someone makes the mistake of talking to me. So more under the cut if you're interested.

i can understand feeling conflicted about the adopted sibling aspect of their relationship. i'm glad my take helped you conceptualize it, and that you enjoyed how i approached mc's trauma as a result of sylus in the sylus fics too. But if you're still feeling conflicted about Calebmc, you can always choose to accept Infold's EN translations as canon. They can just be childhood friends to you, and that's 100% valid. I just can't separate the original intended relationship dynamic from the characters after having played the game last year where they were adopted siblings, and I have no moral qualms about exploring that dynamic in fiction because I think human relationships are messy as hell in reality and fiction is a safe place to do such exploration.

personally, i don't think there is a 'wrong' or 'right' way to go about discussing complicated relationships, because the potential danger of fiction is less dangerous than entering the territory of censorship, knee-jerk moral outrage, and puritanical constraints of creative expression. Like, personally I don't like to read regurgitated, exploitative, misogynistic stale smut, but i think people have the right to write it and read it even if i don't think it's good, because who am i to draw the line for someone else regarding what is valuable or a safe way to express their feelings? For me personally, there's either enjoyable dark fiction, or there's shit dark fiction, and I just choose to not read further once I realize it's of the shit variety. And the difference for me between enjoyable and shit is the following: if a really fucked up story with incredibly toxic relationship dynamics is well thought-out, if the motivations make sense, if there is context and believable reasons why characters do the things they do, if it seems like the author has unpacked for themselves why they want to tell this story and do so with commitment and humanity instead of stripping the characters of their personhood just to be shocking, then I can accept it, even if i have to be in a very specific mood to actively enjoy it or want to engage with it. But if they fail to do that, then I'm just not gonna read it.

I've been thinking about this a lot as I've gotten more excited for Caleb's release the closer we get to it, because for me, Sylus has always been a green flag, and always a lot healthier than the fandom portrayed him, and the fact that the fandom liked to turn him into a dark alphahole always pissed me off because it was just poor characterization. And I don't want to do what the fandom did to Sylus with Caleb: i think Caleb will end up being an equally green flag, with just the obsessive, possessive tendencies that Infold has hinted at as only being highlighted in the events and memories as a sprinkling of 'bad boy' titillation like they do with xav's jealousy or raf's rage or sylus's 'i'm such a sexy bad man' vibes. But because Caleb has been presented as an adversary, as being-two faced, manipulative, with 'possessive' flashing on the screen in his PV, with his 'you can't leave without my permission,' i've been having a lot of fun thinking about okay, how far can I take these darker traits with him while still staying true to his canon characteristics and infold's track record of only giving us green flags for LIs, while simultaneously keeping him swoony and romantic and not swerving completely into unhinged, toxic, not-fun-to-read territory. Because I think having someone who knows you inside and out, who feels possessive and protective of you, who is so completely wrapped up in your wants and needs--there's a particular kind of appeal in that for a certain kind of person. whereas these traits may be suffocating and actually horrible to deal with in real life, they're so fun to fantasize about as a comfort in fiction, and like Sylus, I think Caleb presents that kind of comfort. And Sylus in canon is pretty chill when it comes to possessiveness and jealousy, because he's so self-assured. he knows he's hot shit and you're the other half of his soul. He mentions being worried you're going to forget about him when he's gone, but he approaches it like a man with a plan, as opposed to a man with only fear as his motivation. I can see Caleb, however, being a lot more afraid of and vulnerable to the feeling of losing MC, and that will make him go to more extremes in securing mc at his side. and that's fun, in fiction, to explore.

Anyway, thanks so much about the really kind feedback on the first part of the Caleb fic, I'm really, really glad you liked it. I hope you like the rest. I've started the third part where it's back in the present, but I have a busy weekend ahead and probably won't be able to post it until later next week. and who knows, what we learn next week may destroy any plans i have for it, and i'll let it just be a weird little two-part OOC exercise in 'too impatient for caleb content to wait to write him' on my part :). And of course, I haven't abandoned sylus and the series. i'm just trying to write what is making me insane at the moment in order to avoid burnout on the writing. again, thank you so much for the kind message.

[orangechickenpillow]

Maybe I’m dumb but how did viktor’s crutch suddenly get several feet longer? The rest that used to sit under his arm now is above his head?

Hi lovely. You're not dumb! It's such a quick moment in the episode that it's easy to miss what (I think) happens.

