#the REAL unsavory stuff

[deathinfeathers-a]

.

[mxwhore]

hormones are real, fortunately

if you wanna access my more unsavory stuff, subscribe to my patreon

[howlingmod]

Can I request uhmm more noob or 007n7 x killer! Reader hc..like reader giving silly gifts for them (either a star shaped origami or a decapitated head) or being too affectionate

summary - noob x reader, 007n7 x reader

misc - gouhh .... my joints .... im fading away in my old age

Noob

-They keep just about everything you give them. There's a little shelf in their room they've dedicated to your gifts. They like to look over them after a rough trip or a particularly painful respawn as a way of getting their mind off things.

-Their favorites are all the innocuous little trinkets. Sure, you might've gotten them through ... unsavory means, but it's the thought that counts! Jewelry, figures, stones- whatever it is, they just like how personal they feel. To others, they might've not been anything special, something easily forgotten and abandoned. For you to pick them up and give them to them meant something, though. Maybe it reflected an interest of yours, a specific color or texture you like, something that made it speak to you. Maybe it reflected how you saw them, they could only guess what your interpretation and links could be but that didn't take any of the fun out of thinking about it.

-This isn't to say they didn't like anything else, not even close! They treasured all the clothing you'd brought to them, replacements for their sweater after you'd taken it as your own (seemingly as a blanket more than anything, you ran strangely cold). Sure, they might've not always fit, but they appreciated the effort you went through to take them and at least try and make them presentable (stains would stay no matter what, but you at least rinsed the heavier remains off them) for them.

-Their only real hangup were the more visceral gifts. They tried to let you down easy on the whole disembodied arm thing but it was pretty hard to get it out without getting sick. They just prefer the more 'I can have this around my roomates without any real concern' gifts a touch more is all ...

007n7

-Going off the idea you were together before ... this guy's already got a hoard of your stuff sorry he's not normal. He can't bear to lose the clothes or books you left behind because he hasn't lost you yet, either, and he'd really appreciate if everyone stopped looking at him like that when he says as much.

-His favorite gifts are the ones that reminds him of how you used to be before you turned. He loves you now, of course, but it always gets him thinking about how things used to be. The days where he could sit with you from sunrise to sunset and freely talk with you or spend time with you and his son ... he just appreciates the sentimental value, is all. He can only hope to get it back some day, your gifts allow him to imagine it for a few moments longer.

-He still keeps everything you give him, though. It's more hidden away than Noob's stash- He doesn't need anyone seeing his heart on his sleeve like this. He might not be totally heartless or anything but ... he's a little sensitive when it comes to you. You mean the world on him, expressing his love for you by displaying your gifts is something he'd love to do but it leaves him vulnerable in a way he's afraid of. He likes his fellow survivors well enough but he knows they aren't as keen on returning that sentiment. He just wants to have space to breathe and exist separate from his situation, keeping your gifts somewhere private and hidden lets him have that space.

-He tries to give you little gifts in return. Ribbons, blankets, food- things like that. He can't imagine what you're going through with such a sudden change, not to mention the fights you're always in. Sure, you win, but he still doesn't like it. He knows why they fight, you're going to kill them, it's only natural, he does the same thing to the other killers. It's just ... difficult, for him to see you getting attacked, even if it might be in self defense. So, he does his best to relieve some of those growing pains, giving you back the same comfort you've given him. He likes knowing he still has some ability to help you out. It's those moments where he really shows his true self, more reminiscent of who he was before all this started and tore everything away from him.

-Just spare him getting a ring. A gift like that only breaks his heart for the future lost.

[animalsalvationassociation]

does Tweak glow-in-the-dark like in the books in your AU?

my idea is the reason why her dad, Ranger Marsh didn't like technology in his introduction is he spent like the first twelve years of his life in a lab with a bunch of technology before escaping with one of the scientists kid, Tweaks mom who I'm calling Katy for now. so Marsh(or Mason when he was young) was a jellyfish rabbit experiment where he has jellyfish DNA that makes him green and glow-in-the-dark. that's a real thing, search up jellyfish rabbits. so Tweak inherited the jellyfish DNA and subconsciously hides it from the others because her parents always told her never to tell anyone about the glow-in-the-dark thing.

“Does Tweak Glow in the Dark?”

[ DO NOT REPOST, ALL ART & CONCEPTS WERE MADE BY ME ]

Digital Illustration Time: 14hrs 10min

I have two answers for you, it's kind of like a choose your own adventure in a way. There's the "haha silly way", and then there's the serious way (this one I actually lean more towards, because it gives something to write about, but I love them both).

(Tweak’s headcanons/backstory will be linked at the bottom! I totally recommend reading it because it gives a little bit of light on Marsh and her lovely mama, Terry)

Silly Answer:

When Tweak was a kid she drank a bunch of glow sticks, thinking she'd get superpowers, and instead poisoned herself. Only to find out later that she did somehow gain "super powers", but the only super power she has is glowing in the dark. 🤣 Leading to a running joke that she still believes she could get super powers but it based only on the color of glowstick. (A Superhero Au idea anyone?~ lol)

Serious Answer:

I can only think of one other solution to this question . . . Radiation poisoning.

She was a teenager at the time and it was summer vacation. The heat got to them fast, so Tweak and her friends would go off to swim every day seeing as it was the best way to cool off. They'd stay out until sunset exploring the Everglades like it was their backyard, and let's be honest it basically was.

But little did they know even dipping your toes would end in disaster. Over the course of the summer people would start getting sick, really sick, including themselves. One day Tweak fainted, and when she woke up, her dad had driven her all the way to the clinic to get checked out.

It took them a while to figure out what was wrong, but by the end of the summer almost the entire town was locked up in the hospital with radiation poisoning. Thankfully her dad wasn't too badly effected, a few dizzy spells here and there, headaches, and nausea. Unfortunately Tweak herself got the worst of it.

They would find out later that a nearby factory had begun leaking radiation into the water and surrounding areas. The factory had already been known for it's harmful ways on the Everglades and the creatures that lived there. The people in charge didn't really care for the environment, so they didn't mind sending their men out to dump waste into the rivers and surrounding forests. The factory was shut down but the damage had already been done.

One of the side effects, depending on how exposed you were, was glowing fur/skin. Now yes, radiation and even Radium (if you've ever heard of the Radium Girls) aren't actually supposed to make you glow unless you are exposed to high levels, and even when you're exposed it's not always prominent to the naked eye.

However, as you might've guessed, Tweak was HEAVILY exposed and it was bad. She was one of the few who began developing ARS (Acute Radiation Syndrome). (Sadly some of her friends also developed this as well)

Symptoms:

Weakness/Fatigue.

Nausea and Vomiting

Vomiting blood

Rectal bleeding (bloody stools)

Diarrhea

Fever

Confusion

Hair loss

(Pretty unsavory stuff, huh?)

I think once she and her dad realized what it was, she immediately started getting treatment for it. But by that time is was already affecting her. Some days it's so bad that she can’t even walk without using a cane or crutches. Low and behold that's actually one of the reasons why Tweak doesn't do very many missions at the beginning of the series.

I think for a good long while she actually doesn't tell anyone except probably the captain. She trusts him more than the others at first. Overtime she does let her team in on her little secret, but I can confidently say, the very next person she told was Kwazii.

She's doing better now, like I said some days are better than others. Over the few years that the team has been together, there have only been a small handful of close calls. On difficult days she has fainted before, those are specifically her rest days. As soon as she's on the floor, everyone's main priority is getting her into a bed, and it doesn't always have to be her's. Sometimes it's just the one that's closest.

The team has been more than supportive, I would say especially Kwazii and Shellington. Kwazii being her go to when she needs help walking around or doing tasks, while Shellington is more of a vent buddy. He has his own disabilities so he knows how hard it is to function sometimes. It's really been something they've been able to bond over.

That being said, Kwazii does tease her a lot, but it's out of love. He knows that it sucks to feel stuck in one place and he doesn't ever want her to feel like she can't do things. Especially because her ARS has basically morphed into several other conditions, some of which she's still learning about. So most of the ARS is gone, but because she was exposed for so long she began to develop other issues.

