#they just enable each other's worst traits
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annetdragony · 2 days ago
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Astarion and Tav: How Fantasy in D&D Reflects the Multilayered Nature of Human Relationships.
Astarion's story is not just a branching plot. It is a mirror that reflects the main principle of human relationships: we change depending on who is around us. Even such a complex and well-written character as Astarion reveals himself differently with different Tavs - and this is his brilliant "humanity", despite his vampire nature.
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The "spawn" and "Ascended" branches are just the basis. Nuances determine the character of Tav. Further, I will slightly simplify the terminology for better understanding, so that "good", "evil", "cruel" and so on are not labels, but conditional short definitions of character types. There are actually many more nuances than described here, and many more halftones of relationships.
Spawn-Astarion.
With kind Tav:
Becomes a sarcastic but caring ally. His barbs soften, and moments of sincere gratitude appear: “You’re as persistent as a flea… but I guess I’m glad you’re here.”
With cruel Tav:
Increases cynicism, justifies his aggression with her example: “Finally, you’ve stopped pretending to be a saint. Now we understand each other.”
With neutral Tav:
Balances between help and selfishness, copying her pragmatism.
Ascended Astarion.
With submissive Tav:
Sees her as an instrument of power. His “love” is control: “You will shine at my feet, darling.”
With rebellious Tav:
Enables rivalry mode. Their relationship is a game of cat and mouse, where each tests the boundaries: “You think you can challenge me? I find this… interesting.”
With an equal Tav:
Recognizes partnership. His power becomes a contract, not a dictate.
Psychology of mutual influence: why are we different with different people.
Astarion and Tav illustrate the theory of mutual conditioning (determinism):
Attachment style:
If Tav demonstrates reliability (like a kind or neutral Tav), the Astarion spawn learns to trust. If Tav is unpredictable (cruel/chaotic), his anxiety increases.
Projection:
Astarion unconsciously projects the traits of a Kazador or a savior onto Tav, which affects his reactions.
Reinforcement:
A cruel Tav “rewards” his worst sides with approval, a kind one — gently corrects.
Important point: we are now considering only those options where Tav, despite her character, still accepts and does not suppress Astarion. Options when Tav tries to suppress Astarion make sense to consider in a separate post.
An example from life: With one partner, a person can be caring, with another - cold. This is not hypocrisy, but an adaptation to the dynamics that both form.
D&D as a field for experiments: a fantasy where you can be anyone.
Role-playing games allow players to:
Try on roles that frighten or delight in reality. Cruel Tav can explore power, kind - experience the power of empathy.
See the consequences of choice: Depending on the player's behavior and choices, Astarion can become either a tyrant for him or a loving faithful partner.
Understand that there is no “one true” way. As in life, relationships are negotiations, compromises and constant movement.
Fantasy as therapy. Through Astarion and interactions with him, players live out their fears (loss of control, betrayal) and dreams (healing, unconditional love) in a safe space.
Hard and soft scenarios: why both options are valid.
Toxic Dynamics (Ascended Astarion + Submissive Tav) reflects real relationships where one partner suppresses the other “in the name of love.”
Healthy Attachment (Spawn-Astarion + Kind Tav) shows how support helps a trauma victim open up.
Partnership of Equals (Ascended Astarion + Equal Tav) is a rare balance of power and love, where both learn to respect each other’s boundaries.
Suppression and Return to Slavery (Spawn-Astarion + Cruel Tav) is a dark scenario where Astarion trades one master for another.
Battle of Opposites (Ascended Astarion + Kind Tav) is an eternal argument and mutual attempts to pull the partner over to their side.
Of course, there can be many more options, and these are just small examples. Some of the scenarios can cause an extremely sharp reaction in those who follow other scenarios, and this is understandable. We are not obligated to like someone else's headcanon, and we are not obligated to accept it. We can be angry, hate someone else's path, and hate the person who chose it. However, as long as a person does not claim that his choice and his headcanon are the only correct ones, and that other options are simply impossible, he has the right to do whatever he wants. It is his story. And we have the right to choose whose stories we want to see and whose we do not, and whether we want to communicate with people whose stories we categorically do not accept.
Important: In D&D, as in life, there are no "perfect" relationships. Even a happy ending has cracks, and a tragedy has glimmers of light.
Conclusion: Astarion is us.
His arc is a metaphor for how our connections shape us. With kind people we soften, with cynical ones we grow armor, with equals we learn dialogue. D&D gives a unique chance to see who we could become in different circumstances - and to think about who we want to be here and now.
In the game, as in life, we are co-authors of other people's stories. Game worlds remind us: even a vampire can change if he meets someone who is not afraid of his darkness.
And what kind of Tav will you become?
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ruleroftheimps · 3 days ago
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Things that genuinely bugs me about some fics with the Vees that I need to get off my chest. No hate, just a bit of incoherent venting.
As a preface, I'm not necessarily saying any fic that uses any of the following stuff is inherently bad, I've seen a LOT of good fics that use these, but it just drives me crazy when it's all I see and it's very surface level.
For starters, Velvette.
Almost ANY time I see a fic with an abusive staticmoth relationship dynamic (The ones that are playing off of the Voxtagram posts- I have something to say about them too honestly), it's always something along the lines of 'Oh, Valentino's so cruel to poor Voxy, and Velvette's his only true friend, ahhh, they're so close'. Istg this drives me insane. I don't know if it's just the type of fics I read or what, but what about Velvette do you all think shows she's a nice person?? (I mean, the same can be said for Vox, but we're focused on the doll rn) I've seen people say they think she's the most likely to be redeemed of the Vees, and why?? What makes you say that?!?
Literally- If you want to be nitpicky, the only Vee we've seen that hasn't mistreated his employees is in fact Vox, which, his woobifiecation has a part later. But why does everybody make Velvette the nice one!?! I don't know, just, if you want to make Val abusive to Vox, make Velvette the same?? It makes more logical sense too, since Valentino and Vox have known each other for years, and they're close, but Val's still a piece of shit. So why is Velvette nice!? She actually, in canon, treats Vox... worse than Valentino does!? So why is she always portrayed as the 'nice one' in abusive Staticmoth fics?
Also, anybody who says they think she's the brains/backbone of the Vees!? No??We see her do one (1) smart thing, which is identify Carmilla Carmine's reaction, but like. Do we really think the Vees, who were very open about being a team, didn't talk about it beforehand like they did with Pentious?? And she clearly can't be bothered to deal with Valentino, so why do you believe her when she says she's the backbone?!
And Valentino, omg. Like, yes, his character is objectively shitty. Yes, he's Not a Good Person.
But why do so many fans (I'm big on Radiostatic, so I'm mostly talking about those fics) make Val the Big Bad in other Vox ships?!? Like, toxic Staticmoth is amazing, yes. But, outside of the now retconned Voxtagram posts, Val is never too horribly bad to Vox. In fact, they're really close. So WHY is it this hard to find a Vox x literally anybody else (platonic or romantic) where Val isn't a piece of shit to him. (And no, I'm not saying every fic is like that, just that a significant portion is.)
Vox. I swear.
Honestly, I can understand the woobiefication for him more than I can understand Velvette's or Valentino's... just, people removing all his good traits. He's portrayed as pathetic the most, he's the one with the most focus, he's actually, from what we've seen, the most decent of the Vees beyond his comment to Pentious. (Velvette makes love potion and verbally abuses her employees, while also not caring about them at all, Valentino's... Val, Vox does manipulate the masses and all that, but like, not in a way that's extremely bad compared to his business partners? Really, his worst crime atm is being an enabler and being horrible to Pentious.)
But why. Why must he be portrayed as so overtly pathetic? Like, I get it to some extent, and it's hilarious in fandom, but when people start thinking that he's that pathetic in canon, it rubs me the wrong way. Yes, he's my favorite and I'm biased, but like. He's not that pathetic people.
Tl;dr, Velvette being protrayed as a super nice person (to Vox, in fics where Valentino is portrayed as abusive) and the most decent/smartest Vee, Valentino having all his good traits removed, and Vox being treated as overtly pathetic drives me crazy. It's still fun to read sometimes, but when people say they think it's canon, I actually can't believe it.
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hypnoticmoth · 9 months ago
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okay 1: sorry for asking something again today :P
2: i assume you like Valentino because of his design and/or voice like most Valentino lovers, (me included), but his personality is quite interesting and it kinda makes me like his more, if that makes sense? Not like the abusing and being a terrible person, but the fact he does it is unique and i dont know many characters with those traits! So I like the *idea* of being abusing and shit, but him actually doing it, I dont, does that make sense? Anyway the actual question is: do you like Valentino bc of his design and such, or also the *concept* of his personality?
It's ok !!
About why i like Valentino, it's a combination of everything. Yes, he does have an amazing design, and his VA does a stunning job at voicing him.
But i also like the way he's written. He's an unredeemable villain who does absolutely horrible things (and he'll get what is coming for him). He's threatening and detestable and i just enjoy it.
He's also quite clever and manipulative and i think a lot of fans don't give credit to his intelligence.
He's also pretty goofy in the way he acts, acting like a giant throwing tantrum manchild, bedazzling his gun in the middle of a meeting with the other two Vees, ect. And despite that, it doesn't remove any of the threatening aura he has, and i just think it's pretty neat to have a truly irredeemable villain that doesn't lose that threat and edge about them while also having some fun and goofy moments.
All in all, i love the Vees, I think they're good villains, i'm excited for season 2. They're all as awful as each others and they'll be a fun trio of antagonists.
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quetzalpapalotl · 1 month ago
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Putting all that toxic psychosexual tension between OP and Soundwave was yet another win for Mr Barber.
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bosesmikas · 5 months ago
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Do I want JE/NL to happen *now* in canon? Nope.
Do I wish JE/NL did become canon at one point? Damn right I do.
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bibluebutterfly · 8 months ago
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Big brain moment: what if Huskerdust and StaticMoth are meant to be parallels to each other?