So when Viktor comes out of the hex-goop he immediately reaches for his crutch (a really cool detail that I love very much, as it shows that, deep down, he's still Viktor to at least some degree). Now, in this shot, right after he grabs it, his crutch looks like it always has

But we can see that when he touches the crutch, he begins to change it in a similar way that he himself has been changed. You can see it actually happening here

And here you can see it afterwords.

And then there's this shot while he's talking to Jayce that shows his entire crutch. If you look at the very bottom, you can see this spindly design that wasn't there before

So I think what happened is him touching the crutch made it transform and therefore extended it, making it taller than before.

It even sounds different when he walks! It's more of a glassy/metallic sound than a thump. How cool is that!

[volcanocraft]

Your Gem as an unlabelled bi/gay non-op transman who uses she/her has overridden my previous headcanons and rewired my brain. Quite possibly the most correct take I've ever seen.

I really appreciate you saying this :’) she is so dear to me. I love your turiagirl headcanons as I think gem would definitely be mspec and I haven’t heard of the label before… it’s always fun finding out the new ways people are able to label complex gender attraction!

I’ve been thinking about bi gay gem for the past couple of days too. I just think she is able to represent a facet of masculinity I can relate to heavily because of her unconventional expression of her gender. Unlabelled because she doesn’t think too hard about it but able to identify herself in the flux that is masc while also using conventionally fem constructs because she just likes them … AOUHH thank you for making my day 💖

[maesonc-artistic-adventures]

I’ve been scrolling through some of the Linked Universe tags the past few days and every so often I’ve come across your art, mostly of Warriors and Time and I just wanted to say I absolutely love it! Your art style is really cool and I love the way you colour the pieces you draw, it’s very nice! I hope you’re having an excellent day!

Thank you so much!! I’ve had so much fun drawing Warrior and Time shenanigans and it’s really helped push my art wrt character interactions

I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! 🥰🥰🥰

.

Time: So, what’s going on here?

Warriors: Not sure, but it definitely seems like something you should deal with.

[lesbianherald]

'Fic writers should be allowed to be members of the communities they write for' SAY IT FUCKING LOUDER OH MY GOD!

[canisalbus]

Hello! I love your art- you have a real talent for expressive eyes. You're a great cartoonist, and I can't wait to see more of your work

It's a little silly, but I just wanted to say- don't beat yourself up for having a reaction to needles after a bad experience. On a moral level, yes, but also a practical one.

It's normal for a body to react to a bad experience with fear. That's what fear evolved to do, warn you about something that could go wrong next time.

However, fear can be reinforced. If your body responds to a stimulus with fear, and then you feel a negative emotion around that memory, your nervous system goes "Wow! That was so bad that even thinking about it stresses me out. I'd better make sure to never let this happen again. Time to dial up the fear signal!"

Being kind to yourself about something frustrating or painful is hard in good conditions, and I don't want to minimize that. This isn't "don't let it bother you" or "just get over it" or "think positive" advice.

When a fear of needles happens to me again (the fear comes and goes), I try to treat it like I would a food aversion resulting from food poisoning. You know when you eat something bad, get sick and then the thought of the food is really gross for awhile? Like that!

I try to let myself be mildly annoyed, but not so much it gets my blood pressure up. Sadness doesn't seem to extend the length of the fear either. But anger, guilt, or shame for me really seem to reinforce the fear reactions.

Your mileage will vary, of course! For me, I went from no fear of needles, to fainting when an IV was put in, back to no fear with patience and time. Maybe this can be a bit of hope for you too! I wish you luck and a smooth road!

.

[sanasanakun]

Jimithon Mouthwashing is such a good representation of untreated, enabled NPD like it makes me want to squeeze the life out of him. I'm endlessly fascinated when watching him interact with his crew, surroundings, and himself because he's so fucking lost in his own sauce. It's insane. If I'm being real, it makes him my favorite character in the game.

It's a little scary to say, but watching Jimmy is like seeing a mirrored version of myself two years ago before I truly committed to treatment for my NPD. He's like a shadow. The opening line "I hope this hurts," which I believe comes from Jimmy right before the crash, is such a poignant statement. It's a simple line, but I can tell you from experience that the desire to hurt others when in a narcissistic rage is overwhelming. It's such a good line to sum up Jimmy's character in that moment. Luckily, in the real world, I had my friends and family there to catch me when I hit my lowest, even though I'd hurt them so many times. Jimmy probably could've used friends to force him into therapy (cough cough Curly cough cough)

[stone-stars]

on sharing creative work with people who get it.

