#think he's immortal so there is a difference

[iconuk01]

See, I'd find it funnier if Wolverine was incredibly anal retentive about his taxes.

His submissions to the tax office are so precise and accurate that they are both used for training purposes as "the rarely seen ideal" AND mean he's been audited fifteen times because they think he must be getting away with a massive fraud somehow. And yet every single time he's been either spot on, or they end up owing him something like 0.27cents due to a rounding difference in column 43, row 1256.

He's faced Apocalypse and Sinister without a qualm, but knows better than to mess with the Tax Office, especially when he knows he's a semi immortal who might have to deal with them for the next century plus.

He’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does is tax evasion

[cas-spirit]

Give me more platonic affection.

Give me omega timeline residents approaching Asgores because they give the best hugs.

Give me Ink, learning about physical affection by observing people, having Blue explain the different ways people hold hands. Him tackling Top and Aster to the ground trying to figure out how hugs go.

Give me Dream who only cries when someone’s hugging him because it’s the only time he feels shielded enough to break.

Give me Nightmare and Error, who after years of working together, finally end their deals with a handshake.

Give me Blueberror who’s off button is any kind of physical affection.

Give me Core Frisk, still a child, clinging to people’s hands, holding a larger hand in both of theirs.

Givr me Nightmare falling asleep on a movie night and the rest of the gang can’t move because his tendrils lay on top of them like sleeping cats.

Give me Blue forcing his two semi-immortal friends into cuddle piles so they actually sleep for once.

Give me Fresh showing trust by letting people hold his head, so close to the eyesockets that hold his true form.

Give me Error and Geno readjusting to touch after the emptiness of their containments, telling the other that they’re there by knocking knees.

Give me Frisks in the omega timeline offering a shoulder to lean on for Charas, or anyone who asks.

Give me Underfell where the skelebros curl up around eachother to watch the other’s back, even in sleep.

Give me Outertales where handholding is common to make sure no one floats off into space.

Give me Gasters who use their many hands to give head pats to their sons/coworkers (Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys) as well as doing science work stuff.

Give me Nightmare who curls his tendrils on top of his subordinate’s heads like a strange pat on the back.

Give me Horror who will simply pick his teammates up and hold them like the wet cats they are.

Give me Cross who’s so unused to any physical affection he freezes up, and Killer using this to his advantage by grabbing his hand to distract him from the cow nearby or to get him to stop training for a bit.

Give me Nightmare laying a tendril over Dream’s shoulder to remind himself that his twin is there, and they aren’t fighting anymore.

Give me Dusts that will curl up on top of people like a cat.

Give me Inks who give surprise hugs to his friends.

Give me Errors who wrap his strings around people to give them hugs.

Give me Horror Papyrus becoming the center of hug piles in Nightmare’s gang because the boys miss their brothers a lot, and he’s the closest they’ll get with the gang’s reputation.

Give me Killer, just met Nightmare, and the baby goop clings to him while they explore the multiverse.

Give me Ink and Error pulling eachother along by the scarfs.

Give me Dancetale where duo dances end with a hug (or high five if too sweaty for a hug)

Give me Fell Papyrus holding Fell Sans’s hand out and about, using the excuse of making sure Sans doesn’t wander off when asked.

Give me post-truce spontaneous skeleton cuddle piles.

Give me Killer randomly tackling his teammates.

Give me Ink being so physically affectionate people think he’s flirting (he’s not).

Give me Papyrus calling Sans a cat while he curls up on his shoulder.

Give me Sans holding Geno’s hand carefully when things get a bit too much after his time of the Save Screen.

Give me careful fingers tracing the edges of Papyrus’s rarely-seen hands.

Give me Dust trying, and failing, to touch his Papyrus.

Give me Passive Nightmare’s ghost curling up around Dream’s shoulders like a purple boa, hugging him around the neck when things get rough.

Give me the gang curling up on Nightmare’s tendrils when he’s not paying attention.

Give me Dream learning about the different meanings behind touch after he breaks out of stone.

Give me Gaster’s who are almost too scared to embrace Sans and Papyrus incase getting out of the void was a dream, and Papyrus accidentally sending him to the floor with his enthusiastic hug.

Give me Undyines randomly carrying their Alphys around.

Give me Frisks who press their forehead onto people (Sans’s back, Papyrus’s thigh, Toriel and Asgore’s arm, Alphy’s side, Undyne hip) and lean on them.

Give me Frisks who randomly lean on people, almost falling over because Chara is a ghost and incapable of being my leaned on.

Give me Dust laying his head on Killer’s lap when Killer gets twitchy, because what’s he gonna do, move Dust?

Give me Error who’s glitching feels kinda like a massage, holding his hands to Nightmare’s back, Horror’s skull, or Geno’s wherever when they get pain.

Give me Ink who uses hand holding like a recalibration test after he goes blank.

