#this is really just for our inner children (who would actually make this?)

[morethansalad]

Buddy the Elf Spaghetti (Vegan)

[spiderlily-w1tch-blog]

𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚕(𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚊) - 𝚁𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢/𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚛

𝕎𝕀𝕊ℙ𝕊𝕀𝕄ℙ𝕊

— — —

Ft Royal Doctor!Julian, Spectator!(Vizier!)Asra + nondescript Castle Staff; ft breeding, belly bulge, mentions of cunnilingus, creampie

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: I do not own The Arcana or its characters, all credit goes to its creators and actors

WC: 3,199

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: Includes mentions of Age Gap(5 years) and Arranged Marriage, no use of Y/n, 1st Person POV, obligatory exhibitionism/public sex warning (Series Warning)

𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖎 𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊: Muriel can finally be the King he truly is 😌 Asra is either his Royal Magician or just his favorite Noble, I’ll decide in the car I decided. He’s the Royal Vizier(who also kind of doubles as the Royal Magician bc bby is a magickal boi)(yes i know i sound pretentious with that spelling but like,,,, just go with it)

【Ｍａｓｔｅｒｌｉｓｔ】

— — —

I happily kiss my husband as he slides his hands up my back, pulling me flush against his chest. He had woken me this morning with sweet kisses down my shoulder and arm, stroking lightly over my hip. He had told me that today is the day and I could hardly contain my joy.

Today is the day that the Vizier arrived back from his travels which means that today is the day we may make an heir for our kingdom. My husband and I have wanted children for years now but due to tradition, we had to wait until I, the Queen, would reach my 25th year. I am now entering my 26th year as we had to wait for the Royal Vizier to arrive to oversee the creation of the future Heir.

But he’s back now, which means that Muriel and I can make our dream of having a child come true. While this isn’t the first time we’ve copulated, this is the first time we’ll be able to reap the benefits. As is tradition, we’re presenting in the throne room. Muriel’s ancestors believed it to be symbolic, and mine believed it to be good luck.

Our marriage was initially arranged for peace and unity, we fell in love long before we married. As the sole heirs to each of our Kingdoms, we had been betrothed since we were young. We didn’t get along at first when we first met as children, but after a time apart, we met again as adolescents in my 14th year and his 19th and our love blossomed.

It all came to ahead to where we are now. Sitting in my lovely husband’s lap, nude as the day I was born, with his hands running up and down my skin as we prepare to finally create the child we have so wanted. His hands find their home on my hips and he presses a sweet kiss to my lips in preparation.

“I’m sure you two will make a lovely heir, Your Majesties.” Asra, our Vizier speaks in his usual, naturally teasing tone, though we know he’s sincere. I smile into the kiss and release a breathy chuckle when I hear the door open and the attempt to shut it quietly. Muriel playfully growls against my lips before pulling away, though he kept his gaze on me.

“You’re late.” He states firmly to the Doctor who has just arrived.

“Well, technically, if you think about it, I’m actually early. You’ll really just need my presence in 9 months, Mu- My Lord.” Julian’s voice cuts through the air and makes me laugh at the man’s antics, leaning my head into my husband’s shoulder.

“You’re lucky my wife likes you, fool.” My husband growls out. Everyone in the room knew it was laced with empty threats and false bravado and he actually quite doesn’t mind the doctor but no one points it out. I am perfectly content to only focus on the way my husband’s large firm body is pressed against mine, how his big hands fit so perfectly around my waist, how big his heavy cock feels against my inner thigh.

Finally, we could progress further than simple grinding and get to the main event. I slide my womanhood over Muriel’s dick a few more times to lubricate it enough. Once he had deemed it slick enough, my loving husband tightens his hold on my waist and lifts me up just enough to allow me to reach down and position his massive cock at my entrance. Even with my added lubrication and how much he had stretched me open with his delightfully thick fingers, the stretch of his cock head entering me burns deep in my core. After all the years that we have been married and had sex, granted many of those times were simply fucking my thighs or Muriel staying between my legs for hours on end, his size still managed to prove difficult to take unless we go slowly. Over the years, when we did have sex, I learned to not only get used to the burn of the stretch but quite enjoy it as well.

My husband and I share a sigh of relief when his tip pushes past my tight muscles, the rest will be relatively ‘smooth sailing’, as Portia, our resident Overseas Trader would put it. I slowly slide down on his length, with his help, and pant when I finally reached the base. My love holds me gently to his chest to let me rest for a moment, to get used to his size once more.

We hadn’t been able to have full intercourse in the last many months as it was worried that with this day coming upon us, we would get too excited and forgo tradition, if only by a few months. They were even worried enough to advise us to not even simulate the act, the Elders’ way of telling us that Muriel couldn’t even fuck my thighs as of recently. Luckily, we remained far from abstinent in the time approaching this glorious day, needing to release the pressure building up before we’d spontaneously combust. Muriel maintained his favorite position— aside from being buried inside me— with his face buried between my thighs for as long as he was able. He hardly allowed me to return the favor but I still managed to pleasure my husband any way he would let me.

And that finally brings us to today. The day we’ve been yearning for for years. The sting of the stretch hasn’t fully passed but I couldn’t bring myself to give a damn, I need Muriel to fill me over and over again until he stuffs me full of his cum and breeds me with his child, his heir. More than anything I want to be full and pregnant with my loving husband’s progeny. I truly love my husband more than anything in the world and to carry his child is my greatest wish, the greatest honour I could have.

Lifting my hips, I shiver at the feeling of his thick cock dragging against my inner walls. Without much patience, with help from my husband’s big, rough hands on my hips adding to the momentum, I let my hips fall back into his lap, burying his cock inside me once again. A pleasured gasp slips past my lips and my eyelids flutter shut. Unable to resist my yearning for more, I use my hands perched on his shoulders to lift myself up again and quickly let myself fall back down. The pleasure began building quickly, especially after I haven’t had his cock inside me for so many months for that stupid “precaution” and I quickly feel myself becoming addicted all over again. Addicted to the feeling of being filled so wonderfully by my husband’s spectacularly large cock.

I set a steady pace and easily rise and fall on his length, relishing in the feeling. I look down and see the familiar bulge he creates in my belly every time he fills me. The sight has me moaning more and encouraging a faster pace. My loving husband reaches a hand up from my hip— his other one slightly tightening its grip so as to compensate for the sudden lack of support— and lifts my chin to look at him. He looks at me with eyes filled with love and lust and a deep wanting greed that sends shocks of pleasure down my spine and adds to the pleasure of him filling my cunt.

I vaguely recognise the sound of a short groan from the doors that Julian had previously made his grand entrance from. Without looking, I figure that it’s the maids and other servants milling about that decided to peek into the throne room. I couldn’t care less at this moment, however, as I’m only focussed on savoring the feeling of my King, my Husband inside me. In fact, let them watch. Let them witness the true union of their King and Queen. Finally conceiving an heir. Their future Prince or Princess. We are not malevolent rulers, let them indulge in the honour of witnessing the next King or Queen’s conception.

From behind me, I can hear Asra discussing with Julian. Plans for how to accommodate my pregnancy, most likely, or plans for the birth. I must still attend to my duties as Queen, even if I am with child, at least until the last month or so until I am to give birth. How we shall handle public appearances once my belly begins to swell with proof of my Husband’s seed entering my womb and fulfilling the wish we have waited for since before we were wed. The thought invigorates me and urges me forward on my conquest to receive my Husband’s love. Previously I had been attempting to hold in my more undignified moans and noises but I can’t help it any longer.

Looking into Muriel’s eyes, I am pushed to release a loud, drawn-out moan that I previously had only saved for the privacy of our bed chambers. When he has my legs pinned to my chest as he thrusts wildly into my heat. The noise seems to have an effect on him as his hold tightens into a bruising grip that suddenly makes me dissatisfied that I only wear gowns that cover all of me and I cannot display the marks he leaves on my skin— visible proof of his love that he leaves each time we have such delightful coitus.

“Please, my love— do not hold your beautiful sounds inside. I want to hear you, hear how good my cock is making you feel.” My Husband’s deep, growling voice speaks to me, encouraging me further to my release. Instantly, I comply, moans and an assortment of other sensual and sultry noises flow from my lips. Muriel’s hands on my hips add more force to the thrusts downward and it quickly sends me spiraling into my orgasm. With a loud cry, my walls clench around him and slick gushes into his nude lap, coating his thick thighs with my ecstasy. A muttered curse mixed with a pleasant growl leaves my lover and it sends shocks of pleasure through me, further enhancing my pleasure.

My walls clench around his member, making every vein and small detail more prominent against my sensitive cunt. Muriel lets his head fall back against his throne with a ‘thunk’ with a deep, appreciative groan. The sound of the servants at the door murmuring in surprise and excitement snaps me out of my ecstasy-induced daze and I would be annoyed if it didn’t remind me that my husband still hasn’t cum— hasn’t filled me with his seed. We haven’t finished yet. Silently, I halfheartedly thank them and continue my rhythm of lifting my hips with his assistance. My orgasm made me sensitive so each drag of his thick cock against my walls is like agonizing ecstasy, pushing me towards another orgasm already. My husband’s stomach muscles tense and release rhythmically and his groans become more frequent and more strained and rushed, an indicator I’ve become quite familiar with that he’s approaching his end as well.

“Fuck- My Love- My Queen- So good. So fucking good. Perfect! So perfect around me! Oh, Ancients- keep clenching around me like that.” He begins to ramble, another indicator that had quickly become my favorite since I first heard it those years ago on the night of our wedding. That night we spent hours consummating our marriage. Likely we will be replicating that night once we get back to our bed chambers. And I can’t wait.

His cockhead kisses my cervix with each thrust like it’s trying to bully its way inside. The thought actually excites me. The prospect of his cock inside my womb when he finally shoots his load has the knot in my belly pulling taut in record time. Unable to resist him, I move forward urgently and smash my lips against my husband’s. He swallows my high-pitched whines of pleasure as I take in the gorgeous baritone groans and growls from deep in his chest.

