#the other the rely on it to make any sense

[grammarpedant]

Thanks for activating my trap card, buddy. You see, I haven't actually explained how Gurathin is irrational yet. Now I'll show you.

First, let's be clear about what "irrational" means here. This post is not interested in whether his concerns were justifiable or understandable for the situation he's in. I am arguing that his arguments aren't logically sound, and are principally driven more by fear and unexamined belief in propaganda than solid evidence.

If the SecUnit is rogue, if its governor module is broken, then it can't be controlled. Gurathin theoretically knows this—"there is no control over its behavior," he says—and Volescu clarifies for the group that the governor module "can transmit commands, but can’t enforce them or control behavior or apply punishment." The governor module is the crux of the concern, the whole reason they're having this conversation—everyone in this conversation understands that much.

So then what's the basis for Gurathin to believe The Company is controlling it? His theory is that "It’s acting for the company" to sabotage them—but if it can't be controlled, then how is the company controlling it? Why would they not just give it orders as normal and then make whatever claims they want about its governor module later, rather than risking it doing Literally Whatever as a free agent this whole time? Like, is it a rogue SecUnit or is it a company tool? It can't be both.

Ah, but as a matter of fact, PresAux does know how a SecUnit might be controlled without a totally intact governor module... they know because Murderbot told them. Immediately prior to this scene:

“The unknown SecUnit inserted a data carrier, a combat-override module. It’s downloading instructions into me and will override my system. This is why the two DeltFall units turned rogue. You have to stop me.” [...] “You have to kill me.” [...] So I grabbed the handweapon lying on the seat, turned it toward my chest, and pulled the trigger.

I've cut out all the parts of Murderbot's narration to show you only what PresAux knows and can see. Gurathin, buddy. If the SecUnit is part of the sabotage, then why did it explain how the sabotage was done, and then instruct you all to kill it, and then try to kill itself?

He only even HAS the opportunity to find out that the SecUnit is rogue at all because it put itself in that vulnerable position, in the active pursuit of keeping PresAux alive. If it was part of a sabotage, that wouldn't make sense. If it was a malicious free agent, then that also wouldn't make sense. Any number of other actions would make more sense.

Let's say for the sake of argument that there's some kind of long con going on here. According to Gurathin at his most skeptical, its log "confirms... what the Unit believes happened." The logs seem to be more or less a record not only of what Murderbot does, but also what it thinks and believes. That's why it's worth it to go digging in Murderbot's brain for them. But if that's the case, then why doesn't Gurathin find any evidence of other suspicious behavior in the logs when he looked? Things Murderbot actually did to sabotage PresAux? Is it because the logs can be doctored? In that case, why wasn't the reference to previous murder removed? What, did the SecUnit need some kind of dramatic backstory to explain the governor hack when Pin-Lee et al. went to look at Murderbot's code, which wouldn't have been necessary if it had just murdered all the witnesses in the first place? Hell, why weren't references to its name, "Murderbot," removed, if the logs were part of a long con? It'd be a simple CTRL + F + replace all to get rid of something that would complicate an attempted manipulation. Either SecUnit's under the direct control of a malicious party that can make it believe anything, in which case this is a really bizarre, stupid long con they're playing here, or its logs are its own, and reality as a rogue SecUnit is messy.

Moreover, Gurathin's argument relies on the very logs he's skeptical of. How does he know that Murderbot is rogue, that it killed 57 clients previously? Because its logs say so. What do its logs also say? That it spends all its time watching Sanctuary Moon, and that it believes the mass murder was caused by the governor module malfunctioning, and so hacked it to prevent further murders. Corroborating the fact that the governor module can be corrupted is the existence of the combat module, code for which Pin-Lee JUST spent a lengthy procedure removing from Murderbot. Corroborating the fact that it does absolutely watch the soap operas is Ratthi. Corroborating the fact that it does want to prevent further murders is the continued survival of Bharadwaj and Volescu, of Mensah, Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Overse, and the fact that, you know, it shot itself in the chest rather than give in to the combat override code. Murderbot's story is supported by evidence. Gurathin's argument for distrusting it is based on corporate propaganda and evidence cherry-picked from a source he can't decide is trustworthy or not.