Give me hand holding and head pats and hugs and cuddle piles.

Givemegivemegivemegivemegivemegiveme

[isaidlandowecanbeworldchampion]

The lack of media literacy in f1 fans is astounding sometimes.

Ultimately it’s the fault of journalists who are misrepresenting quotes from drivers and making them seem to say things they don’t mean. But misrepresentation doesn’t excuse this.

For example, Lando’s full quote after Brazil.

“ It shouldn't have been red flagged but there was the crash in the end which cause it so... that's life sometimes. You take a gamble and it's paid off for them. It's not talent, it's just luck.”

The last 2 lines are being represented as Lando speaking about Redbull strategy as a whole but reading the whole quote shows more as

“{we} took a gamble and it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck.”

Lando is referencing his own team. He knows that McLaren, and by extension himself, is not in a position yet to win a WDC, and that their Constructor’s title is more luck than pure driver talent.

Many people say Lando’s Miami 24 win was ‘luck’ and a fluke but when Lando is perceived as saying a similar thing it’s the end of the word and a comment towards his moral character.

This isn’t an exclusive defence of Lando. He’s made many comments that I disagree with this year, as an example Austria this year, but the excessive hate towards someone who is just doing his job is unnecessary.

Maybe sit and ask yourself if anyone else in the sport made a comment that was this misrepresented would you immediately be posting hate at that person or would you take time to think critically.

Everyone is welcome to have their own opinions about different drivers, I don’t expect everyone to like everyone all the time, but leaving hate and negativity is completely over the line. In the immortal words of my nana (and probably everyone’s tbh) “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”

[koyagifs]

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓮 𝓘𝓷 𝓐 𝓑𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 「 II 」

๋࣭⭑ pairing: wooyoung x reader ๋࣭⭑ au: non idol! | strangers to lovers | slow burn ๋࣭⭑ genre: fluff | crack | angst ๋࣭⭑ summary: Being gifted what was supposed to be a gag joke, turns out to be the real deal. An actual genie in a bottle, ready to serve her new master.

Everyone stood still, the woman now stretching her limbs, a yawn escaping her as she took her in scenery. 8 gorgeous looking men, but one catching her eye. Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she did a bow, a dramatic one at that.

“ now, who had the pleasure of rubbing my bottle?” The young woman spoke, looking at each blushing male.

Hongjoong let out a cough, catching the woman attention. “ That would be Wooyoung. There’s no way you’re actually a genie..”

The young woman eyes sparkled with delight as she nodded her head eagerly. “ of course i am! What, did you think i threw a smoke bomb in here and just POOF crawled out the floor?”

Snickers came from Yunho and Mingi, trying their best to ignore the harsh stare from Hongjoong. “ well, no but-“

“ ah, i didn’t even introduce myself. My name is yn ln. Who exactly is Wooyoung?” yn asked, looking around curiously.

Everyone pointed to Wooyoung, who gulped nervously as yn eagerly walked over to him and shook his hand. "I am now your genie, master Wooyoung!"

"Genie... master?" he stammered, still trying to wrap his head around the entire situation.

Yn nodded, “ Correct! Now there are rules before you begin your wishes.”

Wooyoung blinked, still in shock as Yn flashed him a dazzling smile, almost like she’d been waiting ages for this moment. The others leaned in, intrigued.

“Rules?” Wooyoung managed to ask, his mind racing with possibilities. He glanced nervously at Hongjoong, who was still eyeing the scene with disbelief.

Wooyoung nodded his head, his friends in awe that he hasn’t muttered a word. Yn smiled at him sweetly, enjoying the moment. Snapping her fingers, a piece of paper appeared beside her, as well as a pair of moon crescent shape glasses on her face.

“ you can’t wish to bring back the dead. I can’t make someone fall in love with you. I cannot and will not bring ill harm to someone or something. You can’t wish for immortality. Last but not least, you cannot wish for my freedom. Any question Master?”

Hongjoong was the first to speak out of the other boys, " so not the cliche, " you get 3 wishes " genie?"

Yn nodded her head, " I am a different kind of genie. I serve one master per their lifetime, although it feels like forever since my last master."

“ why can’t Wooyoung wish for your freedom?” San asked, curiously.

The mood shifted as yn didn’t face him, “ i’m sorry but that’s something only my master may ask.”

Yeosang pinched San, as if scolding him for asking such question. A whine escaping his lips as Wooyoung finally got his senses together.

“ oh Minyoung is going to have a field trip with your genie,” Seonghwa chuckled.

Wooyoung faced dropped as he realized his girlfriend is going to be coming home here shortly. As if on que, the door began to jiggle causing yn to panic as Wooyoung was quick to hold the bottle up.

" quick you gotta hide please. She'll freak the fuck out if she knew another girl was here."

With a snap of her fingers and a poof of smoke, the genie was gone.