From behind me, I can vaguely hear Julian making his very Julian-like noises that I can hazily recognize that he’s taking perverse pleasure in the situation. Surprisingly enough I can’t hear Asra chastising him as he usually does. With my husband’s length still pounding my insides and his tongue invading my mouth, mapping out the territory he’s claimed again and again, I can’t get myself to care much. If I can remember anything but Muriel’s name after this, I’ll have to indulge my curiosity— though that likelihood is nearly nonexistent.

My husband’s tongue slips out of my mouth and he drags it down to my pulse point and attaches to the spot with teeth nipping at the area and his lips sealed over it to suck a dark mark into the skin, his tongue lapping at the sensitive skin. That sends me hurdling over the edge again, my legs trembling beneath me and my hips faltering in their repetitive motions, and my walls clenching and unclenching around Muriel’s cock inside me. His nails dig into my flesh the way mine do his and his teeth sink into my neck in a possessive bite as his hips jolt up to meet flush to mine. With his hips pressed up into mine and his possessive grip pushing me down to somehow bring me closer, his length fills me completely and wholly.

His tip pushes at my cervix, opening the inner hole just enough that his hot, potent seed floods directly into my womb. The feeling of warmth filling my belly as well as the sensation of being fuller than I ever have before sends my eyes rolling back into my skull; else I would have seen the large bulge in my stomach from his cock pushing in to the furthest extent and his cum bloating my womb even further. Even with his massive cock stretching my cunt as far as it could go and his tip protruding into the entrance of my womb, cum seeps out and leaks out of my slick entrance in tiny streams. With so much cum filling me, there was no way I wasn’t properly and thoroughly bred. I quiver and shake in his hold with my back straight and stiff as an arrow before I collapse bonelessly against my Husband’s strong and solid chest. His muscles remain tense for several moments as the aftershocks of his strongest orgasm yet rush through his body.

He slumps against his throne, hands relaxing against my skin— I can already feel the beautiful bruises forming and crescent indents stinging deliciously— and lazily slide over my back to loosely hold my body against his. My body rises and falls with the movements of his chest as he heaves for breath, his lips brush over my ear and give pleasurable puffs of air against my neck. His warmth— both inside and outside of my body— has me cuddling closer to him and tucking my face into his neck, appreciating the tickle of his long hair on my face and his natural musk meeting my nose.

“You did wonderfully, Majesties.” Asra’s soft voice speaks up from his place before the thrones, though it hardly registers. My husband murmurs praises to me lowly through his slow, deep inhales to get the air back into his lungs from it all being punched out by his powerful orgasm.

“You did so good, my love. So perfect for me. You’ll be the perfect mother to our little one. ‘ll look so pretty when you swell with my child. ‘ll look so perfect so full. ‘m gonna breed you again and again now that we can.” His voice is soft and grumbly with exhaustion and it fills me with another kind of ecstasy. I feel the slow drag of Muriel’s stubbly chin as he turns his face to press a kiss to where he can reach on my face. With the comfort of the warmth in my belly and my husband’s arms around me with soft words whispered into our small, shared space, I’m easily lulled into a comfortable, floaty space.

I vaguely recognize things moving around me but I cannot bring myself to return to awareness. I hear Julian’s voice as well as Asra’s and my Husband’s but I can’t make out what they’re saying. A voice calls out into the space a short order and suddenly the large doors quickly fall closed with a groan and a loud ‘thud’ echoing through the room.

“My love?” My husband’s voice brings me back and I blink the bleariness out of my eyes to see his forest green ones staring back at me with a warm mirth.

“Uh?” He smiles lightly in soft amusement and nods at the two at my back. Lazily my gaze shifts to them to see our Vizier ready with the ring in his hand to signify that the ritual has finally been completed. Shaky, my hand reaches out and he softly cushions my hand to gracefully slide the perfectly sized ring onto my left index finger. The simple jewelry fills me with comfort and accomplishment and I release a sigh I didn’t realise I was holding.

“Congratulations, My Queen. The Heir shall be good and strong like his progenitors.” He kindly smiles and his words quell my mind with a soft joy. Julian comes up once Asra steps back to give Muriel his symbol. With a rare kind smile, he leans down and gently prods my lower belly and hips with cold hands that make me jolt in my husband’s hold, his arms tightening protectively around me and as a reaction to the shifting of my body while his cock still resides heavy inside me.

“Well, if we couldn’t tell before— which we’d have to be blind and deaf not to—“ he jokes making me smirk and Muriel tighten his lips in faux annoyance though I know it��s to stop the quirk trying to tug at his lips, “I’m more than sure that you’re to be with child very soon. Practically by the time you leave this room with how-” Quickly, Asra rushes over and tugs the back of Julian’s coat away from the thrones, effectively cutting him off with a garbled choking sound that turns into a strained laugh that sounded more like a choking cat.

Smiling contentedly, I comfortably lean my head back into my husband’s shoulder, “So,” I speak softly, catching his attention and making his beautifully dark eyes meet mine. Mischief slips into my smile and my brow quirks up as my gaze flicks to his lips for a mere moment, “Would you like to recreate our honeymoon in our chambers with our newly attained benefit?” My voice drops into a lower sultry tone. Muriel’s brows rise as his eyes darken and he quickly— though still careful of both our sensitivity— hooks his hands under my thighs and lifts me effortlessly and begins a determined trek to our chambers to keep me there for the rest of the day— and likely into tomorrow.

— — —

𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥:

@frosch-thefrog @hellsingalucard18

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Clover's personality (in-depth)

This thing turned out way longer than intended. As promised, I wrote my opinions in regards to Clover's mbti; I also wanted to include the enneagram but figured it would be too much, so I'll do that separaretly. For those who wanna get straight to the point, just scroll to the end of the post for a pic of the functions I think Clover has. But if you want more details, read the whole thing. Probably not many people will wanna do that, but I had fun, lol. Please excuse me for nerding out

Analysis

Even before they got into the Underground, Clover thought to themselves "Ok, this is a dangerous mountain and I ain't coming back, I'm probably gonna die and therefore not live to see the rest of my life play out BUT I'm gonna follow my values anyway. They're worth the risk." To me, right off the bat, that's Fi over Ti (aka inner values and morals over inner facts and logic).

I've done some research on this stuff and found out how "Fi knows the value of something not by analyzing it but by feeling it deep inside themselves that it is how it should be" Ti has to be as objective as possible, Fi doesn't. So I sat down and thought about how exactly Clover approached situations.

I feel like their main reasoning for being in the Underground were their inner values and beliefs of finding out what happened to the children. That's why I'd say they're an introvert rather than an extrovert (it's not because they're quiet and reserved, although they are, but because Clover's inner world affects their outer world). Now, both Ti and Fi look inward, and those inner thoughts and feelings affect how they interact with the external world. The real question is: is Clover objective enough to be considered a dominant Ti user?

We can see in the Vengeance route that Clover is stubborn with their beliefs and refuses to look at things from a more... logical POV: "Asgore killed five humans. Is it fair to wipe out every other monster in my way who gives me even the slightest reason to do it?" Martlet was the only exception because she was the only one who had tried to be nice and understanding. Clover's dark side is that they're tunnel-visioned and see morality as black and white (don't look deeper as to WHY the monsters do what they do), and blindly follow their own beliefs over what objectively makes sense. Just like Ceroba, who I'm positive is a feeler (she only considers how she felt about Chujin and not how skilled of an engineer he actually was, even when there's clear proof he wasn't the best at his job). 

Objectively, it's not fair to kill so many monsters after only five humans were killed. If Clover wanted fair vengeance, they would have stopped after five monsters were killed. But no. According to Clover's own logic, everyone morally imperfect, everyone who's hurt them, who tried to hurt them, or messed up somehow, must die. So, Clover isn't thinking about what makes sense; they're thinking about what makes sense to THEM, and stubbornly hold onto that till the end (again, like Ceroba), even after Martlet's warnings. She says how the Royal Guard will be after them.

The logical (T) thing to do would be to STOP before things become even messier, but once again, no. Clover doesn't care about the consequences, only fulfilling their mission that is driven by their own set of values. No matter which route you choose, you will be presented with Clover's own version of what "justice" means. It's not the objective truth, it's not what's the logical thing to do; they follow their own framework based on their (our) choices.

"If unhealthy INFPs are dealing with threatened values or viewpoints that oppose their own, they can go the other way and imagine that others are all corrupt, thinking badly of them, and deluded. They may see themselves as the only people who see “the truth”, or the only people who really care to make a difference in the world. They can become especially harsh and critical of others and take on a martyr role, gradually secluding themselves from other people". - this feels like geno Clover; they thought they were the hero but they were playing the villain all along

Now that I think about it, the logical thing to do, the one that makes the most sense, would be never to have entered Mt. Ebott in the first place. And if vengeance was what Clover wanted to do, it is fair and makes objective sense to kill only five monsters (since that's how many humans died). But as explained, Clover didn't follow that logical conclusion, but rather their own twisted sense of justice. The same goes for neutral. It's Clover who chooses who gets to live and who gets to die based on their own beliefs and feelings, which are not backed up by facts. Everything they do they do because they themselves feel like it should be done. They are the one who decide who gets to live and who doesn't based on their own opinion/how severe they think the misdeed of the final boss is. This counts for the regular monsters who attack them, too; again, THEIR own subjective decision.

For example, they might see Dalv's actions as acceptable/forgiveable and spare him, but not Starlo's and kill him. Objectively, both characters are messy in their own way, but Clover gets to be the "judge" and decide their fate, not objectively looking at the situation, but subjectively. In short, according to them, Dalv may deserve to live, but not Starlo. 

And even if they're a dominant Ti user, which I don't think they are, Clover is more past and future-oriented than present-oriented (N over S). As mentioned, they thought about how much they'd risk by going down Mt. Ebott (potentially dying, and definitely never seeing the surface ever again, or their family) but they followed their heart's desires; to them, morals and ethics (their own morals and ethics) were more important than what the more logical thing to do was (stay on the surface where it's safe).

In other words, they could already "predict" what would happen in the future, while in the present moment (the beginning of the journey).

And right before sacrificing their soul in pacifist, they think about how their death would affect ALL the monsters in the future, whether they had directly met and befriended them or not, even though they wouldn't be there to see it.

Clover seems to be able to easily move between the past, present and future, unlike sensors, who are mainly in the present moment (this is what I've heard somewhere at some point and remembered it, dunno how true it is). They can easily recall the past, and what they remember are things that moved them on the inside.