(Peso must be so worried over her omg)

Honesty at the end of the day . . . I claim both ideas for her. I think it would be funny if she consumed glow sticks as a kid (because that just sounds like something she'd do) and then got radiation poisoning as a teen. So in my head, she knows she could get super powers (so she claims) but doesn't try it because she doesn't want to experience the after effects of the chemicals, because of the crap the radiation has put her through.

It's both hilarious and sad to me lol – Anyways let me know your thoughts. I wanted to give this an actual answer, because this comic took me so long to accomplish. Most of those 14hrs came from just the first panel, and that's the main reason I put this off for so long, because I was so frustrated with it. But that's what art's about right? It's trail and error, and boy was there a lot of error!

Thank you again @hannahstales ! I really do appreciate your ask! I've been looking for an excuse to do another "documentary" styled "ask "answer" for the Octonauts! Heaven knows I spend way too much time on lore that I forget to make my asks seem like they actually take place within the universe.

[ Tweak: References Old / New — Headcanons ]

[ This is a Octonauts AU, in no way is this canon to the OG storyline. ]

[prlssprfctn]

Imagine Bat & Co get hit by some magic user where they get to explore their past memories. There's a mix of the mundane and the more impactful events as they get sent to memory after memory.

They end up an innocuous night where Robin!Jason is sick, so Bruce decides to take the night off from being Batman. It's sweet and they are all enjoying it after the more unsavory moments they've seen, but Jason says, "Oh, we just making stuff up now. Out of memories worth showing". Only for Bruce to counter saying that it did happen.

The others don't really know how to trust. If they trust Bruce, who doesn't have a reason to lie about something quite small, they ruin the fragile relationship with Jason they've cultivated. But can they trust Jason, his Robin era is shrouded in mystery, who is to say he's remembers it himself.

They are all standing there, the tension thick, before being swept to another memory, an easy out. But Jason isn't arguing with Bruce just thinking. He's racking his brain for a reason for this disparity then he remembers his encounter with S'aru. He had to give up his most precious memory and never took it back like Kori and Roy.

Then that begs the question, why would this be his most precious memory? Is it because Bruce is choosing Jason over his crusade? He is choosing to be a dad and not be Batman. That can't be right. He wouldn't do that now. Why would he do that then? Sure, others can say that it is real and from all the other memories they've seen have actually happened. But he's watching it as a spectator and not in the moment. And how is it his reality when it seems so much closer to his dreams.

Of course, their travels couldn't end without the gang watching the encounter with S'aru. Another piece in the puzzle. But why would Jason not want it back? He considers it his most precious memory, so why leave it. Does he want to move on from those years that are literally a lifetime ago? Or is it simply because it's Bruce? His very existence defines the memory but also taints it for all that he does in the future.

Context: Red Hood & the Outlaws (New52) #3

- 🐳

(Finally decided on an emoji and remembered to sign off my ask)

hi, dear!

YOUR BRAIN, OUCH, OUCH— let me chime in with this addition:

i imagine both Bruce and Jason being restless after this event for nights, ultimately for the different reasons — Jason is wondering if it would change anything at all, if he got it back (no, it won't; if anything, it would hurt more) and Bruce keeps asking himself why Jason did what he did, with the memory.

the bump into each other one of these sleepless nights. stare each other for a while. and then, when they gather their courage, the same question leaves their mouth, at the same time, addressed to each other:

"do you regret it?"

Jason asks if Bruce regrets what had happened between them because of all of that, that memory, let alone, was supposed to mean something for Bruce — Jason used to mean something. so does he regret the bad blood between them? does he?

and Bruce obviously wants to know if Jason regrets their lost connection, their shared warmth. if he wants to take it back now. if their past still means something for him, if Bruce is not lost in his son's eyes.

but maybe they don't realise what this question truly means to each other.

maybe Jason thinks Bruce is asking if he regrets losing that memory (he does and doesn't at the same time — it hurt nevertheless). and Bruce assumes that Jason wonders if he regrets that day, the day of the memory — if he regrets loving Jason so dearly and choosing him over the mission with a new knowledge of what kind of person his son is going to become in the future.

so they stare, stare, stare, and answer simultaneously again:

"no."

and then they leave, bristling at each other, both hurt and arrogant, having no idea that they meant completely different things.

not finding out how loved they are by each other.

[redwolfxx]

hiii! im like 82% sure your requests are open so if possible can i req a jealous!gun x reader :3? you can make it any gender you want (male preferred but honestly i don't mind any as long as you'e comfortable ><) some people are getting too handsy with reader who's on a mission to infiltrate another gang, and gun notices

a/n: hi! yeah my inbox is open, i just suck at being timely about this stuff.

tried to do more gender neutral, hope this is close to what you were looking for!

hands off!

jealous!gun x reader

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

You'd been assigned in an undercover role by your boss Charles Choi. You were to infiltrate one of your boyfriend Gun's gangs that he ran.

Something about illegal activity, not than any of what they nor you did was indeed legal, but this was more so.

Rumors of trafficking, drug smuggling, and underage gambling had been spreading and it was important to lock this down before it became a real problem if these rumors were true.

As expected anyone with unsavory rumors of the sort wouldn't exactly be expected to be a decent human being with the basic respect for others.

When Gun had first heard of your new assignment, he pressed in whether this was really a good choice, pressing that he could go in and just brute force find this information out. There was no need to subject yourself to such an environment.

Leading up to your infiltration you conducted hours of research, learning the gangs habits, structure, everything.

It had been about a month since you went to go work for this crew, and luckily -saying that lightly- it wasn't human trafficking, but it was drug smuggling, gambling for all ages, other such things.

You needed to gain the boss' full trust in order to take the ledgers to turn in to Charles so they could be dealt with accordingly.

The gang was, as expected, crawling with filth. Men with rings adorning fingers and eyes lingering longer than they should.

To your relief, it had only been unsavory stares and unnecessary comments from them, nothing more. No one followed you nor pressured you. No attempts to cross your line in the sand once you declined their various...offers.

However, on this one particular day, there was a odd twinge to the air. An unusual tension that had caused tighter words and stricter orders from the higher ups.

And at the end of the day, when work was over and the lot of you had headed over to the nearby bar, all hell was set loose.

You were all regulars so the bar owner and workers paid your group no mind considering the large amount of business your group brought day after day.

It was if, the few hours of this single day, being "cooped up" in tight suits and a struct schedule had worn them down as if this was their everyday life and this was their first chance to break free in a year.

Voices filled the air with loud bouts of laughter and arguments between members of your group. Glasses occasionally dropped and tables occasionally flipped. Rowdier than usual, and the alcohol and drug consumption increasing tenfold.

Eyes that were the only thing to linger now were followed by unwanted touches and vulgar comments thrown to passing patrons and some directed towards you.

Unbeknownst to you and your group, the cause of the higher-ups stress, due to an unannounced audit, was sitting across the bar from your group, nursing a drink.

From across the bar, Gun sat with his arms folded, expression unreadable behind tinted glasses. You were too far to see him, let alone the twitch of his jaw when one of the gang members leaned a little too close. Or when a hand brushed your lower back under the guise of guiding you somewhere quieter to talk. You flinched—barely—and kept your face calm, trying not to blow your cover with a fight of any sort.

He tried to let you handle this yourself, you were an adult, he trusted you, and he knew you could handle these things.

The final straw came when some guy—greasy smile and too much cologne—that you sat next to in a booth placed a hand on your thigh. His jaw tightened, he was going to let you handle this, he knew you could, he knew you needed to get critical information from this guy, if he recalled this was a higher-up in the organization, in charge of the books if he remembered right.

But, when the old pig tried to move his hand higher than it should ever have even considered going, Gun was already moving.

Gun was prepared for any consequences that would follow whether that be a lecture from you or Choi.

His presence hit like a cold wind. One second, you were enduring the act; the next, a hand closed over the guy’s shoulder—tight. The air shifted.

“I don’t remember seeing you ask to touch what isn’t yours,” Gun said, voice cold. Dangerous.

The man froze, recognizing him as the man who caused the chaos earlier that day within his higher ranking members like himself. Trying to play it off, he attempted to grunt out something along the lines of. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Gun didn’t let him finish. He yanked the guy back so fast the chair toppled. A hand to the collar, a knee to the spine, and the man was face-down on the floor before anyone in the bar even processed what happened.

You stood quickly, heart pounding. Not from fear. From something else.

Gun looked at you. Not cold. Not angry.

Something else.

Protective. Intense. Territorial.