As the smoke cleared, Wooyoung’s was quick to place the bottle back down to the coffee table. The boys trying their best to act natural as they know how crazy Wooyoung girlfriend can be.

“Hey! What’s going on in here?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she took in the scene—the remnants of the green smoke and the boys odd behavior.

“Nothing!” Wooyoung said quickly, his eyes lighting up as he tried to brush off the moment.

She hummed before she noticed the now rusted bottle. She made a disgusted face as she pulled her sleeve down. Grabbing it she looked at Wooyoung. " ew, Woo what did i say about bringing such disgusting things into the apartment."

Jongho tsk, mumbling under his breath as she continued to complain to Wooyoung. Wooyoung demenour changed rather quickly, a fake smile now placed on his face.

" love it's a gift from -"

" ugh please don't tell me it's from your parents? They suck if they actually did."

Wooyoung’s smile faltered as his girlfriend’s expression soured. He knew how much she disliked his parents’ gifts, especially when they were odd or tacky. “No, it’s not from my parents!” he quickly corrected, his tone defensive. “It’s a joke gift from Yunho and Mingi.”

Her brow furrowed deeper as she examined the bottle more closely, the rust now glinting in the light. “A joke gift? Seriously? This thing looks like it belongs in a junkyard! You’ve got to be kidding me.” She held it out like it was a piece of trash, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

" actually i thought it was pretty cool," Wooyoung mumbled.

She rolled her eyes, placing the bottle down before she turned to him. " sorry im late though. Work held me a little bit longer then expected."

Wooyoung’s expression softened at her apology. “It’s okay! I was just hanging out with the guys ,” he gestured vaguely at his friends, hoping to diffuse the tension.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I just don’t want you bringing home weird stuff. I mean, you already have enough strange things in this place.” Her eyes darted around the apartment, taking in the scattered memorabilia and odd knickknacks Wooyoung had collected over time.

“Hey, those are vintage! They’re not weird; they’re character!” Wooyoung defended, a playful smirk creeping onto his face. “Besides, it’s what makes this place feel like home.”

“Right,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

[dufferpuffer]

~crawls out of my mud hole like a bunyip~ Delicious… food… Albus meta...

This is a cool comparison to make - because so much is the same, as OP said. + Albus is trying to keep them on his side. + Harry and Severus have both lost someone dear to them and are going through emotional breakdowns. + They both blame themselves for their losses and both wish for non-existence. + Albus stays carefully controlled while they rage and mourn. + He references 'The Best Of' Severus and Harrys 'Greatest Strength' as being the fact they care deeply.

But I think, with all those similarities... We can distinctly see how these two situations differ.

(Small thing: I don't think Albus suspected Tom was immortal until at LEAST scar-baby with no Voldy-coprse, so it hadn't been kept from Severus. But whatever.)

Make no mistake: Albus is a COLD man. Just about frozen over. + Partially intentional - a lifetime of keeping people away, not trusting anyone with his vulnerabilities. + Partially just… he's always been like that. An outcast, out of step with the rest of the world.

In that section with Severus: His high heel boot is pressing down on Snape's neck. + He explains the situation in short, harsh sentences. + He cuts Snape off. + Offers one way forward with absolutely no comfort, no time to breathe, no understanding or sympathy. + He meets his anguish with harsh, mocking cruelty. + The pace is fast, bouncing between them, barely any descriptive words for Albus' speech other than 'coldly' and 'sighed'.

The only softness, the only 'warmth', is in him saying: “My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?” Even that is manipulative: Agreeing to be obedient is 'the best' of him. It's a joke, really, to call him lifting his boot from choking Severus 'warmth'...

Adding this from a little before - 'coz it's DELICIOUSLY savage:

“I thought… you were going… to keep her… safe…” “She and James put their faith in the wrong person,” said Dumbledore. “Rather like you, Severus. Weren’t you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?” Snape’s breathing was shallow.

...Severus dares to suggest ANY of this guilt sits with Albus and gets his head bitten off for it. Albus shirks responsibility off his own shoulders, slides it onto Severus' by comparing him directly to the betrayer - and then slaps him in the face for being such a moron, hoping Voldemort of all people would do as he asked. Whoever betrayed Lily (Sirius) is nothing compared to him and his foolish folly.

It is VICIOUS how Albus stomps guilt down his throat.

… ... ...

For Harry's section, He is bellowing in anguish too. (More violently but that's not important.) Albus has locked him in his office. He is railroading Harry, giving him one way forward: listen to what he has to say. Be obedient.

But the way he goes about this is so utterly different: (I'm including things omitted from the above point for its brevity - same chapter.)