I've heard some of my friends say that Clover's character arc was to become a kinder person (develop their Fe), which, honestly, I don't think is the case. They simply acted on their inner views of what justice truly means, without further analyzing whatever they believed justice to be.

In pacifist, they're naturally selfless and kind and forgiving: a bit of a prankster, but they're one of "the best souls" according to Martlet. Just look at the ACT options that they used to befriend monsters. Quietly listens to Decibat, offers Dalv a handshake (and friendship), easily forgives Martlet, Starlo, and even Ceroba (+ gives her a hug), endures so many hardships yet keeps their heart pure and selfless. 

They were always driven by something bigger than themselves (like Chujin, who I also think is a N user).

ISTPs are more adventurous and independent and flexible and focused on current problems in the present moment; Clover has been future-oriented from the start; they depended on Toriel to take care of them, and didn't try to immediately "adapt" to the monster world. Their 1st reaction was to stay safe and cozy. ESTJs (yeah, at some point I thought Clover could be one) are more "ruthless" in their pursuits, they "force" others to adopt their inner values. Clover doesn't do this in any route; they simply act upon their own beliefs, but aren't demanding that other monsters to have those same beliefs.

That's why I think they're an INFP.

Functions

Fi (dominant) – "If something goes against their moral code, they will not go through with it." It went against Clover’s moral code to spare monsters in genocide and abort the mission, so they didn’t, regardless of Martlet’s warnings.

"Fi dominants are inclined to speak up against beliefs or actions that go against their personal values or express disapproval of certain behaviors." I can't find the screenshot, but in the Mines, if you interact with the character who's in the same room as one of the puzzles, Clover will find out how that character pulled a prank on that guy who later got a promotion in the pacifist end credits (I need to reply the game to find the screenshot). But basically Clover was upset that their own morals weren't met and gave them a "disapproving look" or smth

"Ti dominants most often feel compelled to speak out when people are acting inconsistent (ie: contradicting themselves) or when people are being illogical from the Ti user’s perspective." I think Clover reacted to the above situation as a Fi user

"Unlike Fe users, Fi users are very blunt and direct. Fi and Te creates a person who is brutally honest about their opinions and feelings. If they don’t like a person, they will let that person know." Not a person in this case, but an example of this are the options we get for Martlet's questionnaire. Clover will have no problem honestly giving her the lowest scores for both questions; we also also get the chance to honestly tell Ceroba that we're not into Starlo's training. There are these cases where they're direct as well:

...and blunt:

they would have given at least a smile or a thumbs up, but no, their honest opinion is their honest opinion

"They appear cold and withdrawn, but tend to warm up as they get to know a person."

Ne (auxiliary) – "Ne views a situation from multiple angles and motivations" I feel like this is best seen in pacifist; this is exactly why Clover decided to give up their soul in the end; they saw all the motivations of the monsters, from many different angles. On the flip side, in the vengeance route, it’s the complete opposite situation: Clover only looks at things from their own pov, completely disregarding others. That’s the thing about the INFP dark side: INFPs become "disillusioned or stuck in their ways." This 100% describes Clover at their worst: stuck in their ways is already explained, while we can say they were disillusioned when even Martlet turned against them/gave up on them (in Genocide). That was enough of a reason for Clover not to feel bad about finishing her off. They never liked her, but they definitely liked her more than anyone else, so I’d say it counts.

"Creative, open-minded, and able to think outside the box" We can say Clover’s creative when they build Axis’ robot companion, solved the two puzzles in the Mines, they’re also most likely into role-playing just like Starlo, based on their clothes (and they seemed into the whole larping thing with him), and how they seem to be into drawing; open-minded, definitely (Clover with everyone; the pacifist route in a nutshell); able to think outside the box (this goes hand in hand with them being creative: I forgot to mention the many creative ways they found to befriend monsters)

"Ne lives in the present like Se does but makes connections to past and future." Imo, this is exactly what Clover does (their sacrifice in the future, and all the things other monsters had said to them in the past; however, they DO interact with the present world at the same time. This is what I meant when I mentioned how they "jump from and connect all 3")

Si (tertiary) – "happy in their comfort zone" Is this Clover? Yeah. Initially, this was their "default" reaction/behavior: with Toriel. They subconsciously became more independent thanks to good old Flowey. As I said, their values led them to take the risk and come into the Underground in the first place, not adventure/excitement (the way I see it). Were they also seeking the truth? Yeah again, they wanted to know the truth behind the whole situation, but I think it had more to do with how they had found the fact that no other humans bothered to look for the kids immoral.

"Si users may draw on their past experiences to guide their present actions and decisions" Example, how the detailed lines they remembered everyone said in true pacifist, influenced them to make the decision to die in the present moment. Or when they asked Ceroba if she would date Starlo, after hearing and remembering Crestina mention his crush on her beforehand, wanting to set them up.

"Si users have a strong memory for past experiences and details" Yep, explained above. Also, dunno if this counts as noticing details, but we can make them beat the Shufflers’ game with ease.

"Si users are typically practical and realistic in their approach to solving problems" The Snowdin mini-quests come to mind (although they use past information here too to figure out what each character needs to be helped). Also, how they fixed the elevator by using a pickaxe (most practical & realistic choice). They’re also pretty rational while dealing with Guardener, and in general, while dealing with enemies.

Te (inferior) – I guess this is why I suspected they could be an ESTJ.

"seen as leaders" By everyone.

"Come up with ideas quickly" Pretty much throughout the game. They’re more low-key about this than ESTJs though.

"Ruthlss and domineering" This is them in vengeance route

"Extraverted Thinkers recognize the emotional content, but then they set it aside to focus on the facts" I feel like this inferior function of theirs is mostly seen in flawed pacifist. They recognized Ceroba’s emotional situation, but chose to be fair and just instead.

"Te users are logical" Recognizing the dangers of the Underground and deciding to stay with Toriel. We can also say it makes sense that Clover attacked those who attacked them first, and finished Ceroba off (Te is what is objective, but from the external world)

"Though they are generally free spirits, they like to have a certain order in their lives. They do enjoy structure, just as long as it does not intrude with their feelings/morals/ethics/etc. They like to be the ones to create the structure, not to have the structure to be created for them."  Vengeance route and Clover’s "mission" come to mind. Basically, the structure is that, whoever Clover sees as morally flawed, gets to die. And they stick to it

tl;dr this picture pretty much explains the way I see Clover's functions in a nutshell ↓

[ikamigami]

I do not get how Sun can be blamed for Eclipse, there’s so many reasons why not

Sun AND Moon had no idea he was there, even Moon erroneously thought he just left some inert code in there that wouldn’t turn into something, but Sun had no idea because Moon never told him and Eclipse didn’t say anything right up until after July 16th

They blaming Sun’s bad thoughts is some of the most victim-blaming nonsense I’ve ever heard, this is the kind of belief people with OCD rail against because EVERYBODY has bad thoughts and/or intrusive thoughts, especially if they’re as abused and neglected as Sun is, the only thing that matters is if you act on them and Sun never did, he’s not evil for just having mean thoughts, it’s an excuse

Some argue Eclipse was upset with Sun for not standing up for himself and that’s why but that’s also nonsense, this is about as idiotic as Moon abusing Sun to “make him have a spine”, that’s NOT how you do it that’s basic abuse 101, if Eclipse was really seeing Sun’s true thoughts on his mistreatment and really cared he wouldn’t have made Sun’s life twice as awful

And then there’s Solar, living proof every choice Eclipse made didn’t have to happen, he could’ve chosen to be better at any point and all the bad was his choice, Solar proves he could’ve approached this all differently and got what he wanted sooner, he didn’t have to make himself everyone’s enemy, or at least Sun’s enemy as Sun even tried to plead with him even AFTER July 16th(which says something because they didn’t know about Bloodmoon, they thought Eclipse did it, so Sun trying to make nice with and beg the presence that killed the children he was closest too is a lot, even if it’s partially out of fear he had every right to hate Eclipse but he instead tried making peace)

All of the arguments people give for blaming Sun for Eclipse really irk me as it is victim-blaming, the one who’s far more responsible is Moon because he made Eclipse in the first place, but instead of just focusing on the perpetrator Eclipse just had to lash out at Sun instead

You're absolutely right, dear anon! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me ^^

I needed this more than you could think

My theory or take on this is that despite Eclipse hearing Sun's most deep hidden thoughts he didn't understand Sun..

I mean I think that Sun's inner thoughts were intrusive thoughts and thoughts that he's bad.. so I think that this is where Eclipse's words came from.. that Sun isn't better than them and he's just lying.. and he tried to show that to Moon..

But despite that Sun didn't stand up for himself.. despite Eclipse being sure that Sun would be capable of doing so and more.. Sun not only didn't stand up for himself but also he stayed with Moon and believed in him..

Hence Eclipse's words that he hated how Sun was handling himself..

Eclipse doesn't understand Sun.. he doesn't know that Sun's inner thoughts - from what I've gathered - are just his delusional perception of himself with also intrusive and impulsive thoughts and paranoia..

None of the things that happened to Eclipse were Sun's fault.. and yeah Eclipse should've focus more on Moon for leaving him behind abandoning him in Sun's head.. and for being abusive towards Sun as Eclipse could only watch..

Same was with Moon at the beginning.. instead of being angry at FazCo. he had to lash out at Sun who was nice and tried to help him..

Sun was really unfairly treated in life.. he got the worst hand..

And Eclipse was too bitter to care.. but I think that he still felt something.. because he was shocked by Sun's outbursts.. because he doesn't understand Sun..

And I think that he realized that Sun wasn't at fault like previous versions of him thought.. but I agree with goodolddumbbanana that Eclipse doesn't like to admit that he's wrong hence why he acts like the Sun from eaps is actually just like our Sun was.. even if that's not true.. but I think that he's just projecting to not have to face the truth fully.. because then he had to admit that he was wrong and he had to apologize for what he's done to Sun.. (even though it wasn't exactly him but he treats it like that)

But you're absolutely right that fans are awful for victim blaming Sun for Eclipse's situation.. because none of this was his fault.. even a tiniest bit..