And it's absurd to say that they don't really know it. They know enough. They know it's not a mindless robot, and that its human face shows how it feels despite its best attempts to hide it. They know it knows it's a slave, that it's being abused, and that it's uncomfortable with having attention drawn to that. They know that it's previously acted within the parameters of its job to keep them safe, that it's demonstrated self-control and rational action towards a goal. They know it's gone above and beyond for their safety, actively putting their lives before its own. And now they know it's a free agent. At bare minimum the evidence of its prior actions show that it's worth negotiating with, that it is a rational actor with opinions and desires that can be used to persuade it that its interests align with PresAux's.

But let's say for the sake of argument that even despite all the compelling evidence that Murderbot is a person who can be trusted, or at least a person who can be negotiated with, that's not enough to outweigh the possibility that maybe it'll sell them all out for some reason, or kill them randomly because of whatever. Let's say that the lives of the in-group are worth more than the potential danger of trusting an out-group individual. Okay. Then the rational thing to do would have been to kill it before it could wake up. "I've had HubSystem immobilize it" with what, Gurathin? How is HubSystem immobilizing it? Why is the governor module so important if all it takes to neutralize a rogue SecUnit is having HubSystem immobilize it. How do you know HubSystem is safe if the SecUnit isn't. You dumbass, Gurathin, do you think you've succeeded where all the victims of past alleged mass murders had failed? You think as long as you control things, everything will be okay? Or is it just that the little part of you that has internalized Preservation's belief in the sanctity of life flinches from the idea of murder?

If Gurathin's fear, prejudices, and cynicism had been right, his irrationality would have gotten him and his teammates killed.

No, the rational move, especially for someone who draws the line at murder, is to negotiate. Parlay. Talk it out. We can call it "manipulation" if we struggle with the belief that nonviolence is naive. Put simply, if the SecUnit is a person, it can be influenced or even controlled the way people can be: with shows of good faith, with bribes and threats, with emotion, with convincing logic, with propaganda. If you're good at getting people to do what you want them to do, it's not hard to get a read on a person who's never dealt with other people as a person before and tie their self-interest and self-concept to your goals. Study up on abuse and indoctrination tactics if you don't understand what I mean, or crack open a corporate management handbook. If you care more about getting out alive than anything else, then THAT'S the smart play here! Talking like it might still randomly murder them for ??? reasons is not only insulting to its personhood, but a stupid waste of the good faith and strong opening position generated by showing that PresAux was willing to save its life in return. Mensah had the right idea—that (and the fact that she is a principled person who would never actually stoop to psychological abuse) is why she is the voice of reason and direction in this scene.

And finally, let me talk about what those prejudices are that make Gurathin appear rational to a reader in the real world.

Why do we assume that propaganda about SecUnits as mindless killers that have to be controlled from a known-untrustworthy source should be so compelling over hard, experiential data regarding the behavior of an individual? Because that's how racist, prejudicial logic works in the real world. You work backwards from a received assumption about, say, the dangers of immigrants or angry Black people, and everything either supports the conclusion, or is an exception to the conclusion that can be discarded.

Why do we assume that the best way to deal with a dangerous SecUnit would be to remove its bodily autonomy indefinitely? Because that's how carceral logic and retributive justice work in the real world. Some people are inherently Bad and deserve abuse, and if they aren't tightly controlled, they'll hurt other people because that's just what they do. Because if an abuse victim had the same power to harm as you do, or heaven forbid MORE power, then the first reasonable, justified course of action is to react with violence. Because if someone who's been abused gains power, of course they will treat us the way we treated them and take violent revenge. And we don't want that, our comfort and safety matter more than theirs.

Don't get me wrong, the way Gurathin acts in this scene is very understandable. It speaks to us as a reasonable response because fear of death and fear of the stranger are very deeply human experiences, and so is panicking in the face of that fear, so is jumping to conclusions, so is lashing out, and so is trying to maintain control or the appearance of control to cope with a bad situation. We've all done similar. We all have prejudices we have to unlearn because the purpose of prejudice is to make it easier and less effort-intensive to figure out who to trust and who not to trust, to keep us safe when things get dicey. But that doesn't make the logic of fear and prejudice rational or right. In fact it's pretty irrational when you look at it closely.

