#what about that is destroying the community?

[grifonecoronato]

Mae-ho Aniseya: Film Noir Protagonist

(Spoilers for The Acolyte)

As I've said in another post, Mae and Osha are binary opposites in their personalities and motivations.

Mae has a kind of "first child syndrome": a desire to exhibit perfection in the eyes of her mothers, so that they can shower her with praise. She loves being in her community of witches, learning and using the Thread, and indulging in the daily activities of life on Brendok.

She thrives when she is surrounded by her people, but Osha doesn't want the same things, which is something that confuses Mae deeply.

In this scene from Episode 3: Destiny, the two sisters as children talk about what they want:

MAE: "It isn't fair. I share everything with you, and you hide things from me or run off alone." OSHA: "I want to have my own things." MAE: "Why?" OSHA: "Because I don't want to do everything together all the time." MAE: "But why?" OSHA: "Because we're not the same." [...] OSHA: "Don't you wonder what else could be out there? Besides Brendok?" MAE: "No. Everything I need is here."

For Osha, her arc in The Acolyte has all the trappings of a dark romance. But from Mae's perspective, she's the heroine of her own Film Noir.

Film Noir Themes in The Acolyte

Beyond its aesthetics, Film Noir has three (3) major thematic characteristics with regard to its protagonists:

Its protagonist has an idyllic past where they were happy and life was good;

Their idyllic past is ripped away from them, often violently, in a single moment that they relive again and again in the present;

The inciting incident is an opportunity to reclaim their idyllic past, or if that's impossible, to get justice for what was lost... because to do nothing is to be haunted by it forever.

For example, we can look at the seasonal arc of Veronica Mars (2004): she's a happy high schooler and best friends with Lily Kane, then Lily is murdered and Veronica is ostracised from her former friends, and now she is seeking opportunities to solve her friend's murder, while being haunted by the memories of her.

Or consider the video game Max Payne (1998): he's a cop with a happy wife and daughter, then his wife and daughter are murdered by drug addicts high on Compound V, now he joins the DEA in an effort to find and destroy the source of Compound V, and finally stop feeling haunted by the memories of his family.

Mae's story is very similar: she was a happy kid living with a family and community that gave her everything she wanted, then the Jedi came and massacred everyone she loved, and now she's joined up with a powerful ally who will teach her to get bloody justice.

Mae's Fatal Flaw

Mae's biggest problem is that she's impulsive and frequently enters situations without a clear plan. However, this bullheadedness shows that she trusts herself to get out of any situation she finds herself in.

(Qimir once said to Osha "you should learn to trust yourself", but I doubt this is a lesson he had to teach Mae.)

Detractors often say that Mae's motivations don't make sense, or that she's "flip flopping" all the time. But this criticism -- like most criticisms from the fandom menace -- is unfair. Mae's motivations are very clear, and her shifting tactics are done as a response to new information that comes her way.

In Episodes 1 and 2, her goal is two-fold:

Hunt down the four guilty Jedi

Keep The Stranger satisfied in her progress as his apprentice

But in Episode 4 and 5, after she learns that her sister lives, her goal changes to "reunite with Osha." But when Osha refuses to listen to her, Mae's slightly modifies her goal, to "find a way to de-program Osha from her Jedi brainwashing, by exposing Sol."

Viewers that understand what drives Mae see that not flaky; she's adaptive.

The Fatal Lesson of Film Noir

The thing about Film Noir protagonists is that most of the time (not always, but most of the time), their quest for reclaiming their idyllic past is a fool's errand: they either sacrifice a big part of themselves in the attempt, or they learn to heal form the past, let go, and move on.

Mae opts for the former. When she finally succeeds in revealing that Sol has been lying for sixteen years, Osha murders him. Afterward, Osha bargains for Mae's life, which the Stranger accepts but only if he be permitted to erase her memories.

So Mae recaptures her idyllic past by being able to reconnect with her sister... only to lose her sense of self in the process. The quest consumed her.

But was it worth it?

[literary-motif]

I've got no idea if you're even taking requests- but I would love to see something centered around Jonah about the listeners first introduction to his stream!!!

Hello World

Jonah x Reader

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jonah asked, turned away from his computer screen. 

You sat beside him, anxiously fiddling with your hands. Despite your nervousness, you were adamant to see things through.