Sun doesn't deserve such treatment especially when we see how much he tries to be better and do good and be kind.. despite everything..

Thank you once again, dear anon ^^

[separatist-apologist]

Serious Tamlin meta question. Do you think it’s possible that Tamlin’s betrayal of Rhys pre-ACOTAR was sparked by jealousy towards his friend, in addition to being pressured by his father and brothers? Because I can’t help but wonder if there was some simmering resentment there that made Tamlin’s self-justification of murdering his friend easier to swallow, especially as Rhys had the one thing that Tamlin didn’t: a family that loved him and had his back.

Adding on to this, I love the parallels between Tamlin and Feyre regarding their families: both were the third, overlooked child that suffered neglect/abuse at the hands of their siblings and father; both had distant mothers that favoured their spousal relationship with their fathers over concern for their children; both grew up without the love they needed, and while they found comfort in their shared pain, they weren’t able to give it to each other in the end. I know there’s a lot of talk of Tamlin idealizing Feyre to the point of blindness, but Feyre was guilty of this too to an extent, and I think this more than anything is what doomed their relationship (and thank god Rhys and the Inner Circle came in to show our poor girl what a loving family could actually be!).

I thought the explanation Tamlin and Rhys both give is Tamlin simply lacks power? He wants to be Rhys's friend, but he's also in the middle of a war and he is beholden to his own High Lord. So when his father comes to him and demands information, can Tamlin say no? I don't think he could.

I don't think Tamlin divulges that information from a place of malice or even resentment/jealousy. I think he does because he's a solider and soldiers obey orders. That's not a justification, merely an explanation. It's clear he feels regret for what happened, but in this moment, both Rhys and Tamlin have made fatal errors. They're on opposing sides of a war- Rhys should have known better than to tell his enemies son ANYTHING he didn't want repeated, and Tamlin should have tried harder to prevent innocent civilians from being murdered based on knowledge he himself provided (he must have known what was about to happen).

I like your analysis of Tamlin and Feyre's relationship. I do think they were looking at each other through rose tinted glasses and had put the other on a pedestal, at least in the beginning. Both Feyre AND Tamlin are the others saviors to some degree. Tamlin takes the burden of providing for her family off of her and lets Feyre explore true safety for the first time in her life. I would argue Feyre doesn't really have a strong sense of self when she first meets him, and here is this man who wants to take care of her. After a lifetime of feeling neglected, of starvation, and the stress of "if I fail, everyone dies", that must have seemed like paradise at first.

And I think Tamlin sees Feyre as the potential savior of his home- the woman who will free them if he provides her with a little kindness and attention. I would argue that Feyre and Tamlin are never on an equal playing field because he conceals his intentions from the start, but I won't argue that he didn't come to love her deeply.

I just don't think they ever really understood each other. They met during the worst periods of their respective lives and they bonded over their trauma, but who you are when you're just surviving isn't who you are when you're thriving, if that makes sense? What Feyre needed as a starving, desperate human is not what she needed when she had the safety to really come into her own. And who Tamlin was when he needed to free his home wasn't who he was when he was back to full power.

And once they were out of the worst of it, you see the cracks forming.

[atlantis-just-drowned]

A few days ago, my mom brought home a small gift from one of her patients. A little envelope, pink, glossy and sparkling.

It contained a sour candy, and written directly on the inner part, the old lady was pitching the free Bible classes she gave like a salesman would pitch you the advantages of a new vacuum cleaner. You will see it has many positive aspects! It's your chance! I still have a few ones available, call now!

It wasn't her first try, really. Every few weeks, she gives cards and letters and candies and pitches. You should convert, join a discussion group, catechism lessons, video conferences.

It made me think of a conversation I had a while ago. I was talking to my therapist about the way I went near the river with a lighter and burnt the small Bible Evangelists had forced me to take when they were waiting for high school students to get out of the college convention's building, with boxes and boxes full of the same miniature book, printed on the thinnest paper I had ever seen. He said he understood the gesture. He said "it was thrown at you angrily like a piece of trash. Where is the holy in that?".

I think about this sentence a lot.

Where is the holy in going around and pushing your old books in the hands of hungry kids simply searching for food? Where is the holy in pitching religion like a new plastic product from Walmart? Where is the holy in a man bouncing a broken child on his laps? Where is the holy in riffles and colonisations and wars?

Is that it? Is that your idea of "holy"? Why does it makes me want to puke?

I think you're wrong about "holy". You lost yourselves with words and definitions and forgot it was supposed to be a feeling. An alteration of the senses so unique and intense that any other word would fail to define it.

Holy is the skin of a lover glistering with sweat and their eyes closing in bliss. It's the warmth distilled in a comforting embrace. It's the unbelievable way every element of our planet is tied to one another in a balance so fragile we struggle to imagine it worked so well for millennias. It's the warm sunlight sipping on the floorboards on a peaceful morning. It's a parent kissing their children goodnight. It's a cry for help in the dark of night. It's the final breath of life before the end. Holy is everything that feels just right.

It cannot be encapsulated in a jar and kept away on the highest shelf. It runs freely in the wind and sometimes passes through us on a cold afternoon when we see our small sister smile delightedly. It lives in the thousands of different ways our peers imagined kissing. It strives from this particular beauty we only find in the ones we love the most.

Holy does not exist. Holy is just a word that we use when other words don't quite fit our experience. Holy is nothing but an attempt at an explanation. It's something that can fail us at times. It's nothing objectively real. Not an actual thing, but an abstract concept.

Books are only holy in the mind of those who reading them, felt struck by a spear of understanding. In that sense, every book is holy, and none of them are. The books you burn and ban are holy, and they matter so little in the same time. There will be other holies. You are not entitled to them. You cannot choose what is and isn't holy. You cannot contain it. It has no limitation. It is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It is nothing.

I am not interested in buying nothing. I do not want your books and classes and lessons limitating my perception and understanding of the world. Everything is Because Of Him. It's all Planned In Advance and you cannot escape it. You must forgive it all, everytime, forever. No matter how many times it pains you like needles under your skin, no matter how many times you must deny yourself the right to speak and denounce. No matter how much it suffocates you, forgiveness is healing. Silence is healing. If you do not say a word, it will not exist anymore, and everything will be fine.

If you speak, you will lose your right to the Holy. If you speak, you will never have access to it again. Those words on papers and those that the men speak, this is what is holy. If you think anything else is holy then you are wrong and deserve suffering. We are the one to decide which holy is true. We get to pick what we want and call it holy. We get to choose how you will define the world around you.

But when I try to listen, your pitches sound like nails on a chalkboard. I look at the men you're praising and all I see is maggots and dirt. Your wine tastes like rotten fruits and your bread makes me choke. It is poison, all of it. You want me dead.

Where is the holy in that?

[blindmagdalena]

I love your content on here, it’s really great. You are one of my fave accounts on here rn. Anyway, how do you think homelander would be with his s/o’s parents? Especially with those really overbearing moms and then the dads that try to act like they don’t care but really adore their children (even if they’re grown).

I could see like the s/o’s mom asking them 100 questions making sure they are healthy and everything and then demanding to talk to Homelander to ask the

So I don’t remember exactly where I left off with the ask about homelander with his s/o’s parents, but I do have a general idea. If I’m remembering correctly I left off with saying something about the mom being kind of overbearing and the dad being one of those that tries to pretend like he doesn’t care but actually is really protective and caring with his children even when they are grown. Maybe the mom calls to talk to the s/o but somehow ends up talking to homelander and asking him a million questions and just checking in on him and everything. Or maybe they are over at the parents’ house for a family dinner and homelander ends up bonding with the dad over baseball or other stereotypical father/son bonding moments. I also think it would be funny to see how he handled a physically affectionate mom since our boy does terribly in that department, or when the s/o is getting another call from their parents and it like “jeez my mom/dad is calling again” and homelander is jumping at the opportunity to talk to the mom/dad and tell them all about his day like a little kid coming back from school and telling every detail of their day to their parents. Of course with these types of parents questions about marriage and grandbabies would probably get asked a lot

I feel like if homelander had an s/o that had parents that treated him like a son or even just filled that need for parental gratification and guidance he would be so much more attached to his s/o. Or if they broke up and Homelander had to process that losing his s/o would also mean losing their family (that would be a nightmare). I think in some cases it could possibly lead to Homelander trying to baby trap his s/o so they all have to be around him if the family wants to ever see the baby. Tbh I love the idea of Homelander healing his inner child and parental issues with the help of his s/o and their family. Anyway sorry for the huge ask and that it’s kind of all over the place😅

Can't stop laughing at the mental image of picking up your phone, and it's your mom, who immediately asks to talk to Homelander. You roll you eyes with a smile and offer him the phone, saying, "It's for you," even though you both know he heard it loud and clear for himself. He grabs the phone from you with a broad grin and says, "What's up, mom?" Because of course he started calling her mom almost immediately, and she's tickled pink by it.

Dad was a harder sell for sure, but Homelander is charismatic as fuck when he wants to be. He's programmed with an extensive back catalogue of Toxic Masculinity In America: Advanced Edition, and grumpy old boomers are his exact demographic.

Eventually Homelander is the one practically dragging you to family dinner every Sunday night. Your mom buys him a sweater, which naturally he puts on over top of his suit.

You never have the heart to say no when he wants to hang out with your family. At first you might have been a little worried that he wouldn't be interested in your family, he wasn't much a fan of your friends, or sharing you with them, but it's so obvious how badly he craves the American dream of a nuclear family.

Baby-trapping absolutely IS the next logical step. There's no way he can be at risk of losing you AND his new parents.