Think about it: both Angel and Val are tall, relatively young (like mid-late thirties) people who work in the sex industry with immature dirty senses of humor.
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Both have older partners who understand them like nobody else does.
Both of them feel like they can be themselves around their partners, showing us a new side that is more than just a horny pervert.
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Both of them work in sex, but are still somewhat in the drug industry and have a talent with guns.
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HOWEVER, whereas Huskerdust inspire each other to be BETTER, StaticMoth inspire each other to be their WORST.
Angel Dust and Husk are the Abused, but Vox and Valentino are the Abusers. One couple helps each other up and get through the day, the other couple enables the other’s worst traits.
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They’ll both love each other, but the love is VERY different while also being the same.
And I think that’s awesome.
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ebc-art · 5 months ago
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Mutual gaining, but instead of any romance or feederism, it's just two best friends normalizing and enabling each other's worst traits and using each other to justify letting themselves go
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vindicated-truth · 4 months ago
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As someone who loves both characters individually and together, I keep wondering if Dongsik's and Joowon's relationship is healthy.
(Please feel free to chime in with your own views, let's figure this out together lol)
Are they enablers of each other?
Yes, in a way, especially when they had no choice to, if they want to solve the cases they're working on together. They did it, however, with the promise / threat that they will each be punished for their own wrongdoing in the end.
Do they owe each other anything?
Yes, but at the same time they kind of neutralize each other in the end. Dongsik owes Joowon for catching Han Kihwan, but at the same time Joowon is also the one who arrests him. At the same time, Joowon owes Dongsik for having his own father be the murderer of Dongsik's sister, yet he brought justice to Dongsik in the end, and even followed through with Dongsik making him vow to live the rest of his life as a cop.
(To be honest, I don't think you can give a worse punishment to someone with a very rigid and absolute moral compass than to not get out of a very corrupt and broken system.)
Do they have an equal footing with each other in their hierarchical society?
Not at the beginning, but they do in the end.
Do they have a rose-colored glasses view of each other?
This is debatable, when from the very beginning they've already seen the absolute worst of each other. They can only go up from there, so to speak, since they've never really forgotten each of the other's flaws even as their relationship progressed into something less combative and more of grudging awe.
They do have a somewhat idealized view of each other in the end, but that's mostly because of experience, what they went through together: they know exactly what the other did for them, and can't help but feel grateful for it.
Do they complement each other?
I've written multiple posts about it lol, so it goes without saying that in many, many ways, their weaknesses are complemented extremely well by the other's strengths.
Do they ruin each other?
See, this is the thing: I think they've ruined each other for other people.
Their relationship evolved from a unique mix of their own complementary traits and their special circumstances, neither of which I believe can be replicated by and with anyone else.
No one else would have a deeper understanding of Dongsik's lunacy than Joowon, who witnessed first hand what drove him to it—and by whom.
No one else would have a deeper understanding of Joowon's stubbornness than Dongsik, who witnessed first hand the lengths Joowon would go to complete his goals—and why.
It's a very unique circumstance that only the two of them will share and intimately know about each other, for better or for worse, by virtue of the fact that they are each driven to be who they are now, ironically, by Han Kihwan.
By virtue of being Lee Yuyeon's murderer, and by virtue of being Han Joowon's father.
That's the power Han Kihwan had and will always have over them. They are who they are in part because of what he did to them, separately and together.
That's what makes him the true monster of the story, the "final boss" of the series of monsters that both Dongsik and Joowon had to deal with, not because he was the "best" or "most powerful" of the villains—he was actually the weakest, stupidest, and most cowardly of them all—but he had the most impact to each of their lives, in the absolute worst way.
And isn't that the true evil? What is truly angering of all? That the least of them all had the most damage done to the best of people.
Would it be healthier for them to end up with other people, someone new and different?
Objectively—yes.
My worry for Joowon is that he might always feel like he owes Dongsik, just because he intimately knows what his own family did to Dongsik's family.
And my worry for Dongsik is that he might always feel like he owes Joowon too, precisely because he intimately knows everything Joowon had to give up in order to bring justice to him.
There's a chance that their relationship might evolve the same way as, for example, Nam Sangbae's relationship with Dongsik, who had stuck with him with some misplaced sense of responsibility—even as his love and care for Dongsik had been sincere—because it was colored by guilt.
For Joowon's and Dongsik's relationship in particular, it wouldn't necessarily be out of guilt—they've already punished each other, so to speak, in ways they deem fitting—but out of gratitude.
I can't be sure if that's a healthy foundation of a relationship, to be with each other because you're grateful to them. Perhaps that's also why I find it more believable to accept the actual ending of the story as the right one, if only because they need that time apart to re-discover who they are without the shadow of Han Kihwan looming over them—in different ways—so that if and when they choose to come back to each other, it'll be after a re-affirmation of their own sense of selves, this time free from everything that had previously shackled them.
Is it better for other people to be with them?
This is just the reverse of the question above, and honestly? My objective answer is no.
It is with complete and utter love for the both of them that I say they may have ruined each other for other people.
For Joowon in particular, his new theoretical significant other might want and need a partner who would have more attention and time for them as a family, instead of one who is completely and utterly devoted to his duty as a cop.
For Dongsik in particular, his new theoretical significant other might want and need a partner who has more concrete goals and ambitions in life, and not someone who is just starting to figure out his own identity and his life after finally being free from all the shadows that dogged his steps for decades.
Because the thing is, I'm not entirely sure that their new significant others would deserve them, just because I'm also not entirely sure neither Dongsik nor Joowon would be completely happy—even as they might have sincerely loved their new theoretical partners in return—with someone who wouldn't have completely understood who they are and what they've gone through, and what they're still going through.
For better or for worse, I don't think there's anyone else who can completely understand and accept them, the best and the worst of who they are—other than each other.
In conclusion: Is it healthy?
In time, it can be. Let them come back to each other at their own pace, in their own time.
I think they do know, deep in their hearts, that—for better or for worse—there will be no other.
And I think that can also be their motivation too, to do their best to make up for their mistakes, to live their best life and be the best of who they can be, and find their own ways to heal and move forward, because they have someone waiting for them.
Someone to come home to.
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cinnamonest · 2 years ago
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Yandere Profile - Baizhu
When I tell you I adore this man so much, he's so underappreciated and I intend to do my best to do him justice
ft. Changsheng the enabler and Qiqi the liability
WARNINGS: fem reader, dubcon/noncon, abduction, heavy drugging content, mentions of force feeding against a hunger strike, emotional manipulation of a child, homicide
What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?
If one had to describe his nature in a singular word, it would be careful.
Incredibly, meticulously careful. There is not one single step taken that has not been perfectly planned out ahead of time, multiple possibilities and issues thought through and accounted for. He would not rush into something of this nature unprepared, and more importantly, his cautiousness comes from another trait he has in abundance: determination. Dedication to seeing a goal through, the firm resolution that he will obtain what he desires, one way or another, with no regard to what measures need to be taken to do so, nor how long it will take.
Not to mention, from a moral perspective, one might be surprised at how indifferent he is to the notion of doing something... unethical. People tend to associate medical professionals with some sort of assumed overall moral good, that someone who dedicates their life to the pursuit of the health of others must be a morally sound person in all areas of life by default.
Well, that is true to an extent. He does want to stay within ethical bounds. He's a generally good and compassionate person, yes, and would never go out of his way to harm anyone for the sake of it. He doesn't bear any malice towards anyone. He will inconvenience or burden himself if it means doing the right thing, when the right thing does not pose any risk to him and his goals. And when it's things he doesn't care too much about, he will relinquish a goal if he realizes it would do harm. So overall, it would be correct to say that he is a morally sound person.
But if violating certain commonly agreed-upon ethical boundaries is necessary to obtain his most fervent desires... well.
He's perfectly well-aware. He's self-aware, for starters, acutely so. He knows exactly what he feels and why, knows it is of abnormal degree, and knows what it will inevitably lead to. He knows that both from a social and ethical standpoint, such things are wrong, that it violates society's conventions and standards (not to mention laws) of what is acceptable behavior by limiting another's freedoms and violating their autonomy. It's not even something he really needs to reflect on. He just notices and becomes aware of an intense emotion, recognizes that emotion and its degree of severity, and draws an immediate logical conclusion as to what will happen depending on how he chooses to handle that emotion and how each course of action is perceived by society. Very simple, really.
It's lamentable — he himself has reflected on this to himself multiple times, often speaking aloud to Changsheng about it behind closed doors.
How troublesome that even I am not immune to these sorts of desires...In the end, the nature and instinct of any given creature is immutable, I suppose.
She rarely has anything to offer other than vague warnings of not letting it spiral out of control, which he assures will not happen.
But oh well. Sure, it's inconvenient, but there is no point in fighting something as innate as one's own feelings in this area of things. Suppressing the emotions would be a waste, so it is much wiser and more efficient to simply accept them, then work through how he intends to handle them.
Cautious, intelligent, perceptive, patient, self-aware, willing to violate ethics, and of an indomitable resolve. This combination of traits is, as you might imagine, more or less one of the worst hands of fate that could be dealt to whoever is targeted by the individual possessing them.
He's an easy person to warm up to, though. Very likable and pleasant. He's not nervous around you or anything, and gives no hint of any ill intent, so you have no reason to suspect anything. Well, he might be just a bit overbearing towards you, just barely noticeably touchy or insistent, but it's nothing that strikes you as indicative of anything you should genuinely be concerned over.
Except for this... aura. While nothing he does really concerns you, there is almost some tangible feeling of something being "off" in a way you can't really articulate nor explain. Regardless, he's been helpful and kind to you, so you brush it off as nothing.
