#this is partly just telling you who they are since most people reading this won't know anything about them

[robindaydream]

your OCs :)

You sweetie...

Well, Tam is a nonbinary angel who loves to party and fight and fuck. They're probably my most unreservedly heroic character, as well as the kindest and sweetest. They genuinely believe that their life has a plan and a purpose, that what they do has meaning, and that a better world is possible and it's our responsibility to find it. One time they defeated an enemy by teleporting her to the bottom of the ocean.

Alex is a butch aromantic lesbian who ran away from college to become a wrestler because she saw a really violent wrestling match online and it turned her on. She's a perfectionist, high-flying heel who loves to get brutal in the ring. She acts stoic and serious but loves the theatre of wrestling, loves telling stories through a series of blows instead of words. One time she won a ladder match by ignoring the ladder and pummeling her opponent into submission (as arranged in advance of course).

Venture is a little space mouse with a huge sword who was hired to solve a murder and ended up uncovering a galactic conspiracy. She was the sole survivor of a disaster aboard a spaceship when she was an infant, and partly as a result she's very superstitious, using a flipped coin for the purpose of divination when confronted with major decisions. She conducts herself like a knight, wielding both sword and quick wit against her foes with equal skill. She once destroyed a water cooler because she was trying to climb up on top of it (she likes to be tall).

Sylvia is a weirdo from the woods who can read your mind and can't generate her own body heat. If she doesn't take it from others she'll freeze to death from the inside out (but it's okay she got better). She's paranoid and irritable and angry and so fucking scared and she has a gun. She has cool ice powers. Her boyfriend is a dragon. She didn't always have antlers but she does now. One time she impaled a guy with an ice javelin because he was trying to run away and she was trying to help him (he's fine though).

Magna is an alien fugitive who fled from her homeworld and poses as a human on Earth. She spent two years posing as a trans woman to make herself harder to find only to eventually realize she actually was one. She has cool doc ock arms coming out of her back that she can use to teleport things. She's an artist and lives with a bunch of other trans people and gave herself a fursona because she thought she needed one to blend in with humans (it's a wolf). One time she teleported a cop's head off.

[scientia-rex]

Long ask. I didn't see that you had answered anything similar.

How do I do activism? Yes, I could Google it, but I would rather learn from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience on Tumblr than from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience anywhere else, and I'm here and so are you and we can talk and have a [para]social interaction. I won't bore you with a condensed autobiography, but I have a lot of experience fixing mistakes, not unlike being a physician, but far less noble, what David Graber would call a "duct-taper". It's partly what led me to socialism. I fixed mistakes but could not fix the root causes and, when I investigated those causes, I ran into structure. I couldn't explain the human behavior I witnessed as human nature, because it wasn't my nature and, as far as I know, I'm human, so the only explanation I could come up with was that the structure of the company I worked for created the problems I was trying to solve, and I had no power to change that structure, and no desire to join the psychopaths failing up the corporate ladder. I expanded my thinking outward and saw the problem inherent in capitalism and all the associated -isms and -archies, all the while trying to figure out what I could do that could possibly change any of it. I dove into progressive politics, read theory, consumed all the lefty content I could find, and thought, and keep running into the same problems. But even if the root causes cannot be addressed, the effects still need to be, because the effects are people, hence activism.

How do I talk to congresspeople? I email them about issues, but am frankly afraid to call them. Shall I get voice mail, or does a person pick up? If the latter, I'm assuming it will be a secretary. I don't want to be mean to a person answering phones. I've been one of those people getting yelled at or threatened because of events I did not cause and could not possibly prevent or change and, maybe I'm oversensitive or have PTSD or just a hyperactive amygdala, but I cannot overstate the damage those negative experiences cause. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, the lives that can be saved or improved outweigh a few people's hurt feelings or possible psychological trauma, but I would prefer not to turn this into a trolley problem if at all possible. Maybe it's a stupid question. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I can be charming and I have no lack of empathy; I can politely disagree. Shall I have to argue with anyone? Or is it a thank-you-for-your-participation-I-will-tell-the-congressperson-have-a-nice-day situation?

How do I get a job doing good things for people? This is somewhat pressing as I quit my corporate job five years ago, to have what turned out to be a midlife crisis, and have been living off savings (that are running out) ever since. I want to help and don't want to be ashamed of what I do for a living. I've always been able to do anything I've ever tried to do, but I'm 45 with little formal education or qualifications, and am thinking it's maybe too late to go back to school. Most of the non-profits I see seem like little more than scams. And perhaps the most serious complication: I'm a loner, more out of habit than inclination. I'll spare you the background, but I have no connections and no idea how to make them, and I don't believe I have any particular skills so valuable that should confer an immediate advantage or demand for my labor, but then again I don't know what is in demand.

It's OK if you can't answer some of these things. I simply have no one to talk to about them who can give any actual advice and figured you might. Thanks.

How to do activism: The first thing you need to know is your axe to grind. It was easy for me. I've been out since I was 13, nobody ever believes a girl is bisexual, it's always "you want attention" or "you're secretly a lesbian." That was in 1997. I went through hell and I'm bitter about it. So when I realized I liked medicine, I realized I could turn my life into an extended revenge arc by moving home and telling everybody it's OK to be gay. Two birds, one stone. I work with a woman who didn't get her axe to grind until about three years ago. She realized she was fed up with people abandoning dogs. She's one of the most active volunteers at the local shelter now. She's saved a lot of dogs' lives. She didn't start out knowing anything about it, but she told the shelter she wanted to volunteer, and they've helped her grow through the rest of it. My husband works with the local food bank, because his mom's neighbor (who is a family friend and sweetheart) wrangled him in to serving on the board, so now in addition to board meetings once a month he goes in sometimes to do things like help his mom's friend unload trucks. Sometimes the cause picks you, sometimes you pick the cause, sometimes you are the cause. And no matter what the cause is, someone else is already working on it. Someone else already cares deeply and if you show up ready to be hands on and help out, with humility because you know that you don't know everything, they will help you learn how to be effective. I started out in medicine by volunteering at the emergency room near where I lived. I pushed a linen cart around and restocked gowns in rooms, and when I couldn't fit any more washcloths into drawers I cleaned doorknobs. One of the nurses once told me she really appreciated that I cleaned all the doorknobs, because it wasn't getting regularly done. I am in medicine now because of many, many people I asked for help and who helped me because they wanted to contribute to justice and equity in medicine, whether for queers or rural people or women. This is, and has always been, a combined effort. Alone we beg, together we bargain.

Calling elected representatives: Oh god I know, me too, calling strangers is the LITERAL WORST. I'm 40 and I'd rather pepper-spray myself than argue with a human on the phone. Wait until after hours and you'll get a voicemail. I like to leave voicemails that start with "My name is Dr. Rex, I'm a constituent of yours, and I VOTE, and I'm calling about ____." That's honestly about all it takes--when I was hanging out with the lobbyist she told me they keep lists with tick-marks for how many calls, emails, etc., they get on a topic. Calls count for more. The more effort you have to put in, the more engaged they know you are. So call, but if people scare you (and the people who pick up are almost always nice, if you do get a person, and they will 99/100 times say "thank you for your call, we will pass your concerns along to so-and-so"), call at night.

Going back to school is probably unnecessary. Spin your past experience aggressively and start applying to nonprofits. (You "took time off from the working world in order to sharpen your focus on what matters most to you," which will be whatever this particular group does.) It's OK if you pick a bad one to start with; most of them are shit-shows, and lots of them still accomplish good things. Nonprofits are a bloodbath when it comes to actually being an employee--they know that part of the compensation is the sense of living ethically and they will use your altruism against you--so keep your resume updated and be prepared to bail if grant funding doesn't come through, but most areas have food banks and pet shelters and human shelters and jails and medical clinics and hospitals (for every doctor who works at the local hospital there are at least 10 support staff by the numbers, and they are utterly critical and always under-staffed). Sometimes if you start by volunteering somewhere, once they realize you're dependable, you can get a job there. I am zero percent kidding about working for a hospital, clinic, or jail, by the way. Those are places I know well, and there are always civilian jobs available. You want to make a patient's day better? Be the front desk, front line staff who use the right pronouns and cheer them up.