[ID: A comic in a simple art style, featuring two people drawn in black and white: a person with short hair and round glasses (the author), and a person with short hair, square glasses, and a possum on their head (their friend). The first row has 3 square panels: The author types at a laptop. The laptop screen, with a page full of words is shown. They stare at it, going "hm…" Then, there are closeups: Their face as they look away with a frown, and their hand as they go to close the laptop, a little burst of yellow with the word "pop!" appearing behind them. It zooms out to them, with the laptop half closed, looking surprised at their friend, who has popped into existence grinning behind them. Three more square panels: Their friend leans forward, pointing at the laptop, as the author looks confused, still. They open the screen and look at what their friend is pointing at, their friend saying "!!". Then, there's a closeup of just their friend, staring forward with a smile, with a speech bubble with a bright pink heart in it. The next panel is longer, as the author and their friend begin to talk back and forth. Their friend's first speech bubble has "!!", with some yellow popping around it, and then the rest of their speech bubbles are big and filled with bright colors. The author responds in small speech bubbles, all empty save for a pair of round glasses in the corner to indicate who is speaking. In the bottom corner is a speech bubble from the author that reads "..." Next are two smaller panels, stacked on top of each other. The author speaks, and this time their speech bubble is filled with partially desaturated color that becomes pink to one side. The friend responds, in bright pink, as the author smiles slightly. The next panel doesn't have a border. The author and their friend talk in the bottom left corner, a cloud of intertwining speech bubbles coming from them. The speech bubbles are painted across in a rainbow of bright colors that extend beyond the borders. They're both smiling as they talk. Below this are two thinner panels, both closeups of the friend as they continue to talk and gesture, brightly-colored speech bubbles behind them. Then, in a wider panel, the friend points back to the computer screen, still speaking with colorful bubbles, as the author nods and follows their gaze. The last row has 3 square panels. The author stares at the screen in surprise, then smiles with teary eyes, touched. The last panel shows the laptop screen again, the same document this time painted with bright colors behind the words. below this panel is the word "end."]

(split into two panels under the cut just in case tumblr kills the quality)

[ID: The same comic, now split into two images before the large colorful panel full of speech bubbles.]

[khaire-traveler]

The people on Tumblr are so nice. You guys rock, and I'm sending you all my love. Thank you for the support tonight. 🧡🫂

[xproskeith]

I noticed someone bookmarked my fic I wrote and posted last night and this was the comment on the bookmark. I'm fine. Not crying at all 🥹

[leverage-ot3]

not going to give the blog any attention or time of day but this is your reminder that the leverage crew would never be zionists or support israel whatsoever

I wasn't going to engage with it because I value my mental health but yeah. absolutely fucking NOT

y'all really think that this group of people that actively go out of their way to go against the rich and powerful, who make it their goal to help people that are oppressed, devalued by society and taken advantage by those more powerful would at all EVER align themselves with israel? bffrrn

I'm going to go off for a few paragraphs about why this is such a horrendously ridiculous and delusional idea, but I'm not going to clog up your dash so it's going under the cut. I want to respect people who already participate in activism and need fandom space for lighter things

tw for discussion of the atrocities and war crimes happening in palestine

over 25 THOUSAND innocent people have died as a result of israeli terror the last few months alone. over 10 thousand children. entire family lines have been erased from the world forever- grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren all martyred, often together as they are sheltering from bombs and bullets until they are murdered by soldiers that laugh as they shoot and detonate bombs.

you really think that eliot 'I adopt every child I see' spencer would support a regime that let a child stay trapped in a car where her family members were martyred, not let paramedics in for days and then when they finally let the paramedics approach they kill both her AND the EMS? you think he would stand with the government that arrests children as young as 6 years old for *checks hand* being terrorists (because what fucking 6 year old is a terrorist let alone any kind of national threat. they're fucking SIX). that snipes children for throwing rocks at tanks and their apartheid walls

he and all of them would weep at the picture released the other day of the little girl handing from rubble with her legs blown off.