There's also distinct lack of the intense outward expression of emotion usually associated with obsessive lovers and abductors and the like. He's fairly... calm about it all. Perhaps it's an ability stemming from his meticulous and careful planning to eliminate risk, or perhaps it's that he has full and acute self-awareness and accurate perception and understanding of himself and why he feels what he does. Or perhaps it's just his nature. Maybe some combination of all of the above. But even at his worst moments, he has a fairly calm aura about him, nothing seems to bother or upset him too much. He always seems to have calculated for every potential misstep or complication.
He does make an attempt to grow closer to you, though. He's masterful with an ability to orchestrate encounters that genuinely seem to be coincidence, as well as creating inconveniences for you that will lead you to seek him out. If anything, you're usually apologizing for doing so, since he seems so busy... but he dismisses it with a wave of his hand, assures you that it's fine, that he's very happy to be of assistance to you.
This, too, isn't just because he enjoys your presence, but it's also a preparatory measure in and of itself. The more familiar you are with him, the closer you consider yourself to be with him, the easier of a time he'll have handling you when the time inevitably comes that he'll have to take certain courses of action that you may disapprove of, to say the least. He needs all the endearment to you he can get before that happens.
How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?
He's a bit conflicted, can't really decide if he wants to or not. His reluctance isn't really based in morality nor fear; he's not particularly concerned with the former on this matter, and he's fully confident he can successfully pull it off, so no need for nervousness.
Rather, he has the sort of possessive, primal desire to take you all for himself, one that he recognizes as a rash instinct that he needs to carefully ponder, and yet, he realizes that the direct consequence of acting on those desires would cause him to fall out of favor with you. He does love your smiles you give him, how nice you've been to him, your kind words, and he knows that would disappear, only to be replaced with resentment and fear, the moment he takes you away from your life.
He often sighs and mumbles to himself about it. What to do, what to do.... such a frustrating predicament.
Human nature is fascinating, isn't it? He's so consciously aware that this is abnormal and unwell, that he should attempt to resolve it, yet he has no desire to resolve it, only craving to further indulge in it. Yet he wants to be certain that he doesn't take any rash action, that he knows what he's doing through and through.
So, he refrains, at least for some time. However, it's not an attempt to refrain permanently — he knows full well that eventually, he will act on his desires, that it's only a matter of time. But for now, he wants to savor every word, every interaction, every smile, until he knows he will eventually cave in, and those things will be gone. He also reasons that, as aforementioned, by knowing you and being acquainted with you longer under your normal life and circumstances, he can attempt to endear himself to you and grow closer to you in that time, which will, he hopes, ease the transition when you no longer have your freedoms, that you will be more inclined to forgive him and act with empathy for him rather than hostility.
However, should he happen upon a coincidence, the stars align and the pieces all fall into place so perfectly without him having to arrange it, well, he'll certainly take the opportunity that presents itself. You show up complaining of fever or headache or something of that nature, and in your discomfort, it doesn't quite occur to you how unusual and seemingly irrelevant the questions he's asking you are—
I assume you let someone know where you were headed when you left home? ...No? Oh, I see....
You don't by chance have anywhere you'll be expected to be in the next short while, would you?
—and it won't, until it's too late.
Otherwise, should the opportunity not arise on its own, he has to wait. The days pass. A few months in total. But the longing and the ache and the scalding feeling of intense jealousy when he sees you with others, it all becomes too much, and he's forced to put into motion a plan he has now had quite some time to prepare for. Invite you over for "something important" with perfect timing, memorizing your schedule to hopefully ensure that it will happen before you see anyone whom you might inform of where you're going. From there, once he has you inside, it's no effort at all from that point forward.
He has a remarkable ability to give off this calm, nonthreatening aura, combined with a gentle and charming voice that lulls you into a sense of safety, that keeps you from noticing anything strange about what he's doing, even if you do still have that faint sense of unease in the back of your mind. It feels sweet and endearing, really, that you trust him so.
So he goes through with it. Sets up the necessary steps, and executes the plan as predetermined.
And then he tells you about it.
Once it's already too late, of course. You already drank what you were given without any hint of suspicion or distrust, and the way your eyes suddenly widen and your body twitches and slumps forward indicates it's setting in.
That's a regular part of the effect, terribly sorry about that. Oh, don't worry, you're not in any danger. You see, it's just... ah, how should I put it...
Thus he starts to go on elaborating on exactly what he drugged you with, and more importantly, begins explaining exactly why. As in, he openly confesses to being deeply enamored, as he puts it, and that he, likewise in his own words, has—
—some sort of abnormal psychological development that has taken place, although I'm not entirely sure how to best articulate it... regardless, I'm sure you now see that these impulses are inducing problematic behavior, but I'm afraid I have already succumbed to them, unfortunately...
He speaks with this lighthearted tone and whimsical sighs if he's explaining some sort of mild, harmless inconvenience, something of little consequence, all while he's gently going about sitting you back upright, closing your mouth so you stop involuntarily drooling, fixing the cup you spilled over and cleaning up what spilled onto the table. As if it's just a regular, everyday occurrence that he's paying little attention to, and not something of great weight and severity.
What this ultimately means is that you won't actually be leaving anytime soon. While unreasonable on its own, I assume that makes sense in the context of what I've just explained to you.
He turns back towards you, loops his arms under your armpits and hoists you up. There's a slight strained grunt with the physical exertion, but he manages to pick you up without too much trouble. He's still talking while carrying you through the door to the hall, but you don't really hear much it as you begin to succumb to unconsciousness — you only really process one more sentence.
You're awfully trusting, you know. You really ought to be more careful, should someone could have malicious intent...
How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape? 
The physical restraints aren't so bad. He keeps a reverse lock on the outside of the front door, and for a little while, a singular chain to your ankle.
After a short while, and a verbal agreement that you will not try anything, he gives you a surprising degree of leniency, gives you the ability to roam to some extent. You can be present at the front where strangers show up to the desk, even. But he'll be watching. He has ways, as he puts it, of knowing what you're doing.
You're not sure what to do. It seems like such an opportunity, and yet, you know that someone as calculated as he is wouldn't give you that opportunity without having a plan he could easily enact if something goes wrong. You know he doesn't really place that much trust in your word through your verbal agreement alone. You want to do something to try and catch someone's attention or something, but there's this gut feeling you have that knows that doing that would be a mistake.
He almost certainly wouldn't harm anyone, you're pretty sure of that being true, but... can you say that with one-hundred percent certainty? If pushed to the point of it being a matter of securing you and your arrangement, preventing someone who saw more than they should from telling, can you really be certain he wouldn't take drastic measures...?
You just don't know. Sure, you're fairly certain of his overall goodness of character... but then again, that's also what you thought when you brushed off the occasional comment or expression from him that used to make you feel some faint sense of alarm or unease — that he was certainly a good person, just a bit eccentric at times. You told yourself back then that he was not the sort of person who would ever do anything bad to anyone. You overestimated his goodness once, and look where that got you. Can you really be sure that someone who would go so far as to do what he's already done, wouldn't hurt or kill someone too, if it came down to it...? And when you think even more about it, doesn't the fact that he's letting you roam so much imply that he is ready to take some other measures if you tried anything?
You just don't know. It's all so uncertain.
And he knows that. You can tell from the soft, content, knowing smile on his face. He knows exactly what thoughts are going through your mind. As long as that doubt is there, hopefully you won't force his hand to make him have to take unsavory measures to ensure your security.
Now if you were to actually successfully, temporarily get away and be caught and brought back again, this is where Baizhu actually has a rather unique reaction, both intriguing and odd compared to how other captors and obsessive lovers would react.
That is, he harbors no resentment or anger over your desires to be free. In fact, provided he caught you early, his reaction is fairly calm. If you managed to get out for a while, he's more visibly panicked when he finds you, but he still manages to calm himself down by the time he brings you back, and doesn't lash out or have any sort of angry outburst.
You still endure some form of punishment — can't just let you get away with it, of course, you'd just be more likely to do it again — but you very quickly notice he doesn't really seem all that angry or anything. At some point, you question him on it, and he's very transparent with his answer.
To tell you the truth, I can't really blame you. You're only following your instincts. It's endearing, in a way.
Being angry, he explains, would be nonsensical, silly, unreasonable. It is only natural for a human to desire autonomy and as few restrictions on themselves as possible. Yet, it is also human nature to want to control others, and to have the object of their desires all to themselves, kept away like a treasure. Both his actions and yours are perfectly natural and reasonable, and since he himself has followed his natural inclinations and instincts, he can't blame you for doing the same and following yours.
And then, he smiles.
But it seems you weren't quite capable of achieving your goal. I suppose you'll just have to hope you have better luck on your next attempt... And I, that there won't be one.
How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?
Needless to say, Baizhu is both intelligent and perceptive. Most of the time, he can easily catch you in a lie. More importantly, he knows that given the circumstances, it's obvious you'll be trying to lie to him fairly regularly, so he's on guard about it, making him that much more likely to notice.
But on the rare occasion you do manage to trick him in some way, unless it was something that put you, him, or your situation in genuine danger, he doesn't get too upset. It's just the philosophy he takes, he explains as he shrugs it off— Really, it was foolish of me to not anticipate something like that. Considering the circumstances, I should never have allowed myself to become so unguarded.
Much like with attempts at escape, it's only natural to lie to him to achieve what you want. Likewise, it's only natural for you to receive some form of punishment to deter you from repeating the attempt of deception. Simple. So while he doesn't have a particularly angry or emotional response to it, don't expect to just get away with it either.
He's also very well aware when you manipulate him, acknowledges it even, but similarly to lying, he doesn't seem to mind too much. If anything, as long as it's something mild in nature, he finds it amusing, will chuckle and smile.
Oh, my. I see what you're doing... well, how could I say no when you're being so sweet about it?
That applies only to that which is mild, though. If your request or attempted goal is something that would actually be a risk, he gets far more serious and firm in his approach.
Surely you don't expect me to fall for that, dear. As much as I'd like to fulfill any wish you have, I know better than to take that sort of risk.
It was worth a try. You win some, you lose some.
How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?