I think it's completely reasonable to have procedural questions about how all of this works, and I am grateful to you for giving me a chance to talk about it a bit. Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions. And for reference, when I was just starting out in research at a time when the market for research-trained people frankly sucked, I applied well over 300 times and got well over 300 rejections (I was counting) before I ended up with a job that I loved (even though it was hellishly stressful and I made just barely more than minimum wage for working well over my alleged, salaried "hours") and felt like I was making a positive difference for the world with. And from there, I kept making changes as I realized what I wanted and needed. Just keep doing it. You don't have to feel good about every step, you don't have to know what you're doing, just keep putting one foot in front of the other as you try to figure out what will make you happy. Because nothing else is a good proxy for happiness, and happiness, for a whole lot of humans, means finding something meaningful to do in life. Helping others. Be okay with changing, be okay with sacrificing who you are right now for the sake of who you can become. You've survived four decades on this bizarre and cruel planet, and you have inherent, intrinsic worth as a human being. You deserve your own kindness.

[almightygremlinblob]

Small KenJin Blurb

A super floofie, teenie tiny KenJin ficlet ft. mentions of Sukuna and a very down bad Kenny. I swear, these two take over my head in the most random times...

Kenjaku closes the door with enough force to nearly slam it. It was the same old boring shit. Another day of blabbering about…pretty much nothing to anyone that was desperate enough to hear him and get their validation.

Another day Kenjaku was bothered something he couldn't place.

Well, not quite.

It was actually Jin who was bothered by something - but if Jin was bothered, so was Kenjaku.

"Jin…" Kenjaku pouts and tries to kiss him - the other cringing and pushing him away instantly.

"Not this vessel, love. He's handsome but he's a complete stranger!" Jin sighs. "You know this…"

"I thought you humans liked that sort of thing." Kenjaku opens up his stitches and reveals his true self, to which Jin then tiptoes and places a gentle kiss on the curse's teeth. "I apologize, my dear."

Jin grumbles, trying to push him away and the curse sighs.

"Jin…this is ridiculous." The pout is clear in Kenjaku's voice as he gently takes his lover's chin and forces the other to look at him. "You've been acting strange all week! What is it, dearest? What's bothering you?"

"It's just…weird, knowing he'll be around again."

"Ah." Kenjaku cringes, knowing the other was talking about his twin.

"I…I-I gave myself up for him, you know?" Jin fidgets with his sweater a little, and Kenjaku gently rubs his thumb against his forehead - a mutual signal between the two to let out their thoughts or true self. "In the womb, I let myself be eaten. It was my first and last act of love for my brother. The last thing I wished for before I died was to see him again, one day. Now, I-he…d-did he turn out okay?"

"Oh, it was you…" Kenjaku covers his mouth, feigning shock as he gently shakes the other by his broad shoulders. "My lord Jin! Have you any idea what kind of monster your 'kindness' brought forth, you ignorant fool?!"

"What." Jin frowns, grumbling as the curse pokes him on the cheek. "Do I look like I care? Is he okay or not?!"

"Oh, I'm joking! I'm joking!" Kenjaku snickers, burying himself under his lover's chin - though he had to lean down a little, seeing as his new host was a bit taller than his husband. "Partly, anyways. That does explain A LOT of his beliefs. As for your question, ah…well, define 'okay' first, won't you?"

"I mean, he…he hasn't starved since, has he?" Jin sighs. "Had a roof over his head? Proper education? Stuff like that?"

"Simultaneously none and all of those." Kenjaku rubs his arms, trying to reassure the other, when he feels Jin deflate a little. "He hasn't starved, but his diet consisted of pretty much everything considered sacred at the time…and people."

"WHAT-"

"He knows how to read and write, got really good at poetry and arts, as per the times, but nobody ever taught him. He learned it himself. From gathering and making the materials, or stealing them, to actual calligraphy and watercolor techniques." Jin recieves a sorry on the head as Kenjaku continues to explain. "As for the roof over his head…he had them, mostly, by taking whatever was left after he'd destroyed the entire village or killed and ate everyone in the house. But he'd travel a lot, too. Always looking for new ways to hone his craft and for people or curses to fight. Lived life according to his beliefs."

"Goodness...I never wanted him to be hungry again, but I didn't think...well, at least he never was. It sounds like he lived a life he enjoyed, too. Even from the womb he'd be kicking and punching." Jin giggles and then sighs in relief. "I'm glad..."

"He does seem a bit lonely, though." The curse muses. "Even if he absolutely refuses to admit it."

"He hasn't made one friend in the thousand years he's lived?"

"Not one."

"What?!"

"Well...there was one person, but they're more like a servant."

"M-my god, I…"

"Don't tell me you're feeling responsible…" When Jin tenses, Kenjaku covers his mouth in disbelief. "Don't tell me you were thinking of seeing him again!"

"I-I mean, I'm his brother!"

"Jin, you're insane!"

"I know, I know. I'm not…all there. I never was…" The soft huffs of breath as Jin laughed tickled Kenjaku's neck. "But I can't help it, you know? I just-I care. That much…even after everything."

"Jin…" Kenjaku gently but firmly caresses his lover's face as he forces the other to look at his blank expression. "He ate you."

"And I allowed it! Look, I'm not an idiot okay? I know he's dangerous, b-but...I mean-I should at least-"

"JIN." Kenjaku sighs. "Enough with this! Dangerous is an understatement when it comes to your twin. Just stay here, with me. It's safer with me…"

"…can I at least see my-"

"Nope. No Yuuji, either."

Jin groans and allows himself to fully slump on the curse. "Well…thank you for at least covering half of the payment for his schools. I don't think I could make enough for both his and Dad's bills."

"Ah, yes…the geezer." Jin can hear the venom oozing from the other, and he offers him a sorry pat on the back. "Thanks for not killing Dad, also."

"Anythi-…well, almost anything for you, my dearest."

"Shame we can't do more…" Even without looking at him, Jin can feel the frown on Kenjaku's face. "I hear he's made a few friends already. I'm juuuuuust saying, it would be really nice if we could raise him together. Be a proper family…"

"Oh hush! You and I both know why we can't get too involved."

"Okay, okay!" Jin huffs. "I'll drop it already."

[craziechwiv]

The Paladin & their Succubus frenemy - 6

(TW!!: Domestic Violence): Read at your own risk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the group and the two guards were walking ahead, with the crowd of injured servants behind them, Jaune decided to ask the two who they actually were.

Paladin Jaune: Hey? Neptune, was that your name?

Neptune: Uh yeah, what's up?

Paladin Jaune: So, what were you and Sun before...all this?

Neptune: Oh, I'm glad you asked! Partly because, most people ask Sun besides me, but. I'll tell you.

'Where to start? Well, me and Sun met 5 years ago. I was training in becoming a warrior of some kind, and Sun was already a pretty popular fighter. Although, a bit smug, he could back up his skills to anyone who'd try to call him out.'

'Seems like you guys are some capable fighters to me, when was the first time like?'

How'd we met exactly? He was in a brawl at a bar at our old hometown. One guy tried to sneak up on him and so, I tackled the guy. Took quite the hit in return but Sun repaid the generosity by knocking the guy out. Soon after, him and me were high tailing out of there, laughing our asses of, well Sun was...I was trying to catch my breath.

'Heh heh, we all have our adventures my friend. Either good or bad.'

'But after that, we've decided to be traveling partners until we, actually became partners.'

'Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad you both are together. It seems to me you both are a well-adjusted team. And you fighting those demons, even with inures, was impressive enough.'

As Neptune was speaking to Jaune about how him and Sun met, the rest of the group were ear hustling in, with Sun smiling softly as Neptune talked his heart out about the two of them.

Champion Pyrrha: You really found a great man.

Sun: Don't I know it? He's scrawny sure, but he can sure as hell fight and take hits like no one I teamed with.

Dwarf Nora: Hidden strength type? That kind of reminds of a special man of me own.

Monk Ren: I wonder who it could be.

Dwarf Nora: Oh, surely not you~.

Reaper Ruby: Hm.

Champion Pyrrha: Something on your mind, Ruby?

Reaper Ruby: No, just wondering about something...

Sun: What is it?

Reaper Ruby: How did you both find out...uhm...

Sun: We were the one for each other?

Ruby nods her head slowly.

Sun: Hm, we just...spent a lot of time together. I got to know him and he got to know me. And we just sort of, clicked. Hell, once we were done with this mission, our pay would've sent us on a nice vacation until it was back to our daily lives of exploration. But, with some of the people we've lost...I don't know how true our actual pay may be.