Jonah’s community was so sweet and welcoming — and very curious when it came to you — that you were sure things would turn out to be alright. Still, it was a bit scary revealing yourself to them. Part of you did not want to destroy the image they had constructed of you in their head. After all, what if they did not like you? 

Jonah was so proud of the amazing people he had managed to pull together around him that knowing they were disappointed in the partner he was together with would have surely broken your heart. 

“Babe?” he asked, glancing at the chat debating whether or not his snack combination of strawberries and chips was an atrocity, or genius, actually. The majority was bullying him, as usual. 

– That’s as good a combi as pineapple on pizza!

– New debate unlocked guys

“I want to,” you said, chuckling at the messages. “I’m just a bit scared they won’t like me.”

He scoffed, shaking his head as he looked at you with raised eyebrows. “How could they not?” he asked, taking your hands in his. “They’ll love you. Maybe even more than me. You’re funny. You’re kind. You’re just amazing.” 

“What if they don’t think so?” you said, trying to hide your smile at his compliments. “You’re biased because you love me. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, my anxiety is through the roof.” You chuckled, snatching a strawberry from his plate to distract yourself from the feeling of impending doom. 

You wanted to do this. The first time was the worst, you argued. If you could just get it over with — take the first step, leap into the unknown — every time that followed would be a little easier. You were sure Jonah would smooth out the initial awkwardness, creating a sweet environment for his followers to meet you. It was easy. Eventually, you had to get ready for your shift anyway, so you had a perfectly reasonable excuse to leave. Munching on the strawberry, you glanced at the chat again, trying to predict their reaction.

Jonah frowned, leaning forward to face you properly. “Hey, it’s alright,” he said, keeping his voice light to reassure you. “If you don’t feel up to it, we can do it another time. I don’t want to stress you out or anything. I didn’t tell them about this, so there is literally no pressure for you to do anything, babe.”

“No, no. It’s fine,” you said quickly, waving a hand to disperse some of the energy you were overflowing with. It felt like you were vibrating. “I want to do this, Jonah. Let’s go. Let’s do this!”

“Sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Definitely sure?”

“Yes!”

“Are you absolutely, definitely one hundred percent sure?”

“Jonah!” you said, feigning exasperation despite the large grin on your face at his characteristic playfulness. 

He laughed, nudging your shoulder before facing his computer. “Alright babe, here we go,” he muttered, unmuting. “Hey guys, I’m back.”

— Hiiiii

— Welcome back!

— Hey

— WB Jonah

“Listen, I have a surprise for you,” he said, smiling faintly and glancing at you. 

You winked at him, snatching a handful of chips while waiting for your cue to speak. 

“So, some of you know I have a partner.”

— OMG guys!!

— It’s happening everybody stay calm stay fucking calm

— partner reveal? On this fine tuesday? More likely than you think

He chuckled, skimming over the messages.

— I hear crunching in the background. Is it them?

“Oh,” he laughed, “Babe, they heard you stealing my snacks. Yeah, they are eating chips — after eating a strawberry, by the way. So, everyone, meet my amazing partner and” — his voice softened significantly — “the love of my life.”

— Jonah romantic confirmed

“Hi everyone,” you said, leaning against Jonah to be closer to the microphone. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve been told you’ve heard a lot about me.”

“Only good things, babe, I promise,” Jonah cut in, wrapping his arm around you to pull you closer against his side. “Right, guys? Don’t lie.”

You chuckled, leaning your head against his shoulder while reading the replies. 

— He literally won’t shut up about you

— only heard about how cool you are. He’s in love

— noooo he’s super mean behind your back /s

— Lies! He told us you ate Strawberries and chips. Pleases say you’re normal /lh

“I did try strawberries and chips,” you answered. 

“See! It’s good, right?”

You made a face. “Meh, I wouldn’t go that far,” you said, laughing at Jonah’s affronted noise. 

“Traitor,” he mumbled, scowling as his lips twisted into a fond smile. “You have no taste.”

“I have excellent taste, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you know why?” you asked, biting your lip to hide the grin at the reply on your lips. 

Jonah glanced at you, narrowing his eyes before looking at the chat again. “What are you going to say now, I wonder?”

— BECSAUSE THEY CHOSE U

— because they love you awww how sweet

— couple goals I can’t believe I’m single

You looked him straight in the eye. “Because yesterday, I made that really delicious chicken curry and you thought it was too spicy to eat, but then you tried it and devoured the whole plate in seconds!”