“Why are you here? Do you not trust me to handle this?” you whispered, stepping toward him.

His gaze flicked down your body—slow, deliberate. “I trust you. I don’t trust them."

He glanced at the groaning man on the ground. “This mission’s over. You got what you needed.”

“I was getting more.”

Gun’s hand brushed your wrist—gently. “And he was getting greedy.”

You looked down at where his fingers touched yours. Warm. Anchoring.

“You’re not subtle when you’re jealous,” you murmured.

He smirked, just slightly. “I’m not trying to be.”

A long beat passed between you.

The others in the room were too stunned to interfere. No one dared challenge him—not with the sharp glint in his eye, the casual violence in his posture.

I guess that was it for you so called subtle infiltration, you had most of what you needed anyway.

After a moment of intense eye contact, you relented. “Fine. You win. Let’s go.”

Gun didn’t let go of your wrist, even as you walked out together into the cool night air.

Only once you were far enough from the building did he stop.

“You okay?” he asked, quietly now.

“Yeah. How about you? You seemed quite tense back there."

“I’m the one who had to watch someone else paw at you like a toy,” he muttered. “You tell me.”

Your heart beat harder. “It was just part of the job.”

Gun stepped closer, fingers brushing your waist now. Less hesitant. Less careful. His voice dropped.

“I don’t want it to be.”

You looked up at him, breath catching.

“And what do you want?” you asked.

His answer came without pause.

“You. No roles. No missions. Just you.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

(Can I take 👁️ anon? That way I can just preface with that emoji whenever I'm sending something here)

Anyway, for the Trein event: Ruggie trying to ask Lucius about the answers to an upcoming exam?

👁️ Anon is all yours!

A Storied Past.

Trein frowned upon sneaking, among many other things. “To sneak is to hunch over and creep around in unsavory locales. It’s simply distasteful,” he’d declare with a dismissive huff. “You are young gentlemen and esteemed students of Night Raven College, not riffraff. Your posture and behavior should reflect that.”

Well, Ruggie thought as he squatted low to the ground, it’s not a problem if you don’t get caught, right?

The hyena chanced a glance from behind the desk he hid behind, surveying the teacher’s lounge. The adults had vacated to take lunch in the cafeteria, granting him a 30 minute window of opportunity to do that which Trein so loathed: sneaking. Ruggie had already picked the lock to the door and rifled through the papers kept in the drawers—other actions Trein would find reprehensible—but to no avail. The man’s answer key was nowhere to be found.

He was so screwed on that next unit exam. I’d have the time to study for it if Leona-san weren’t runnin’ me ragged just before the test…!

Ruggie’s gaze fell on the black and white lump gathered in one corner. It stared back at him with unblinking, feline eyes. The fearsome beast that guarded the teacher’s lounge.

“Mrrrow.”

“If it isn’t my good ol’ buddy, Lucius-kun~” Ruggie broke out into a mischievous smile. This, he could work with.

He made no effort to conceal his presence or to provide an excuse—even caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ruggie instead casually approached while lying on his belly, both hands balled into paws. His words were traded for meows that easily rolled off of his tongue.

(“How’s it goin’? Don’t mind me, I’m just sniffin’ around for a tasty morsel. You won’t squeal on me to ol’ Trein, wouldja?”)

Lucius yawned, either unsurprised or disinterested. (“Depends. What are you willing to do for me this time?”)

“Tch. Always gotta be a dealmaker, huh? You’d give Azul a real run for his money,” Ruggie grumbled to himself. Fixing his grimace into a grin, he shook a paw at the cat. (“I’ve got a nice can of fancy tuna with your name on it!”)

Lucius sniffed. (“Just the one?”)

(“What, you want more? I know you love the stuff, but if you have too much at once then Trein might start getting suspicious about how full you are.”) Ruggie made a face. (“I’ll give you one can of fancy tuna and a some catnip to chew on afterwards. How about it?”)

(“Two cans or nothing.”)

(“Two cans,”) Ruggie shot back, (“one now, second one a week from now. We don’t want to risk being caught.”)

Lucius inclined his head, considering. (“… Alright, I accept.”)

(“Sweet, thanks.”) A pause. (“By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where Trein’s keeping the answer key for the next exam?”)

Lucius rose from his spot and scampered over to the bookshelf along one wall. Getting up on his hind legs, he tapped on the spine of a thick binder marked GAINS!!

(“Isn’t that Coach Vargas’s stuff?”)

(“You'd think so, wouldn't you?")

Lucius pulled the binder free. It fell to the floor and opened, revealing weekly schedules, exercises, and protein (and egg)-rich meal plans. Ruggie cocked a brow expectantly. Lucius rolled his eyes and tugged out a loose piece of paper free with his teeth. He deposited it before Ruggie.

Several bubbles littered the page, a single dark circle in each row.

The answer key.

("He suspected cheating on the last exam because of the higher than usual grade average, so extra precautions were taken to hide this one. Vargas collaborated with him.")

("Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Lucius-kun! You're the CAT!") Ruggie cheered, snatching the sheet up. His eyes greedily ran across it, committing each answer to memory. ("Always a pleasure doin' business with ya!")

("Yes, yes. Now then, about that first can of fancy tuna...")

[transformers-spike]

Megatron: Please... Just a crumb of pussy...

Soundwave: Putting Y/N into a cleaned and decorated vent, basically out of everyone's reach but his

Megatron: NOOOOOOO

When its finally safe to make love, Soundwave is still there, basically holding a gun to the cons head and like "it's been 3 months. Take it easy. Nice and slow, no sudden movements."

He's so so so serious about their health

However the cons will very quickly back off with the pestering after being shown videos of pregnancy recovery. They understand now and they're very sorry 😔

Soundwave didn't need to be shown videos because lets be real he's probably the most attentive one. He was there, he saw everything and took care of everything. He knows

SCREAMING Who even attended the birth? I want to say Shockwave's presence helped because this meant Knock Out didn't have to act as the non-consenting midwife to the whole thing. So I imagine Soundwave (Laserbeak too I guess), Shockwave and Megatron. Despite having witnessed everything Megatron was too focused on getting a child to truly process the uh... unsavory details (and I guess being an ex-gladiator helped too). To be fair he was the first who held the child just so he could lift it up into the air and declare its future would be bright (meanwhile every bot in the vicinity feels high pitched EM field screeching). Actually, what stuff would the baby even get??? This is still a war ship and even more competent cons like Soundwave don't know how to be proper parents. They're trying to teach the baby battle strategies, meanwhile it's gnawing on their servos (thank Primus the baby didn't get Megatron's sharp teeth) Knock Out just hands the baby a buffer to teach it proper cleaning etiquette but it's so small it can't even wield the buffer Soundwave ventilating down everyone's neck the second it's safe to make love fucking sends me Every frag is a threesome, except Soundwave's just there, not doing anything. And if he isn't available, Laserbeak is watching, making sure everything goes smoothly. No one was even terribly rough before she got pregnant, but Soundwave doesn't trust any of these bitches (not even Megatron - although it's like not allowing your dog to hump the couch, so no disrespect, master)

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

What do you think about Equius and Eridan's ship? I think this is a pretty entertaining idea (I'm aware that they don't really tolerate each other, but maybe they could share their problems with each other and help each other?)

I won't tell people what they should and shouldn't ship, but it's unsupported by canon & I personally don't think they'd be a good fit for each other, because Equius is kind of a prude who's genuinely made uncomfortable by Eridan's incredibly strong emotional neediness, and Eridan needs attention from his friends and especially romantic partners, which Equius isn't really equipped to provide. But again, if you like it, don't let me stop you!

Uhhh warnings for talking about sexual stuff because unfortunately Equius is just kind of Like That and you can't really discuss him in good faith without getting into it.

Basically, Equius's deal is that he's kind of sheltered. His specific position in the hemocaste means he gets to avoid a lot of the awful shit the other highbloods have to deal with, while still being high enough that he gets to avoid lowblood problems entirely. He doesn't have to worry about being culled or even of having to cull others - at least, not until adulthood - to the point where he's in a position to object to Nepeta killing wild animals. The murder of other real, thinking, breathing people seems like a distant problem for future Equius - not a tangible reality quickly catching up to him.