He knows that mental stimulation will be important to your ensuring that you remain of sound mind and health for the foreseeable future. There's limits, of course, he's not dumb enough to fall for requests for things that you could use to harm him or break out, but he'll get you what you want, within reason. Especially books, which, as he says, are important for keeping your mind sharp. Those he'll get you even without asking, often bringing you something at random because he thinks you might enjoy its contents.
And hey, he also might as well capitalize on the opportunity. To prevent boredom, you can also help him out. Lots of jars that need organizing and labeling, papers that need to be filled and documented, and so on. Of course, he'll double check to ensure there's no maliciously doing it wrong or anything, but he appreciates it if you're willing and compliant.
What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?
He doesn't like to feel like he's being strict or harsh, but he does set specific guidelines. They're fairly short and simple.
One, you will not attempt to leave, or to rope anyone else into "helping" you.
Two, you will not attempt to cause any harm or damage to himself, his property, or any other residents or visitors you may come into contact with.
Third, you will not attempt to commit any action that intentionally causes, or has a potential to accidentally cause, any danger or harm to yourself.
Violate any of these conditions, and naturally, there will be consequences. All actions have cause and effect, this is just the law of the universe, so it is only fair to enforce a consequence.
He's still pretty forgiving, but if you push his limits, he'll begin enacting those consequences, getting progressively more intense according to the nature of your offense. Confining you to one room, putting you back into an ankle shackle, so on and so on. All done with this self-righteous attitude, telling you how it's for your own benefit that this is done.
But along the same previous lines of reasoning as to why he gives you things to keep you occupied, he knows how important stimulation is to one's psychological well-being, and can just as easily use this against you. If you've been very, very bad, repeated attempts at running away and total defiance, some more intense measures are needed. As with any other ailment, your poor behavior is something he has just the thing to treat with.
The dependency itself, you see, creates bonding. Being forced to rely on another for such basic needs is a process equally humiliating and endearing. The isolation, on the other hand, ensures that your brain associates only him with the positive chemicals and emotions induced by having stimuli to free you from boredom, as well as your needs being met and...
He continues to explain it out to you as he goes. You're still only restrained by one ankle binding, but he doesn't need much in that regard, because he doesn't really have to worry about you moving around in the first place. You can barely move a muscle anyway.
It is quite torturous, isn't it? He almost feels bad for you. You still have some control over your face, and he can see the obvious displeasure in your expression. Unable to move your arms, your legs, anything but the truly important muscular functions like being able to swallow and breathe and the like. Forced to sit there numbly while he brings cups of water and spoonfuls of broth to your mouth, when he wipes your body down in substitution for bathing. Yes, it's clear how much you dislike this, but that's the point, isn't it? This would not have to happen if you could just be a bit more compliant. That wouldn't truly be so hard, would it? He asks in such a patronizing voice.  Should you keep your mouth shut and refuse to eat or drink, he'll sigh, give up for the moment and try again later. If this persists after a few days, though, he'll just have to force it, and is not above doing so.
After a few days of this, he'll allow it to wear off, provided you've proven your repentance and promise you're going to be good in the future. An unlikely promise, he realizes, but at least the sentiment counts.
Oh, and he does establish one other rule out of frustration after a certain incident: no taking his glasses and hiding them. Really, it was quite a childish act of spite on your part, and caused him a terrible deal of inconvenience. Best to address it and forbid that from reoccurring...
How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?
Rivals are actually something you don't have to worry too much about, in terms of them getting hurt. Baizhu is calculated and reasonable, highly rational, and doesn't take any sort of rash action. And in his mind, as long as you're confined, other people are no longer an issue.
If he feels someone is becoming enough of a threat in the pre-captivity stage of his obsession, being aware of any affection another person has for you or vice versa will simply serve as a catalyst in your abduction, and almost certainly expedite that process, out of urgency to get you away from a perceived threat. Provided you are secured, though, he sees no reason to risk the potential consequences of taking any action against a rival, even if he does harbor resentment for them.
Do not, however, mistake that for instinctive reluctance. It doesn't mean he's the sort of person who would be to afraid to kill someone, or, as you might initially imagine he would be, a person who would feel an innate sense of guilt and wrongness, who is averse to doing anything truly wrong. No, he's more than confident in his ability to successfully pull off a homicide if he were to try, and honestly, he's really not that naturally guilty, that is, in the sense of the sort of person who would be haunted by their actions and feel guilty by instinct. Rather, he has to intentionally hold himself back, tell himself he can't do such a thing no matter how much he wants to, as a matter of dignity.
Homicide would, after all, be more or less entirely antithetical to his universal occupational creed. And while again, he doesn't have an instinct against it, he values his own self-image. He wouldn't feel guilty, but he'd feel disappointed in himself, ashamed to have failed to uphold the idea of sanctity of life and all that. And perhaps even more importantly, such an act is one of petulant spite, if you ask him, and he would be somewhat embarrassed to see himself committing such an act, as if it's an admittance of having let someone else's presence bother him so much. It's a matter, thus, of self-respect and dignity more than anything. Therefore, with you secured away, he'll simply leave them be... although he's not above perhaps a bit of pettiness if the opportunity presents itself, such as being able to mildly inconvenience them somehow without it being connected to him.
That being said, there is a limit to his inhibition for the sake of self-image.
There's one circumstance under which he would see it fit to kill: said rival is looking for you after your disappearance, and he gets the very strong sense that the individual in question knows something they shouldn't, or otherwise seems to have some correct suspicion of what has occurred. He feels their eyes linger on him, this narrow-eyed sort of glare. They ask some rather odd questions. Or perhaps they're foolishly upfront about it, asking if he wouldn't happen to have seen you on the day you were last heard from, an accusatory edge to their tone.
Baizhu is actually quite masterful at keeping calm and maintaining an innocent act in such situations. He doesn't get defensive or hostile, rather, he pretends he just doesn't perceive the subtle tone of accusation. No, I haven't. Terrible thing, that. I hope there's some good news to come out of that situation soon...
But to himself, this confirms that he can't afford to leave this individual undealt with. It's not his fault, really. They forced his hand. Not that he's overjoyed to finally have a reasonable self-justification to kill off the person that has secretly always bothered him more than he lets on, though, no, nothing like that.
His method is perfectly simple, although he may have to wait a while to be able to enact it. But no matter, he can bide his time. Everyone gets sick eventually. They'll come to him. And if it's too urgent, they clearly know far too much and he can't afford to wait, he simply makes an invitation, says he has something he heard or saw that may have some connection to you, and that he wishes to discuss it at once.
If it's the former, and he actually has the chance to drug them, he'll easily take that method, as it's the cleanest and the one he's most adept with. And if he invites them to speak with him, well, he'll still poison their tea and all, but he's not going to get his hopes up that it will actually be consumed, given they have every reason to suspect him. Unfortunately, this may mean he's forced to take more unpleasant means.
As much as he enjoys having them out of the way, it turns out the act of killing someone via means other than poison is actually quite unpleasant. He knows he's not healthy and strong enough at the moment to risk being overpowered if he attempted strangulation or drowning, so he just has to go full-on old fashioned and come up behind them and stab them to death. It's a very brutish act, really. Probably looks very awkward and ugly from an outside perspective. Ugh. Blood on his hands and face and the floor and the table... and now he has to wash this shirt, too... at least it will make a decent addition to the compost for herbs. Sigh.
How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?
Baizhu is largely defined by a sort of passive attitude, although it does have its limits. But for the most part, he's very tolerant and patient. Part of it is just a natural disposition, while it's also in part due to years of having dealt with a wide variety of people of varying, and often unpleasant, temperaments, in varying levels of discomfort, and thus not always pleasant to deal with.
This can be to your benefit, in terms of the fact that he's forgiving and somewhat lenient towards you. If you put on a sweet act or a pitiful apologetic act, in particular, after getting caught doing something you aren't supposed to be, it turns out to be a weak spot for him. He knows full well you're doing it intentionally, but in his own words, he just can't bring himself to be too upset when you have that look in your eyes.
While beneficial under most circumstances, his patience and slowness to anger can also be incredibly frustrating if you're the bitter type who tries to make him mad. He knows you're doing exactly that, and he knows that not giving you the reaction you want will infuriate you further, and to be honest, it's rather cute watching you get more and more upset. He can hold out for quite a while like that, as long as your behavior is not something harmful to anyone.
Be careful overusing or abusing his lenience, though, or pushing the boundaries. If you take it a step too far, do something one too many times, that patience meets its end. You can tell exactly when you've crossed that line by the look on his face, narrowed eyes and a stern, unamused expression. He speaks in a firmer tone than usual, and is far more blunt with his words.
That's enough, now. I've been very patient with you. Do not test me further.
The sudden shift and stark difference to his usual demeanor is enough to make you freeze up, and deters you on its own, far more than it would coming from someone who usually speaks in that sort of voice. Should you nonetheless, perhaps out of spite, continue your defiance, it goes a step further.
He's still not the sort of person to show anger very outwardly. Quite the opposite. You know you have truly, royally fucked up because he goes dead silent. Takes a deep breath in, heavy sigh out. Puts down the pen or closes a book or whatever else he's handling with a harsh sound, stands up without a word. You can feel a twisting in your stomach from the aura coming off of him, feel a sort of dreadful tension in the air. When he does finally speak, it's in that same cold, firm voice, as he latches a hand onto your arm and begins to pull you off into another room.
Alright, then. I see you don't intend to make this easy.
You can start to sputter out apologies at that point, but you're not going to get any further words out of him. After all, you've made it clear that words aren't enough to get through to you anyway.
How do they express affection, or attempt to endear themselves to you?
Baizhu is very fond of pet names. Dear. Darling. Love. Even if it embarrasses you, he doesn't really care. It takes a while to get used to, he throws those terms around so casually, it makes you flustered and feel all warm and you're not really sure how to react. But it just comes naturally to him, really, he wasn't initially intending for it to have any effect, although seeing that it does have an effect is quite amusing.