— LMAO

— love chicken curry. Ur so real for this

“Alright, no need to expose me,” he said in false annoyance, a little pout adorning his face. 

— Ultimate question though: pineapple on pizza yay or nay?

“Uh,” you stalled, eyes widening at the chat now going a mile a minute. You glanced at Jonah, watching him shake his head at the discussion inevitably returning to food.

— nOT AGAIN GUYS

— ah shit here we go again

— yes! For the last time it’s perfectly reasonable

— *you* have no taste /j

“It’s always the same thing with you,” he said, returning to playing Minecraft. He picked up a strawberry. “Pineapple on pizza is good.”

“Jonah!”

[elon-btch]

Hello, my name is Mohammed Nihad Ghazal from North Gaza. I have ambitions, dreams and a love for life like any young man in the world. I am supporting my family of 15 after my father was martyred in the cursed war that destroyed everything, but it seems that I will not be able to achieve my dream because of the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which completely destroyed our home, and despite the harsh war, we did not leave North Gaza under inhumane conditions. We have suffered from illness, cold, hunger and drinking polluted water for more than 11 months, which we have suffered greatly from the loss of friends and relatives who were killed in the war for 330 days. I am appealing to you, the global community, for help. I have started a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $20,000 to enable me and my family to find safety in Egypt. Evacuation fees change from time to time; we currently expect a cost of between $4,000 and $5,000 per person. Any additional funds generated will go to support my immediate needs and those of my family. There are many obstacles that we will face on the other side, and I hope that we can make things a little easier for us. I would like to share with you the situation now that the war has intensified. We are fine and safe, but life has become very difficult now around us, and people are suffering more and losing their loved ones every day. As a family, we have literally lost everything we own, our homes, ourhttps://gofund.me/f3e7e3c2 Hey there! I’m reaching out because my family and I are in a really tough spot, and any contribution you can make towards our evacuation from Gaza would mean the world to us—each donation brings us closer to safety and a fresh start. If you could click the link below to help or share it with others who might want to support us, it would make such a difference in our lives. Thank you for being so compassionate during this challenging time!

businesses, and we lost the dearest thing to us, my father, but we are trying to stay optimistic by thinking about evacuating and we heard good news today that the borders may open soon. We pray that this is true. Once we are evacuated, we will try hard to rebuild a small part of what we lost in Gaza. If we can achieve our ultimate goal, we will have the money to start a business to support our entire family. We want to be able to start over and not suffer anymore in Egypt. If everyone can help us with a small donation to achieve our ultimate goal, we will be able to rebuild our lives after everything was destroyed. All the positive words cannot express how generous you are in sharing my posts to inform other donors about the people of Gaza who are still suffering from the terrible conditions caused by the unjust war on Gaza. Please continue to support the just cause in the world either by donating directly or by sharing the link to other media. Do not hesitate to help people in difficult and miserable times until the dark days are over.

https://gofund.me/f3e7e3c2 Hey there! I’m reaching out because my family and I are in a really tough spot, and any contribution you can make towards our evacuation from Gaza would mean the world to us—each donation brings us closer to safety and a fresh start. If you could click the link below to help or share it with others who might want to support us, it would make such a difference in our lives. Thank you for being so compassionate during this challenging time!

Guys, please donate to help them! If you can't, share it with as many people as possible‼️‼️‼️

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mohammed-nihad-ghazals-family-evacuate-gaza

[a-chaotically-small-lunta]

Okay okay, so we all know the idea of like tiny aliens crashing in a humans yard. With said aliens being either a pilot who had a crash landing, or a team of scientists studying a new world. But what about an escape pod type situation.

Picture it! One day a person is just minding their business maybe they’re gardening outside or typing away at a computer when suddenly something crashes near them (Rip the window if they were inside)looking over they see a crashed alien space ship. Except it’s not slim like the movies and doesn’t even have guns on the side, at least visibly. It’s more bulky and more the size of a decent size rock, one requiring two hands at least. Anyway, a hatch opens and two small aliens step out holding strange weapons (cause ya know aliens) and they look around before seeing the human. Both sides freak out. The tiny aliens shout something back into the ship as they stand guard, but they are shaking.