No, in fact, it's the rest of PresAux who actually looks at the evidence that they have access to regarding Murderbot and its trustworthiness, weigh it logically, and make the rational decision to trust it. They do this despite the prejudice and propaganda, despite Gurathin's jumping to conclusions, despite even Murderbot's own distrust in itself.

Because Murderbot, a literal product of the Corporation Rim, has internalized the same prejudicial thinking, carceral logic, and retributive justice that we have, for much the same reasons: because that's how you live and survive in a dehumanizing system that perpetuates those things. We're biased by its perspective, yes, by its obvious personhood, its dry humor and care for humans despite itself, etc, but Murderbot's narrative is also itself biased by these same cruel beliefs as many of us have internalized in our real lives. Remember, it believes Gurathin is reasonable. Murderbot really truly deep down believes that it's One of the Bad Ones, that rogue SecUnits are killers and the only way to deal with them is to kill them first, that the safety of the human in-group comes before any out-group, that trust and vulnerability will get you killed.

And Murderbot is wrong, too. PresAux was right to take a chance on it. Not only were they right, it was the rational, logical choice to make. Because they put their trust in it, because Mensah and the others took the time to connect with it as a person, they get a far more powerful ally out of Murderbot than they would get a tool, and PresAux survives with 100% of members because Murderbot rises to meet their trust with everything it has. Challenging its deeply-held cynical beliefs is one of the fundamental themes of both All Systems Red and of the series as a whole: Empathy and compassion are not just good moral principles, but a rational approach to survival and building a better world.

Gurathin is not only wrong, his argument is fundamentally irrational

Gurathin's argument in ASR:

We need to immobilize this SecUnit stat, because it's going to kill us.

I know it's going to kill us because its logs show that it's rogue. If there is no way to control it, then it is dangerous to us.

It is controlled by the Company to sabotage us. "The missing hazard report, the missing map sections. The SecUnit must be part of that." If it wasn't, that would be a coincidence, which is unbelievable.

This SecUnit has gone rogue and killed people in its charge before. It may do so again.

PresAux's counterargument:

It may be rogue, but that doesn't logically mean it will kill us. "The fact that the Unit has been acting to preserve our lives, to take care of us, while it was a free agent, gives us even more reason to trust it." (Volescu)

Someone may be sabotaging us, but that doesn't logically mean it's the Company or our SecUnit. "There were only three SecUnits for DeltFall in their specs, but there were five units in their habitat. Someone is sabotaging us, but I don’t think our SecUnit is part of it." (Ratthi)

If the SecUnit was trying to sabotage us, then why would it tell us about the combat module sabotage and shoot itself? (Bharadwaj, Overse)

The SecUnit believes it went rogue as a result of malfunction, and that hacking its governor module would prevent a repeat occurrence. Confirmation of its sincerity comes from the same logs that Gurathin accessed for his arguments. (Volescu)

Gurathin's counter-counterargument:

Well it gave itself an edgy nickname

[sibyllinebooks]

teen wolf boys and their love languages:

a/n: this is not proofread and it’s also my first post so be nice or i’ll cry lolol ( most of these can be read as platonic or romantic ) ok bye

scott: acts of service. hear me out: this boy takes care of EVERYONE. he’s the alpha, he always has to know the answers. the pack has a problem? everyone goes to him to help. so the moment you do something for him? he’s so relieved. it takes the constant weight off of his shoulders, if only for a little bit. and he might not say it, but he appreciates it so much. even if it’s as simple as helping him with his homework or doing some of the chores around his house he’s so dumb struck he doesn’t know what to do with himself. once, you brought his mom dinner when she had an overnight shift at the hospital and he swore to himself he would marry you. he’s so used to everyone needing him he’s never considering his own needs.