all of them would be horrified of the bombardment that has murdered tens of thousands of innocent civilians, women, children, men, elderly alike with no fucking care. that shoots people with their hands up waving white flags. that bulldozes graveyards and digs up bodies and probably steals organs from they dying and deceased. that bombs hospitals, governmental and archival buildings, mosques, churches, holy sites, schools and universities. whose soldiers have a trend where they go through women's underwear drawers and make lewd comments about their lingerie and how kinky they must be. who make tiktoks of them playing in decimated playgrounds and signing their children's names on bombs. who force parents to collect pieces of their children in plastic bags because they have been blown apart by relentless bombing. who shoot a grandmother holding a child's hand. who murdered a woman that dared say that she was older than the 'state' of israel.

the fact that you're posting this as israel relentlessly bombs rafa, the place they were told would be the only safe place to be, where 1.6 million people are living in tents living off animal feed because no sufficient humanitarian aid (if any) has been let through

these people that advocate for comeuppance and exposing wrongs would not support a regime that actively targets and murders journalists and their entire families.

you really think any of them would actively support a genocidal sociopathic government? fucking delusional

to a certain extent, I know that people want to keep fandom and advocacy spaces separate and I acknowledge and relate to that- when we are logged on every moment of the day we sometimes need to take breaks and engage with something else for our mental health. I need that too. and there is a very thin line when you try to apply fandom to current events because in all honesty, making headcanons about how your faves would react to X horrendous event can come off as extremely tone-deaf. I get you love your blorbos (I do too!), but actual people are suffering and it can come off as disingenuous to a lot of folks when you try to talk about your characters instead of the very real harm that is going on. HOWEVER, the other account posted in the leverage tag that the crew would be zionists and started that discourse and since it was already out there in our space I wanted to make sure that people know that this blog does not support that whatsoever.

and before this gets misconstrued: antizionism is not antisemitism. I have a lot of love for my jewish friends and followers, but saying that we can't be critical of war crimes and incessant aggression because it is a jewish state is fucking ridiculous. we should be able to hold any and all governments accountable when they do bad things (this absolutely also means I think we should hold the US accountable for enabling them and I live here. every country that is complicit needs to face consequences). saying that israel is exempt from criticism because jewish people deserve a right to a homeland isn't a great take. I completely understand fear of antisemitism and discrimination, but at some point we have to think critically and acknowledge that people are dying by the thousands and standing up for that and calling out atrocities takes precedence. jewish voices for peace has some really good content about this topic

anyways there's a random blog out there posting about how your faves are zionists splattering their rancid sponge and I want to make sure my stance on this subject is very clear: fuck israel, free palestine, and no one is free until everyone is free

[basu-shokikita]

This is my Roman Empire. What prompted him to say this

[mroddmod]

omg thank you guys for 9k!!! i can't believe it 😭🙏

[gomzdrawfr]

🧡 thank you for all of the love. glad you like the warren so far!

thank YOU for the absolute bangers, just chapters of increasing unsettling vibes I LOVE IT!!

the warren

[acourtofquestions]

“He'd deceived her, had lied to her. This man who she'd believed held no secrets between them. She didn't know why it made her want to shred everything within sight.”

— cause um… as you just said Miss Manon YOU CARE (& it’s even giving Chaolaena vibes in the I CARE way)��� so like all I’m saying is you love him duh?

[motleyfam]

So, in the fic where Tim gets his appendix out, Jason tells him that he usually freaks out before he gets put under, not after. Now that Tim knows, how would he comfort Jason? I'm thinking, like, imagine that Jason breaks his leg badly on patrol, so urgent surgery is in order. Would Tim try to prevent him from freaking out? How?

P.s. i said i a thousand rimes bur I love your works!! You're amazing!!

Ooh so I've actually answered a similar question pretty recently (although that was focused more on the needle aspect than the anesthesia/loss of control aspect which I headcanon to be Jason's main issue with being put under)

Honestly? I think Tim would be the worst family member to try to comfort Jason through something like this. Not for anything that Tim is doing right or wrong, just because anesthesia is something that really freaks Jason out, and his response to being freaked out is a) to angry cry, and b) to lash out at people. Because he knows this about himself, and he's also extremely protective of Tim, he tries not to let Tim see him when he's not fully in control of himself. So while Jason would totally be great in a crisis involving Tim, he does terribly when the roles are reversed.

BUT that being said, if Tim was the only one available, I think Tim would end up offering his hand to squeeze, and Jason would hesitate at first but eventually take it. He'd probably also be trying really hard not to cry, which Tim would very intentionally act as through he wasn't noticing because at the end of the day, Jason needs his dignity more than anything.