CT: D --> You e%terminate beautiful, innocent creatures by the hundreds CT: D --> I can't condone such wretched behavior CT: D --> Beasts are meant to be 100ked upon with adoration AC: :33 < but AC: :33 < i eat them! AC: :33 < i dont kill anything i dont eat, that would be mean CT: D --> I guess that's basically acceptable in principle, but I still find it a bit unsavory

He knows that Alternia is dangerous, and that bad, horrible things happen to other people (I mean, he's neighbors with Vriska lmao), but he has the privilege of simply electing not to participate, and that's the solution he keeps presenting to Nepeta: don't talk to the lowbloods, because they'll harm you, don't talk to the highbloods, because they'll harm you, and don't play their dangerous games. I mean, it works for him!

CT: D --> The thought of you fraternizing with and abetting those stink-b100ded h001igans strikes me as scandal beyond measure CT: D --> I'm afraid you're too delicate to withstand that sort of corruption

EQUIUS: D --> Yes, which is among the reasons why I must make your prote%ion a high priority EQUIUS: D --> The highb100d has joined a stable of those who are becoming increasingly volatile and murderous as we remain stranded in this laboratory EQUIUS: D --> I command you to steer clear of them, do you understand

He has a kindly lusus who takes very good care of him, met his soulmate very early on, has a neighbor/friend he gets along with pretty well, and gets to spend basically all of his free time pursuing his hobbies and interests with no pressing duties or responsibilities to distract him. As far as is possible on Alternia, he's lived a charmed and peaceful life.

Now, although I'm going to make the caveat early that he's not actually that casteist, Equius is still the most casteist member on the team, short of post-corruption!Gamzee. The fact that he's sheltered is one of the primary reasons for this: he's never had a reason to question casteism, because casteism has always been pretty correct in his book, and he's never had the need nor impetus to question it any further than that. After all, lowbloods DO wind up getting themselves into horrible situations, and highbloods DO tend to be murderous, dangerous assholes. This is just The Way Things Are, right?

For more specific examples, the Team Charge debacle - which Equius had to know about because he's the one who patched Vriska up afterwards - ended with Tavros unable to walk and Aradia "broken" (most of the team didn't know she was dead until they entered the game; Terezi tells Vriska she thinks "whatever Vriska did to her" must've broken her brain somehow since she was never the same since). Meanwhile, the two highbloods really only got injured by each other. In Equius's eyes, this would've reinforced his views: lowbloods live dangerous lives wrought by their inherent degeneracy, and always suffer worse for it, while highbloods are unstable and violent, but ultimately faultless and unpunishable except by each other.

He also - again - is Vriska's neighbor, and Vriska's psionics work best on lowbloods, so that's the vast majority of who she brings in for her lusus to eat. The two most crass people on the team are also Karkat and Sollux - the latter of which is very much a lowblood, while the former regularly throws himself in with the "gutter bloods"; the fact that they swear and make sex jokes genuinely freaks Equius out, since he's a sheltered little noble boy who refuses to say cuss words.

EQUIUS: D --> For pete's goodfornothing di%ie whistling SA%ES, Nepeta

So with Equius, we see how unexamined and uninterrogated privilege and sheltering can lead to genuinely harmful beliefs. Equius's feelings come from a good place: he sees all these poor lowbloods dying and suffering, and all these high bloods doing horrific, scary shit, and he instinctively knows that something is wrong and the world they live in is dangerous - or else he wouldn't be trying to protect Nepeta from it. He knows that because she's lower than he is on the hemospectrum, she's much more at risk than he is of something terrible happening to her, so as much as possible, he tries to keep her away from engaging with the rest of society.

CT: D --> Well, green b100d is ok, but it's not great CT: D --> But that's why you're lucky to have me to 100k out for you CT: D --> Because you don't know better, and you can't fight the role the mother had in store for you

But because he's had no reason to challenge or question the casteist beliefs he was taught, the horrific stuff he witnesses actually reinforces them. In an attempt to make sense out of the terrible world he lives in, he falls back on the easy answers, the ones he's been repeatedly told since he was a child: lowbloods suffer because they are inherently "worse" than highbloods, and highbloods are inherently "better," so they're allowed to indulge all their most violent and horrific impulses and it's not actually a problem. He's comfortable with his reality; why isn't everybody else?

So um, that brings us to the sex stuff. Basically, because Equius is so sheltered, he doesn't realize that he has a massive BDSM kink, and kind of a voyeurism kink, and that a lot of the gratification and pleasure he feels from indulging in them are... um......... "that kind" of gratification and pleasure. To be honest, I think if someone genuinely levelled with him and pointed it out, he'd have a mental breakdown over it. Because, like, at his core, Equius is a polite, kind, helpful guy. There's a reason he listens to Karkat same as the rest of the team, why he helps with Tavros's robot legs, why Nepeta even likes him so much. A lot of his worst aspects just stem from the fact that he's conflating his desire to be stepped on with the hemocaste being an inescapable, correct reality.

He's basically this post lol:

So about specifically him and Eridan, like. We actually have Equius's outright stated opinion on Eridan.

CG: YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT, I DON'T GET IT CG: YOU KISS THE GROUND THIS LUNATIC WALKS ON BECAUSE HE HAS PURPLE BLOOD CG: BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP YOU FROM RIPPING ON ERIDAN, I KNOW FOR A FACT YOU DON'T LIKE HIM CG: AND HIS BLOOD IS EVEN PURPLIER, ISN'T IT? CT: D --> Yes CT: D --> That's different CT: D --> He is a sea dweller CT: D --> Our feud is codified in tradition CT: D --> Neigh, we are obligated to be at odds CT: D --> It's dignified ... CG: THE POINT IS, IF YOU SEE HIM, WOULD YOU MIND SNAPPING HIS STUPID WAND IN HALF OR SOMETHING? CG: AND THEN CHOKE HIM TO DEATH WITH HIS OWN SHITTY PRETENTIOUS SCARF. CT: D --> Do I really have to CG: GOD, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM NOW? CT: D --> I'd prefer not to interact with him CG: WHY CT: D --> It's primarily that his advances make me uncomfortable

See, Eridan... is not really Equius's type. And I can see why! Equius places a lot of importance on decorum and a100fness. Here's him basically telling Gamzee about why he's attracted to Gamzee and Aradia:

CT: D --> See, that's what I mean CT: D --> How is it possible for one of your distin%ion to be so ignorant CT: D --> And loathesome CT: D --> Whereas CT: D --> A member of the most abject, verminous b100dline of all CT: D --> Can conduct herself with such grace and possess nothing but admirable mannerisms CT: D --> I find these striking ju%tapositions perple%ing, and I confess strangely into%icating

He hates that Gamzee acts dumb and friendly, and wants him to be mean and commanding - and is probably lowkey picking up on the fact that Gamzee DOES have that within him, although he's hiding it. At the same time, he's weirdly attracted to how Aradia is aloof, intelligent, and strong-willed, despite being the lowest possible caste. Basically, Equius wants a pretty classically cultured dom to put him in his place - bonus points if caste-play is involved, whether it's a higher caste acting in accordance to their position on the spectrum, or a lower caste degrading him to a point below themselves.

So, initially, you'd think that Eridan would actually be his ideal for such a position, land dweller/sea dweller feud notwithstanding. After all, Eridan is all about acting like a traditional sea dweller, talking up his nobility and how much better he is than the lower castes, wanting the land dwellers dead/in their place, etc. etc.

But that's where we hit a snag. Eridan is pretending. He's pretending in the opposite direction of Gamzee, in fact. Where Gamzee is genuinely quite mean and nasty, but masking that in an attempt to get along better with his friends, Eridan is actually pretty - well, "nice" is the wrong word, but he's desperately presenting himself as meaner and more casteist than he actually is.

Equius wants to be effortlessly dominated, but Eridan puts in 110% at all times. Equius wants someone who upholds the caste system, and Eridan is actually totally indiscriminate when hitting on people because he actually doesn't give a shit about class differences. Equius wants someone who commands respect, but Eridan is kind of the team laughingstock. Also Eridan swears in proportion to his dialogue second only to Karkat.

Eridan's emotional desperation, disregard for the caste system, and cringefail antics are all massive turnoffs for Equius, and in a lot of ways, genuinely kind of scare him. I mean, again, Equius is a sheltered little noble boy who's made uncomfortable by cussing or killing animals for meat - and here's Eridan, one of the team's biggest murderers, genuinely obsessed with death and genocide, mouth of a sailor, willing to shoot his shot with anyone on the hemospectrum. Equius gets along better with Karkat, and Karkat's not even ON the hemospectrum.