Otherwise, he likes to just spend time with you. The activity doesn't really matter, in fact, you don't even need to be doing the same thing together or anything. You can be doing your own thing while he does his, that's also fine. He just likes being in your vicinity.
Doing things together, though, is very nice. He's fond of doing mundane, routine things with you. Laundry, cooking, cleaning. Helping him restock by handing him jars while he puts them in their proper place, or vice versa. The little things, the things that don't require a great deal of thought or exchange of words, yet allow him to bask in your warmth and the bliss of simplicity in life with someone you love.
So they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?
Baizhu is a fairly humble man. He's also objective, when it comes to such matters. Love you as he does, he still acknowledges your weaknesses and strengths.
Considering a person to be "greater" or "lesser" as a whole, he would argue, is in and of itself a concept that could only be born from a rather simple brain to begin with. Such a generalization fails to consider the complexity of the individual human existence. It is frankly impossible, or at least distasteful and lacking any respectable extent of intelligent thought, to take a single person — who has a unique skillset, physical and mental attributes, experiences, and a whole array of knowledge unique to that one individual — and condense all that complexity into one simple lump sum of "value", them do the same for another, and compare the two. The very notion itself is lacking intelligence, and only a person equally lacking intelligence and rationality, or perhaps simply a person of a neurotically grandiose nature, would try to claim one person is inherently of greater value.
But he can recognize those individual traits. If he's more intelligent than you are, he's very open to acknowledging it. If you're in better physical shape and health than he is, he'll readily admit it.
A person is what they are, they each have their strengths. If you ever get into the subject, he'll likely start philosophizing a bit about human nature — how tragic it is that so many humans obsess over those strengths that they are lacking, and in doing so allow the strengths they possess to go to waste. It is human nature to be discontent with oneself, perhaps—
Ah... am I boring you? Haha. No, no, it's quite alright.
How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?
He fully acknowledges before ever taking you to be with him, that doing so will be detrimental any hopes of mutual affection. That's part of the pros and cons he heavily weighs before going through with that. But alas, it's a necessary hurdle to face, part of the price of having you to himself.
For the short term, at least.
He's not unfamiliar with psychology to some extent, seeing as it and his own field are somewhat related. He's very well aware of the known effects that prolonged isolation and exclusion from the rest of society, as well as forced dependence, will have on a person.
So he's not too worried about it. Sure, you may be resentful now, but he can wait. As he always does. Patient, calculated. He knows eventually there will be a shift, and then a decline. First comes anger, then that will die down, then a period of quiet despond, and eventually, as the soundness of mind deteriorates, you will come back to him, feel the same fondness you did before. It's predictable, linear, like clockwork. The human mind and the human body are alike in that way, often following patterns that can be accurately predicted far before actually reaching that stage of progression. Just as he can heal various diseases and ailments by referencing existing knowledge of the body, so he can "fix" your mind and your sentiments by utilizing the knowledge of the mind.
If you start to become exceptionally discontent and disagreeable at any given time, he'll just go with the foolproof method that works every time — total isolation besides him, dark room, no stimulus, bound hand and foot or kept immobile by drugs. A few days of that and you usually crack. The cycle repeats, but he always knows just how to get you back to the way he prefers you.
Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?
Firstly, as aforementioned, he's almost amusingly transparent. He explains a good deal of what he does to you and exactly why he's doing it, what affects it will have, etc. Most captors would probably keep quiet on exactly how they intend for their actions to induce a bond with you or force you into this or that, but not him.
You're smart, see. He knows you'll probably figure it out anyway. What's the point of withholding it then? Besides, he has a habit of thinking out loud sometimes, so it just comes natural to him to sort of mutter about what he's doing as he goes about his tasks. No point in refraining from that when there's no real reason to.
It's not as if you knowing what he's doing or what the intended effect is will make it any less effective. Maybe you'll develop a bit of spite and fight the effects, thus prolonging the procedure, but it will work all the same in the end anyway. If anything, seeing you resist is rather cute. But you'll succumb nonetheless, so, no need to be secretive.
Another obstacle he faces that others in a similar obsessive predicament do not is, well, himself. Baizhu is forced to take his own health and physical capacity into account to a degree most others never would have to give a passing thought to.
You'd think that his frailness might serve as an advantage to you — and you'd be right, sort of. It would serve as an advantage to you, were he to not account for it.
Unfortunately for you, he does account for it, and goes to great lengths — paranoid measures, even — to ensure you cannot take advantage of it. These chronic problems sometimes follow patterns and cycles, and usually have warning signs before becoming worse, so if he knows he's going to be in a weakened state, he gets much heavier on the restraints, and goes ahead with drugging you into immobility, even though you haven't done anything to deserve what is usually used as a punishment. It's also one of the few times he'll give you a very sincere apology. I know it's unpleasant, but I don't have much of a choice right now. You know it's serious from the lack of his usual warm whimsical voice of his, instead speaking in a very blunt voice laden with discomfort. You suppose you can summon a bit of pity, even if you're frustrated.
You also notice, though, that he's always insistent that he's fine and doesn't need help, even if that's blatantly untrue. The man will sound like he's coughing his lungs up for a minute straight and when you rush over with a concerned look on your face, he forces a chuckle and smiles and waves his hand dismissively. No, no, it's fine, really, that's a regular occurrence, it will die down in a minute or s— and breaks out coughing again.
He doesn't want you to see him in a state he feels looks pathetic. You figure that out eventually, given that he always stands up and goes into another room if the coughing fits get too bad, and how you can tell he's forcing himself to act as if he's not in discomfort or pain when he cares for you during his episodes of poorer condition.
It's something he's very stubborn about too. Usually he's so transparent, but even if you push him, tell him you're well aware he's not well or that you're fine and he should lay down, he continues to downplay it and insist it's not that bad. Just a bit of an ache, he says, or just a bit drowsy. He's relentless on this, no matter how much you push.
There's another unique factor to your captivity, but it doesn't have much to do with Baizhu himself.
See, there's plenty of captors or obsessed lovers you might end up with who have companions or accomplices you would meet, but no other quite so... slithery.
And few quite so cold, either. Changsheng, and the dynamic she takes in relation to the both of you, is a very odd experience.
Firstly, she is of no help to you. You weren't really sure what to expect from a literal talking snake, but you at least figured that if she possessed human thought capacity, she would perhaps possess a sense of empathy as well.
But she never brings up or even really acknowledges the circumstances of your situation. You tried once or twice, but she immediately shuts you down if the conversation is headed in that direction.
These sorts of interpersonal relationships are no business of mine. Know that I have no intention of interference.
While a bit disappointing, you did more or less know that even if she empathized, she wouldn't likely be of much help.
She still takes some getting used to. To be honest, she moves so quietly that for the first little while, she nearly gave you a heart attack on several occasions. You'll be going about some idle task, turn your gaze to look at or reach for something, only to come face-to-face with a snake in very close proximity.
AH! Oh, I, um...
What is the matter?
N-no, I just... uh...
You are at unease due to my presence?
No! No, I just didn't... see you there...
She has a bit of a sharp tongue and stern nature, and you initially do feel very uneasy, both out of not wanting to upset her as well as some primal instinct telling you that the creature that sits next to you is a dangerous one, even if your conscious mind knows better.
She does feel the need to comment on whatever you're doing, especially when trying to do tasks to help (or just to have something to do) by doing some work in the storerooms.
By what system of organization are you determining the order to place these jars in, hm?
You are not plotting anything nefarious back here by yourself, yes?
You there... these counters are slippery. I instruct you to place me on the surface over there.
At first, you feel bullied and bossed around... but over time you come to realize that despite the criticisms, she's intentionally seeking you out, whenever Baizhu is busy. In fact, whenever he goes off to a house call by himself or to take care of some task, it's usually only a matter of minutes before she shows up.
And truth be told, over time, you do bond. It's an unspoken sort of thing, something you think she might have started doing without consciously realizing she's doing it, but she begins... scaling you, climbing over and on you in the same way she does her contractual companion. The first time, you were reading over some piece of mail slid under the door when you felt a slight weight on your shoulder.
What is that? Oh, I see...
Gradually, it becomes an unspoken norm, a habit that neither of you really acknowledge out loud, but you understand it's a significant milestone in your relationship to each other, whatever that relationship may be defined as. You'll be standing around, working on whatever, when you feel the cold scales brush against your ankle... and now that cold sensation is spiraling up your leg, then your waist, and she positions herself around your shoulders just as she would Baizhu himself. Often commenting on or criticizing whatever you're doing, but sometimes just... relaxing there. She likes being on a person — humans are warm, and while she wouldn't admit it, she just sort of enjoys the company sometimes. If Baizhu is unavailable, you're the next best option. And sometimes, she's merely using you as a means of transportation, telling you to go somewhere else so she can get off, with you being able to get wherever it is faster, especially if it involves stairs.
Or sometimes, you'll be sitting down and she sees no reason to go around you to get where she's going, instead just slithering right over your lap without so much as a word, either to cross over you to get elsewhere, or to rest on you for a while. Then there was that time you were laying on the couch, trying your best to take a nap when you stiffened and nearly felt your heart stop for the umpteenth time when a cold sensation spread as she slithered her way underneath your shirt, curling up into a ball on your stomach.
It is cold outside and there is a draft. You will have to suffice for the moment.
And you also notice that, although it may feel harsh, oftentimes her criticisms and advice are genuinely helpful, either making a task significantly easier or preventing you from potentially hurting yourself in a specific process. You still can't quite let go of a bit of bitterness over her essentially being cooperative in your captivity, but you can't say you don't appreciate her.
General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?