‘I DON’T CARE!’ Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. ‘I’VE HAD ENOUGH, I’VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON’T CARE ANY MORE -‘ He seized the table on which the silver instrument had stood and threw that, too. It broke apart on the floor and the legs rolled in different directions. ‘You do care,’ said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. ‘You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.’ ‘I - DON’T!’ Harry screamed, so loudly that he felt his throat might tear, and for a second he wanted to rush at Dumbledore and break him, too; shatter that calm old face, shake him, hurt him, make him feel some tiny part of the horror inside himself. ‘Oh, yes, you do,’ said Dumbledore, still more calmly. ‘You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care.’ ‘YOU DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL!’ Harry roared. ‘YOU- STANDING THERE- YOU-‘ But words were no longer enough, smashing things was no more help; he wanted to run, he wanted to keep running and never look back, he wanted to be somewhere he could not see the clear blue eyes staring at him, that hatefully calm old face. He ran to the door, seized the doorknob again and wrenched at it. But the door would not open. Harry turned back to Dumbledore. ‘Let me out,’ he said. He was shaking from head to foot. ‘No,’ said Dumbledore simply. For a few seconds they stared at each other. ‘Let me out,’ Harry said again. ‘No,’ Dumbledore repeated. ‘If you don’t - if you keep me in here - if you don’t let me -‘ ‘By all means continue destroying my possessions,’ said Dumbledore serenely. ‘I daresay I have too many.’ He walked around his desk and sat down behind it, watching Harry. ‘Let me out,’ Harry said yet again, in a voice that was cold and almost as calm as Dumbledore’s. ‘Not until I have had my say,’ said Dumbledore.

Albus is unflinching, detached. Harry hates how calm he is, he wants to break how calm he is, make him openly feel something for once. Albus is infuriatingly serene, saying things simply, sitting down… encouraging Harry's outburst of emotion. It is Harry that speaks coldly this time - forcing his anguish to be calm and savage rather than hot and roaring.

That is already hugely different from when he spoke to Severus - where he cut him off and mocked him. 'Is this remorse? What use is that to anyone?'

Rather than telling Harry his pain is useless he sympathizes. Deeply. With intricate detail: He knows how it feels to lose your father, mother and close family: It is 'as if you will bleed to death with the pain'. He could have brought up his own experiences up - to try and prove that he does know, that he and Harry are the same in this. But he doesn't. What use would his remorse be? To try and gain sympathy, a defense of himself, at this moment of horror would be grotesquely selfish. He isn't here to defend himself.

‘Do you - do you think I want to - do you think I give a - I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU’VE GOT TO SAY!’ Harry roared. ‘I don’t want to hear anything you’ve got to say!’ ‘You will,’ said Dumbledore steadily. ‘Because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it.’ ‘What are you talking -?’ ‘It is my fault that Sirius died,’ said Dumbledore clearly. ‘Or should I say, almost entirely my fault - I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger. Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you, Harry, as I should have been, you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries, and you would never have been tricked into going there tonight. And Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me, and with me alone.’ Harry was still standing with his hand on the doorknob but was unaware of it. He was gazing at Dumbledore, hardly breathing, listening yet barely understanding what he was hearing. ‘Please sit down,’ said Dumbledore. It was not an order, it was a request.

With Severus - Albus took any guilt off his own shoulders and saddled Severus with it. Used it to pressure him. He does the EXACT opposite here. Everything is put on his own shoulders and the little bit that isn't he frames as a compliment to Sirius' character - not a failing.

+ He guilt-tripped and demanded Severus pay his debt to Lily. He gave him no choice. Severus' obedience would be his best quality. + He requests Harry to sit down and listen while he gives him the truth. Explains his own guilt. Not for sympathy, but because Harry is owed the truth. 'If I had been open with you, Harry, as I should have been…'

Albus is not an open man. he is secretive, distant, cold. But he isn't doing that here. For pages and pages he answers Harry's questions in such detail... I doubt he has told anyone else such a complete account. He likes to keep the whole picture to himself having been bitten by betrayals before… But he tells Harry so much. He answers his yelled, spat and snarled questions calmly - never once 'coldly'.

…And it gets to him. It cracks his calm, unflinching persona. A man who does things 'for the greater good', keeping himself detached from wild emotions to stand steady, act with cold logic:

Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long-fingered hands. Harry watched him, but this uncharacteristic sign of exhaustion, or sadness, or whatever it was from Dumbledore, did not soften him. On the contrary, he felt even angrier that Dumbledore was showing signs of weakness. He had no business being weak when Harry wanted to rage and storm at him. Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me - to do whatever you like - when I have finished. I will not stop you.’ [...] ‘Yet there was a flaw in this wonderful plan of mine,’ said Dumbledore. ‘An obvious flaw that I knew, even then, might be the undoing of it all. And yet, knowing how important it was that my plan should succeed, I told myself that I would not permit this flaw to ruin it. I alone could prevent this, so I alone must be strong. And here was my first test, as you lay in the hospital wing, weak from your struggle with Voldemort.’ […] ‘Do you see, Harry? Do you see the flaw in my brilliant plan now? I had fallen into the trap I had foreseen, that I had told myself I could avoid, that I must avoid.’ ‘I don’t -‘ ‘I cared about you too much,’ said Dumbledore simply. ‘I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act. […] Harry looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore’s face into his long silver beard.