It wouldn't even be pitch or ashen hatred to me, because Equius doesn't object to Eridan, morally or ethically - he just finds Eridan uncomfortable to be around, and prefers not to interact with him if he can help it. And that's really bad for Eridan, because Eridan's basically a huge emotional wreck and has a pretty fundamental need for emotional support and attention from his romantic partners - I've touched on it before, I think when I talked about him and Tavros, but Eridan has a genuine anxiety attack when Vriska accidentally ghosts him (because she's mercy killing her lusus), and I really don't think it would be good for him if he were to become emotionally attached to the guy whose whole Thing is standing in the background and watching without interacting.

As for discussing their problems... like, that's kind of the thing? They don't actually have overlapping problems. Eridan's issues primarily stem from the pressures his position on the hemocaste have placed on him, whereas Equius has actually actively benefited from and enjoyed his position in that class structure. Like, even if they tried to share notes on their respective character arcs about shirking the shitty things Alternia imposed on them, it'd be like,

EQUIUS: D--> Did you know that one's position in the hemospe%rum has little to no bearing on their moral integrity or worth as a person ERIDAN: are you a fuckin idiot eq

ERIDAN: guess all that obsessin ovver murder wwas a huge fuckin wwaste ERIDAN: and didnt do me no good nor anybody else for that matter EQUIUS: D--> Well EQUIUS: D--> Yeah

Even if we try to bring in things that aren't strictly related to being a high blood and what that means on Alternia - like if we run with the idea that Eridan's lusus contributed to Eridan's shitty childhood - well, unfortunately, Equius can't relate. Aurthour was incredibly kind to Equius growing up and he loved Aurthour dearly. So on and so forth.

And, uh... this is kind of weird to say, but despite how forward Eridan is about romance, he's actually... kind of reserved, sexually? He doesn't crack sex jokes and his fixation on romantic relationships is more about the act of being in a relationship than about what they do in that relationship. His date ideas are pretty straightforward and traditional, because he tends to prioritize "doing a good job" and "living up to the standard" over how he actually feels or his own personal interests.

What I'm saying is, Equius's horniness would probably make Eridan uncomfortable. Especially before Equius realizes that he's just got massive kinks that he should probably keep under control - which is basically the entire comic - Equius tends to prioritize what they do in a relationship over the act of actually being in a relationship. In fact, he'd probably be just as happy to get domm'd by Gamzee or Aradia even if they weren't actually dating. That's a kind of freedom and trueness to one's desires that Eridan can't manage; moreover, because Eridan tends to prioritize "doing a good job", he's pretty willing to go along with whatever his partner wants - which, in Equius's case, means Eridan doing more of the thing that's actively harmed them both. And I just don't think that that'd be good for Eridan.

So, yeah, overall, not a good fit for each other, but again, don't let me stop you!

The most interesting arrangement of Eridan and Equius, to me personally, is the fact that I think Eridan and Nepeta would actually be pretty good friends once they started talking (and Eridan got a moirail). Nepeta is the Anti-Casteism troll, the only one to outright state that she believes blood color shouldn't matter, and Eridan's whole deal is being less casteist than he pretends to be, to the point of genuinely being the least casteist highblood. And they both RP and hunt for stuff.

However, if there's any example of "dangerous highblood" on the team before Gamzee snaps, it's Eridan, and Equius has pretty deep concern for Nepeta's safety, which actually sometimes comes at Nepeta's detriment. It wouldn't escalate to pitch or ashen, but I really like the idea of the two of them having an antagonistic relationship because Equius does NOT want Nepeta interacting with this insane murderer, while Eridan is like, bro, let the kitty cat cave shipper girl decide for herself, and Nepeta is like, why must boys fight.

[azen13]

So sadly I didn't get the chance to write today because I had a bunch of stuff going on. But! I had a lot of time to think so I have ideas (for once!).

CW: Yandere Themes, Stalking

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Yandere!Alhaitham x Reader, but both of you are reincarnates of King Deshret and the God/dess of Flowers respectively. All those centuries ago, you drove each other mad. Deshret drove you mad by encaging you in gardens built upon honeyed words and sweet lies, and you drove him mad by fleeing from him and dying soon after.

Let's fast forward to Sumeru's Archon Quest. Let's say something goes horribly wrong, and when Alhaitham uses the Divine Knowledge Capsule, it turns out it's the real one.

He is flooded with memories of the past. Of flowers in eternal bloom. Of love, pure and unbounded. You are its focal point. You, a normal Amurta scholar working part-time at the House of Daena, are the missing variable he has sought all his life. He doesn't know how he knows it, but something in the depths of his heart has clicked like the opening of something long hidden away.

While he does care about this discovery of a past life, its importance is superseded by you. Almost immediately, he begins doing...data collection. Your hobbies. Your favorites books. Your sleep schedule. Where you live. Friends. Family. All of it. Alhaitham records every piece of information in his mind with an almost zealous focus.

His plan to bring you back in his arms is flawless; slowly, almost painfully so, he worms his way into your life, latching onto any possible connection he can find between the two of you. You like this book? Alhaitham has read the entire series. If you'd like, you can borrow the next one from him. You're studying the impact of Ley Line abnormalities on the forest floor of Sumeru's rainforests? Alhaitham knows quite a bit on Sumeru's ecology from all the papers and the theses he's read. After all, as the Scribe, he's aware of many of the inner workings of the Akademiya, including many different research projects. Including yours. Do let him in, otherwise he might have to resort to...more unsavory methods, like cutting your funding.

After all, in the end, he's doing this for your benefit, right? He failed to give you paradise once. With all this new knowledge under his belt, he will succeed. No matter what.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Lesson Three: Somnophilia

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: it's all conversation but it is about somnophilia and cnc at large

Genre: smut but only kinda this time

Summary: Some things are not self explanatory, and Steve has decided he's going to fill in the gaps by coming to you to ask his questions about sex and some of those questions have more involved answers than you'd expect

***

You sing and dance along to the music blaring through your speaker as you fold and put away your laundry. You barely hear the knock at your door. Actually, you don't hear it at all, but when Steve shouts your name on the other side you're finally able to hear the solid taps on wood.

"Oops." You chuckle to yourself. You pause your music and jog over to your door, folded bra in hand. When you swing it open Steve's hand is still up by his head to knock again.

"Hi Stevie! Sorry about that, couldn't hear you over the music." You smile.

"Yes I could tell, sorry to bother- are you busy?" Steve's eyes widen when he catches sight of your bra clutched in your hand on your hip.

"Oh, no I was just folding laundry. Nothing you can't be in here for." You nod your head for him to enter your bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"So what's up?" You ask.

"I have a new question." He says sitting on your bed.

"Shoot." You tell him, walking into your closet to hang a dress.

"What's somnophilia?" He asks and your eyes widen in shock as you slot your dress in its spot.

"Christ. Where are you getting these questions from Rogers? Because you come to me with questions about shit that has literally never come up in a regular conversation?!" You ask before stepping back out.

"Are these unsavory things?" He tilts his head so innocently you almost can't believe what he's just asked you about.

"I am in no position to judge the ways people engage with all things surrounding the deadly sin of lust. I'm just trying to figure out where your questions originate." You say.

"There's plenty of sources." Steve shrugs.

"Evidently so. Look, this one I can't give you a kinesthetic lesson on but I'll explain it and you can ask whatever questions you want." You say.

"Why can't you do a kinesthetic lesson?" He asks.

"Because of the nature of somnophilia. It falls under the umbrella of a large collection of activities known as consensual non consent"

"You've mentioned it before." Steve says, even flipping back to another page of his notebook. Did he write it down last time?

"Yes, I believe you said it was an oxymoron." You chuckle.

"Well it is."

"I know. That's the point. Sometimes people are interested in trying things that are unethical or dangerous, so they create opportunities to safely engage with those interests. It's like those toy cars for kids that they drive on their yards or a play kitchen. They can't really drive or cook because they're babies, but they can pretend to do those things. It's like that." You explain.

"But in a sexual way?"

"Yeah pretty much."