[atopvisenyashill]

Top ten: the narrative did them dirty, what could have been (more interesting), and what one off mentions you want to see more of, and what Martin historical inaccurate stuff pisses you off (no child brides).

narratives did them dirty. that’s actually kinda hard bc like for example depending on how the story ends, lyanna & elia could be perfectly fine as they are OR i could be annoyed. i feel very silly being like "narrative did them dirty" when we just have no idea how the narrative ends alsjdfkl

arianne nymeros martell - simply should have been there earlier

areo hotah - like victarion, he’s a character that is meant to give us insight into a particular region, unlike victarion his inner narrative is largely nonexistent. he just loves doran & that’s it, we don’t really know him

irri - no explanation needed

lyarra stark - deserves more than “she died”

gaemon palehair - his death should have hit harder

alyssa velaryon - should have aborted jaehaerys in the womb

loreza nymeros martell - we don’t even know her name

dalla the wildling - she should have lived, would have been more interesting having her be our wildling voice in the north w jon

weasel - IF HOT PIE & GENDRY ARE OKAY WHY CANT WEASEL BE 🤧🤧

cersei - listen. listen to me. she is RIGHT to be paranoid, i think this is simply a byproduct of (similar to arianne) not introducing her pov until late in the game but she’s RIGHT just bc she’s crazy doesn’t mean she’s not CORRECT

one off/could have beens

whoever wrote that book about the similarities between the north and dorne. i want the whole thing.

rhoynar water magic

the black pearl of braavos. she just seems cool, give me more summer island diaspora stuff, it’s interesting!!!!!!

the entire jaehaera/daenaera thing. no reason for daenaera to have not been a lady of jaehaera’s, and even if jaehaera still ultimately dies before having children, just doing more with the three of them instead of whatever he did would have gone a long way

alysanne daughter of maegor forever

saera - i think her later years should have had more of a focus, she just disappears to be a brothel owner, feels like a lot of build up without enough pay off

myr. i’m very very interested in them, esp w the controversial maester comments about them being related to the rhoynar (are they or is that racism lol) and the fact that taena serala AND thoros are from there?? AND varys was castrated in myr???? i’m just curious bc we don’t know a lot about it!!

pact of ice and fire should have been MORE. LADY SWAP SOMETHING. COME ON.

MORE ALAYAYA. she just kinda disappears after tyrion leaves and i get it but i want to know she's alright!!!! how is her reading going!!!

literally a single fucking essosi point of view. a dothraki, a meereenese, a pentoshi tyroshi like ANYONE

historical inaccuracy nitpicks

the fucking dothraki. listen. the focus on the arakh as if any nomadic people place any sort of importance on metal tools?? the lack of any sort of armor?? the complete reliance on orientalism and anti native characterization of like, thoughtless hordes of hyper violent savages for their ENTIRE PEOPLE???? they have the aesthetics of mongolians and lakota but absolutely NOTHING that made them interesting cultures that had civilizations that lasted hundreds of years.

the small households in the north kill me. i think you could argue this is mostly a ned thing because everyone else is still fostering kids, making marriage pacts, etc, but there’s a real lack of it, and a huge lack of focus on the politics of each faction that would crop up esp re: the small council.

the lack of cool septas. i know this is part of his distaste for religion but there were a lot of very cool and interesting nuns who ran around doing cool and interesting stuff and i DO think the gender & class dynamics potentially at play there WOULD interest him so it’s a frustrating lack

the lack of saints. again, this is his disinterest for religion but like. what kind of religion doesn’t have a martyr or two they throw a festival for a few times a year like. everyone has a prophet or two that are regularly worshipped idk!!!

not enough peasant revolts!!!!! dragon pit? amazing. poor fellows? very fun!!! the riot scene in KL? harrowing!!!! but like people just rebelled way more in history than he writes about!

what’s the word yeoman i believe? more of them!!!!!

more guilds!!!

okay it’s not like,,,, necessarily a problem it’s just that societies that had Slaving Economies, not just places that had slavery but Economies Centered Around Slavery Exclusively number at like, three or four, while half the societies we have in terros are slaving economies. i don’t inherently mind this - for example, people have pointed out how much more volatile and brutal his world is but imo that makes sense when you have crazy seasons like they do & also magic, so that’s not a nitpick for me personally - but i guess i. wonder. if HE realizes this?

more festivals and feastdays and random holidays. these people don’t have any fucking holidays!!!! i feel like there should be waaaaaaay more yearly celebrations to help keep track of the passage of time since they don’t have regular seasons????

[fenmere]

This post is not going to go where you expect it, so we'll tell you. This is about the reality of having children in your head. Not necessarily little kids, but people of any age who are descended from you, or who you are responsible for.

So.

We just had an elaborate and vivid dream with more details that we can possibly write about.

It culminated in a situation where a supervillain gageteer was growing a killer robot in an electrical substation near a friend's house, and we, the frontrunners of the dream, were going around to friends' houses to talk to them about this art project we were all working on.

The two things were only related because when we went to visit this one friend of ours as part of our rounds, the robot ended the dream by activating and storming off in a path pf destruction and mayhem.

Before that happened, this friend of ours, Octavious, was showing us the progress on his art, reluctantly.

We'd shown up to give him a tip on how to complete his end of the group project, and he was like, "I'm already doing that." And then he showed us his working file, and he was going above and beyond, and putting meticulous expressive detail into his work that no one else was doing.

So we asked if this was what he usually did, and he said yes, and listlessly showed us his other unfinished work.

We complimented him on it and explained how good it was an expressed a wish to see the finished pieces when he was done.

But he looked away and mouthed something we couldn't hear.

So we leaned closer and asked him to repeat himself.

"I'll probably destroy it all in a fit of rage," he said. "It's what I usually do."

And then the robot activated and charged off, scaring us awake.

But we lay in bed for a while, thinking about what we wanted to tell Octavious, because he was an echo, a factive of a real friend who would routinely really do that. And we know other people who do it to. Destroy their own artwork before anyone can see it, but go back to making more, and tearing themselves up about it the whole time.

It's clearly a pattern of self harm, and also an expression of rage and distress.

At first we wanted to ask him if he even wanted to stop destroying his work. If he did, then we'd think about ways to help him break the habit.

But then, I pointed out that the true purpose of art is for the artist to make it. Anything above and beyond that is bonus, an extra purpose. I think we should tell Octavious that the destruction of his work doesn't necessarily devalue it, and that no one is entitled to see what he creates. Start with that. Just let him know that he's not a bad artist for doing what he does and it's ok if he has to keep doing it. THEN talk about whether or not he really wants to stop.

There's so much nuance to go into, too. It’s going to be a different discussion for each person. Our advice here isn't something that can apply to every situation. It's the advice that felt right for our own inner Octavious, knowing him.

We don’t even know if it’s how we'd approach his source, our outworld friend (who is also doing much better now on his own, actually - he doesn't need our help).

Here's the thing. We know that our outworld friend doesn't need our help. But we still feel like we need to help Octavious.

We care about him and want him to have a better life.

And a huge part of that is that he's a factive introject, a child of our system, whose daily life currently consists of reliving this dream over and over (because we've discovered that’s what happens to most of us if we're not frontrunners - we cycle experiences to keep memories fresh and explore the iterations). And, that's a distressing life.

So, what we're trying to do, in our system, is put together a team of people who he knows (factives of mutual friends and those of us who interacted with him regularly) to go in and network with him, invite him to participate in other functions of our system.

We do this with nearly every dream person we encounter, because, in our case, every dream person is a headmate, and most dreams are like this these days. Us visiting someone and seeing their struggles.

Sometimes we get a tour of a vibrant community and are served good food and conversation, and we wake up elated. But there’s a lot of work to do, and we usually get back to it.

And what we were realizing this morning is that that is a pretty big part of our daily life.

Like, it's not just something we experience most mornings before the day gets started, it's also why we've been so devoted and focused on writing stories. Whether it's webcomics or novels or TTRPGs, our stories have always had to come first. Over work, outworld relationships, everything.

And the reason for that is that every time we create a character and tell a story with them, a headmate gets to live vicariously through them and enrich their lives.

Novels do this for a whole cast of characters, though we seem to have a working limit of just a handful at a time.

We're a huge system. We can’t do this for everyone. But, if the community tours we get are any indication, we've got some internal processes that are helping out, too.

The point is, every headmate that isn't Jenifer, Eh, or Phage, is essentially a child of our system. Our walk-ins are adopted children. And we really do dedicate our lives to them (and each other). Their growth uplifts us and changes who we are. And we feel their pain and joy.

We are them, but we are also their parents, and they often surprise us and make us ache with sympathy and pride in equal measure.

We do now also have a couple of outworld children in our lives, so we're getting a sense of comparison. Our outworld children are unofficially adopted and we have no legal obligation to them, so it’s really still different to giving birth to an outworld child of our own.

And honestly, even with our paltry experience, we can see that inworld parenthood and outworld parenthood can't really be compared. The concerns are too different.

But one is not more important nor more difficult than the other, either. To say you can't compare them means you can't rank them. It's wrong to do so.

Because, in the end, both kinds of parenthood involve another person. And that person, whether they live inside your head with you, or outside of it, deserves a good life.

[haggishlyhagging]

The Circular Flow diagram depicted labour appearing—hey presto!—fresh and ready for work each day at the office or factory door. So who cooked, cleaned up, and cleared away to make that possible? When Adam Smith, extolling the power of the market, noted that it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, he forgot to mention the benevolence of his mother, Margaret Douglas, who had raised her boy alone from birth. Smith never married, so had no wife to rely upon (nor children of his own to raise). At the age of 43, as he began to write his opus, The Wealth of Nations, he moved back in with his cherished old mum, from whom he could expect his dinner every day. But her role in it all never got a mention in his economic theory, and it subsequently remained invisible for centuries.

As a result, mainstream economic theory is obsessed with the productivity of waged labour while skipping right over the unpaid work that makes it all possible, as feminist economists have made clear for decades. That work is known by many names: unpaid caring work, the reproductive economy, the love economy, the second economy. However, as economist Neva Goodwin has pointed out, far from being secondary, it is actually the ‘core economy,’ and it comes first every day, sustaining the essentials of family and social life with the universal human resources of time, knowledge, skill, care, empathy, teaching and reciprocity. And if you have never really thought of it before, then it's time you met your inner housewife (because we all have one). She lives in the daily dealings of making breakfast, washing the dishes, tidying the house, shopping for groceries, teaching the children to walk and to share, washing clothes, caring for elderly parents, emptying the rubbish bins, collecting kids from school, helping the neighbours, making the dinner, sweeping the floor and lending an ear. She carries out all those tasks—some with open arms, others through gritted teeth—that underpin personal and family well-being and sustain social life.