stiles: this. man. loves. TOUCH. his adhd makes his self control and impulses non-existent. if he wants to touch you, he’ll do it. he’ll hug you from behind or hold your hand or put his hand in your back pocket. sitting next to each other? your thighs are pressed together. across the table? he’s playing footsies with you. in class? his seat is right next to yours so he can reach his foot out to nudge you. sleepover? you’re cuddling ( and yes, sometimes he is the little spoon ). he always has to be touching you no matter what. maybe it’s the fact that he feels if he doesn’t, he’ll lose you the way he lost his mom. even platonic stiles is very loose with his touch. high fives, fist bumps, stupid secret handshakes, hugs, etc.

isaac: everyone saying physical touch because he’s been touch starved: you’re not wrong but i think it’s mainly words of affirmation. he’s so used to being told he’s worthless, that he’s disposable, easy to throw away. so the moment you tell him you appreciate him, that he makes you smile, that you’re proud of him, that he has VALUE, he has a hard time containing how loved it makes him feel. he often freezes up and mutters an awkward “thank you”. even if it’s just a simple “good job” for getting a good grade on a test, it helps him unlearn all of the negative beliefs about himself his dad imposed on him. he would be into physical touch with his romantic partner and people he’s close to but words of affirmation is gold.

liam: i had a tough time with liam but i think his would be quality time/body doubling. liam has always had a hard time with people wanting to be around him. they always treat him as fragile because of his IED, thinking that he’s one step away from going off. even more so when he became a werewolf. so for you to willingly spend time with him without any expectations involved? it makes him feel like maybe he isn’t all bad. you could be doing homework in his room together or watching a movie on the couch or literally sitting next to each other staring at a wall. he’s just happy someone wants to be around him and isn’t treating him like they’re walking on eggshells. liam only wants to feel like he’s normal and you’re happy to provide that for him.

derek: i was trying to do a different one for each of them but i feel like derek is a mix of acts of service and quality time. he’s had to rely on himself from such a young age that he’s grown self-sufficient to a fault. and when he was an alpha, he had to learn to take care of others and like scott, i think it took a toll on him to have to be the wise leader who always knows the answers. in that sense, i do think he knows what he wants. so if he asks for something, you’re happy to comply. now as to why i think quality time is also a big thing for him. he knows he can’t be alone all the time. but even with that, sometimes he doesn’t want to talk. sometimes he only needs your presence to reassure him he’s not alone. derek is a strong, silent type and i think that reflects in his needs.

[jess-the-vampire]

Quick question one fan to another. Do you think Phillip knew he was related to Eda & Lilith? And would have knowing about his family made any difference or was he just too far gone?

genuinely? hard to tell

i mean dana claims "Some people do know"

and philip COULD of been one of them, and you could say that's a factor in why eda and lilith are targeted the way they were

but on another hand, you can also kinda sum that up as a result of remembering lilith from his past and therefore disliking her from that, and eda herself being the prime example of rebellion against his authority

there's nothing in the show that concretely proves he knew

especially since a lot of it relies on knowing about what happened with caleb and evelyn, which once again, is left with a lot of wiggle room

like we don't even know if philip actually knew evelyn's last name at all, or if he knew of her or about her long enough for that

when that stuff is all pretty vauge it's just yeahhhhh

if we are to assume Philip knew evelyn was pregnant he would have to be AWARE caleb has witch decedents probably, but he wasn't in power till 50 years ago, so i don't also see how he could keep an eye on caleb's entire family line either for 400 years

also also, maybe philip went after evelyn and said kid, maybe he just...gave up after caleb died and moved onto other things (It's still not even clear how evelyn got his door after all, if we are to assume it's evelyn's doing, because the door appears to be post caleb death)

(Look, i've been over this a few times, this timeline kinda doesn't really make sense, i'm kinda not convinced the crew planned out a proper timeline of events for the wittebanes because there are things that currently kinda don't make sense)

yeah idk, it's kinda left more up to your interpretation, like if you see belos as knowing nothing really proves you wrong

but yeah, nothing proves it right either, philip had plenty of other established reasons to single out lilith and eda outside of that concept.

i don't think it would of made any difference nonetheless, like maybe if philip saw his niece/nephew as more human then witch there could of been a dynamic of him thinking he could "Fix" them, but on another hand philip is shown to not trust anything and anyone who isn't a human like him.