"What's a dangerous way to have sex?" Steve sounds down right incredulous and you almost want to laugh, but instead you sit on the bed with him to explain.

"Oh there are plenty and dangerous in different ways. As far as consensual non consent, which for short is just called CNC, I'm not gonna keep saying the full thing, lots of people have desires to feel vulnerable, helpless, a sort of primal fear, those are mostly chemical reactions, you can set those off without actually putting yourself in real life threatening danger. Same reason people go cliff diving and bungee jumping and stuff."

"Okay, and somnophilia is like that?" Steve asks.

"Somnophilia is sex with a sleeping or otherwise unconscious person." You figure you should get the definition out of the way.

"Why would you want that?" He shakes his head.

"That's one of those answers that varies from person to person. Ultimately though it's mostly about the control, or lack thereof depending on what side of the pairing you are. Being at the mercy of someone else at all times, and inversely having unremitting access to someone without even having to ask, people like it."

"But why wouldn't you want to ask? How do you know they're enjoying it if they're asleep? Or if you're asleep." Steve furrows his brows.

"Well if you're the one awake it's about indulging yourself not so much your partner and if you're the one asleep their enjoyment is their business, you're just- a tool, some people like that. Plus unless drugs are involved chances are the one asleep will wake up in the middle and you can check in."

"Drugs?!" Steve looks at you, eyes ready to pop right out of their sockets.

"Some people use drugs, yes, they don't care for a check in, like a living doll I guess." You shrug.

"Have you done it before?"

"Paralytic agents? No." You shake your head.

"I meant- somnophilia." He clarifies.

"Oh, well yes but only in the sleeping way."

"I don't understand, how does that work? How do you do that safely?" Steve asks.

"Not without plenty of prerequisite conversation, plus that's where safewords, safe gestures, and frequent check ins are incredibly important. You have to be incredibly clear on everything before anyone touches anyone."

"What kind of conversations have to be had?" He asks, pen at the ready. He's seriously going to take notes on this.

"Well, you'll need to discuss what the limits are. What's allowed for the awake person to do to the unconscious person. If the person's just sleeping naturally they will probably wake up pretty quickly, I did, but that adds a level of clarification as well. How do you know when someone who is asleep wants you to touch them ya know? Like at least- okay this is going to sound insane but stay with me, if you're using drugs the person has to knowingly take it and therefore there's a level of understanding inherently of what will go down once they kick in. But everyone sleeps so deciding when disrupting that sleep will be well received is important. Of course, sometimes you'll gauge wrong, but when they wake up they'll let you know."

"But you can't gauge that unless or until you wake them."

"I mean different dynamics will have their own systems. The simplest and probably most common way people give nonverbal cues for this sort of thing specifically is sleeping naked or without underwear or wearing a particular article of clothing because then the sleeping person can indicate without having to explicitly say before bed that they're open to being touched while unconscious." You explain.

"This is complicated." He blows out a breath and you chuckle a bit at his exasperation.

"A little, yes, but I think it's worse here than it would be in reality because I'm trying to explain it in a hypothetical sense and not just discussing it in context of an actual dynamic." You say.

"So how would a real conversation about this go?" He asks.

"You know what, I can't give you a hands on lesson of actual somnophilia but maybe we can roleplay the conversation a real couple would have about it! I will start the conversation and you just respond with whatever feels most natural to you, okay?" You shift so you're facing him better.

"O-okay sure." Steve nods his head.

"I want to try somnophilia." You say plainly.

"O-kay." Steve says, he draws out the second syllable as if he's unsure what else to say.

"Do you know what that is?" You ask.

"Not... really. No." He shakes his head.

"It's a kink thing but the long and short of it is you get to fuck me while I'm asleep."

"While you're asleep?!"

"Yes." You nod once, sharply.

"But- I don't want to disturb you while you're sleeping, you already have awful nighttime habits. And what if you're not in the mood? How am I supposed to tell if you're asleep?" Steve shakes his head. Your nighttime habits was such an unnecessary call out.

"Well I was thinking of a system we could use for that, like the way some bathrooms have a little thing that indicates if it's vacant or occupied? What if I just sleep naked? Like on the nights I want you to touch me while I'm asleep." You suggest in the way you feel would make sense if you were actually telling a partner this.

"So if you're in the mood you'll just sleep naked?"

"Yeah! I mean that way anything you could want to touch is like as easily accessible as it gets." You shrug.

"But- how do you- want me to touch you? If you're asleep I can't ask what you want." He shakes his head.

"What I want is for you to touch me, the how is- a chance to be selfish. Do what you want. The point is that I'm trusting you and open to you even at my most vulnerable. Take what you want, or give what you want."

"And what happens when you wake up?"

"What do you mean?" You tilt your head.

"I can't imagine you won't be able to feel whatever I do, and in that case surely you'll wake up pretty quickly right? What happens then? Or am I supposed to try not waking you up?"

"No. I don't have to stay asleep, I mean if I do stay asleep then don't worry about it, but if I wake up that's fine too." You say.

"There's a possibility you could stay asleep while I'm- ya know, inside you?" Steve looks shocked and maybe a bit confused.

"Well I don't know we haven't tried it yet so I guess we'll figure that out." You shrug.

"But you see it as a possibility-"

"Sure. I'm not the heaviest of sleepers but you seem so concerned I can't imagine you'll be putting me through the mattress or anything extreme like that." You say.

"Putting you-"

"I just mean that I suspect you'll be incredibly gentle with me and while that's perfectly fine, depending on how gentle you are, I may not wake up in the middle of it." No need to explain the phrase putting you through the mattress.

"And if you don't?"

"Do what you came to do and then keep it moving. I'll piece it together myself once I'm awake." 

"You'll piece it together?" He sounds skeptical.

"When I wake up feeling stretched out or leaking like a faucet, it'll be kinda hard to miss." You say.

"My goodness." Steve says. That shocked him, despite the nature of this entire conversation.

"Yeah so I think that's roughly how that kind of conversation would go between partners." Now feels like the right place to cut the roleplay.

"Wow that- kinda helped." He nods.

"Great, any other questions about it?" You ask.

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Excuse me?" You blink at him. you're not quite sure what he's asking.

"Well you said you've done it right? Is it something you enjoy? Would you try it again?" He asks with eyes that seem way too innocent for what he's asking about.

"Oh- yeah, I enjoyed it. I'd try it again I suppose if I was in a relationship that made sense to suggest it in."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if I'm dating someone who's on the more vanilla side I'd probably not bring it up. It's not do or die." You shrug.

"Oh."

"Would you try it? Now that you know what it is." You ask.

"I think I'd be more comfortable on the receiving end actually. I don't know that I would be able to handle the possibility that I cross a boundary with my girlfriend because I made an assumption. Even one that we'd previously discussed I could make an assumption on. Plus I too much enjoy all the little reactions, it's not as enjoyable for me if I don't know that my partner is enjoying it." He says.

"That's understandable. It's not for everyone. It requires a lot of trust and that's something that has to be built, may be difficult to imagine that if you don't or haven't had a relationship with that level of trust."

"Yeah maybe. Thank you for explaining. I'm- gonna go, now." Steve stands. It looks like he has a lot on his mind.

"Sure thing. You know where to find me when you've got more questions." You tell him.

Whatever he's pondering you hope he sorts it out, but you have to finish sorting your laundry.

***

[delicateperspective]

Hi

I’ve noticed there’s a lot of debate about Harry’s career, and I wanted to ask what you think about it. Like, do you think he’s actually fully free when it comes to his career?

It seems like he’s gained a lot of creative freedom, and he’s pretty close to the CEO of Sony Music.