...It is all so out of character for Albus to speak like this. To spend pages not just explaining events and other peoples perspectives - but his own personal thought processes, his own emotions, his own failings and his own plans.

Maybe it's all a manipulative act. He's leaking crocodile tears with big puppy eyes to win Harry's favor, giving him what he wants - knowledge and support - to lure him back to obedience... But that is the exact opposite to how we normally see him manipulate people.

+ Twinkling eyes and small smiles, light silly humor + Mixing making himself seem impressive with self-effacing. + Staying calm and unaffected, as if lightly humored. + Gently pointing people in the direction he wants them to think rather than giving answers outright, risking leaking how he feels and what he knows. (as even seen in the very first chapter of the first book). + A judging use of "So you would even feel X…?", bringing up the concept of 'X' as if he may disagree - but leaving himself free to swing positive or negative, or stay vague. When tensions get higher: + His calm freezing over, becoming cold. + Speech snappy and harsh, insulting and belittling. + Dominating demands, controlling the conversation. + Never revealing more information than is strictly necessary. + Withholding information, even when cruel to do so. + Acting innocent while twisting events to favor him.

He isn't doing ANY of that in this chapter with Harry. And when he does almost, just a little, like the multiple probings of 'do you see now where my plan failed…?' - trying to avoid having to rip himself open and admit his feelings… he does so anyway. Not vague, not tip-toeing: he bites the bullet. He stays calm, yes - but is not unaffected. He cries. He shows weakness Harry has never seen before.

It's not just a one-and-done moment either - from this point on he includes Harry in so much of HBP. He takes him from the Dursleys mere days into Summer (after Harry tells him off here for keeping him 'trapped' like Sirius) and gets his aid in things he tells nobody else about (after saying here how he should have been including him more, like Harry wanted, rather than pushing him away for 'his own safety' when he will be in danger no matter what.) Albus heeds Harry's pain and works to do better. He changes.

He is not as cold and manipulative here as he was to Snape.

Dumbledore's Manipulations: Part 6(?)

I just reread the scene in Deathly Hallows of Dumbledore and Snape on Snape's memories after Lily died, and that entire scene reminded me of the scene at the end of book 5. After Sirius died and Harry was having his breakdown.

Snape breaking down in front of Dumbledore after Lily dies:

“Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and color of Lily Evans’s eyes, I am sure?” “DON’T!” bellowed Snape. “Gone. . . dead. . . ” “Is this remorse, Severus?” “I wish. . . I wish I were dead. . . ” “And what use would that be to anyone?” said Dumbledore coldly. “If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear.” Snape seemed to peer through a haze of pain, and Dumbledore’s words appeared to take a long time to reach him. “What—what do you mean?” “You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily’s son.” “He does not need protection. The Dark Lord has gone—” “The Dark Lord will return, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does.” There was a long pause, and slowly Snape regained control of himself, mastered his own breathing. At last, he said, “Very well. Very well. But never—never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear. . . especially Potter’s son. . . I want your word!” “My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?” Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape’s ferocious, anguished face. “If you insist. . . ”

(DH, 573)

Harry breaking down in front of Dumbledore after Sirius dies:

“There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry,” said Dumbledore’s voice. “On the contrary . . . the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength.” Harry felt the white-hot anger lick his insides, blazing in the terrible emptiness, filling him with the desire to hurt Dumbledore for his calmness and his empty words. “My greatest strength, is it?” said Harry, his voice shaking as he stared out at the Quidditch stadium, no longer seeing it. “You haven’t got a clue. . . . You don’t know . . .” “What don’t I know?” asked Dumbledore calmly. It was too much. Harry turned around, shaking with rage. “I don’t want to talk about how I feel, all right?” “Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human —” “THEN — I — DON’T — WANT — TO — BE — HUMAN!” [...] “Let me out,” Harry said yet again, in a voice that was cold and almost as calm as Dumbledore’s. “Not until I have had my say,” said Dumbledore. [...] “It meant,” said Dumbledore, “that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times.” Harry felt as though something was closing in upon him. His breathing seemed difficult again. “It means — me?” [...] “I am afraid,” said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, “that there is no doubt that it is you.”

(OotP, 823)

I just, found these two scenes awfully similar in tone when reading the one in Deathly Hallows last night.

In both Snape/Harry are in emotional turmoil after the most important person to them dies. Both feel like dying (Snape: "I wish I were dead", Hary: "then I don't want to be human"). Both shout at Dumbledore when he speaks all too calmly of things they don't want/need to hear at that moment.