The guy is very much been brainwashed by how he grew up to believe everything he doesn't understand is trying to manipulate him and hurt him, and i don't think any family he may have in the clawthornes would make him see witches differently

honestly i wouldn't be shocked if in his mind, evelyn and caleb having a kid to him is like a demon stealing someone he held dear to use for offspring because of how deluded he is about this stuff

granted, that also depends heavily on how you think philip assumes about the situation, him believing caleb was under a spell and him believing Caleb did everything of his own will have DRASTICLY different implications about why he did what he did.

so yeah, if you're to ask me this is all more of the same "This is kinda supported by canon but is also kinda not" stuff that is kinda all over the wittebane backstory in general

if we ever get that wittebane backstory, they have a lot of clear up here because there's a lot left to interpretation and it's kinda why people have very drastically different opinions on how aspects of this character were handled.

guy should of been destroyed at the end no matter what of course, but

people seeing him as a more tragic unredeemable villian doomed from the beginning due to growing up in extremism as a child and no guidance to pull him out of it so he just got worse and worse, and people who see him as just an asshole who never cared about his brother and was perfectly capable of getting out of his brainwashing is very much a result of leaving a lot of this stuff kinda up to interpretation

[babiestbubbles]

Jason Todd Agere HCS

The first of many, icl. I am possessed by DC demons, I have SO MANY thoughts abt them, pls pls pls hmu w/ Prompts, I am dying to write about these little bat boys

Primarily, if not exclusively, regresses when under the influence. The man is so repressed and afraid of his regression that the one of the only ways he can properly slip into his headspace is when he's drunk/high/etc.

Experiences a LOT of impure regression. Sometimes it's little imperceptible things like accidents after nightmares, so at first he brushes it off as a trauma response (which, technically it is but he doesn’t know that yet) or just a lack of bodily control that comes with revival. It slowly evolves into deep, complete regressive episodes when faced with heavy injury, fear toxin, or when he's home and safe after mission.

To expand on the previous point, he has enough control to keep from slipping during fights/high adrenaline situations, but the second his mind and body register genuine safety (ie. arrival at one of his personal/hidden safe houses or Roy's/a close friend's) he plummets into littlespace.

His close friends aren't overly jarred by it, Jason's always been a little softer, a little more sensitive after rough mission. He always meticulously checks them all over first, only allowing them to give him the same treatment once he's certain all immediate needs have been attended to. It's not their place to judge if over the months that softness has evolved from wordless whimpers and silent tears to soft babbles and tiny acts of self soothing.

If digging through his duffle and shoving a familiar stuffed bear into his arms keeps him from wiggling and whining as they attend to his wounds, just as he did theirs not 5 minutes earlier, who are they to look a gift in it's mouth? It's not like rougher, in-field Jason would take to being patched up all that better.

The process would be laced with fussing all the same, whimpers swapped for strings of curses and flinches traded for Jason brashly pulling away, insisting he could do it better himself. At least this way they can be sure his reactions are signs of genuine pain and discomfort rather than scorn and judgment for their first aid abilities.

He would genuinely rather die again then let any of his family know about his regression and makes it an active point to hide it from them, even at the expense of his health and wellbeing.

Idk much abt Steph but I think she, if anyone, would be the only one to pick up on it. I also think she's the best person of the bats to figure it out, because unlike the others who would confront him about it head on and probably scare him off, I think Steph would soft-launch her awareness of Jason’s regression.

It wouldn't be baby-talk and piles of presents. It would be keeping a few spare kids items in her pouches, a tiny teddybear, a pacifier, lollipops. Things she could easily brush off as occupational necessities.

He has almost NO gear on his own. He has the bear Talia gave him when he was first looking after him. (Before she'd thrown him into the pit back when his mind was too frazzled to recognize or comprehend most of his surroundings. When all he could rely on was his senses for comfort. She picked up on this quickly, flooding the boy with soft scents of cinnamon and nutmeg, cardamom tea, fluffy teddy bears and blankets.)