I get that at his level, there’s usually more control over artists, but it kind of looks like he’s managed to carve out some real freedom.

hey! oh my gosh anon, thank you for asking this in such a kind and respectful way. seriously. i’ve had this question come in before, but often phrased in ways that are really dismissive or degrading toward harry, and i try to avoid engaging with anything that tears them down for my own peace of mind. so i really appreciate the tone you brought to this ♥

there are definitely some great takes floating around from other blogs, but i’m happy to throw in my two cents too!

so — do i think harry is completely free in his career now?

short answer: no, not completely. but i do think he’s carved out a lot more freedom than he had in the past, especially creatively.

longer answer below if you're up for a read 👇

📄contract stuff 📄

when harry was 16, he was handed the same standard x-factor contract as the other contestants — and likely wasn’t allowed to seek outside opinion before signing. those contracts would’ve included clauses about not revealing anything that happened behind the scenes, letting the show dictate how their image and likeness are used, and (this one’s actually been confirmed by other contestants) never disparaging simon cowell. several former contestants have said they’re still under those NDAs — so at least parts of that original contract are probably still in effect.

and that’s just the beginning.

after x factor, 1d signed a recording contract with syco/sony (december 2010) for five albums and a set number of years. they fulfilled the album count, yes — but we don’t know what other clauses were baked into that deal. i’ve seen theories (and i tend to agree) that if three or more members are seen collaborating or photographed together, it can still trigger the 1D brand — which could reactivate image management clauses. and from what we know, syco/sony may still own their masters, unless that changed when the business entity was sold to universal in 2020 (though that didn’t seem to include the catalog).

they also renewed that contract in 2013, which again — no one outside their teams has seen the terms or end date. and then there's the US contract with columbia/sony (signed in 2011), which would’ve come with its own image rights clauses and restrictions.

now — harry himself has said that the first contract he saw without a “cleanliness clause” (sometimes called a morality clause) was his first solo deal with columbia. that tells us that every previous contract — from x factor to 1d — likely included one. and those clauses are serious. they’re basically designed to let the label (or management) protect their investment by controlling anything that might be seen as “damaging” to the artist’s public image or marketability.

if the artist breaks a clause — even unintentionally — the consequences can be massive: they can lose their deal, be forced to pay back everything that’s been invested in them (studio time, promo, tour costs), and in some cases even be sued for future losses — meaning the label can estimate what they would have made off you and demand that too.

so when people ask “why would they closet him?” — the answer is: because under a cleanliness clause, being openly gay could absolutely be labeled as ‘unsavory’ or ‘damaging’, especially in an industry built on selling a fantasy to teenage girls. back then, harry’s entire commercial value (to them) was tied to how desirable he was to a young, straight female audience. coming out — or even being perceived as queer — could have been framed as a threat to his marketability, and therefore a violation of the contract.

and we’re not talking small stakes — we’re talking about millions of dollars riding on his “image.” at that age, with that kind of power imbalance, it wouldn’t have been framed to him as a choice. it would’ve been: this is what you signed. this is the deal. this is how it works.

and just to expose myself a little — i’m actually really familiar with clauses like that. i’ve written them, i’ve signed them, i’ve seen them broken. they’re not just used in music — they show up in any industry where someone’s public image is monetized. are they outdated and kind of gross? yeah. but from a corporate risk perspective, they’re considered “standard.”

to give a non-music example: if J.K. Rowling had been under contract for five more books when she started making horrific comments about trans people, her publisher could’ve dropped her and sued her for all the money they lost out on because of her public behavior. so — yeah. sometimes those clauses are used to protect people, but they can also be used to control them.

🌟 current day 🌟

based on what little we know, i personally believe that harry fulfilled his first solo contract — which i think was for three albums (HS1, Fine Line, Harry’s House). that deal may have been better than what he had before, but he was still just starting out as a solo artist. he probably didn’t have the leverage (or confidence) yet to push for a deal that was completely in his favor. the label was taking a risk on him — he could’ve flopped. and i think he knew that too. none of the industry people could’ve predicted just how massive he’d become. (okay, we could’ve, but still.)

and here’s where i’ll expose another opinion: i fully believe that part of that solo deal — or jeff’s strategy — was to intentionally distance harry from the 1D brand, and from all the members. not because he doesn’t care about them, but because the narrative around him needed to be “solo star harry styles,” not “harry from one direction.”

that’s why we didn’t see him publicly with any of them for years. remember when he went to louis’ xfactor performance in 2016? there was a photo of him with steve aoki. and then a separate photo of louis, liam, and niall with steve. but no photo of all of them together. no photo of harry with any of them (the closest we got was in AOTV - and everyone says "thank you Louis"). that’s not a coincidence.

even if i didn’t believe in larry (which i do), i’d still believe that the public friendships within the band were intentionally regulated for years. not because they weren’t real, but because they weren’t allowed to be seen.

🌈 freedom, but with limits 🌈

i also have a little (okay, a lot) of suspicion that part of the break harry was on was being used to renegotiate whatever his contract looks like now. but it's too early to see any of the effects of that.

to me, he’s as open as he can be — with the original restrictions still in place.

i don’t believe he can confirm his sexuality. i don’t believe he can say he was closeted. i don’t believe any of them can tell us the full truth about how bad things were — or what really happened behind the scenes.

he has signifigant control over his music. he has some control over his image. and he has more say now than he ever did before. but he’s still walking a very careful line, and i think that’s why he’s known for only doing interviews with pre-approved questions. not because he’s trying to be mysterious and "diva" about it — but because he literally can’t afford to say the wrong thing.

there’s a constant push and pull with his public image. and honestly? i think he’s handling it with a lot of grace.

💬 final thoughts 💬

i really, really hope that someday he (and the others) can be more open. and i think he hopes that too, based on the way he changes lyrics live (golden, 2022, coachella. "i'm hoping someday i can be open") and the quiet ways he pushes boundaries.

but for now? no — i don’t think harry is as free as people assume he is. he has more freedom than he used to, but he’s still navigating a system that was built to control him.

and while i’m here — neither is jade (even if she’s running a simon hate campaign in her music - the illusion of freedom is there for her without actually confirming anything), and definitely not louis (who has signed even more contracts with syco/simon even after the band). or the rest of them, really. they’re all still carrying the weight of the contracts they signed when they were teens, and the machine that came with it.

there are people trying to fix that — former contestants, people who were mistreated by simon, by itv, by x factor. but so far, no real structural change seems to have happened.

thanks again for the thoughtful ask, anon 🫶

[leidensygdom]

I gotta say, one of the wildest radical transphobes' talking "points" is probably bathroom discourse. I can't even put to words how utterly detached from reality it is. It's terminally online stuff.

So, bathrooms. I don't know if somehow other people's realities are somehow vastly different from mine, but I feel like the extreme clear divide between "men's" and "women's" bathrooms is just not real. Where I live, stalls are often gendered, but how much they get used in that way is far less consistent.

For example: If the place had only the space to make one bathroom accessible, it's gonna be the women's bathroom. Always. It doesn't mean only disabled women have access to bathrooms- It means that the women's bathroom is also going to be used by disabled people. And this is common. Really common. Maybe it's because the women's bathroom tends to need more space- For pad dispensers and trash cans, for baby-changing stations (yes, I hate that these are only on the women's bathroom usually), and so on. Now- You see a guy enter the women's bathroom. Are you gonna micro-analize if the guy looks disabled enough to use it, or are you going to wash your hands and go on with your life?

Again, baby-changing stations are almost always located on the women's bathroom. It sucks- It should be in all bathrooms. But it's how it is. You see a cis guy enter with a kid. Or maybe not even with a kid- Just enters, wanders around, finds the baby-changing station, gets a diaper from the dispenser and leaves. Are you gonna throw a fit or just let this guy handle his kid?

Bathrooms get cleaned on the regular. A lot of times, you may wanna go there, and get told it's being cleaned, and just get asked to use the other gender's bathroom. Cleaning can take hours. If the men's bathroom is being cleaned and everyone is now using the women's, are you going to deem the bathroom to be the world's unsafest place or are you just go take a pee and leave?

Fucking hell, sometimes the stall you want to go to is incredibly dirty. It happens. No need to get on details. Just the kind of stuff that makes you want to not use it. Or maybe it's clogged, or maybe it's not working. Maybe there's a note saying "Broken, do not enter". Do you cry about it or just go find another stall- Which may be on the other fucking gender's bathroom?

Most times I'll use whatever bathroom is available. One is busy? Ok, let me get to the other one. I'm AFAB and while I don't present femininely, I still look like a woman to most people. Have I ever been in danger because I cleaned my hands besides someone with a dick? No. Grow the fuck up. This isn't even rare. People will switch bathrooms for speed. People will switch bathrooms because one of them is out of paper. Because one of them is out of soap.