Sun moped abit, now thinking about their current problem before he felt a hand plant itself on his shoulder. He looked towards his right side to see Ruby patting it.

Reaper Ruby: It's not your fault. Like Jaune said, you both tried your best. Plus, we maaay need to have a talk with who wanted these servants in the first place, since they might be in trouble.

Sun: Oh, they won't be. Trust me.

Reaper Ruby: Why do you say that? Of course they'll be in trouble, they risked people's lives!

The rest just looked at her with confusion or at each other, sensing she didn't know the situation entirely.

Dwarf Nora: Does she not know who we're meeting?

Reaper Ruby: Who?

Nora loudly whispered to Ruby.

'It's the Schnees!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, as the group was still making their way out of the forest to civilization, there was a commotion going on in a manor at their village.

???: Didn't I say, to be dressed accordingly to what I said?!

A white-haired man shouted at a younger woman, slapping her across her face as his hand left a slight mark on it. The young woman was stunned but looked back at him, silently nodding her head as tears began to slowly form and fall from her eyes.

???: Now, go and get dressed, less I have to punish you once more.

???: Y-Yes father.

The young woman hastily went into her room, hearing the man turn his attention to someone else, possibly her mother...

???: Oh, give me a break! Can't either of you worthless broads dress properly?!

???: W-What did you just call- AH!

The young woman flinched as she heard the screams, followed by muffled crying as the man shouted at her mother some more.

???: Don't even dare speak to me in that tone. Do you know how fast I could have you all jailed? Exiled?! EXECUTED FOR ALL I CARE?!

The young woman just crumbled as she wept, yearning for the day the man she calls her 'father' dies.

???: Someday Weiss...someday.

[amethystina]

Hi hi, I was drooling all over the tags of Who holds the devil again and I remembered to ask if the kidnapping will refer to Ga On? Or if it's a big spoiler then maybe you could please tell if we'll see protective Yo Han because you write his feelings so well I just can't get enough or over it, you're so talented.

I wouldn't call it a big spoiler, exactly, since I think most people can (correctly) guess that it refers to Ga On xD I mean, what kind of BL fanfic would this be if it was someone else? Gotta check all those dramatic romance boxes!

That said, I will repeat what I've said before, which is that it won't happen anytime soon and, if I were you, there are other tags I would be more worried about. But that's just me ;)

As for Yo Han being protective, that will feature quite heavily as a part of another plot thread long before the kidnapping tag comes into play. And I do mean protective as in full-on Abyss — with all the violence and ruthlessness that entails. To be honest, one of the scenes I look forward to writing the most right now is the culmination of that whole plotline. Partly because writing Yo Han when he's like that is so much fun, but also because Ga On will do what Ga On does best.

That's to say: Place himself in front of Yo Han and be the immovable object to slow down the unstoppable force.

And it will be delicious.

Because with all that Ga On has learned about Yo Han at that point, he's going to realise that the best way to calm Yo Han's desire for vengeance — and remind him of his humanity — isn't to get preachy or aggressive and demand he stop. It's to go soft and vulnerable and needy and a little desperate and just say:

"Please come back to me."

... I think we ALL know Yo Han won't stand a fucking chance.

So you've got that to look forward to, I guess ;)

And thank you so much! I have a lot of fun with Yo Han's emotions, not going to lie. He's got a pretty unique way of both showing and dealing with them and it's particularly interesting to try and convey that from an outside POV (Ga On's in this case). Because even if Ga On is correct in his observation the majority of the time, there are still times when he misses certain details. He often gives Yo Han the benefit of the doubt when he maybe shouldn't, for example x'D

Like, there are times in this story when Yo Han may seem kind, caring, and vulnerable but, in reality, something COMPLETELY different is happening inside his head.

Chapter 39 was actually a good example of that, specifically when Yo Han was pressing his thumb against the scar on his palm. Ga On automatically assumed that had to mean Yo Han was in pain, but that's not it at all. Not even close. Pressing the scar (which was first established in The Gentle Light, which I wrote over a year ago now) has become Yo Han's way of curbing his less-than-moral impulses when it comes to how he approaches his and Ga On's relationship.

Yo Han wasn't pressing the scar because it hurt (though he does have flashes of psychosomatic pain, too) but because he needed to remind himself not to do what he ACTUALLY wanted. Which certainly wasn't to resign himself to being rejected and go: "Then I won't."

In that moment, Yo Han wanted to claim and possess — not surrender.

And it was a struggle for him to choose the path he knew Ga On wanted him to.

In short, both Yo Han's protectiveness and possessiveness are sometimes hidden in the small things he does, which might not always be apparent to Ga On or the reader. Remember that Ga On is an unreliable narrator and while he is astoundingly good at reading Yo Han sometimes, not even he sees all.

And that, on the whole, Yo Han is a lot more vicious and immoral than Ga On wants to admit. It may not be as apparent now that Yo Han is without a revenge quest and more focused on doting on his family, but it's by no means gone. Just dormant.

The Abyss will never fully stop abyssing.

(Yes, I am definitely making this fic and the characterisation unnecessarily complex with breadcrumbs sprinkled across stuff I've written literal years ago — thank you for asking)

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 3

Tried some Silent Hill 2, but a bad pain day has overtaken me and I am not up for getting ambushed by Lying Figures two at a time, once in an enclosed space. (Fucking record store.) Not that I didn't survive; it as just not fun when I've been having pain spasms in my left elbow most of the evening.

So instead, I'm going to liveblog TLOVM. I understand from the few spoilers I couldn't really avoid that I'm going to see a variation on one of my favourite scenes. So let's see.

Oooooh Raishan ... I mean, you're not as trustworthy as you want anyone you've been dealing with to believe, but ... say smarter things, Deceiver...

Okay, honey, your only hope is that Vorugal withholds that message he was told to give because he's greedy enough to want your empire. And hope that you can get Keyleth to believe that you're at least not immediately selling them out to Thordak. Otherwise, certain bits of your fate are going to happen a lot sooner.

Grog ... that is an A-B conversation, so C yourself out. Also ... I know people are going to think this is happening too fast, even those who saw the campaign as it happened, but ... what the fuck else are they supposed to do when they didn't have, "The arrows were flirting?" "The arrows were totally flirting"?!?

I guess Scanlan is very much invested in that whole thing he was talking to Kaylie about. If he forgets who he is when the lute goes down, he's going to hold it for as long as possible.

Someone taught Grog the phrase "spill the tea", and he only used about half of it. Typical.

"...perhaps I'll cut down the Sun Tree and build an extravagant canoe." Cassandra, you have recovered from your ordeal so very well.

YOU TELL HIM, CASSANDRA!

Yeah, Percy, "eugh" is right; that's terrible. Just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind that isn't self-recrimination and you will be fine-- Yeah! THAT'S the spirit!

Admittedly? I miss the multiple bottles. Maybe the animators in charge of this weren't up for Taliesin's earlier demand: "I will be expecting labels for all of those".

This is why we all need to be glad that Vex is ... Vex. If she was too much like her brother? This would be the result. Vax, borrow your sister's chutzpah for one night.

Wait. Wut.

"...Right. Shutting up now." So ... we decided on 'after', then. And that thing you said just before you knocked, Percival? Her. Not 'it'. HER.

Ah, so someone on screen has finally figured out the bit about "it doesn't necessarily mean everyone but her gets brutally murdered". Still, take your joys where you can, you idiot.

"So ... joy today isn't worth pain tomorrow--" THAT'S WHAT I JUST SAID. THANK YOU, KEYLETH.

Well ... at least one of the Vessar twins is happy. And ... you know ... not a self-sacrificial dipshit.

Well. They had a good time.

"Good talk." BWAHAHAHA!

Well ... this is probably better than being high on magical drugs at important moments? Maybe?

brb - laughing at the dipshits.

I still have to wonder how they got this allowed. I thought Orion Acaba owned the rights to the name Draconia. Then again, he's done shit-all with it since 2019, so ... I dunno, maybe a deal was cut, or something? No one's even made mention of it.

Scanlan ... you bundle up that far and you still leave half your chest exposed?

Dohla... Dohla ... Rachel House. Hrm. Nothing I've seen, but most people would be all about Thor: Ragnarok, Moana, and Our Flag Means Death. Right. Moving on!

Okay, if we have the good ship Perc'halia being dragged in and out of dry dock for the sake of angst when we've already got Vaxleth beached and Scanlan ... you know, having a significant identity crisis that he's not getting help for (partly because he won't let anyone, but that's another thing)? I'm going to slap someone.