We all have a hand in this core economy, but some people (like Adam Smiths mum) spend far more time in it than others. Time may be a universal human resource, but it varies hugely in terms of how we each get to experience and use it, how far we control it, and how it is valued. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, time spent in the core economy is particularly visible because, when the state fails to deliver and the market is out of reach, householders have to make provision for many more of their needs directly. Millions of women and girls spend hours walking miles each day, carrying their body weight in water, food or firewood on their heads, often with a baby strapped to their back—and all for no pay. But this gendered division of paid and unpaid work is prevalent in every society, albeit sometimes less visibly so. And since work in the core economy is unpaid, it is routinely undervalued and exploited, generating lifelong inequalities in social standing, job opportunities, income and power between women and men.

By largely ignoring the core economy, mainstream economics has also overlooked just how much the paid economy depends upon it. Without all that cooking, washing, nursing and sweeping, there would be no workers—today or in the future—who were healthy, well-fed and ready for work each morning. As the futurist Alvin Toffler liked to ask at smart gatherings of business executives, ‘How productive would your workforce be if it hadn't been toilet trained?’ The scale of the core economy's contribution is not to be dismissed lightly, either. In a 2002 study of Basle, a wealthy Swiss city, the estimated value of unpaid care being provided in the city's households exceeded the total cost of salaries paid in all of Basle's hospitals, day care centers and schools, from the directors to the janitors. Likewise, a 2014 survey of 15,000 mothers in the United States calculated that, if women were paid the going hourly rate for each of their roles—switching between housekeeper and daycare teacher to van driver and cleaner—then stay-at-home mums would earn around $120,000 each year. Even mothers who do head out to work each day would earn an extra $70,000 on top of the actual wages, given all the unpaid care they also provide at home.

Why does it matter that this core economy should be visible in economics? Because the household provision of care is essential for human well-being, and producivity in the paid economy depends directly upon it. It matters because when—in the name of austerty and public sector savings—governments cut budgets for children's daycare centres, community services, parental leave and youth clubs, the need for care-giving doesn't disappear: it just gets pushed back into the home. The pressure, particularly on women's time, can force them out of work and increase social stress and vulnerability. That undermines both well-being and women's empowerment, with multiple knock-on effects for society and the economy alike. In short, including the household economy in the new diagram of the macroeconomy is the first step in recognising its centrality, and in reducing and redistributing women's unpaid work.

-Kate Raworth, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist

[greens-spilled-tea]

On the subject of littles, vent about my latest therapy session from last week.

Our current therapist is fairly new at understanding and treating dissociative disorders, DID especially. And while we understand this, it’s still really frustrating when she ends up saying something that’s actually fairly harmful for how our system operates.

Lately, she’s taken to saying “littles should be allowed to be children and should not take on adult responsibilities”. And I understand that she means well when she says this! Littles often do need space to just be kids and do kid things like playing games, coloring, watching their favorite shows, hanging out with their friends, and so on. But to block them off from participating in any of the adult responsibilities, especially for our system which is over 50% littles, would do so much damage to our system and how we function. Our main host is a 10 year old boy and he is far better at things like setting boundaries and remembering our day to day responsibilities than any of the adult parts in this system. We have a little who loves math and as such she is the one who helps our partners do budgeting. Another little/middle part is the best at making those kinds of “adult” phone calls (ie. calling insurance, making appointments, etc).

Trying to remove any of those adult responsibilities from those littles would be so, so harmful for our system. We’d need so much more help in our day to day life if we didn’t have these littles here to help us out. And, I think more importantly than that, our littles like what they do. They have a sense of pride that they’re able to help out the system in the ways they can. They know that they’re the best people for the job and want to participate in our lives more than just being a kid.

And that isn’t to say they can’t be a kid, either. They still have time to play games and read books and watch shows and hang out with the people they love. And, on the flip side, our adult parts also need time to relax and have time to reconnect with their own inner child. We adult parts should not have to be on watch 24/7 and be the adult in the situation at all times. Sometimes, yes, it’s good to have an adult part out to handle things that a little part may not. But sometimes, we also need time to chill so that we don’t burn out.

Child/Adult parts in a DID system are complicated and are not a reflection of how children and adults are and should be treated in the physical world.

[shining-m00nlight]

41

41. “I love you and all, but you’re really stretching your luck right now.”

Catelyn Starks finds her husband in a pile of puppies. He now has to explain to her. (A very classic the Starks are getting diewolfs fic.)

Catelyn raised her eyebrow while looking at her husband, who was sitting on the living room floor with six puppies in his lap.

She wanted to say so many things at that moment but finally settled on telling her husband: "I love you and all, but you're really stretching your luck right now."

"Oh, come on. Cat. Look at them. They are so fluffy." Ned told her, taking one of the puppys and holding it next to his face and looking at her with eyes so big they rivalled the dog’s.

"No, no, no! I don't wanna look at them! I looked at them long enough to count them. There are six of them! Six!"

It's not like she hates dogs but she really couldn't handle the thought of having six dogs to take care of.

"Don't think of it like six dogs, love. I think you should first take our children into consideration. We have six of them as well. So it’s six dogs and six children. One dog for each child. That would mean, zero dogs for you."

Ned spoke as if he just figured out the solution to world hunger. She looked at her husband with suspicion.

"Did the kids coach you to say this? Did they actually convince you that they are responsible enough to take care of six dogs?"

"Well they did make some really compelling arguments. Having a dog teaches responsibility. And with each of them having their own dog, there will be no fighting about who is responsible for what because they will all have clearly defined responsibilities."

"Ned, I know you love telling our sons they are almost grown men while they are still wearing diapers to bed. But do you really believe our three year old, who regularly sleeps in bed with us because his “teddy” had a nightmare, who we dress, who we still cut food for, who we basically still do everything for, as we should, since you how he is three, can actually take care of another living thing by himself?

Hell do you even believe our fourteen year olds can take care of another living creature completely by themselves? Because I don't. Which means somebody has to pick up all the things they can't or won't do. And that will be me and I will end up taking care of six dogs."

After that Ned was quiet. Not having a good argument against his wife. But one of the puppies escaped his lap and stumbled towards Catelyn now.

Cat looked at the little dog with caution, he was completely black and was making small japs at her. But she was determined not to let herself get swayed just because a small pup looked at her.

"No! Do not come closer. I don't want you in my space?" she told the little black puppy.

Of course the small creature that by now had reached her feet didn't listen. The black dog was trying to jump up her leg. She tried very hard to ignore the little paws at her legs and the admittedly adorable whines coming from the floor.

In the end, despite her inner fighting, she was unsuccessful.

Catelyn made the mistake of looking down and into the puppy's eyes, those big, beautiful, innocent eyes. She couldn't help herself. She reached down to give the creature a quick pet on the head.

But the little monster immediately used her moment of weakness to cuddle himself into her hand. Ned was right he was really fluffy but she was still determined not to fold just because of a bit of soft fur.

“Ned, we really really can’t keep them,” she told her husband, trying to make him see reason.

“But Cat, look at him, look at how much he loves you already. And if we keep them, imagine getting six times of puppy love every day.”

“But also, six times walking, six times collecting poop, six times feeding and six times more cleaning because their fur will be all over everything! Ned, you need to see reason.”

“Ok, how about this, we make a deal with the kids. If they don’t take care of their dogs, as much as is reasonable for their age, they have to give the dogs back. And I promise you that all the responsibilities the kids are too young for will fall on me and you have to do nothing”

At Cat’s raised eyebrow Ned quickly added, “Basically nothing, maybe a few little things when I am not here. But I will give you a reward each time.

Catelyn had to smile a bit. "Are you gonna pay me 10$ an hour for walking the dogs like one would do for the neighbor kids?"

Ned also smiled at his wife. While they talked he had carefully placed the five remaining puppies from his lap into a bundled up blanket pile and then started walking toward his wife. When he reached her, he hugged her from behind with one hand around her hip, while the other reached for the black puppy himself.

"I know this will be a big adjustment and I promise I will be the person most responsible for all of it. But when Benjen brought them the kids were so happy. They even each picked one without fighting. This little one is Rickons by the way.

Benjen found them behond the wall, their mother died and now they don't have anyone. If Benjen can't find anyone to take them he will have to euthanize them or put them back behond the wall where they would die.

And there's basically no one but us to take them in. It is against the law to have them outside the North, you also need a special license to keep them as well as proof of massive available space for them. It is not something most people can provide. But we could since we have moved to Winterfell after dad died."

She knew he didn't mention his fathers recent death to get her to soften up, he wasn't manipulative after all but it still did. The passing of his father had hurt her husband a lot and now that she thought back on it she hadn't seen him as happy as he has been sitting in the pile of puppies in a while.

"You have a dog holding license like that? I didn't know that."

"Oh yes, it is still from my childhood. My dad had them from before we were born and we grew up with them. They died when I was a teenagers but me and my siblings still decided to get the license when we were adults."

Something about this revile made her brain itch but she couldn't put a finger on why. For now she decided to ignore it. Because while he didn't say it, Cat could hear in her husband's voice that the dogs obviously meant a lot to him and those little ones probably reminded him of the dogs he grew up with. Still snuggled into her husband and holding the little furball, her resolve broke.

"I guess if the kids and you really promise to care for the dogs and I will never be responsible for bathing any of them, we can try to keep them. Try! The emphasis is on try!

If in two weeks I'm sitting here with six dogs while you all are busy with something else I will personally call Benjen to pick them up and bring them back to where they came from!"

Her husband hugged her a bit tighter from behind and whispered

"You are the best mother and wife. I promise we will all be on our best behavior. Me, the kids and the dogs."

"You better keep that promise."

"I will and the kids will promise too."

Suddenly there was a storm of little people all yelling different versions of ,we will,"we'll take good care of them" and "we promise". Now she had her daughters at each of her sides hugging her, kissing her face, saying "thank you, thank you" all over again, her two younger sons trying to squeeze into her lap at the same time almost squishing the puppy, that still resided there and her two oldest trying to put their arms around the whole bundled up family.

"You are the best mom ever" exclaimed her smaller daughter right into her ear.

Cat turned to her and marvelled at the beautiful smile Anya gifted her. There was nothing more beautiful than her children's smiles but Arya's was always special to her.

Arya didn't often share true full smiles with her as they often clashed when Arya wouldn't like or listen to what her mother told her. But when she truly smiled, Cat was reminded so much of Ned that her heart would melt in an instant.