Aside from the bear all he has is a teether, a busted up old thing. It had water in it at some point, he'd found it in the clearance aisle of a Duane Reade, cheap enough to justify to himself. He'd muttered something about it being good to have for keeping toddlers quiet.

It' hadn't lasted a night in the package before he was gnawing at it, suckling on it, finally satiating the desire to nurse his thumb that he refused to indulge.

The teether had made it all of two weeks before he'd worn it out, busting it amidst a particularly bad crying fit. It only made him cry harder, and while he knew logically he should’ve tossed it the second it broke but he couldn't bear to part with his only other comfort item, and he knew he didn't have the stomach to try replacing it.

That it's for nowwww, pls gimme other characters to do!! I love writing abt them, I could honestly do another dump of just Jason hcs, I have so many thoughts about these little bat boys

Obligatory self-promo for my DC agere discord server

https://discord.gg/QwtaNKMq

Join it! Come harass me for fics, hcs, and drabbles personally ‼️ /silly

[dnangelic]

scary , ritsuka says , and azumano's fallen angel feels his feathers stiffen and raise in a ruffling hackle --- the quiver in the master's voice squirms in his ear like a mouse he wanted to swoop down , pounce upon , and snatch .

' --- are you being serious ? ' the hand that had innocently extended itself at first suddenly raises , and though its hidden claws and razor talons keep themselves from any sharp , threatening reveal , he still presses his fingers hard against the other's cheeks , blowing out their lips until the master resembled a caught fish .

' don't hide behind others just to make excuses for yourself . ' his wintry clutch shakes the other : before someone like him , who was endlessly arrogant , who took an immense and stubborn pride in his independence and all the lonely-leaden-weights of responsibility that came with , did the master truly believe that he could be fooled by reasons as flimsy as those ? ' fujimaru ritsuka isn't a coward . when has something being scary ever stopped you ? i've watched you stand before all sorts of ridiculous things without the light dying in your eyes , and on the field , never once were you someone who ran from a fight and abandoned your servants just to save your own hide . you've always stood right beside us --- with us , so why is anything any different now ? '

his speech hangs heavy in the air ; the word honesty leaves the other's lips and the great phantom thief scoffs . ' --- this isn't about something like that anymore . don't lecture me about honesty when you're behaving like a hypocrite . ' a blunt accusation --- one even his other self might have readily called too cruel and too harsh .

even so , ' you're only human . '

a breath . his grip eases , and the strict , oppressive hold of his touch gradually retreats from ritsuka's mien . his gaze remains as it were ; an unflinching ruby smoulder . ' it isn't wrong to rely on others when you feel weak . it's fine to have needs . and if you want something , there's no reason to settle for what feels good enough . ' the ambition of any dai-kaitō : to claim the very world for itself , right into the palms of his hand . yet ritsuka beats him to any more touch ; the embrace comes and it shocks him . his nerves alight , and the moment he comes to , heart pounding , form shrinking , the terrible sense of something wrong striking him like lightning , he shoves --- and grips the other by a second snatch at the sides of both of their arms .

' stop it . stop trying to make yourself disappear !! '

ㅤㅤTHE immediate refute caught the master in a flinch and he found himself nervously holding onto the other side of his arm, gaze lowered elsewhere as if he were the picture of uncertainty. Honestly ... what was he so afraid of ? Being an ordinary person, he was well aware he had the privilege to love and be loved just like anyone else but standing here now, he couldn't help but wonder ... just what sort of person did everyone see across the glass ? Perhaps, all they saw was the ideal facade that the master had desperately maintained for as long as he could remember. It was the self that everyone flocked to because he was incredibly kind, helpful and most of all, willing to accept anything that came his way. But yet behind this ideal, he was an utterly selfish and miserable person who sought to act out of self-gratification ( it was the only way he knew to make himself feel like he was worth something ). So that's why, he was content to stay where he was, wearing that same smile while his true self remained behind the looking-glass self, detached from the world.