Well. Welcome to Hell. Nice place. In a "Night On Bald Mountain With Better Lighting" sort of way.

I ... was going to suggest that they spell it for Grog, but then I remember that they never did the thing where Pike taught him to read, so that'd be basically pointless. I ... don't think there's any way to correct him on that one.

Is it wrong that I'm not trusting Dohla?

Vex, what are you--? Ooooooooh shit. Well, that explains Yenk things.

So ... they're keeping the destruction of Draconia? Because however this come's out, Vorugal's going to tear shit up.

Also ... not trusting Dohla ... for a reason, apparently. This is a really interesting take on how things went in the campaign.

Seeing Allura and Kima fight is impressive.

I'm impressed no one did anything with the "We're edging" line. Then again, Scanlan's currently in Hell, so...

Dohla ... yeah, no, don't shit-talk ancient dragons. They will-- that. Yeah, there goes the story of you.

...I didn't know Fenthras could do that...

I know Kima is going to be okay. I know Kima is going to be okay. I know this entirely too well. It is going to be an object lesson of the "sometimes this shit works out" variety and everybody will be okay. I know this partly because campaign and partly because I need to know this down to my bones to get any sleep tonight.

At least Vex has somewhat more emotional intelligence than her brother-- mostly. Sort of. But at least Percy seems to understand what she's not-saying. And she did at least communicate worth a shit.

(Also that is probably the only way they can actually convey that will-they-won't-they dance of frustrating nonsense they had going during a lot of the campaign while dealing with a shorter-form format like half-hour episodes.)

Well ... that could have been a more painful cliffhanger... But I'm grateful it wasn't because I can't handle more adrenaline tonight.

Right. Winding down time. Hopefully I'll be in better shape tomorrow and the flu vaccine doesn't hit me too hard.

[greenerteacups]

Hi! in regards to Hagrid and his teaching, idk if we are supposed to see it as anything other than racial campaign. I'm not sure that in-universe Hagrid was doing anything beyond "dead poets society" level extra teaching (as much as I don't like dps). Especially since its happening in the third book, where jkr actually raises the question of targeted violence and stigma

Hi! I'm assuming you're talking about the fact that Hagrid's a half-giant, but unfortunately, that isn't established until Goblet of Fire, and I just don't see it reflected in any of his interactions with the Malfoys, Macnair, or the Board of Governors in the third book. I guess you could argue that him being larger than usual is the reason that Malfoy goes after him, but I always figured it was more that he's bumbling and good-natured and has an obvious soft spot for Harry. The most we get on the idea that his size has anything to do with it is this passage in POA:

"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him." (pg.91)

Which could be read as a remark on Hagrid's size, but scans to me more like a remark on his intelligence. Then you have these passages, where Rowling spells out in the text (probably for the benefit of the many 11-year-olds reading her book) why Malfoy's hamming up his injury:

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury ... and with a lasting injury like this, who knows if my arm will ever be the same again?" (pg. 100)

"So that's why you're putting it on," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger. "To try to get Hagrid fired." "Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me." (101)

Meanwhile, when Rita Skeeter reveals that Hagrid is a half-giant in Goblet of Fire, Malfoy immediately starts mocking him for it, with language suggesting this is the first time he's learned of it, and the first time most people would have suspected (half-giants being obviously uncommon):

“Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf’s teaching career,” said Malfoy, his eyes glinting. “Half-giant . . . and there was me thinking he’d just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Gro when he was young. . . . None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all. . . . They’ll be worried he’ll eat their kids, ha, ha. . . .” (439)

The thing is — as the above passage reveals — Rowling is not a soft touch when it comes to discrimination and bigotry. When she wants to show a character being a bigot against Group X, her go-to move is having the character loudly announce "God, I hate Group X!" So the idea that Malfoy and his father are engaging in a targeted racial campaign against Hagrid in the third book would require us to believe that Malfoy has developed a sudden vocality about his bigotry in GOF that he's never showed beforehand, despite having known or suspected that Hagrid wasn't fully human all along.

To the real point about "what's this plot doing here?", I think Malfoy and Hagrid's plotline in Prisoner of Azkaban is supposed to be a parallel to Sirius, insofar as both storylines are about innocent creatures being blamed for something because of a coward's lie. (Pettigrew's lie is that Sirius committed the murders; Malfoy's lie is that he was hurt much more seriously than he actually was.) In my reading, Prisoner is less about targeted violence towards specific groups (what groups? what violence?) than it is about how easy it is to judge based on limited information, and the failures of the establishment to deliver justice. Like all Harry Potter novels, it's incredibly suspicious and resentful of bureaucracy in almost any form, and it heavily implies that the people who work for bureaucracy are selfish, cruel, or simply disinterested in the truth.

It isn't until much later in the series that we see werewolves developed as a kind of stigmatized out-group, and when we do, I kind of doubt that JKR was meaningfully interested in them as a group unfairly afflicted by trauma and suffering; for the most part, her werewolves are cannibalistic child-eating predators, with a few, like Lupin, who are conscious and ashamed of what they are. But that's a very long, very separate post about the problems of making your subjugated class a group of literal deadly monsters.

[misc-obeyme]

Asmo as someone who figures it out was something I haven't thought of! Fascinating! Is it because he likes to sort of learn someone's habits?

Me personally, if someone starts treating me differently without my request, I will get pissed. If my own family forgets that I can't hear certain shit, they have no reason then to treat me differently. To 🦊 anon: If someone says I am hard of anything, they will get hit with a hard cover book. I will ignore though, if I only partly heard ya. CC I read your answer before, regarding how you feel towards Solomon role is the whole NB plot, but how about Barb's? It seems to me like he knows that mc is from the future, yet will not admit it or even discuss it? Did you have another unhinged CC rant about it? Cuz I will read. Have a great day! -🐆

The thing about Asmo in my opinion is that he's actually quite intuitive when he takes the time to focus on someone outside of himself. He always says that he's never cared about anyone as much as himself except for MC. So I kinda think he would pay particular attention to MC and thus pick up the clues that others might miss. I also feel like Asmo is one of the few characters who doesn't get flustered to some degree when MC gets close to him. (Belphie is this way too so he might also pick it up.) So when they're having one on one conversations or Asmo might also just realize that ignoring people doesn't fit MC's personality (if it does then he might not figure it out as easily lol). But these are just my ideas on his character! I feel like a lot of this nuance doesn't really exist in the game and some of it I've kinda just elaborated on in my own headcanon lol.

That makes sense, pretty sure I'd get pissed off about that, too. I like to think most of the characters, if they figured it out, would ask you about it directly before starting to act differently. Some of them might just jump the gun on that, but if you got upset with them, they'd stop right away.

Ah... now I'm a touch confused about the correct terms... but usually it's my policy to use the same language as the person I'm talking to, since that would clearly be their preference.

You know, I don't think I have an unhinged Barbatos rant that's specifically about his role in Nightbringer. I looked in the masterlist and the archive, but it was all just sorta embedded in my rants about Solomon lol.

I've definitely said in one or more of my lesson recap posts that I think Barbatos knows everything. Mostly because he often did things that felt like proof to me, so I'd point them out. But I don't think I elaborated all that much on it? Not in just one post, anyway.

I have several posts about why I love Barbatos in general lol. But maybe I should write one about how I feel about Nightbringer Barb specifically? Mostly I think he knows everything, but won't talk about it, just like you say. I mean, he doesn't even act like he doesn't know what's going on. When he tells MC "welcome home" at the HoL even though they don't live there and he's like ah yes... or the time he gave MC a page from his grimoire to deal with Belphie as if he knew they would need it shortly?? Yeah. He knows and he's not hiding it. It's more like he's blatantly keeping a secret, you know?

But they never give us the chance to confront him about it and that's the most annoying part for both him and Solomon, imo.

Like I would not have just been like oh okay taking your word for it, whatever you guys say. No, I would be demanding answers from both of them wayyyy before now.

Anyway, I better stop before this post becomes an unhinged CC rant.