He's actually quite touchy from the start. It's one of the few things that sort of unsettles you and gives some sense of something being "off" even early on. You're pretty sure you don't know each other well enough for him to have just brushed his fingers over your arm, or to rest his hand on your shoulder, or to clasp your hand between his for a moment as he tells you he'll see to this or that that you've requested. The touches continue to grow more noticeable with time, and they're just so very perfectly lingering for a time that's long enough to be noticeable, but not long enough for you to feel like saying something is a warranted reaction. No, you'd be overreacting if you said anything, right? It's not that bad, it's only for a few seconds, so perfectly timed as if he's knowingly releasing his touch at the right second. Always right on the edge.
Even after that, once you're living with him, he's very casually touchy. He'll run his fingers back and forth over your side or back when you're sitting or lying next to each other, runs his fingers through your scalp, rest an arm over your side or shoulders.
His drive, on the other hand, depends entirely on his current physical condition. Whenever certain chronic problems are flaring up and his health takes a negative turn, as you can imagine, his sex drive also plummets, and he's in too much discomfort to do much movement anyway. Other times, with other problems flaring up, it's particularly frustrating because he does still have a sex drive, but is in too much discomfort to do much... there's some creative ways to work around that, but nonetheless, it's irksome.
He's not particularly reserved about sexuality at all, actually, under the right circumstances. Of course, if asked about his reasoning for this, he acknowledges and understands the cultural sensitivity to such things, and concurs with the topic being something you don't just randomly talk about; that is, he obviously has a firm grasp on what is and isn't appropriate in various settings and doesn't violate conventions of appropriateness. It's just that when it's alone with you, he can talk about the filthiest and most intimate of things without batting an eye or any sign of embarrassment. It's just a natural part of human life, isn't it? If anything, the act is one that should be viewed as beautiful. The poetic sort of people tend to describe it as an ultimate expression of affection between individuals, and if you ask him, that's something that should be treasured.
How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?
He views forcing that sort of thing as a behavior that's more or less beneath him. Barbaric, brutish, uncivilized... brute force, that is. Other measures, though, that's another matter. Things like drugs and coercion don't have quite the same vibe of brutality and inhumanity.
Regardless, though, the key factor is your experience. He's the type that can't really enjoy a sexual experience unless you're also clearly enjoying it... the catch being that you obtaining pleasures and enjoyment is not exactly the same thing as outright consent. As long as you cum, it counts as being mutually enjoyed.
He still doesn't really like the thought of having to be physically forceful though, that would make him feel brutish. He'll be sure to sedate you early on. If you're sluggish and barely moving, you can't really offer resistance in the first place... and you're more pliable to his hands, too.
And yes, he will use your pleasure against you, telling you that you clearly don't hate it all that much — just look at what you've done, he says, holding up the fingers coated in your own fluids, pressing them against your tongue, your jaw too weak to prevent him from sliding his fingers in. The mouth says one thing, the body another... but the mouth is capable of lying, the body really isn't, so it's better to trust that which he knows is being honest.
What is intimacy with them like? What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?
He can't go too hard and fast... well, he sometimes does anyway, his efforts aided by adrenaline, which quickly catches up to him as soon as it's over. He's not particularly rough though, nor does he cause you pain. That's not to say he's entirely without a sadistic side — he does find himself enjoying seeing you in a state of humiliation and anticipation, he just prefers to use pleasures and intense, but not painful, sensations to do so.
Drugging
That is, of course, the one you likely anticipated the most. He's not at all shy about it. Even if you by chance had something consensual going on before being kept captive, he's very open about the desire to experiment on your body by triggering reactions to various substances.
There's a variety of different options to try, lots of combinations and records of the effects different traditional medicines have on the body. This one heightens blood flow and skin sensitivity, this one induced lactation... ah, but his personal preference is this one that gives you a buzzing, euphoric high, accompanied by a voracious appetite for pleasure and orgasms for the next hour or so. He gives you the full history of how ancients in this area used to use it for fertility ceremonial purposes back in the day, explaining it calmly while he ties your hands to the headboard, as you pant and whimper and gasp for breath underneath him. Quite nice, isn't it?
And if you're being less than compliant and agreeable, he can also go the route of sedation. Not entirely, no, he doesn't want you to be fully unconscious, nor forget any of it later. No, what he forces into your mouth makes you more... relaxed. You, after the fact and in an accusatory tone, use the word 'paralyzed,' but he insists that that's an overdramatization. Firstly, it's not the same medication he uses when he actually leaves you fully unable to move, and secondly, you can still sort of move your fingers and toes and head, your muscles are just relaxed and at ease, preventing movement of actual limbs. Your words slur, you feel dizzy and tired, yet you feel every little touch. And see, your abdominal muscles twitched when he runs his fingers over your stomach, so you still have some muscular control... Not to mention, he can still feel your insides spasming and clenching when he curls his fingers inside of you, too.
Oh, and even in general, he makes sure you take a daily dose of tea made from some cocktail of bitter herbs he put together. You're told it's a blend that boosts your metabolism and brain activity and blood circulation, so on and so on, basically like a multi-purpose medicine for overall health. Which is true, it does do all of those things. It just so happens that all of those things also are known to increase sex drive, not to mention a few of them boost hormone production. But that's just a side effect, of course.
Orgasm control
Baizhu has a very specific long-term goal in mind to train you for: getting you to cum on command. It's a fantasy he's entertained in his head quite a few times. No reason to not try to make it a reality, now that he has you here with him. The concept itself is fascinating, the idea that a largely involuntary bodily reaction can be gradually, perfectly conditioned to align with someone else's words. It's such an ultimate power trip and absolute control, the thought is intoxicating.
And of course, being as patient and dedicated as this man has already proven himself to be, you know there's no getting out of it. Hours upon hours of edging, being told not to cum because you can't without his explicitly telling you to. If you do, he pulls his hand away, ruining the orgasm itself, leaving you to whimper and whine, that much more so if, after a few failed attempts, he ends up applying an additional corporeal punishment to try and further the negative association with cumming too soon. If you're good and endure, cum when he tells you to, you'll be likewise rewarded in some way.
Over and over. It goes on for weeks, months, that you have these training sessions, until it's perfected. You yourself are almost shocked by the progress, to realize just how much your body and your subconscious has submitted — it's on one of his better health days, he has the energy and lack of any aches to be able to take you on your hands and knees from behind, and it does feel good, but you're not that close — and yet, when he pulls your upper half up, forces your back into an arch, puts his hand on your throat and tilts his head down to speak directly in your ear and tells you to in the lowest, huskiest voice you've ever heard him speak in to cum for me — and you spasm, it hits you like a punch to the gut with the way the high rushes over your body. It leaves you sputtering and shivering as you collapse onto the bed, wide-eyed in shock. Even he seems a bit surprised too, chuckling as he sees the stunned expression on your face.
Oh, that worked better than even I anticipated...
He can also use orgasms as a form of withdrawal and coercion punishments. Primarily at the times that you're immobilized. You'll begin to grow needy after a time, and that makes you far more compliant. He keeps track of how long it's been since you last got to cum, and makes sure to remind you, just so you know how long you've been missing it, and so you'll be that much more quick to crack under the desperation of need.
Instruction/Obedience
Sometimes, once you've reached a state where he's assured you'll be fairly compliant with him, he gets surprisingly passive when he comes to you for intimacy.
Physically passive, at least. Motions you over with a finger gesture, starts giving you instructions. His voice is always so charming and gentle that it's hard to call it a command, per se, but it's telling you what to do nonetheless. To take this or that off, to straddle his waist, kiss him, put it in your mouth, ride him, touch yourself, on and on as he walks you through each little motion he craves to watch with his own eyes. It gets more specific and lewd with each instruction, starting off with just take your clothes off and eventually progressing to telling you exactly how to touch yourself, rub in circles, curl your fingers, lower yourself down and take him in, roll your hips, bounce on his cock, look him in the eye when you cum, every little thing.
...Eventually, you figure out that he does this on the days where he's not feeling well enough to do the moving himself, yet is still in good enough condition that he still has a sex drive. What a clever adaptation.
Exposure
It's not something he uses often, seeing as there are other people than just the two of you in his residence, but it can make a suitable punishment whenever you're confined to one room, or when everyone else is out. There's something just endearing about seeing you all embarrassed and flustered after being forced into nudity, the way you try desperately to cover yourself with your arms, the way you get all pouty in your humiliation and refuse to look him in the eye as you demand your clothes back.
But this is your choice, he reminds you. If only you would be a bit more cooperative, that wouldn't have to be the case, but that's entirely up to you. Until then, if you want to get out of bed for any reason, you'll just have to walk around as you are. And no, he's not going anywhere. Why would he leave when he has such a nice view? He smiles when you puff your cheeks out and curl your hands into fists out of embarrassed fury. Eventually, you do have to give in, get up and go do whatever it is you need to — and you feel his eyes on you the whole time as you do. When you glare in his direction, he just tilts his head. Oh? Is something the matter?
Such a shameless pervert, you think to yourself. What's worse, you know if you say something, he'll pull some cheesy line about 'examining' you or another. Ugh.
How do they feel about pregnancy or babies? Do they want them?
He'd be a bit worried about having any biological children. One one hand, there's a lot to be gained by having something tying you to him on such a deeply emotional level, that would likely cement you in place by making running away that much harder, and suppress your will to leave to begin with, or even accelerate your attachment to him.
At the same time, he has to be realistic. Is he really in any position to be caring for children, a task requiring great stamina? There's also the possibility you could turn children against him, or something like that. And if you were to encounter some sort of gestational health problem and require medical attention, there's no telling whether or not you'd be so stubborn as to to refuse to comply out of fear he'd drug you or something, which could pose very real risks to your well-being if he couldn't get you to work with him. So as nice as the notion seems when pictured in the ideal, there's just too many risks and complications that could take place.
But, there's a solution. One that will easily provide the same psychological attachment, and thereby allow a subtle degree of manipulation.