ㅤㅤBut to admit all of this ... would be pretty pathetic wouldn't it ? In the end, he was nothing more than a coward, afraid to have his true self acknowledged out of the fear that there was truly nothing worth staying for. Besides, why did it matter ? His own insecurities were practically miniscule in the face of the world. He was just but an ordinary person that didn't have anything worth going for him.

ㅤㅤ" ... Breaking that wall is pretty scary, you know ? " He finally, spoke his voice quivering ever so slightly even with a smile on his face. " I wouldn't want them to get hurt after all. " He was only making excuses ( after all, he was the one afraid of getting hurt ). " ... Maybe under normal circumstances, it'd be difficult for her to believe you when you act the way you usually do but I think if you're honest about your feelings like this, maybe you would get through to her. Even if it's just by a little. She and I are pretty different people after all so maybe you'd have a better chance there. " It would be pretty upsetting if she was anything like her master after all.

ㅤㅤ" ... But ... well ... it's not that I don't understand where you're coming from -- rather ... it's a bit hard to believe in myself. It might be a little hard to understand but ... " He trailed off as he found himself hesitant to continue. " ... I do appreciate the sentiment at least. " It seemed more like an apology rather an expression of gratitude. Even his gaze that flicked towards Dark's extended hand had followed the same sentiment.

ㅤㅤ" In the end, you don't really need to do any of that for me. It's not as if it's that big of a deal and besides, I'm already happy enough where I am. " He suddenly reached out, as if to finally take Dark's hand but instead, he seized his wrist to pull him into a tender embrace. " Still ... I'm really happy to have a friend like you. You and Daisuke both. " Perhaps on the surface, it could be perceived as an act of appreciation towards Dark's concern for him but in reality, this was his way of deflecting any attempts to peer into his heart ( this was his way of regaining the control that momentarily slipped from his fingers ). All he had to do was veil himself with the facade that everyone was so happily acquainted with. " So, you don't have to worry about me in the slightest. " He reassured with a gentle smile, squeezing his shoulders ever so slightly.

[chirpsythismorning]

Yeah there’s gonna be plenty of little details in s5 confirming byler, but there’s one thing in particular that I feel like would be too hilarious to pass up on…

[anghraine]

jenndoesnotcare replied to this post:

Every time LDS kids come to my neighborhood I am so so nice to them. I hope they remember the blue haired lady who was kind, when people try to convince them the outside world is bad and scary. (Also they are always so young! I want to feed them cookies and give them Diana Wynne Jones books or something)

Thank you! Honestly, this sort of kindness can go a really long way, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

LDS children and missionaries (and the majority of the latter are barely of age) are often the people who interact the most with non-Mormons on a daily basis, and thus are kind of the "face" of the Church to non-Mormons a lot of the time. As a result, they're frequently the ones who actually experience the brunt of antagonism towards the Church, which only reinforces the distrust they've already been taught to feel towards the rest of the world.

It's not that the Church doesn't deserve this antagonism, but a lot of people seem to take this enormous pride in showing up Mormon teenagers who have spent most of their lives under intense social pressure, instruction, expectation, and close observation from both their peers and from older authorities in the Church (it largely operates on seniority, so young unmarried people in particular tend to have very little power within its hierarchies). Being "owned" for clout by non-Mormons doesn't prove anything to most of them except that their leaders and parents are right and they can't trust people outside the Church.

The fact that the Church usually does provide a tightly-knit community, a distinct and familiar culture, and a well-developed infrastructure for supporting its members' needs as long as they do [xyz] means that there can be very concrete benefits to staying in the Church, staying closeted, whatever. So if, additionally, a Mormon kid has every reason to think that nobody outside the Church is going to extend compassion or kindness towards them, that the rest of the world really is as hostile and dangerous as they've been told, the stakes for leaving are all the higher, despite the costs of staying.

So people from "outside" who disrupt this narrative of a hostile, threatening world that cannot conceivably understand their experiences or perspectives can be really important. It's important for them to know that there are communities and reliable support systems outside the Church, that leaving the Church does not have to mean being a pariah in every context, that there are concrete resources outside the Church, that compassion and decency in ordinary day-to-day life is not the province of any particular religion or sect and can be found anywhere. This kind of information can be really important evidence for people to have when they are deciding how much they're willing to risk losing.