"Well, please remember that if this doesn't work out and the dogs have to go again" she said to remind them all that this was not a yes without conditions.

She still smiled at all of her children. She really did hope they would show enough responsibility to take care of the dogs. They seemed so happy and she wanted them to stay that way.

"Yes, if this doesn't work out and the puppies need to go, you have only yourself to blame. You can not be mad at your mother." Ned added sternly.

Cat was really grateful for her husband's words. She didn't really want to end up being the only bad guy if this went down south.

"But the puppies won't have to. We will be the best puppy caretakers ever and we train them to be the best behaved puppies ever." Robb chimed in. Jon was nodding his head in agreement.

Cat spent the next hours still on the living room floor together with her family being introduced to six little puppys. Cat was amused by how the puppies seemed to perfectly fit her children's personalities. The little black one that she now knew was Shaggydog, was running around and yapping at everyone if nobody gave him attention.

Arya's dog Nymeria was not far behind. Sansa's dog Lady could almost be described as polite, while Beans dog, who didn't have a name yet, was constantly trying to climb the furniture. The white wolf, Ghost, that belonged to Jon was quiet and listened very well for such a little puppy.

Robb's Greywind seemed as if he was trying to keep an eye on all of his siblings, barking at Shaggy when he tried to jump on the other puppies and at the unnamed dog when he tried to climb on a particularly high piece of furniture.

Catelyn had seldomly enjoyed herself so much in her life. She had all of her children around her, she was in her husband's arms and everybody was basically vibrating with happiness.

When she laid in her husband's arms in bed that night, she thought that she could handle six dogs if they would gift her family this much delight. She could exept having to clean up behind the little furmonsters if it gave her children the possibility of being woken up by their sweet little puppies licking their face, so they might appear less grumpy at the breakfast table.

And Ned was right. Winterfell was a perfect home for dogs with its wide spaces and the Godswoods attached to it. That thought sparked a memory at something Ned had said to her today that she hadn't truly understood but had put off for the moment.

"Ned?" she whispered.

"Yes, my Love?" he answered her in the same calm whisper.

"Why do these dogs require so many laws about where they are allowed to live? Which breed of dogs are forbidden outside the North?"

Ned didn't answer her. He kept quiet and stared up at the ceiling. Cat got a bit suspicious.

"Ned? Will you answer my question?"

Ned coughed: "Yes, well you see... Technically, they might not actually be dogs"

"What?"

"They are kind of direwolves." Ned confessed.

"NED! WHAT THE F---"

[ninevoltheartmusic]

Bandictionary archives: Travie McCoy interview

This interview with Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is from July 11th, 2006 at the Vans Warped Tour. Describe the band's songwriting process. It's pretty democratic, I mean, we all add our two cents in. We start a song with either lyrics I wrote or a riff that Disashi wrote or a beat that Matt wrote and we'll all work them in so they sound amazing. What do you hope to achieve for the next album? World domination. I want to make people sick of my face. And hopefully marry that woman who just walked by. That's all I want to achieve. Do you try to make your shows different every day? Yeah. For some of the songs, the dialogue stays the same because there's a point that I want to make with a certain song. But for the most part, I change every day, so I think the shows change with how we're feeling that day. Usually it's a good thing, but, we try to keep it fresh because we realize that there's people coming to these shows that might have been at the last show, so we want to keep it special for everyone.

What do you think makes your band unique? Are you kidding me? Well, I think the fact that we try not to fit into any category. I mean we don't try hard; it's pretty easy. But for the most part, it's the fact that we can tour with these bands and then tour with hip-hop groups and then tour with reggae bands. That means the world to me. I want to stay in that position. I think that's what makes us unique. What are some of the band's goals for the future? We just want to keep producing music that we enjoy. The thing is, we've never really catered to any scene, we just like made the music that makes us smile. I think with any album, we take it to a new level and we always will continue to innovate. Are you superstitious at all? I am, actually. It's funny you say that. We just got into a really bad van accident a couple weeks before Warped started and the day before we got into the accident, I bought this bracelet. I don't usually wear jewelry, but I thought it was cute, so I bought it and we lived, so I've been wearing it ever since. So I feel like this is my good luck charm. How did you feel when you first heard yourself on the radio or saw yourself on TV? The first time I heard myself on the radio, I definitely tinkled in my pants a little bit. It was like one of those things. Like, you know, on Christmas morning, when you unwrap that present you really wanted, you know that feeling you get? Like, woah! You know? That's how I felt. It was like Christmas. Are your shows in your hometown different from all your other shows? Oh, of course! Hometown shows, I think, for any band are a little bit special because family is there, your close friends are there and I'm actually really looking forward to getting back to Buffalo on this tour because it's gonna be incredible. What can people expect when they come to see you live? Their faces to get melted off. Is it intimidating knowing that there are a lot of kids out there who look up to you? Yes, it is. And I think that goes for anybody who's making music and is in a position where kids are looking up to them because I'm far from perfect. I wouldn't say that I'm a model citizen, I'm just a big kid and I make mistakes. I would never want anybody to try to follow anything that I do. But in the same respect, it's kind of naïve for me to think that it wouldn't happen. For the most part, I try to be as positive as possible, but also party my ass off and be that inner demon I am. Describe your latest album (2006's As Cruel as School Children) in one word. Sexy. What was the last show you went to that wasn't your own? He is Legend was the last band I got to see at the Chain Reaction. He is Legend is one of my favorite bands. What was one album that really changed your life? Probably Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. It was one of the first CDs that I actually purchased myself. It was so dynamic that I was like, I want to make music like this. I want every song that we make to have its own personality. What effect do you think your band will have on the entire music scene? Hopefully to show people that they don't have to stick to one thing and that once they make an album, they're not doomed to sound like that forever.

[rose-reads-visualnovels]

how do you get so good at analysis? ;_; i'm really dumb and take things at surface value, which i've been fine with up until now but seeing you read umineko so deeply makes me kinda like.... jealous isn't the right word? that sounds too spiteful. it just makes me feel like i'm missing out on a more fun way to experience things. but it seems so daunting i don't even know how to start. to me it seems like picking out every detail and exaggerating it as far as possible but it's obviously more refined than that because you're able to keep things together thematically and make some good theories. do you have any advice for it?

Hi, anon!

Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re being jealous/spiteful with this ask. I also used to want to write analysis on things because they seem fun, and actually this is my first proper try at it! I think I’ve said it before but if I’m not careful I’ll binge everything on first watch/read and miss details. (This is why I rewatch Utena every other month). So yes, I know sometimes I’m grasping at straws but that’s because I’m actively squeezing everything I can out of a page/scene.

I think what sets this liveblog apart and the reason I can pick up threads/themes is that Umineko seems very upfront about what it wants to say.

「MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, EVERYONE WANTED A LOT OF MONEY RIGHT NOW…!」

Utena is the same in that - even though people say it’s too symbolic - I think the fact that it bares its inner mechanisms for all to see is a huge kindness. If everything means something else, or represents both itself and a larger concept, then a show where everything is allegorical is actually discarding layers of obfuscation.

I think a good place to start to Notice Themes is at the very beginning.

The Golden Witch invites you to take things easy and accept them as they come, but The Revolutionary Witch tells you that - in any story - the first introductions matter the most.

Up until now, Umineko has drilled inside our heads again and again, repetition after repetition, that the Ushiromiya’s Western schtick is a product of Kinzo’s reverse weeb affectations. He started many of the “traditions” that seem so inescapable, he invented the name for the fucking chair he sits at the breakfast table and the order of the seats according to his own patriarchal standards.

His Western obsession is tied very obviously with his “black magic” obsession and he even gets angry when you don’t call them “grimoires” because part of the charm of magic is that it’s foreign and cool. He speaks of black magic when ranting about his urges to sexually abuse a dead Beatrice, all his children speak of Western things when recalling their own childhood and abuse.

The only exception to this is Kinzo’s Japanese sword - both a true object and a phallic symbol that doesn’t deny itself its origins - that he uses to spank Jessica’s naked butt.

I feel like, in Umineko, you just need to sit and listen to the characters and wonder at their motivations. But you also need to wonder about the choice of presentation.

For example, Kanon alone in the garden after he left the conversation, being dismissed by Gohda. All he says is “…even me” or something among those lines, very mysterious! But the way this is presented, the camera not caring about the Cousins + Adults but following an actor after he’s being kicked out of the stage? Unusual! Curious! Very interesting! The way the narrative describes it, (paraphrasing here) “you needed to get closer if you wanted to hear the words whispered to his heart”? Why would it be written like that? Who is the narrator speaking to?

So I think - to make an analysis close in methodology to what I’m doing - you need to question what’s onscreen, not in a “this isn’t real” way (it may not be real but that’s not the focus!), but in a “why is this being shown the way it is” way. This is a novel after all. Choices of words, choices of POV, what is described and what’s left unsaid!

Those are the tips from the Revolutionary Witch!

— Rose, the Revolutionary Witch

[girl4music]

Watching the Frozen movies again. Remembering how much I love them. You know for children’s movies, they actually can get pretty dark when you really analyze the concepts used to tell the story. Showing how quickly magic can become a very destructive thing when not handled correctly or when there’s a lack of emotional control. Elsa’s magic being more so PK ability. That of hydrokinesis/cryokinesis. The psychic ability to manipulate or control water, ice or frost.

There has been similar stories about this with the element of fire as well. Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’ specifically comes to mind. And many a Marvel or DC character have possessed these supernatural abilities.

It really is about learning to control your inner power because psychic ability (or magic) is an extension of our thoughts and emotions - of our internal selves. The Frozen movie specifically tells the story of a gifted/cursed child that has to overcome their fear of putting their loved ones in danger out of a mishandling and lack of control of their mental and emotional power - which manifests as a physical supernatural ability.

You take the metaphor of that away and you’re left with a child who grows up to be afraid of their own power because they’ve been taught that it’s wrong, that it’s a threat, that it’s destructive and chaotic. When really, what’s more dangerous is repressing it because the fear of it only continues to grow instead and that can be even more destructive in the end.

This is a very dark concept to be telling the story of in a children’s movie if not for the metaphor being used.