And Dumbledore speaks calmly and coldly to both of them, revealing information he hid from them both (to Snape he tells about Voldemort's immortality, to Harry he tells about the Prophecy) before guilting them through their grief into what he needs them to do.

Now, I'm not exactly blaming him, because, from his position, he needs Snape as a spy and he needs Harry to be willing to do anything to kill Voldemort — to take Voldemort as his responsibility. Dumbledore needs these things to happen to have the best chance of completing his plan to defeat Voldemort.

I just, can't help but note how cold it is. How cold and manipulative Dumbledore can be when he feels he needs to be. Even as he explains his care for Harry as a flaw in his plan, he speaks calmly and simply. And he is right caring about Harry is a flaw, because he always planned for Harry to die. He knew since he saw the scar on Harry's forehead:

“I guessed, fifteen years ago,” said Dumbledore, “when I saw the scar upon your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort.”

(OotP, 826)

And even if I think Dumbledore is honest in that he'd rather Harry wouldn't die, I don't think he cares for him as much as he says he does. In the same way, he's very cold towards Snape even years later when he tells him Harry must die. (I don't think Snape and Dumbledore are actually friends)

Idk, I just read the scene in DH with Snape and it really reminded me of the scene with Harry at the end of OotP.

[takusan-no-ai]

Abysmal Curse

PAIRING: Jean/Ganyu/Kokomi x Male Reader (Romantic) (Separate)

SUMMARY: Their boyfriend, (Y/N), is an outcast because of a “curse”.

You were a normal young boy, having a good childhood. One day your friends invited you to play hide and seek. But it lead to you adventuring farther out, where it wasn’t safe.

You came into contact with the abyss and ever since then have been cursed. It was a pretty flower, yet it corroded your hands into something deadly.

Not knowing what happened you ran for your parents. They were at the fountain in Mondstadt. You grabbed your mother’s hand and she died in an instant, her entire body rotting before your eyes.

Since then you were given gloves out of curtesy, but ostracized from society. Your father, friends, everyone abandoned you; the only person who didn’t was Jean.

Everyone called you a curse. A misfortune that will one day destroy Mondstadt. But Jean didn’t believe any of it. She listened to your story and sympathized, wanting to heal your trauma.

She didn’t care for the dirty looks she got, and even convinced her sister Barbara to “cleanse” you at the church so you’d be accepted somewhere; better than living in the cold forest.

Life isn’t easy, and yet Jean will always be there to make everyday a little better. She promises one day the world will accept her boyfriend; perhaps making you a knight should be the first step?

A disgraced being corrupted by the abyss, your existence has been tantamount to a bad joke. There wasn’t a good thing about you; a man who was born immortal thanks to Rex Lapis, but because of the Abyss, slowly kills all life surrounding him the worst his mood gets.

Being young, you weren’t aware of such a curse. Until at Liyue Harbor you got into a fight with another kid and threw a tantrum. The whole block was sick for weeks and BuBu Pharmacy was running low on supplies.

But that kid died. Then some elderly. And eventually your one tantrum killed ten people. As much as it saddened Rex Lapis, your existence proved to be dangerous, and so he banished you. But you agreed with his judgment.

You sheltered yourself far away from society in Liyue, where no one’s life would be at risk because of your tantrums. Your constant switching moods didn’t help, and soon your sanctuary became a wasteland.

You’d think it would scare off others, but Ganyu wasn’t always the most normal person in society. She’d heard of your life from Cloud Retainer, and although different, it reminded her of Shenhe.

She couldn’t help herself and started to care for your wellbeing. Comforting you when life was tough, helping you find ways to control your emotions, and loving you. It was a shock for her, but she quickly embraced the love she had for you.

Ganyu really wants society to accept you but she knows just how impossible that will be. Instead she introduces you to Xiao, saying you can help him eradicate evil from the shadows. It’ll take a long time for you to be accepted, so she hopes the legends of you can bring some light to your goodness.

When you were a young boy Miko found you outside her shrine. Immediately she recognized you as a yokai: Zashiki-Warashi. A creature that visits homes and can bring good fortune, but leaves horrid misfortune when it leaves the home.

Miko took care of you over the years; she made sure you were never allowed into a home for your own safety. However news of a good fortune yokai spread in Inazuma thanks to some eavesdropping kids, and soon you were captured. Brought over all across Inazuma, misfortune following every house you went.

You finally found refuge in Watatsumi Island. There the abductors were arrested and dealt with swiftly by General Gorou, who later introduced you to Kokomi. They tried to convince you to live in a proper house, but you constantly denied.

Eventually you had to tell them you were a zashiki-warashi, and that if you ever left your house a great misfortune would consume Watatsumi Island. Naturally, this lead to many of the residents wanting you gone. Throwing stones at you, shouting vulgarities, just the tip of the iceberg.