Once he can be sure you wouldn't try to harm her or anything, he deliberately ensures you and Qiqi spend time with each other. Initially, he tells you to watch over her while she goes about her tasks, help her out a bit. She can be forgetful, you know. Regardless of your sentiment, you can't bring yourself to be cold or rude to what is ultimately, despite the circumstances, still a relatively normal little girl.
Although he does, before leaving you two alone, make sure to give you a very firm warning. Well, the words themselves aren't a a threat, but there's an edge to his tone, when he responds to you raising your eyebrows and asking if he's really allowing this.
It's quite alright. I trust you surely wouldn't try to get a child involved in anything you shouldn't.
The words admittedly do have a bite to them. Would it really be a moral wrong, for you to try and enlist her for help...? It's not like he would ever harm her, but still, you question the sort of psychological damage you'd be risking. There's an inherent feeling of wrongness when you think about putting the kid under a situation that, if you succeeded in getting her to help you, would result in a great deal of distress and confusion and even long-term psychological damage from what would ensue. And when you think about it even further, you realize with a twisting feeling in your gut that if you escaped your captor and got him locked up... what would happen to her...? It's an unpleasant thought, even if you tell yourself you'd make sure she was cared for.
Nonetheless, eventually, on one of your worst and most bitter and resentful days, in a moment of desperation, you do finally crack. It will be fine, you tell yourself. You're doing something good overall. Someone like that shouldn't be responsible for a kid in the first place, right? So if you just get her to run by the law enforcement when she's out herb-gathering...
Listen, I, uh, I need you to do something for me, okay?
Mm...? Okay...
You wait patiently as the hours pass, hoping you look like less of a nervous wreck than you are, hoping you're not actually as jittery as you feel, a whole swarm of emotions of dread and hope and anticipation swirling in your gut. You practically pounce on the poor girl when she comes back through the doors.
Did... did they say anything? Are they coming?
You're met with a blank stare, a long pause.
Uh... who...? Was I supposed to... do something...?
You're pretty sure you gave up either the third or fourth time that happened. Can't really remember which. You start to realize that the reason he seemed so unbothered by the thought of leaving you alone with her wasn't so much his trust in you as much as it was complete assurance there was never any real risk anyway. Sigh.
But you don't hold it against her. You continue watching over her and taking care of her when you can. And the most frustrating part is that you know exactly what the intent is, and yet, you also know it's working.
You find yourself caring more and more about the girl. There was that time she stumbled and fell flat on her face and before you even really processed what you were doing, you'd already rushed over across the room to get her back up. Hey, hey, are you okay...? Or the time everyone else had stepped away for a moment due to some issue or another, leaving the front of the pharmacy unmanned for just a few moments — just enough time to find some big, disgruntled-looking guy looming over the child (who admittedly didn't seem intimidated or anything, just the usual blank stare), going on about some complaint he must have found no one else present to give to, and once more, without really thinking, you found yourself rushing over, picking her up and pulling her away, holding her to your side as if to shield her, finding yourself growing immediately defensive, glaring back. The hell is wrong with you? The owner will be back in just a minute, you'll have to wait. You find yourself a bit surprised at your own sharpness of tongue.
You feel this caring, protective swell in your chest regrading her. You're not so headstrong as to deny to yourself the truth, that you know you've developed emotional attachment towards and even some maternal instinct for the child. That admittedly, you wouldn't want to leave her, and that you'd worry how she'd fare by herself without you, even if you know she was doing fine before you. And most upsettingly, you know that that was exactly what the plan was.
Maybe if it had been one-sided, then, at least you could have shaken the feeling off, but that's not the case either. You make a habit of taking some time to yourself in a specific room every day, a time in the late afternoon when there's always a rush of people coming in, leaving Baizhu himself quite busy, so you get some time to sit and read or whatever task you set yourself to. A routine quickly develops — there's a set of pattering footsteps in the hall, she pokes her head around the door to check if you're there, and quietly shuffles in and sits next to you. Silent, but present. She doesn't say or do anything, she just sits.
Not that that's the only habit that develops. It's one of those situations that progresses subtly yet quickly, so you don't really remember when each starts. You just become aware one day that each little routine or habit has been going on for some time now. That when you walk around the back of the pharmacy going about your day, there's often a little hand clinging to your skirts or pant legs, quietly walking alongside you while latching on. That when you make yourself something to snack on, you get out two plates or bowls and make two helpings of whatever it is without really thinking about it.
She doesn't usually have a lot to say, but it's always pleasant, she's not quite like the stereotypical hyperactive kid, no, she lets you do whatever you're doing and doesn't interrupt much, just seems to want to be around you.
You allow it, of course. You don't have the heart not to, even though you know you shouldn't, that you shouldn't allow the closeness and should push her away because you know it will inevitably lead to exactly what he wants.
You can still pinpoint the exact moment, though, that you knew it was already too late. Sitting there doing some idle task or another in silence when you feel weight leaning over against your side, head resting on your arm, and that soft, monotone voice.
I like having you here.
Dammit. You could physically feel that tug on your heart. If that wasn't the final nail in the coffin, nothing else could top the emotion that gave you. You resign yourself to finally acknowledging that you've already fallen for the scheme.
...Not that she's just an advantageous tool. The flip side disadvantage is that she's also a bit of a liability. He's given her the 'if you tell anyone about her, she'll have to go away forever' talk several times over, and the poor girl always widens her tired eyes and seems very distressed at that notion, but her memory is not exactly known for being that great. There was that time some law enforcement came by to ask about you, saying something about how someone claimed to have seen a young woman in this courtyard area on the night of the disappearance. When your name is spoken, the girl's eyes widen, her lips part and she's just started to raise her arm up to point to the back room and say the words 'oh, I kn—' when she's interrupted by being picked up, hand clamped over her mouth and carried out of the room—
Ah, why don't you go run along—
And unceremoniously set in the hall, the door shut behind.
...Not good for a child to hear something fearful like a disappearance, that's all. Could give her nightmares or something. Surely they understand that...?
Thankfully, the present officials do, just nodding and continuing on, seemingly not taking that as reason to suspect anything. Poor Baizhu, it's one of the few moments he actually nearly lost composure, slumping back into a chair with a heavy sigh of relief as soon as they leave. That surely did not do his heart palpitation issue any favors...
What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?
One of the most unbearable things is the wait and the dread. It's never immediate. He always says something to the effect of ah, I need some time to think about how to handle this..., which you come to realize is just intentionally dragging out your fearful anticipation. To say he has somewhat of a sadistic side would be a fairly accurate statement, he doesn't really want to cause you physical pain, but he does find himself enjoying watching you squirm and shudder and stiffen, consumed with anticipation, dread and fear, as well as reactions of humiliation and embarrassment. He tries to refrain to some extent, but finds himself indulging in invoking those reactions from you more often than he'd like to admit for the sake of his own perception of his self-control.
It's not particularly painful, though, so you can be grateful for that... although there is a sort of dull ache after a while. Getting the drugs into your system is the only difficult part, as you squirm too much to safely inject you, but refuse to open your mouth, so compliance is a bit of a challenge, forcing him to find some means of holding you still. From there, your body sort of does the punishing for you. It's unlike anything you've ever felt — an unbearable sensation of heat, so intense it leaves sweat rolling down your skin, leaves you panting and shivering and gasping for breath, limbs twitching as they desperately pull against the binds keeping your ankles and wrists taut against the bedposts.
He wouldn't leave you to suffer that alone, of course. Well, maybe for a short while, half an hour or so, to heighten the desperation, but after that, he's right there to help you, affectionately running his hand over the top of your head and speaking to you in a soft voice, all far too gentle to be one and the same as the person responsible for your present state of misery.
What do you need? Tell me how to help you.
You're not compliant at first, of course. You shake your head and clench your jaw and refuse to just make this so much easier on you both. It takes a little while. A little more urging and comforting, running his fingers over your thighs and sides and all the parts of your flesh just sensitive enough to earn a shudder, before you start to melt into his touch, and eventually give in, tell him what you want.
There we go. That wasn't so difficult, was it?
Not that the torment ends there, of course. Just giving in to tell him isn't enough.
But you haven't been entirely... appreciative, have you? If I do this for you, it pains me to think it will only go unrecognized like everything else I do for you. If you ask with sincerity, maybe...
Once you've swallowed your pride entirely, then, you can get some semblance of relief. Although that itself becomes torturous with time. The intensity doesn't die down, the unbearable urge is still there, yet each successive orgasm begins to become painful, each erogenous spot on your body becomes sore and hypersensitive to the touch. You loathe to admit you end up in tears by the end of it. No worry, though, he's right there to comfort you through it... and ensure you this doesn't have to happen, but you continue to choose it time and time again.
What body parts of their darling do they like the most?
Curvature. It's not really any one specific spot, per se, but he would say it counts. The degree of it doesn't really matter, whether it's slight or pronounced. He likes the way his hands feel running over curved areas like your hips and waist, thighs, shoulders. It's something he can appreciate even when his eyes are closed, late at night, just slowly running his hands over the spots and feeling the bends and dips. There's also, of course, the fact that it provides a nice sort of grip, a spot he can lock his arms or hands around and know you won't be able to pull away easily.
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dyl-z · 10 days ago
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Queerplatonic xenodora is everythingggg and this was the first time I’ve seen it in a marauders fic literally life changing ! do you have other qpr headcanons, even if not in this fic ?
AH MY IMPACT! Yes yes I do ofc I do
Xenodora -
Childhood best friends that every one expected to begin dating once they reached maturity because of how alike they are which only put them off dating each other even more.
Xeno came out first, and it took him coming out for Pandora to realize there wasn't anything wrong with no wanting a romantic relationship.
They're not ace but they are aro which confuses people even more about their realtionship which in turn leads to more frustration when they try and explain that they don't have a romantic relationship with each other.