But this is also why it connects to an older audience.

Why it works as an all-the-family movie because the older audience can see behind the metaphor to the strong and substantial message that’s there while the younger audience thinks it’s cool and entertaining but can come to relate and resonate with the characters.

Both Frozen 1 and 2 navigate these icy waters quite literally to tell the story of the danger of repression. Keeping it in over letting it out when the latter, while still dangerous, is less dangerous than the former because there’s no emotion more chaotic than fear. And when you possess such immense power that you can’t control, and there’s no real guidance for how to… that fear only intertwines with that immense inner power and exacerbates it - it doesn’t stop or quell it. In that way the moral to the story is about allowing and accepting our inner power than it is about controlling or concealing it and that’s why it’s so empowering and captivating to audiences of any age or gender. They learn that repression just makes power worse because there’s no true understanding of it in the first place.

And I feel like a lot of people who do possess psychic/intuitive power innately need to know and learn this because they’re taught and encouraged to control and conceal their power more so than they are taught to allow and accept themselves as they naturally are.

Speaking from personal experience - when I realized that I was psychic and possessed claircognizant and clairsentient abilities, I didn’t understand my experiences: I thought there was something wrong with me and there was no one I could talk to about it. So having a fictional character like Elsa when I was young would have really helped me with knowing and understanding myself and my own abilities before I had even come across the right or correct “term” and “definition” for them. Before I knew that they were good and that they were a natural part of who I am.

The Frozen movies matter to someone like me that does possess psychic power and ability. But they would also matter to someone not like me because the metaphor doesn’t have to be taken literally. It could simply just be that of understanding our inner power and that we are just as worthy with it or without it.

And that’s the deep story there behind the metaphor. But also very much through the metaphor as well. For me it’s through the metaphor but for most people it’ll be behind the metaphor. Both are just as empowering.

[thatrandomartistjavi]

please explain the plot of wonderland the musical to me. I could look it up but it's gonna be way more fun to have you explain it.

Ok Im gonna try my best njgbjgbjgjbh

So it basically follows an adult Alice who's just having A Time. She's dealing with a failing marriage, she has no time for her daughter, she's trying to become an author and failing because her children's book was apparently way too depressing, she's a teacher(which we all know how well that pays), and just overall struggling with depression that she got from implied dead mom and having to become a mother to her three little brothers at an incredibly young age. Her and Chloe(her daughter) move in to her mother in law's apartment to have some space from her husband, and she hits her head on a broken service elevator

Alice tries to sleep it off but Rabbit appears out of fucking nowhere to get her ass out of bed, and she follows him thinking he's like a science project Chloe was working. He leads her to that same broken service elevator that now works and takes her to Wonderland. After a sea of Alices and some drinking, she meets her first ally, the Caterpillar. He obviously sings about how Alice needs to find out who she really is and that maybe her figuring her shit out might help them with their shit.

In comes the best character of all time, El Gato, who enters being invisble tho it turns out that he actually lost that ability way back when but everybody is too pussy to tell him. After Caterpillar rage quits from his little convo with Gato, Gato tries to get Alice to relax and take it easy and that trying to control every bit of your life is gonna backfire cause life doesn't work that way. He's also the only character in his solo song that mentions finding your inner child which you would think would be brought up again since that's kinda of a big theme in this musical, but I'm sad to report that after this song Gato and Caterpillar don't do much other than like support sometimes. Which is a shame cause not only would the show not work as well in my opinion without their presence but because also Gato is the best character to exist ever.

After the song, Alice and Gato find Rabbit who talks about feeling like there's smth evil happening in Wonderland and after a cry of wondering whether there's anyone that can save them, Jack the White Knight appears to offer his service. He's dissatisfied after hearing that Alice just wants help getting home and not that she needs help with a dragon or smth. After the animals leave, Alice opens up to Jack about how helpless she feels with the Everything that's happening which gets Jack to actually help her get home to her daughter. They go to the Tea Party where Morris the Goth Hare is hosting to introduce the new Hatter of the Tea Party. Alice gets a special seat as Morris tells her that Hatter would like to meet her after her song.

So we get introduced to our actual antagonist, a Hatter who is a woman around Alice's age with long curly hair in contrast to Alice's short curly hair. After Hatter monologues about flowers wilting and how that allows new flowers to replace them, she reads Alice's tea leaves where she basically recites all the horrible things that Alice thinks about herself. Before it can escalate any further, the Queen of Hearts makes a surprise appearance. Even tho Hatter makes it very clear in her song that she wants to overthrow her, she's actually the Queen's second in command

Hatter however is threatened by how easliy Alice could trick the Queen into not executing her by saying that she has a new kingdom called Queens to give to the Queen. Morris trying to cheer up his girlfriend business partner tells her that he has a plan to mess with Alice. After the Queen leaves, Alice is now more motivated than ever to get the fuck out and asks Rabbit how to get out because he's the reason why she's here. Rabbit says they need to find the service elevator and Jack, Caterpillar, Gato, and reluctantly Rabbit offer to not stop until they find that service elevator. Alice is left alone, where she sings about wanting to go home which gets joined in by Chloe wishing that things could just go back to normal.

Her wish Does Not come true as Morris and Hatter come in to enact their plan of kidnapping a child to get Alice to come to their domain of Looking-Glass World(which Hatter basically colonized and is now an industrial nightmare). Chloe does go with them with the promise of them being able to fix her parents' marriage and also gets to drive Hatter's tank. Everyone sans Rabbit report that they could not find the service elevator even after looking everywhere. That is everywhere but the Land of the Looking-Glass which Alice wants to go to next but gets warned not to because Hatter kinda strips people of their free will and turns them into soldiers if they even are one inch near the Looking Glass. Rabbit comes with the news that Hatter and Morris kidnapped Chloe and this gets everyone to change their mind and go through the Looking Glass(woah guys that's the name of the book/song)

That's the end of Act 1. Act 2 will hopefully be shorter to describe tho Act 2 is a hot mess in terms of pacing. That's very important to note if this does somehow make you interested in checking it out.

Anyways Act 2 starts with Hatter singing about how she's gonna destroy the Queen and Alice(especially Alice). She also locks Chloe and her guards capture Jack, Caterpillar, and Gato(yes all three). Jack asks why she hates Alice and she kinda gives him a non answer where she talks about how two chess pieces cannot reside on the same square, and then sends them off to the dungeon to await their execution.

Alice and Rabbit find a hidden pathway with a door. During this conversation, Rabbit reveals that his watch can actually turn back which is great cause he can go get himself captured, reverse the soldiers to when they had free will, and be able to free their friends. They also try to unlock the door with Alice noting the door has the theatre masks of comedy and tragedy which gets them the word theatrical which also conviently spells her and Hatter's name tho with the e switching from name to name as only one can have it at a time. This opens the door and Rabbit runs to go get himself captured.

Alice goes through the door where she finds a Victorian gentleman who is actually Lewis Carroll(more like the memory of Lewis Carroll). He asks whether she's a writer too and she says that that dream kinda died today but he's like Noooooo there's still time and sings about reconnecting with your inner child(and subsequently your inner dreamer) and inventing oneself through remembering who you used to be. During this, Hatter gets Queen to sign the execution papers of the main gang(since she's the only one that can order such a thing) with one wildcard slot(which is secretly for her). Carroll then takes Alice to figure smth else out and leads her to a little girl. She at first thinks its her daughter but then realizes that its actually her younger self. This inspires Alice to remember her childhood and how good it felt being able to see wonder and magic in the ordinary. Young Alice leaves since Alice still needs to find their daughter and Alice tells her not to grow up so fast.

We FINALLY get back to the others as they are in jail. Rabbit gets thrown in jail announcing to his friends that he'll save them with his watch before realizing that he gave his watch to Morris. They get temporarily released from the cell to wait for Morris to get his axe and hatch a plan to get the watch and also break Alice out of jail cause she was captured shortly after her interaction with mini Alice. Rabbit doesnt wanna because hes a little scaredy cat, but with Jack's boy band bravado, gets him to be brave for once and are able to get their plan to work. Morris very suddenly has a change of heart and gives them the papers for the execution paper where Hatter wrote the Queen in the wildcard slot.

The others sans Jack leave for Alice to confront Hatter about her daughter. This is where Hatter reveals the thing thats been endlessly foreshadowed, that Hatter is actually Alice's reflection. More specifically that due to Alice not coming to Wonderland due to implied dead mom, all of her negative emotions and hurt feelings manifested so strongly that Wonderland crafted a whole fucking being(that being being Hatter). Because of this, anytime Alice feels hurt or sad or angry, those emotions also transfer to Hatter which is why she's concluded to kill her to be able to become her own person. Alice tells her that she feels bad for her which Hatter replies that she shouldn't as shes everything Alice hoped to be, which gets Alice to shoot back that even tho she's had her ups and downs that she's happy of who she's become.

In comes the Queen where Alice and Jack reveal to her that Hatter was actually gonna kill which has the Queen decide to banish Hatter to the Land Under Wonderland, but Alice wants to give Hatter another chance and offers Hatter to come home to her. Hatter accepts it, and takes Alice's hand but SHOCK it was actually a trick!!! Before Hatter can kill her, Jack saves Alice and tells the Queen to banish them which she does. Gato and Caterpillar get there in the nick of time for Gato to lunge himself towards Alice and get her away from the hole. Alice is devastated as her and Jack had a little romance and asks if they can bring him back which they cannot. But Rabbit cheers her up by finally FINALLY reuniting her with Chloe.

The guys tell her that Alice found what she was looking for and that she has to go but to not be sad because Wonderland is within her and therefore that they'll always be alongside her no matter what. This gets Alice to wake up and find that her husband, Jack(making the White Knight her mind's manifestation of her husband) at the apartment to bring Chloe's favorite doll tho in actuality he's here cause he couldn't stand thinking about them being alone without him. Alice, realizing that shes kinda been taking him for granted but also that her brain was making him out to be worse than he actually was, decides that she doesnt want to split with Jack and start mending their relationship. Chloe is obviously very happy about this and to avoid having to tolerate his mom's cooking, offers to go out and buy pizza as celebration. Alice however stays behind for a bit to write down a better ending for her book, inspired by her trip to Wonderland.