The person after shaking of the shock of “holy shit aliens are real and they just ruined my roses” notices that the aliens aren’t wearing proper space suits, Nothing fancy at least, but rather normal clothing. No belts, no fancy equipment, something a more day to day person would wear; but what do they know about alien culture. Perhaps more then they think as they notice that through a few of the windows or even on the opened hatch, a few more aliens are appearing, looking out to gaze at the strange huge world they crashed on. That’s when the human figures out that this space ship isn’t for battle, transporting goods, or science. It’s most likely an escape pod, and a big one. Think ships that would transport immigrants to their new home but ya know space. That explains why the two “guards” aren’t trained, it probably wasn’t a super important ship and probably carried whatever the alien equivalent to a lower class was. Maybe this is reflected in the design of the ship, with it not being super fancy or have weapons.

Either way there are still aliens in the persons home. Maybe the human lowers themself down trying to be non-threatening towards the aliens. There’s clearly a language barrier and probably a non-verbal language barrier too. Perhaps the human decides they want to help the aliens and find out what happened. Destroyed home world? Escape of an evil Monarchy? Space Nazis? Who knows!

Somehow the aliens trust the human through very slow non-verbal communication with a few miscommunications with said communication. (How were they supposed to know that the hands up wasn’t peace but meant hungry?) Either way, the pick up the spaceship and all its passengers and puts them in a safer place. Let’s say the aliens and the human build a friendship, even though communication may not be possible, the two species learn a to understand and communicate anyway. Maybe through time the aliens and the human build a small city or settlement for all the aliens who arrived on the ship. Maybe using a pool table and a train table as a base and just slowly expanding to accommodate the growth.

Who knows what happens next. Perhaps they help the aliens rebuild their ship and fit it with a defense system, so that they can continue their journey, and maybe a few decide to stay with the human. Maybe the house is passed down from generation to generation, keeping the aliens secret until they decide it’s time to leave or simply becomes impossible due to population size. Perhaps the government gets involved and our once average human joe has to go and save all their tiny alien friends!

Just tiny aliens. Not all of them have to be scientists and pilots. Some are just people looking for a better place to live

[lividjungle]

just got a very unsavory follower so obligatory post about this

[zanmor]

We are well beyond canary in the coalmine warning levels with the way trans people and particularly trans women are treated on this site.

Maybe you've heard the metaphor of allowing wolves and sheep to share the same space, welcoming everyone. You end up with just wolves because allowing them in that space makes it unsafe for any sheep. Or the story about how a nazi goes into a dive bar and is refused service. The bartender then explains to someone else at the bar that if you serve them once they tell their friends and before you know it you're the nazi bar they all go to and normal customers don't feel safe.

Terfs and other bigots are seeing these targeted harassment campaigns succeed against trans women and rejoicing. They see Tumblr ban them and officially stand by those decisions as endorsement for their harassment. It's a sign to bigots across the internet that Tumblr is a good place for them.

And what's more is that a lot of us probably don't realize just how much trans women contribute to Tumblr. The women banned recently were sources of site-wide memes and posts I wasn't even aware originated from them.any years old memes and references can be traced back to trans women on this site.

How many of these folks have to be removed before this is no longer a site you want to be a part of it? Sure you cultivate your own experience, but you can't follow or interact with people who aren't here. And if I wanted to interact with the nazis and terfs I'd go to reddit.

I encourage everyone to reblog this. Trans women shouldn't have to be the only ones speaking out against the bigotry they're experiencing. They shouldn't be the only ones risking their blogs being nuked by staff. We have to stand with them.

[maeamian]

Part of the reason that Republicans are so desperately acting like they will never lose again is because they are deeply terrified that this is their last real chance to win. The big orange dipshit came in and gutted the party of everyone who wasn't a loyalist, which left it full of nasty little gremlins who have gaping voids where charisma and human decency is supposed to go.

They still hold a lot of power, but if we stop them this year the next presidential election may not be the Most Important One Of Your Life™, that's not a guarantee or anything, but if they don't win here and now their future looks grim, this dipshit is the only guy they have left and he's extremely diminished and has his brains leaking out of his ears at this point. We can beat him into the ground.

So that's what we're gonna fucking do. We're gonna break these fucking fash. They will crash upon us and we're gonna break their fucking necks. When they come for us they will lose because they're fucking losers and we have each other's backs which is something they fundamentally are incapable of comprehending.

[cienie-isengardu]

Sokka's sexism

Sokka’s sexism from the earliest episodes is an interesting case, because the Southern Water Tribe, at least from what was presented to us on screen, doesn’t seem to operate that much on gender roles? Especially when compared to the Northern Water Tribe?