The mall in my current city recently installed "Family" bathrooms. They're not being marketed as unisex, or inclusive, or anything. Just "family" bathrooms. For everyone. They're great. It's the bathroom everyone will use- Men, women, anything in between and outside of that, kids, disabled people, etc. There's a bunch of stalls adapted to different needs. There's accessible stalls. There's pad and diaper dispensers. There's stalls that have a big toilet and a little toilet so parents can go with their kids. There's tall sinks and short sinks- So disabled people and kids can reach.

And, to nobody's surprise, there's no reports whatsoever of any sort of assault in them.

I'm just. I don't know. I'm sorry you can't detach the existence of a dick near you from immediate assault. I don't know why that changes in the context of a bathroom- I've never (in my long life of using whatever bathroom) been in danger for that. And I'm talking as someone who has had some unsavory experiences in other situations. Grow the fuck up and maybe stop basing your views on imaginary scenarios y'all need to come up with to justify your hatred of a minority. Maybe if y'all got off your keyboards and went outside for once, you'd realize bathrooms work much differently from whatever weird ideal you have formed about them.

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #6705:

A common issue I see is the assumption that because someone enjoys problematic scenarios in fiction that it immediately translates to condoning it in real life. Some people enjoy seeing and reading about intense violence, toxic relationships with an unclear abuser and victim role, racism, and other unsavory topics and also see those actions as egregious and indefensible in real life. After all, fiction is meant to demonstrate scenarios for the express purpose of not experiencing them for yourself, and to act as a vehicle for empathy. It’s the same ass-backwards logic of how some people claim those who watch horror movies or play violent video games become serial killers or something. Yes, fiction DOES have an impact on reality, and impressionable minds can be influenced by such content, and fetishistic stuff that glorifies terrible actions are pretty gross, but also, the intended audience (of presumably consenting adults) of that type of stuff is MUCH smarter than people give them credit for. If that content makes you uncomfortable but is otherwise victimless, than you are not the intended audience, and that doesn’t make the people who enjoy it evil or unintelligent.

[canontypicalgoblins]

thoughts on kagurabachi antagonists (as many as you want)!!

oooooooooh boy. this is going to be a super long one i think, so i’m going to have to throw a readmore up somewhere in here

i’m going to be going in order of appearances for this

norisaku “daruma” madoka - daruma should be a relatively forgettable antagonist. sure, chihiro does some cool stuff against him, but that’s about it. his fight serves as a way to show off enten and chihiro’s overall state at this point in the story. that’s the end of it! guy gets beaten, goes home.

except that’s not all. the stuff that hokazono did with daruma post fight has stuck with me for literal years at this point. i find myself returning time and again to chapter 8. the story that hokazono gave this random one-off villain was so insanely fucked up and i love it. the shot of him screaming at sojo that he’ll die with him cutting to sojo calmly walking out of the car, and then the reveal that he froze norisaku AND that he left his sister alive so that the explosion would be what killed her, especially considering sojo would be the only person to know all this, is genuinely sickening. ugh. love it.

genichi sojo - on to the main man himself! cannot stress enough how fucking cool this guy is. he has some of the hardest panels in the entire series, and more fanservice than any other character, both in the gratuitous pg-13 nudity shots and the amount of cool shots that will inevitably be used for amvs once he gets animated.

it’s clear hokazono really really likes this guy, and i can’t blame him. sojo rocks. this guy clutched up against a squad specially trained to take him down. that’s a 1v6 AND they had home turf advantage??? absolutely vicious work. plus, the way he keeps coming back up in the story, either via constant mention of his crimes, events building off of his past actions, or hokazono just straight up giving us a filler chapter of Sojo Guy Funny Moments during a break week is great.

also, the themes present in sojo vs. chihiro are great — death of the author vs. author’s intent isn’t a thing we get to see a lot of, but it’s done really well and i’m surprised at how often sojo’s ideals are brought up even 50+ chapters after his demise!

kyora sazanami - kyora is an amazing follow-up to sojo. sojo is far more of an up-front violent man who doesn't shy away from action, and kyora is that to an extent as well, but he takes a much different approach. kyora is an extremely cool-headed suave figure who never loses his temper (at least for most of the story), and prefers to have his guards (read: child soldiers) take care of any unsavory business for him. his devotion to his family is second only to his devotion to his business, and that being the thing that does him in in the end is just delicious irony.

soya sazanami - i already have a post about soya, in fact! i'm a huge fan of this guy, which is somewhat of a controversial take, understandably. i think he, and every other sazanami villain, is a great example of someone who is part of a cycle of generational abuse and didn’t break free of that.

yura - we don’t know much about yura. what we do know is shrouded in 15 layers of mystery. i have no doubt that down the line, we’ll get more lore about him and the hishaku. however, for now, all i can really say is i love how unserious he is about his deeply serious job and his swag is insane.

magatsumi wielder/sword saint/kensei/hokazono why are you like this about names - words cannot describe how fucking hyped i am to learn more about this guy. WHY IS HE LIKE THIS??? WHAT WAS HE LIKE BEFORE??? HOW DID MAGATSUMI PUPPET KYORA LIKE THAT???

seiichi samura - mr. the pretender by foo fighters himself!! i love this guy. i love samura so much. i love love love him. he’s so so so so so amazingly written and every new thing we learn about him is just another way to twist the knife in my heart when he dies a few degrees more. i’m not even sure he counts as an antagonist, if i’m being real. uruha may not even be dead! either way, i’m still counting him on here because i’m really excited to see where his story goes.

kuguri - i need to top him

toto - i need her to top me

that’s about it for right now i think, thanks for the ask!!

[ilikekidsshows]

Being in the fandom used to be so much fun, but now it's like a pure asinine. I can't even say "Adrien is so cute!" and "I love him" without someone called me a pedofile just because I'm an adult. because apparently "Adrien being fictional isn't an excuse" like WTF?? This remind me of old post I've seen where some people being uncomfortable with Lukanette because Luka is older (he used to be 2 years older back then) and "there will be a potential grooming". Like, ARE THESE PEOPLE EVEN IN THEIR RIGHT MIND OMG???

---

Weirdos in fandoms screaming about grooming and pedophilia over everything happens in every fandom. There was a point it got so bad in the Gravity Falls fandom that just going: “Dipper and Pacifica showed some shipping potential in this episode” would have people accusing you of being a pedophile because Dipper and Pacifica are underage. And god forbid if you shipped anything even slightly spicier than a straight white cis couple who are the exact same age.

It’s because puritanism has had a real resurgence in online spaces, because it’s been packaged together with positive and inclusive concepts, like safe spaces. Like, no one thinks kids should be subjected to constant not safe for kids content, so it gets tagged and age restricted and hosted on other platforms while merely hinting to your followers here that there’s some spicy stuff over there. But, to these morality watchdogs, that’s not enough, because it’s not actually about the safe space, it’s about punishing behaviors they see as morally impure. So people get anons telling them stuff like: “This artist whose works you reblog posts age restricted content to Bluesky, I just thought you should know,” and if you answer: “I don’t give a damn”, someone who follows you will get an anon telling them: “This person you follow supports pedophiles, I just thought you should know.”

It’s a masterfully constructed slippery slope. We have to make fandoms a safe space for kids. Sex must be neutered from everything because kids could be traumatized by seeing sexual content. And, when you’re obsessed with seeing sex everywhere, everything anyone does could have a sexual element to it. Merely engaging in fandom is seen as sexual deviancy by some types. And it’s not enough to merely keep designated safe spaces safe. If you’re found out engaging in any unsavory behavior on another website, you should be ostracised, because it’s not actually about keeping the safe spaces safe, it’s about not being a “gooner” or whatever buzzword the puritanism movement has come up with this month.

It’s not actually about keeping minors from seeing things they shouldn’t. It’s about controlling how other people act, and that includes how they act in fandom. When you think all intimate behavior is degenerate, even the idea of characters dating is grooming where someone innocent is being corrupted. When you think anything even hinting at sex could be used by pedos to groom minors, you feel like you have to be really careful about characters kissing. Only the most chaste pecks allowed. Any affection could involve a sexual element, so loving characters or relationships is enough to make someone a degenerate.

There are people on TikTok worried about people shipping non-canon ships, because they think merely deviating from canon is a sign of some sort of sexual dysfunction. Maybe they think those characters are being coerced into a relationship by shippers and that’s why it’s morally corrupt? I don’t even know how these people think because I actively avoid talking to them or viewing their nonsense. Their combined hatred and obsession with what they view as sex is just really uncomfortable to witness.