[poorlittleyaoyao]

I think part of the threatening to summon lwj with jin king thing is partly like. wwx is HORRIBLE at reading people. like he’s charming. he draws people in. he’s extremely clever and brilliant. but I, personally, think he’s an idiot when it comes to reading people!

almost every wangxian interpretation I’ve ever seen has some iteration of ‘wwx can read lwj while lwj seems expressionless’ and I am always FLOORED how people got that from any of the media. the person who can read lwj is his brother! not wei at the time of my death the man who hated me and my demonic cultivation most was non other than hanguang jun wuxian. not wei lan zhan has a crush on mianmiam wuxian. not wei I couldn’t admit to myself I wanted to sleep with lwj until after I died and got resurrected and we’re all being held hostage wuxian.

fic writers out here are like ‘wwx understands lwj best!’ meanwhile xichen is over here on his fourth cup of ‘insert number of days’ since lwj has been irrational about the cultivation world’s number 1 criminal now that wen ruohan is dead’ coffee like

Am I a fucking joke to you

ANON YOU ARE CORRECT ON ALL POINTS IMO. The very first thing that made me go "ohhhh, I don't think I like this" reading the novel was when LWJ showed up and WWX was genuinely convinced that LWJ despised him and was going to kill him. Like. What? I totally get not realizing the depth or nature of his feelings! But no discernible emotional attachment on WWX's part? They're not even friends? This makes LWJ forcibly dragging WWX back to Cloud Recesses extremely sketchy. What am I even doing here?

And the thing is, I could see WWX's obliviousness being used effectively! LWJ is the one who invited him to Jinlintai for Jin Ling's ceremony, after all; from what I can tell, it's entirely reasonable for WWX in the novel to think LWJ lured him deliberately into the Qiongqi Pass ambush. WWX could've approached LWJ with a mixture of distrust and hostility on the grounds that LWJ tried to kill him in his past life (deceitfully via a gesture of friendship, no less!), and been utterly bewildered by LWJ's behavior towards him for that reason. His feelings for LWJ then change and grow because he's learning more about what the hell happened with the political plot.

Instead, we just get Wei Wuxian, The Jianghu's Most Tediously Oblivious Man, and his aloof love interest who exclusively shows affection while he is drunk or while WWX is incapacitated/unconscious/whatever and won't remember, and both of them replace Gay Chicken with communication.

I can see "WWX can read LWJ like a book" for the drama specifically. Wang Yibo does an excellent job of conveying interiority so something different is always going on underneath LWJ's stoic expressions. The "you must like Mianmian!" stuff in CQL always read to me as WWX teasing LWJ knowing full well there was no truth to it (though still not getting who LWJ did have a crush on). And since the two of them are good friends in that canon (with WWX's protestations that they are TOTALLY not friends, LWJ is so BORING!! coming off as tsundere behavior rather than his honest assessment of the situation), of course they'd understand each other!

BUT EVEN THEN. EVEN THEN! LXC can read him best. LXC can read him even when LWJ demonstrates his own tsundere behavior. LXC knows his didi better than anyone else and does everything he can for LWJ's happiness and safety, and in exchange he gets kicked to the curb at the lowest point in his life. Maybe the insistence that WWX is the only person who can understand him is so ppl don't have to think about that last part too much.

[kozukenkitten]

hi hi!! I saw your matchups are open and would like to request a haikyuu one please :)

I’m an introvert and have to go a few days without talking to people after prolonged socialising but I'm friendly and have no problem talking to strangers. My hobbies include gym, playing volleyball, and sleeping. I’m either active or in bed there is no in between lol. In terms of vibe, my friends tell me I have a princessy/bit of an airhead vibe since I dress girly and am a bit slow with jokes (I do study law though). I do my best to tease/banter but I often can't keep up RIP

I'm ambitious (not to be the best but to be respected) and a perfectionist with myself but laid-back when it comes to other matters. I'm usually ambivalent about most things and dont have a strong opinion about anything but when I fixate on something (like volleyball), I have to be GOOD at it and I can get obsessive doing that. I always look at the bright side of things and I love love supporting people in their passions. I don't like conflict but I don't have a problem facing it head on and prefer to talk things out. I'm the type that tends to be friends with both sides of people fighting.

I love love protective guys and want someone I admire.

Thank you !

Okay, so I'd match you with Kita Shinsuke from Inarizaki!

This guy is confident, contented, and steadfast. If you want someone who will watch over you and make you feel safe and protected, I don't know that I can think of anyone better than Kita.

You're very passionate, and so is Kita, but Kita's a bit more logical and calculating about it. He's the one making sure you don't push yourself too hard and get injured, stating "if you push too hard, you'll hurt yourself and won't be able to continue working toward your goals," a train of thought that is equally logical and frustrating regardless. He balances out your obsessive nature and helps rein it in.

He'll surprise you at times, with how well he can banter. You wouldn't expect it, with how dry-humored he is, but he's rather charming when he wants to be, in a sweet, steadfast kind of way that makes you feel warm and cozy and safe whenever you're with him.

You two would support each other at every turn, and he'd always be a gentleman, making sure you're protected and safe whenever he has a say in the matter. He adores you, and never wants to risk seeing you hurt - however, if you say you need to do something, despite the risk, he'll stand aside and do his best to support you and minimize the risk at your side.

Conflict? What's that? Kita has the Suna and the Miya brothers and all of the team reined in and on their best behavior whenever you come around during their practices, his disciplined nature and calm energy naturally settling over the entire team, at least partly because they all know he's going to scold them if they upset you. He doesn't tolerate that from anyone, least of all his teammates.

If you need time to yourself, Kita is happy to give it to you, whether you need a few days alone, or if you want to just vibe parallelly in the same space without direct interaction. He'll gladly watch volleyball match tapes and study them or reading or whatever while you do whatever you want to do. Y'all can hang out without socializing, or he can mind himself while you recover, whatever you prefer he's happy to oblige.

[scoupsahoy]

so i, like most people, pretty much subscribe to the bisexual steve harrington and bisexual nancy wheeler cinematic universes and all that and i've never really had any conflicting thoughts about it

but i was thinking about it this morning and i'm having gay thoughts and i just wanted to pitch them as a lesbian projecting my experiences onto these guys

specifically steve and nancy are so interesting when thinking about this because - partly because they dated - their fanon identities are SO popular and pretty rigid that it's almost accepted as canon. and i dont want to step on that at all but i do want to explore it...

i'm gonna go back and forth but we're gonna dip our toe in with steve.

the thing about him is that basically since season 1 he's been - not queer coded - but definitely immediately latched onto by both fandom and the actors as queer in some way. the guy who played tommy hagan apparently played tommy as harboring feelings for steve, same with dacre as billy, and the way ostensibly one of the only popular ships in the first couple of years or so was stoncy. so like there's this groundwork there which is admittedly impacted by the fact that joe is like. an attractive white adult man. obviously.

but i'm sitting here as a lesbian also really drawn to steve for a lot of reasons but particularly because i see a lot of myself in him? i'm running with something here okay -

season 1 steve is head over heels for nancy. that's, like, undeniable, and honestly the main reason people think he's attracted to women at all but !

he's practiced. he knows what to say to girls. and everyone tells him he's barking up the wrong tree. nancy is too smart for him and honestly super uncomfortable when tied to him. she's playing hard to get, that's his favorite game. she sleeps with him, sure, but she doesn't tell anyone about it, she doesn't like how affectionate he is all the way up to season 2, is honestly incapable of saying she loves him. he's heartbroken by that, but he's not surprised. he's spent a lot of time basically trying to force this pretty little box to close tightly and it bursts open in his hands. and he's upset even though he knew it wouldn't all fit.

there's this through-line with nancy that she's being misunderstood all the time and she resents it, that she knows what she wants and makes it clear to herself but nobody can read her well enough to figure it out. and steve is part of that. she's vaguely uncomfortable with him and his affection and how much he loves her and honestly deeply resents him for not being able to see her and her priorities.

for nancy, she's with steve because he's nice and funny and attractive and he's who she should want to be with. he makes her feel good and gives her butterflies and whatever but it's not really steve she likes, is it? she likes that steve likes her and fights for her and respects her and shows her love and for a year she convinces herself that that's what love is!!

but it's not. of course it's not. she didn't love steve and she doesn't even really know she doesn't until he asks her to say it. and she can't. she didn't know she was lying until she was confronted with it and it's deeply sad for steve but it's also deeply sad for her.

maybe this is just me projecting as someone who was "boy crazy" through middle and high school, but the person you have tricked yourself into thinking you loved noticing that you don't, won't, can't love them, feels like shit. you want to prove them wrong. you want to prove yourself wrong.