However Kokomi wasn’t pleased with that decision. Sure, your existence may be potentially dangerous, but you didn’t choose to be. So she arranged for you to “live” at her special place, where she reads books on military strategies.

It was there that a bond formed deeper than either of you expected. She loved to unwind with you, your playful spirit being a nice distraction from work. Kokomi even absentmindedly writes about you in her diary; he’s so cute this, handsome that, strong, sweet, smart, ect.

You found it and asked Kokomi if this was her bizarre way of giving you a love confession, to which she promptly snatched the book and “died” of embarrassment. She died even more when you agreed to being her boyfriend.

- Fin

[itty-bitty-sunshine]

At what point do you start seeing one in the other?

At what point do you start looking at the devil like a friend?

[nelkcats]

Haunted City

Danny could admit that pretending to be a "regular ghost" was pretty fun. He could hide in one place and scare people who were waiting for an open door and a creepy laugh.

Honestly, Danny could do a lot more than that, the ghosts people believed in were nothing like the ones he knew. He wondered if there were simply different types of ghosts, or supernatural creatures; it was quite likely, considering that the ghosts of the Realms weren't even of the same dimension so it wasn't a fair comparison.

Anyway, the halfa had spent a couple of days "haunting" Gotham. The place was too leggy and they needed a little excitement in their lives. Of course, this led to some rumors about a spirit suffering or something similar, he didn't really care.

The "heroes" of Gotham didn't seem to share his opinion, going through all the places that had been "attacked" (they were just jokes) and looking for some explanation before calling Justice League Dark, Danny had fun scaring them a little in the process.

But he wasn't too interested in being exorcised, banished or whatever they did with rebel ghosts, so he settled on a mansion that was too big for its few inhabitants. Scaring billionaires was almost therapeutic, although the butler didn't seem too impressed by his (minimal) efforts.

[the-finest-clockwork-soldier]

The Toy Soldier looked back and forth between Gizm0 and Ashes, but stood, obediently, to help Lyric.

As You Wish...

---

Fuck.

Ashes couldn't believe they were about to do this, but the kid Gizm0 just looked so damn sad. They felt a bit like they'd just kicked an octokitten.

They certainly didn't want these fresh immortals learning from someone who could get hurt by teaching, but if that was the only option: fuck it. The rest of the crew fucks with Brian through his switch and about his switch enough, it's just... different when the person asking hasn't had a frankly ridiculous amount of time with him to learn each other.

Y'know his two modes, yeah? I mean, obviously you do if you're asking at all. Ends justify means and means justify ends. Ends and Means, whatever.

They stuck both their hands in their jacket pockets, only to fidget with what's inside rather than pick at their nails to fidget.

Sensitivity depends on how you phrase your questions most of the time, if his code forces him to answer, he's only gonna get more upset. Try to phrase your questions as statements on if he's on Means to not trip up his lying bullshit- yes, lies of omission do count- and if he's on Ends don't make it sound like him telling you would significantly help your mental or physical health. He's not a dumbass, he'd still know, but it's a matter of his mechanism mess.

They did stop looking at Gizm0 as they spoke. A spot on the wall suddenly looked much more interesting. Their voice hardened a little on their final sentence, feeling the need to make sure neither Gizm0 nor Lyric think less of Brian for his bullshit.

'Course he always hides his switch with that trenchcoat of his, so good fucking luck finding out what he's on. Ideally just apply both.

There should be a few furnishing spots around, given you're right between Ivy and Toy here.

Ivy who was quite determined to create plenty nooks of comfort in her archives, regardless of how much she insisted it wasn't a library, and the Toy Soldier who was prone to ripping its furnishings with its joints and would get quite sad if its room wasn't passable as a person's, regardless of how it would always insist it wasn't sad.

So, yeah, the only mechanism who needed more replacements than these two was Tim, and he seemed content with the holes and tatters he put in most of his furnishings.

No further than a few halls down, if I'm remembering correctly.

Safe to say, Ashes' memory didn't fail when it came to matters of the Aurora.

They'd probably find mostly fabric comfort and storage furniture, but the Toy Soldier would happily make any wooden materials- such as a desk or similar furnishings- later, Ashes could be sure of that.

@gizm0roleplayz @littlevandalist

[shhroomer]

I love this orange airpod

[doverstar]

actually I love Tentoo and he is the Doctor and it was the only ending for Rose that worked and it is a huge gift to be able to have the man she loves grow old with her, they were always heading for that, y'all be quiet. I 100% understand the angst but it's okay, they're okay, good ending-

[rocksanddeadflowers]

so i've been listening to elysian fields way too much lately and thinking how fucked up that song is for the mechs to perform. like put death to the mechanisms out of your head (bc that basically didn't happen yet with udad) and listen.

they're immortal. they can't die. the song is all about the sweet release of death, and arguably a gentle one at that, cradled in the fields on a world were nature ceases, next to the grave of your deceased beloved. it's a beautiful song, and arguably, ulysses got their happy ending.

the mechanisms don't get that, though. most didn't even get the option of keeping mortality. they're stuck on the mortal plane, in flesh and metal, with no escape or release within reach.

their finale performance of this album is the bittersweet comfort of mortality and endings, something they're well aware they will never be granted.