They literally couldn't imagine having this type of relationship with any other person in the world. They're it for each other. Platonic soulmates fr
Peter - in this AU
Aro/Ace
Is so satisfied in his friendships that he genuinely can't fathom wanting anything more
At first, he thought he needed to be in a QPR to be a real aro/ace but he just never felt right trying to do it. It always felt wrong to him and he was content to just have friends
His friendships are the most important thing in the world to him and he would die for all of his friends. But this type of relationship with his freindshsips often used to confuse him into thinking he had crushes on them when in reality he just loves them a whole lot.
Peter x Benjy - not this AU
QPR with the dramatics of a romantic relationship fr
Benjy is content in the relationship but Peter grew up in an enviorment where being Aro/Ace just wasn't a thing so he often has trouble coming to terms with the fact that he is never going to have a romantic relationship.
^^ causes a lot of fights and their freinds joke that they have the most drama out of all of them despite not dating
Despite this, they're very close with one another and tell each other everything. There are things Benjy knows about Peter that even James doesn't know
Bartylus - not this AU
Oh where do I start
PLATONIC SOULMATES
Match each others freak to an INSANE level
Aro but not Ace
Toxic QPR fr, they're both horrible for each other and enable each others worst traits but it works for some reason
Eventually Evan (who is aro/ace) gets added into the QPR and the toxicity and matching of each others freaks gets even worse
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soundlessroom · 1 month ago
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"Your mouth offers destruction, yet I drink it like it's salvation." - Soundweavers
Just two consenting adults, fully aware they enable each other’s worst traits.
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mushiemellows · 4 months ago
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Ship classification: law/robin
(Sorry for the delay, was traveling lol)
For the Ship Classification Ask Game (still answering if you want to keep asking!)
Lawbin: Makes sense, doesn't compel me
I'll be so real, I don't dislike lawbin. I just don't know what it has to offer me as is? They're the same vague shape of character, so I understand the argument for when people say they bond over backstories, etc. But for me, when that venn diagram is nearly a circle, that leaves very little room for that ship to grow and expand. There's a bigger question of like, how are they learning, how are they progressing. I think they have the same neurosis, but he's like a step behind her in terms of healing which is a dynamic I have empathy for, but don't think is necessarily healthy for her? If that makes sense.
I know I'm in the minority here, I'm just sort of mid on law in general. I think he's been floundering in the plot since Dressrosa ended and he doesn't have anything to do now, but he can't be taken out of the story because he's a popular character. Like, I liked his wano fight, but it didn't seem like he really progressed all that much as a character? I want him to DEVELOP!! I want to see the sad weed man heal!! Also, this is a critique of the anime, but whenever he and Robin have a convo alone, the scene is always directed in a manner that is exceedingly lecherous in composition. So it feels like she's trying to talk poneglyphs and he's just like staring at he her body alone? The framing icks me, even if it's unintentional.
I also don't ship for canon's sake or whatever, I ship for a good story. I think the ideal Lawbin dynamic would be like...... some Hannibal ass serial killer shit, you know? They're at their best (together. its arguable if this characterization is actually their "best") when they can be nasty, scary freaks. Like they should be killing people and hiding the bodies together in a bog at 3 in the morning!!!! But that's bad for my girl's therapy journey. Tell me a story about these two fucked up guys having to learn how to love after self sabotage and isolation (but also, I think their respective crews teach them that more than they can teach each other)
TLDR: it feels like a ship that enables their worst personality traits that they're both trying to grow away from. And also Law needs to find his own thing and stop being a poneglyph poseur.
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mla0 · 24 hours ago
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having that ship that under the right circumstances would be healthy and domestic but because of the way things are, it's destined to be a little fucked up. the characters desperately trying to keep it stable, just wanting it to work and be healthy but they know it isn't. they know with they way they've become it never could be. maybe there's a conflict of interest. maybe they're co-dependent. maybe they need to use each other like a drug. maybe they're too afraid to ever get too close when they want it more than anything. maybe one of them is still grieving another person and they don't know if they'll ever fully get over it. maybe they're both suggestible to the other's worst traits. maybe they'd kill for each other and not in a joking sense. maybe they're so self destructive they'd throw themselves away entirely. maybe they're both self destructive, maybe they enable it in each other and practically have an unspoken suicide pact. maybe they don't care if they fall into the flames as long as they have that other person alongside them. idk. dies
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br1ghtestlight · 2 months ago
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my interpretations of popular ii ships btw
payjay: canon obviously. wasn't super interested in it before the finale but something about them Got to me theyre so special.... <3 i hope they love each other forever
fantube: sorry brian they're sooo qpp to me. test tube is a lesbian who had a toxic measy situationship with mic before she was in s3 and fan is aroace. they love each other soo so much though
lightbrush: Boring to me. BOOO do something different. at this point i will even take testbulb lol they're definitely best friends i just feel like their relationship is oversaturated in the fandom. we need more suitcase and lightbulb if anything
tacomic: lowkey horrible for each other but in an endearing way. i think mic could fix taco if she tries hard enough i believe in her. this thread is truly their dynamic love them <3
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soapmic: theyre like sisters to me sorry.... them being voiced by twin sisters doesn't help. their friendship is very cute though feels very #girl power where soap is the protective bestie. i dont mind the ship it just isn't for me
suitloon: i disagree. even their friendship is boring to me sorry. love them as individuals do not enjoy them when theyre together (also suitcase is aroace)
knifecase: ALWAYS loved their dynamic wayy before it was popular. not a fan of the ship. suitcase is aroace and theyre more like friends 2 me..... siblings even. not every important relationship needs to be romantic @ ii fandom
nickloon: my #2 nickel ship they're so horrible together and share so many sweet moments. iconic tbh. who is doing it like them
bickel: my #1 nickel ship they do Actively enable each other's worst traits but i think they've gotten a lot better. love relationships where their actual friendship is never a point of contention, neither of them ever questions that love which is as old as they are themselves. queens
silvercandle: they make each other worse They enable each other they make each other better people and etc. definitely deserve each other but maybe a three-way with a therapist could be helpful
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daeneryscel · 1 year ago
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it’s hard to take some individuals seriously on this app (or ANY social media app since they use the same talking points that can be disproved with a quick google search or idk OPENING THE BOOK) when they go on and on and on about how the series as a whole is only about ‘feudalism BAD’ which YES it is but this is a fictional f a n t a s y series and deliberately choosing to ignore that grrm is known for using his work to critique multiple points of interest and maybe, just maybe, he can critique the monarchy and still bring up other talking points; like how rhaenyra was usurped due to misogyny (it’s also weird the number of people that don’t seem to care about grrm creating the amethyst empress and the bloodstone emperor as direct parallels to rhaenyra and aegon and how each event affects the world of asoiaf but whatever).
it’s ridiculous to claim you’re team green (which means you want aegon to be king, not that you like tg characters) and in response to those on the other side try to take the ‘moral high ground’ by ONLY mentioning how the monarchy is bad when rhaenyra, a potential female ruler, is involved (which is a bit on the nose, don’t you think?) stanning team green and being anti targaryen is almost point blank the definition of hypocrisy. trying to claim you support them bc they were being neglected/abused (even though most of the abuse came directly from their mother and grandfather) which apparently gives them the ‘right’ to steal the throne, or the use of andal tradition (not law) as a way to demean rhaenyra’s position as heir, or even how they only want what’s ’best’ for the realm and aegon is that; despite how he very much would have been aegon the unworthy before we even made it to aegon iv’s generation; and no, you can’t use ‘he had a better council!’ when he fired anyone who didn’t immediately give him what he wants i.e. removing otto as hand bc of him not wanting to resort completely to bloodshed during the dance.
so feudalism is fine if it benefits alicent? aegon? aemond? but i thought all targaryen’s are evil and should go extinct? and aren’t alicent’s children TARGARYENS? so by spreading anti targaryen rhetoric you should be happy that the green’s entire bloodline was wiped out, right? it’s normal to like/dislike certain characters but to state that an entire house should be obliterated whilst liking the characters that exacerbate the worst traits of said house (or are enablers of said behavior) is especially rich, and would really be downright hilarious if it didn’t showcase how insincere and sanctimonious some can be in this fandom. stop constantly moving the goalpost and just admit that your views contradict one another regularly, it would make it a million times easier to engage with you.
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lakesbian · 1 year ago
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aisha being bizarrely blase about alec's Shit Ass Joker Behaviors during GM is distinctly because wildbow refuses to let sophia ever be right about anything due to worm's antiblackness even if it contradicts previous depictions of sophia as being the one unfairly wronged so i don't think you can take it as an accurate indicator that she's an enabler in general. but i do think her overall characterization is consistent w/ the idea that shes like. yeah i have an ethical compass but the first tenet of my decisionmaking is that i demonstrate care for people in ways i have ascertained they would like to be cared for :) <- and then that applies even if that way is BATSHIT FUCKING UNREASONABLE or ENTIRELY fucking beyond the pale of what any normal person would expect from her. totally unprompted too. she does not believe in retributive violence and wants to apply it Zero Amount to her own life because she finds it sad and meaningless but she Will spend months torture-murdering her dead bestie's dad. because it's What She Thinks He Would've Wanted. and then afterwards she'll go "i've only committed one murder and it was a clone" because to her it's not murder if they kill themselves at the end. she will, like, get into arguments and disagree with her friends/loved ones over ethical matters but she's also still like. ok whagever lol. at the end of the day.
and this isnt really a trait unique to her all of the undersiders will usually be like Okay Whatever Lol when it comes to disagreements w/ each other that an outside party would not b so happy about bc at the end of the day they're each other's ride or die villain team against the world. they are all enabling each other. except for alec, he gets unintentionally reined in sometimes because he's just that fucked up, but they're certainly Overall enabling his worst tendencies. but i do think its funny and important to remember for aishalec interactions that shes not his moral compass despite having a far more functional one compared 2 him. she plays the favoritism game and she also doesnt care that much. alec is like i have no principles i will do anything an undersider tells me and aisha is like maybe we should put thumbtacks on accords chair during his important meeting with tattletale and alec is like youre right maybe we should do that
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