because nancy is different than steve. after barb dies, she is no longer friendly with like. any girls. at all. honestly until season 4 when ronance started to get popular she was probably most often headcanoned as this badass straight girl or whatever, which is fine obviously, but also maybe by design?

her best friend is a lesbian (overwhelmingly in fanon) and after she dies she only interacts with men until robin. boys understand her and she wants to prove to them that she's tough and they like her, she's the queen of hawkins high or whatever fred benson says to her.

like. immediately after she ends things with steve, she's with jonathan, because he likes her a lot and he sees her more clearly than steve did and she thinks: okay this is what i needed, this one is right, it's better, it's good

come season 3, she's frustrated again because jonathan doesnt really understand her the way she wants to be understood. but they love each other! she wants to make this work! she's the most driven person she knows, she is determined and stubborn and after everything, there's no reason she shouldn't want to be with jonathan. so they make it work and it's good. all patched up.

brief look back at steve: hitting on women and completely striking out this entire season. it's comical actually. it's actually embarrassing how bad he strikes out, it's like his spark is gone, like he's not even trying! he hardly has the time, anyway, with the kids and work and the upside down. all that.

and then, after some pressing with dustin, he falls for robin. like falls for her. and she's totally different from nancy, because nancy wasn't emotionally available, nancy would never have been able to love him, he's come to terms with that. but robin?

oh she's a lesbian.

season 4. steve is going on dates with girls he doesn't like, who don't like him, who he's not even interested in. robin points it out: you have no idea what you want. which is true. he's very easily swayed. he falls fast and hard but it's never good, he wants something REAL. robin knows exactly what she wants. if only they could combine...

enter nancy wheeler. getting slow-motion broken up with by her boyfriend, too busy to care. boys love her, by the way, she's sought-after, but she has a good excuse. she has a boyfriend that lives far away. she doesnt know why he doesn't come to visit her, but she's also not really interested in coming to visit him either. they're at a stalemate. and it's perfect. she gets to live her life free of romance because she technically already has a boyfriend who loves her very much.

and then her and steve are thrown back together again, and they're so different from how they used to be after less than a year and a half. they've grown and they. woah, they want completely different things. he wants six kids and she thinks that's a nightmare. she doesn't want to be like her mom, doesn't want some big nuclear family, and the problems she and steve had haven't gone away, but she still flirts with him. she thinks it's fun. it doesn't mean anything. she's with jonathan now.

and everyone is up both of their asses like: oh my god nancy and steve need to get back together, they lost each other along the way, they were destined to be together.

but really. steve couldn't be going after someone less interested in him if he tried, with nancy. not with robin or the girls he goes on dates with. he's so positive he likes girls, and these girls never ever like him back (and when they do... he's painfully disinterested), and he doesn't consider why he keeps crawling back to something so unattainable on purpose. over and over again.

and nancy, really is only chasing the opposite of what other people expect from her. she doesn't want to be her mom. she doesnt want to be with steve. she doesnt want to be with jonathan. but thats what everyone thinks she wants. and the worst part is that she doesn't really know what she wants! because this is what she knows she's supposed to want! she's got to be with some man if she's going to get anywhere she wants in life. but god, it is never about the men at all.

im just sitting here holding steve harrington by the face, like: please examine why you are exclusively interested in women that want nothing to do with you. examine why you're so determined to make things work with people you know it will not work with.

and i'm sitting here holding nancy wheeler by the face, like: please examine why you are exclusively interested in men only when they've expressed romantic interest in you first. examine why you're so determined to stay in relationships that you're unhappy in for way past their expiration date. because being pursued feels worse.

i'm just saying that all the crushes i had when i was in high school ended up coming out as gay after graduation or were otherwise extremely disinterested. and every guy i did date had to literally corner me in a hallway to ask me out before the last day of school or something so i wouldnt literally run away from them.

[autogeneratedkahootnickname]

I know a common thread among general mental illness awareness is that there is little to no mainstream understanding of the actual condition beyond what we've interpreted it to be on tv - ADHD as 'quirky random disease' and psychosis as 'uncontrollable monster disease' etc etc - but one I don't see talked about a lot is what happened to OCD.

OCD as a mental illness has sort of been condensed into 'clean freak disease', 'if its not a right angle its a wrong angle' and so on, which like, yeah it CAN be, but thats kind of like saying geography is the study of Michigan.

The 'meat' of OCD, the stuff that everyone experiences, is horrible intrusive thoughts that you can't get out of your mind: the 'obsessions' of obsessive compulsive disorder. These can be on a range of things from violent to sexual to ethical - no two experiences are exactly the same - but the connecting factor is that they are utterly unbearable.

Some people then try to cope with the anxiety created by these thoughts by repeating a thought or an action - a compulsion. Some people's compulsions could be a quick little mantra they recite in their head, some could be spending 7 hours a day walking in a circle with your eyes closed, some may not experience compulsions at all (Pure-Os, which is not fascistic cereal but a form of OCD where you only experience obsessions).

Obsessions are the stem of the illness, compulsions can make it into a disability.

If you didn't know about this and thought OCD was clean freak disease, you would have no idea that's what was happening to you, partly because no-one discusses obsessions readily (because they're embarrassing or shameful) and partly because its much easier to latch onto the cleanliness angle in popular depictions than the horrible crippling intrusive thoughts angle. I had intrusive thoughts for a year before I looked into any of this (not diagnosed just my working explanation), in which time I had come to the conclusion, 'oh, so I'm an actual monster' which. Since most people first start manifesting thoughts around 16 (though it can happen at any age) its not an awesome time to start going through domestic brain warfare. I had a ROUGH year 12 lemme tell you.

So if you're reading this and any part of it resonates with you, some words of advice:

1. You are not a bad person. OCD manifests in a way that is antithetical to your personality and core belief system, which is why these thoughts are intrusive. The worse person your brain tries to convince you you are, the better a person you actually are. Take some comfort in that.

2. Seek medical or therapeutic resources if they're available to you. Knowledge of OCD is a massive help in combatting it (my thoughts pivotted away from who i was fundamentally as a person once I knew more about OCD), but CBT or dopamine receptive treatment are the main ways of permanently overcoming it.

3. You're doing so well. If you're worried about where you are in life, know that you're doing everything while combatting your own brain to get it done. That you can do anything is amazing. Go easy on yourself.

4. With that, don't actively try and fight thoughts once they're in your head. The more you scream against them (linking back to earlier) the more entrenched an obsession becomes since its antithetical to your actual wants. Just let it wash over you and wait for it to pass, remembering its intrusive and doesn't reflect you. This can be insanely hard at first, but its the best way to come to terms with yourself. You won't be corrupted by them, even if it feels like it.

5. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Without getting too Dear Evan Hansen-ey, 2-3% of the population has OCD based on existing studies, a number which is probably much higher since it's so underreported. You aren't uniquely evil or broken, you're just trying to work through something difficult, and there are so many resources to help with that. For a condition with so little common understanding, its incredibly well documented once you go looking. Raynecorp on tiktok is a good place to start looking for lived experiences, but NHS.com or WebMD have fantastic clinical resources for paths forward.

6. It isn't going to happen. If your obsessions focus on an action you might take, it just won't happen. It feels like it, sometimes you convince yourself you've already done it, but you cannot be physically compelled to do it. It's like hypnosis or being drunk, its limited by who you are as a person and cannot be taken any further. Dont worry!