[room-surprise]

I've always personally believed that Tansu's theory about what the elves want isn't a retcon or a plot hole, but a deliberate red herring on Kui's part. It's one of the clearest and most unambiguous times in the story where a character who should be a knowledgeable authority is wrong about something, but believes they are right... and them being wrong clearly demonstrates the information and power gap between the races.

I think people in the DM world know that there's some kind of "magic kingdom" inside the island's dungeon, and that the people there are immortal - it's rumors and gossip but I think that's why Tansu believes there is a specific immortality spell, different from the magic that makes resurrection possible inside of the dungeons.

The funny part is that Tansu is wildly wrong about this, because there's no special spell at all: what's special is the power source, Thistle is using the same magic as anyone else, he's just hooked up to an infinite power that allows him to do impossible things, like extend people's lifespans, something Marcille tells us is impossible.

The main point we learn from this, eventually, is that Tansu and other people don't know how the dungeons actually work - it's only when Mithrun gives his exposition to Kabru that we start to understand the truth.

It shows us that the gnomes at least, do not have as much information about the dungeons as the elves, and so they suspect that the elves have something specific they want to get out of the dungeons... Not that they just want the dungeons isolated and contained.

As for if there are any plot holes or contradictions... not really. Off the top of my head, the only things I can think of are parts of the manga where the phrasing is awkward/confusing in ways that makes it hard to say exactly what happened.

Maybe the bit where Laios says he leaves home because of how Falin's being treated, and then goes to school for several years before joining the military.. It's implied that Laios was running away/leaving, but if he went to school then his parents must have paid for that... So that's more like Laios was sent away, for the schooling he would have done anyway... not that he left by choice.

Can you think of any obvious contradictions in the lore?

For example, there are descriptions of how dungeons work, in particular that they need a Lord to prevent collapse, that seem to be written from an omniscient narrator's perspective. But that claim is clearly contradicted by Thistle finding the tomes in the Island Dungeon. Which at that point seemed to be more 'dormant' than 'collapsed'.

I don't think that part is a contradiction! There's a few dungeons in the process of collapsing that don't have Dungeon Lords so the collapse isn't immediate, Mithrun approaches the dungeon that he became a lord in thinking it was collapsed/inactive only to be pulled by the demon, I imagine Thistle's dungeon was in a similar situation.

Here's two examples of how it's described

"on the verge of collapsing" "since it's still functioning, if barely, it's believed to have a lord somewhere"

"since it hadn't had a lord for a long time, it was believed to be nearly collapsed"

So I don't think they collapse right away as was the case in the Island (that one I'm pretty sure collapsed immediately because it was spilling into the surface and the demon was defeated)

It's hard to call something in dungeon meshi a straight up plot hole cause the contradictions are in the text itself and part of the story, we learn that thing works x way only to later learn it actually works y way only to later learn even more details (I'm talking about ancient magic) so since the mismatched info is plot accurate I can't think of many contractions that don't make sense with just a bit of excuses.

The one that puzzles me the most and that I think was a retcon is what Tansu says in chapter 19 and repeats in chapter 22

He talks as if this was something unique to this dungeon? But resurrection is said to be possible in every man-made dungeon, maybe in chapter 22 he's talking about specifically the immortality curse on the residents of the golden kingdom but idk how he'd know about that? Or maybe there's something more specific to how the souls are attached to bodies in this dungeon idk that one really puzzles me

There was other stuff I felt like were retconed (but in a way that makes sense) but I don't really remember what it was right now... oh yeah the half-elves having rounder ears and Fionil being a half-elf feels like a retcon but that's not a contradiction

[crownedinmarigolds]

Sometimes a take about a character is so bad and so widely accepted by the fandom at large... it drives you crazy sometimes...

[siren-of-agony]

The horror of immortal whumpee with superhealing. The horror of not leaving scars. The horror of it's not visible, it's not lasting, so it didn't happen.

You can hurt them and hurt them and hurt them and hurt them and hurt them again.

And everyone just sees clear skin, sees youthfulness. No evidence of suffering remains.

It doesn't look like anything happened to them, so how could they still suffer from it?

Why should others give them empathy, give them care, when there's nothing to care about. Why should they themselves?

Just look at them. Nothing happened.

[hellisntreal]

a power of peace and healing//your bones run strong

I spent a very long time trying to work out a Stone design and I'm still not settled! I'm sure like my other humanizations of Fallen London entities, I'll come up with a few <3