So yeah, all of this is to say that you're doing a good thing that may well provide a lifeline for very vulnerable people, even if you don't personally see results at the time.

[kkoct-ik]

the lesser known did symptom of not knowing anything about your life because not only do you not remember anything (and the memories you Do have are heavily fragmented so you have no idea when they occured), but you also consistently destroy all traces of yourself during dissociative episodes. rip every diary ive tried to keep and almost every social media account. i will never know what i got up to or who i was during those years

i have a spreadsheet i use for documenting memories that turn up before i can forget them again. where i also do my best to estimate what year or season or month they came from. but its all just such a mess. even 2021 onwards which are supposed to be my therapy years are very very patchy. i wish i could just know my life

[akpaleyreblogs]

DAV fundamentally doesn't believe that power structures can contain people who are both competent humans and not cartoonishly evil.

In fact it doesn't seem to believe that there exist different mutually exclusive forms of evil. All evil is the same evil. All good is the same good. Good thing there's no ambiguity or complexity in the system for anyone to worry about.

[alwaysoc]

[z-and-the-space-child]

look, i love witnessing characters Loose It or themselves in their work, their life's work. to the point where they're inseperable from it because they've put so much of themselves in it it might aswell be a child or and extension of their body or whatever. i love it when characters can conveniently solve literally any problem because they are the Smartest Person Alive. but also i think it'd be cool to see scientists who are Generally Healthy People, for, if anything, to help project a better view of science. romanticization of things falling apart for a scientist is entertaining, sure, but it presents the idea that we should always sacrifice our on self care, health, and connections to our community in the name of "innovation". which becomes a slippery slope to toxic capitalistic working culture. (un)fortunately, nobody really spends hours in candlelight scrawling a new thesis over night or conduct lifechanging experiments made from kitchen tools in their basement. most of the time, at least. exceptions exist. people work in teams now!! huge, huge teams. and they ALL help make the discovery. i think it's important to maybe represent science as a team effort and something you can do that won't damage your mind or body, and especially as something you don't have to be extraordinarily good at all the time - depictions of scientists should be realistic and accessible. so, here are some prompts/alternative tropes/things i think would be cool or just generally communicate the vibe i'm going for here:

scientists who've regularly failed or struggled in their courses/research but still go on despite it because they're passionate or optimistic or whatever, demonstrating perseverance and resilience.

people who are still learning. who are very earnest and curious but sometimes need to have the same thing explained to them over and over and over again.

academics who are fighting the system that has rather systematically screwed them over. who continue out of spite. ex-gifted kids and people who were denied their accommodations in one way or another.

disabled scientists who need to expend more time and energy on their research/field work/whatever but aren't in any way shape or form shamed, ostracized, or threatened because of it.

one team member who isn't personally doing anything breathtaking, but instrumental and irreplaceable to the overall thing.

biologists who often make reference to (earth) classification guides, and who try very hard to break the habit once they start studying aliens

academics who start taking care of themselves more just as they start taking their research more seriously, leading them to produce quality stuff!

there are plenty more but yeah. theres so much to be done beyond the mad scientist or super-ultragenius trope. take care of yourselves this finals season, fellow students.

[yinwaryuri]

Master Amin be like: Answer my riddles three and I'll give you moldy bread and rusty water because you earned it, my little baby cult

[francisforever2014]

you have to do a lot to make me actually complete course surveys and log into rate my professor but this fucking professor is actually the worst teacher i’ve ever had 😭 enjoy your 2 on rate my professor (i know this does nothing 💔)

[yourfavoritewerewolf]

i want to quit my job and become an independent artist so bad but i would have to master social media to do that and we all know i am not that girl

[platypusnoise]

i hate it here was DEFINITELY written during the travis kelce era

[fragmentedblade]

Criticism about Yingxing using the power of Abundance being ooc, as if he hadn't done it before. As if it weren't common practice in the Alliance, despite themselves