I wish you all the best for 2023, and keep going :D

[cannibalisticskittles]

i'm imagining a scenario where amity's dad got swept up by the nautiloid instead of her and. god. what a misadventure.

i can't decide if he and gale would be fast friends, soulmates, or mortal enemies. they have a lot of similarities, insofar as being wizards who LOVE magic and magical research and various special interests, and they both can be reckless in pursuit of this, and this could work Very Well or their differences could turn their similarities into contempt

plus symon is more... well... he's only partly a wizard. he's also a warlock, because he was bored to tears by the idea of continuing to study things that didn't interest him, so he made a deal with an archdevil for magical power so he could fake it and pretend like he was doing great at wizard stuff instead, and just focus on his experiments. so he's not as dedicated to the True Art, he just wants to be left alone with his lil projects.

still, i think in general, he and gale would get along. they could talk for hours about various magical subjects, the properties of the alchemical compounds he's currently collecting, the latest magical theorems they've read about. (i think they're close in age, too; i imagine gale is mid-30s at the youngest, but more likely, late 30s, early 40s. symon was a fairly young dad; he was 19 or 20 when amity was born, so he's ~46, 47 now)

he Would Not question shadowheart At All. oh, some mysterious business in baldur's gate? that's nice! he won't pry, that would be rude. a lady deserves to have her secrets :)

he would have endless questions for lae'zel, both about gith in general and about the astral plane. what a sight! what an honor to be born amidst the tears! he would not be put off by her whatsoever. every morning he would just have new questions for her.

he would try to fucking study astarion, that's for sure. he'd let astarion bite him, if asked. but then he'd want to run tests. is the taste or quality of blood impacted by diet? by location bitten? hold on, let him get his notebook and jot down the time of day and the date and contents of his last meal, for comparison; you'll have to be detailed when describing the taste. and please hold still; he'd like to sketch those fangs, if you wouldn't mind. it would be highly off-putting for astarion.

since symon is on the council of four, he's definitely familiar with wyll's dad, tho symon probably wasn't present enough in elbow-rubbing a decade ago to have ever met wyll. he also isn't, uh, very focused on other people most of the time, so he wouldn't be able to tell wyll much about what his dad is up to. he could tell him some, though! wyll reminds symon of amity quite a bit; the youthful enthusiasm, the drive for heroics. what a nice boy :) symon would also, like amity, devote quite a bit of time to wyll's predicament with his pact and with mizora, and try to find loopholes or ways out.

karlach also reminds symon of amity; he's not, uh, dadly enough to take anyone else under his wing, really; but he's very quickly fond of her because of this. he thinks she and amity would be friends, and tells her so. once again, he would want to study her and her heart; he'll also start pulling alchemical ingredients from his pockets and start musing about what can be done to modulate temperature and make her ticker run a bit better here. potentially helpful! very meddlesome tho.

i also. think he might consume a tadpole or two. for science. for research.

his imp familiar, ekil, would be distraught. tugging at his elbow, trying to get him to put down the tadpole jar, protesting loudly (if squeakily). but symon would not be deterred. "ekil my old friend, have no fear, this is all in pursuit of knowledge! :)" and then he shotguns that tadpole down.

symon being abducted also means that at some point, amity will find them. a wild-eyed tiefling on a white horse bursts into their campsite hollering "WHERE IS MY DAD" in the fucking shadowlands

[walpu]

Hi! I was reading your discussion about Sunday and Robin and!!!! First of all I love to see these thoughts and analyses on them because there's really so much to unpack, I'm honestly still a bit in a daze after all that 😭

And second of all, I also reaaaallly hope they'll expand Robin's arc some more and not just call it a day after this quest, because honestly the best part about this new update was how both Sunday and Robin aren't completely wrong but also not completely right either. I liked the fact that Robin's idealism was questioned a few times (through Sunday, Acheron and Black Swan if I remember correctly) and yeah, I hope we'll get more on that.

Cause like, I understand where she's coming from and she's really admirable and all that (and she's also quite literally a bird in a cage), but I'm pretty sure that irl one of the first things that people would tell her regarding her pov would be something along the lines of "it's really easy for someone like YOU (adopted by the future dreammaster, the Family's jewel, a renowned pop star) to talk (preach?) about these things when all things considered you've been living a very privileged life that most of the common folk could never even dream of ever having". In short, it's probably very easy to talk about making the 'right' choice when you live most people's ideal life and thus have the leisure to make these choices.

And on the other hand, I also hope they'll address the elephant in the room: her self-destructive tendencies, as you've said before.

Idk, I just really love when stories touch upon these complicated themes where there's really no right or wrong answer and where you have to navigate a fog of grey areas 🤔

I feel like Robin's also shaping up to be a really interesting character to dissect (as the bird in a cage, the superstar, the one who probably best represents the pure ideal of the 'strong' trying to protect the 'weak' and all the difficult and confusing things such a position brings about, etc.) Sunday's arc was delightful because it brought about so many conflicting feelings (characters whose kindness can lead them to very messy situations >>>>>), so now i'm begging for them to keep this good work with Robin!

Also, are y'all okay?? I see a lot of people saying they relate to Sunday (tbh I do too, to an extent), is it because of religious trauma or because of his attitude in general? Or a combination of both? I'm genuinely curious to know if religion has anything to do with that (because religion isn't very prevalent in my country, so I might be missing some elements here) but also, you don't have to answer that part if it's an uncomfortable subject 🩷

Anyway, sorry for this wall of text, and have a good day! (or night)

Hi!!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I actually didn't take into the consideration that Robin does, in fact, have a lot of privileges that make her one of the "strong" ones, as Sunday puts it.

But I feel like she herself actually understands it, at least to a degree. In the quest she said that she wants to use her power to protect people, since she has an opportunity to do so, and it's implied that Sunday's desire to make everyone "equal" is partly rooted in his fear for Robin's safety (his second question to us, when he wonders if he should support Robin or convince her to put her ideals aside).

Freedom vs safety is such an old dilemma, there're a lot of questions that come with making such a choice. I won't blame hoyo if they decede not to address all of the grey areas though, because, at the end of the day, the mc is not our self-insert, they have their own views on the topic and, being honest, if we unpack every single nuance, we won't leave Penacony until 3.0 💀

Also don't worry, I'm okay!! Religious trauma is a part of why I, and a lot of other people, I assume, find him relatable. My county is quite religious and religion is often politicized, so I have a lot of very complicated feelings about the topic. But the core aspect of Sunday's character that makes him so relatable (at least for me) is his view on the said dilemma. I really want to be someone who chooses freedom over safety but honestly? His version of safety is not even that restricting. You get to be with your loved ones, safe and happy. And everyone is equal! No need for food, for sleep, for money even. You just get to enjoy a happy life, explore new things, etc. It's his desire to make everyone (especially his closest person) happy combined with his escapistic views that make him relatable. So yeah his story did hit a nerve but not in a bad way, just made me reflect

I feel like Penacony's storyline is genius in a way. In the 2.1 quest we were rooting for Aventurine when he decided to overcome nihilty. But in the 2.2 quest the story challenges us, asking if we ourselves are willing to keep exploring and overcoming pain in order to keep finding new meanings, or we want to stay in our bubble of comfort in order to hide from the pain. Like. Ouch.

But a good story is supposed to challenge you and make you reflect on yourself so I'm really happy with hoyo's writing 😌

Have a good day/nigh as well! 🌻

[amethystina]

Fanfic Tag Thingie

I am choosing to be tagged by @miss-ingno because this sounded like fun and I need an escape from the realisation that I am literally on the edge of burnout and my life is a mess. So here we go! :D

How many works do you have on AO3?

76

What's your total AO3 word count?

2 237 636

... and I have around 200k more just sitting in my WIP folders. I can't write short things x'D

What fandoms do you write for?

Right now it's mainly various Kdramas (The Devil Judge, Black Knight, plus my bold venture into Strangers From Hell) but, before that, it was mostly The Losers, Marvel, Pacific Rim, and Teen Wolf. With the occasional detour here and there.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Who Holds the Devil (The Devil Judge, Gahan) at 3 390

Tech Support (MCU, Winteriron) at 3 217

Autonomy (MCU, Winteriron) at 3 137

I Won't Hold My Breath (MCU, Winteriron) at 2 914

Conflict of Interest (MCU, Winteriron) at 2 173

It's honestly a little wild to me that Who Holds the Devil has somehow managed to race to the top despite the other fics being at least four years older (sometimes more). And for a much bigger fandom, at that. You guys are not fucking around.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! Every single one if I can, though it can sometimes take a while before I get to all of them. And I just can't help it, I guess? Partly because I want to show that I've read the comment and appreciate the time and effort that went into writing it, but also because it often gives me an opportunity to talk about my writing and the choices I made in the fic.

And, apparently, the fact that I reply to all comments has become a bit of a thing at least when it comes to Who Holds the Devil, where readers will search through my replies looking for tidbits and extra information about the fic, characters etc.

(you guys are so weird and so dedicated and I love all of you xD)

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Grief (The Losers (Comics)). Because it is, predictably, about grief and how to keep living after someone you love has died. Though I would argue that the ending has a hint of hopefulness to it since it's also about moving on from said grief?

But yeah. Definitely that one since it's Major Character Death that I choose not to fix.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Literally every single fic except for the one above xD I LOVE my happy endings, okay? And it's kind of difficult to rank them since it depends a lot on the setting, characters, and the personal preference of the reader.

Heck, I even managed to give my Strangers From Hell fanfic a sugary sweet happy ending! That's dedication right there!

Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, from time to time. I've gotten everything from childish insults calling me a bad writer to backhanded comments questioning my choices, writing style, grammar, spelling, dedication, intelligence, etc. I've even received more targeted, personal hate where people I thought I could trust were making fun of me behind my back in private chat rooms.

Most recently, though, it's less hate and more the "I simply must tell you that you're not writing this fic as I want you to write it" type of deal. Often paired with "It's my personal opinion and I have every right to express it." Which, fair enough. But that means I get to do the same, which I've noticed is something those kinds of commenters kind of hate. Especially when I point out that they've now made me a lot less keen to write the fanfic they're supposedly so fond of.

Turns out people don't like being reminded that their actions have consequences.

All in all, though, I've learned to just delete the comments I find too offensive or hateful.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh god no. Sex scenes are the bane of my existence and I spend the entire time writing them looking like this: ლ(ಥ益ಥლ)

I've been told I'm not bad at writing them (the ones in Until Death Do Us Unite were quite appreciated) but anything involving sex or sexual tension is just a nightmare for me. Even more so when it's supposed to be kinky or extra spicy.

So why is one of the main ships I write for right now clearly a Dom/sub ship, you ask?

Because I'm an idiot. That's why.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you've written?

I rarely do. The only crossover I've written is Resurrection where Derek Hale ends up in Purgatory together with Dean Winchester and they fight their way back to the world of the living (so Derek replaces Benny, basically).

I also have this one random fic (yet unposted) where Tony Stark and Eddie Brock are a couple (from the MCU and Venom movies, that is). But they're technically both in the Marvel universe so I'm not sure if that counts?

Long story short, crossovers aren't really my thing. I rarely write or read them.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, no.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Several, in fact, from various fandoms. Mostly into Russian, Spanish, or Mandarin. And I am honestly so flattered every time someone asks me if they can translate one of my fics 💜

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, no. I made plans to write a fic with a friend once, but we never got to the point of actually writing it. And, in all honesty, I think that might be just as well. I'm a perfectionist and writing a fic with me would probably be very exhausting for the other party xD

What's your all-time favourite ship?

I really don't know. Like, I'm tempted to say Jensen and Cougar from The Losers, or maybe Destiel or Stony, but I think that's partly founded in comfort and nostalgia. My ships change as I do and I really can't pinpoint an all-time favourite.

But CURRENT favourite? Definitely Kang Yo Han and Kim Ga On because they present such a wonderful challenge to someone like me, who loves to go real deep into character motivations, behaviour etc. They're a delight.

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm not sure. I plan to finish all the ones I've started posting but there might be some in my folders that I'll decide to abandon if I truly can't revive my interest in them. But, usually, I can.

And, speaking of that, to all my MCU peeps (if there are any of you still out there): I know you've waited six years for the Tech Support sequel but it's finally been written and just needs to be edited. It's coming, my darlings. I promise.

Basically, when I say I'll do something, I will do it — even if it takes me six goddamn years, apparently x'D

What are your writing strengths?

Characters, tone, and emotions. I'm good at capturing the essence of the characters and write them in a way that feels believable and close to canon. I'm also really good at making people feel things with my writing, I've been told. According to testimonials, my readers can often see what's happening play out inside their heads like a movie, and feel the characters' emotions as they're living through them.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Aside from the aforementioned sex scenes? I think it's my inability to keep things short. I use a lot of unnecessary words and could definitely get better at being more concise. In a similar vein, I sometimes focus so much on the details with lengthy, wordy descriptions that I accidentally forget about the big picture, which is understandably confusing to my readers.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've done it from time to time (since my man Cougar speaks Spanish) but I'm pretty careful with it. And if it's longer sentences I always make sure to double-check with a native speaker.

First fandom you wrote for?

Teen Wolf! Which, admittedly, was because I didn't care if I fucked it up x'D I enjoyed the first two seasons of Teen Wolf, make no mistake! But I chose it mainly because it wasn't the ship I was the most emotionally invested in and so I figured it wouldn't feel as bad if it turned out that I sucked. Luckily enough for me, I didn't xD

Favourite fic you've written?

Just like with the all-time favourite ship, I'm not sure if I can answer this one. Because I like all of my fics but in different ways.

I'll always have a fondness for that first huge Teen Wolf series I wrote, for example, and had a lot of fun with Autonomy because of the world-building. Same goes with Hyperborean. But Who Holds the Devil is definitely my favourite when it comes to character work. While Allies is my favourite when it comes to tone, since it ended up just the way I wanted it to. And Until Death Do Us Unite was an absolute BLAST because I got to write horror and some really weirdass shit, which I've never done before.

So, truly, I can't say. Each one I've written has something I cherish and while some definitely stand out more than others, I wouldn't be able to just pick one.

___

And that's that! I tag whoever wants to do it! :D

[evilkitten3]

@catra-taj i somewhat disagree?

see - and bear with me here - i don't think that ozai was really physically abusive, aside from the major instance we see onscreen. i think most of his abuse was emotional/psychological. he played the favorite child game, just to a significantly more dramatic extent than most families. it's the same thing azulon did to him and iroh, and according to legacy of the fire nation, the same thing sozin did to azulon and someone else (azulon was favored over another family member, iroh was favored over ozai, azula was favored over zuko. it's a family tradition!)

azula never expects her dad to hurt her, partly bc she's never not favored over zuko, and her life as taught her that staying the favorite means staying out of the line of fire (hehe), but zuko never seemed to expect it either. the agni kai wasn't what he expected to happened (and frankly imo the agni kai was less about maiming zuko and more about putting him in his place– ozai says "you will learn, and suffering will be your teacher" or something like that, and i think he meant it. his goal was never to help the writers give zuko a unique character design, it was to punish him for being too weak to fight his own father. ozai frankly isn't sure what's up with that; he would've loved to deck his dad)

the other thing is... despite azula's contempt for iroh, she has very little actual experience of that side of him. for most of her life, iroh was a great military general, and even after he fucked up in ba sing se, he was still the man who'd killed a dragon (not really, but only iroh and the sun warriors knew that part). and even after he wandered off to the spirit world to figure out why he was sad (side note this is the closest any atla character has come to receiving actual therapy), he fucked off a couple years later when zuko was banished.

my theory on the iroh-azula dynamic is that iroh is, on some level, aware of just how much in common he has with azula. everything about her is a walking reminder of himself– a firebending prodigy, a military genius, the favored child, ruthlessly efficient and manipulative (iroh is both of those things, even if the fandom really doesn't like admitting it), right down to invading the exact same city (only azula was actually successful, although frankly that's in large part bc she took advantage of an opportunity that simply may not have existed when iroh was doing it). iroh is aware of that, and also very much in denial about it. he hates who he used to be, and since azula reminds him of all of that, he has a very strong aversion to her (i won't say he hates her, but i think it's more that he doesn't want to admit he hates her bc he also knows that that's kinda fucked up)

the thing is, azula is very very good at reading people. and iroh never even tries to hide his distaste for her (remember how when zhao showed up, iroh was all for playing nice? yeah, that goes out the window when it's his fourteen-year-old niece instead of some schmuck in his probably 40s. i know jason isaacs is cool but c'mon). azula is fully aware that iroh dislikes her, and she's also aware that he has every reason to outright kill her. for starters, she's competition for the throne, whether iroh decided he wanted it back or wanted zuko on it. she's also currently his enemy, and azula isn't particularly expecting mercy (again, iroh has - officially - killed a dragon).

on the one hand, she hadn't known lightning redirection was a thing, so that's in part where the confusion comes in. but on the other hand, there was a very real possibility that that would've been the end of her life. he had a move she didn't know about, which meant that there was an opening for him to get rid of her, and she fully expected him to take advantage of that. in her eyes, he played an incredibly good trump card and then intentionally didn't ensure that she never got a chance to tell ozai.

i think this incident both raised and lowered her opinion of iroh. raised in that he's clearly an incredible bender, but lowered in that he's not living up to his full potential (of murdering teenagers. look azula is fucked up ok that whole family is a shitshow on every level. it's great and i love it).

was fucking around on google images and i ended up stumbling on a reddit post from three yrs ago with a picture of iroh grabbing azula during a fight scene...

this is the only time i can think of when azula seems completely terrified.

he grabs her and she's scared shitless

but he just redirects her lightning and she's just bewildered.

i wonder what she was thinking there