I mean, yeah, warriors (men) went to war, while women, children and the elders stayed at home. But as Hama’s story shows, when Fire Nation attacked Southern Water Tribe, both female and male benders were fighting against invaders arm to arm and it seems like they were the actual first line of defense there, not the non-bender warriors.

In contrast, during siege of North Pole, in the final of Book 1: Water, we don’t see any female bender helping defend their home except Katara, who was involved in protecting Aang when he was in Spirit World.

Since all the waterbenders were captured from the Southern Tribe, it makes sense that non-bender warriors stepped in and got involved with war, while the kids and elders were left under women’s care.

Another example comes from “a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery and trust”, known as ice dodging. As Bato explained, it is a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members and in their village “done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs.” When a child turns 14, their father was supposed to take them to ice dodging, so they could earn their mark. Though the episode itself was focused on Sokka’s ceremony, Bato never specified it as something that boys alone should do and not only Katara (girl) but also Aang (outsider) is allowed to take part in the ritual. Once Sokka proved himself, everyone of their group got a mark, as a sign they passed the test. Interesting thing to note, since Bato did not specify it is a rite of passage for boys alone, it suggests girls were expected to know how to sail in boats of the Southern Water Tribe. Of course, again, war didn’t allow to continue this tradition as men (Hakoda, in case of Sokka & Katara) left to fight against Fire Nation.

Later, when Sokka and Katara reunited with their father, Hakoda did not try to send away Katara nor relegate her to just a medic job during the invasion. In Northern Water Tribe episodes, we learned that teaching for waterbenders there was defined by gender - women were allowed to learn only how to heal, while men how to use their bending in fight. Hakoda, nor Bato nor other of their warriors even for a moment questioned Katara’s presence on the battlefield nor the presence of women in the ranks of their allies like a blind, 12 years old Toph or the female water benders from Swamps or female(?) soldier from Earth Kingdom

And during battle, Katara did not fight in rank with other soldiers, she first alone secured Appa during submarine attack, then alongside her brother and father took down guardhouses - Hakoda himself told her and Sokka to attack one when he took down the other one

showing how much he trusted his 15 years old son and 14 years old daughter while ordering them attack on Fire Nation adult soldiers hidden in well guarder place.

Later, when Hakoda got seriously injured and Sokka temporary took the command of their forces, we could see that Hakoda relied on Katara to follow his troops and not ever once tried to send her back “to safety” or argued she should leave him behind, as often it happens with heroic (male) figures. Quite the opposite. When Katara offered him to “wait here if you want”, Hakoda firmly said “I want to press forward with the others”, which meant his daughter needed to come with him directly into an already ongoing fight (even if they stayed more at the rear of their army, they were still on battlefield).

She and her brother, alongside with the youngest members of Invasion, were forced to flee on Appa once the battle was lost, but no other adult woman was included. During Zuko’s coronation, when all war prisoners were released, in the background we could again see the female character(s) from Swamps.

And let's not forget how impressive Hakoda was by Suki when she single-handedly captured the warden at Boiling Rock prison and did not try to stop her from fighting against Ty Lee alongside Zuko and Sokka against Azula.

Understandably, we have no idea how the Southern Water Tribe and its culture looked like before the war, even arguably, the characters themselves may not have a clear idea due to growing up in dire times. But my point is, Hakoda and Bato, the two main adult Southern Water Tribe’s warriors that Avatar: The Last Airbender allowed us to know more about, have never shown any direct sexism toward Katara or other female characters. And though Sokka was the oldest boy at their village, there is no reason to think women did not hunt in absence of men, because one person would not be able to provide for a whole community 24/7. Also, as Hama proved, the Southern Water Tribe’s waterbenders were capable of fighting and their gender did not play any vital role the way it happened in their sister tribe at North Pole. 

Of course, Fire Nation’s repeated attacks affected residents of South Pole and their living conditions but from the little bits the show gave us, I think it is correct to assume if Sokka grew up with Hakoda around to guide him as he should, his behavior would be different from the sexism and dismissive attitude toward Katara or Kyoshi Warriors. For one, logically thinking Southern Water Tribe’s warriors need to do all the cooking, sewing and keeping their camp clean all on their own during war so it is not a “girly job” but a vital part of a warriors skills to survive and ensure their equipment is in the best condition. But Sokka doesn’t know it, because there is no one to teach him the importance of those skills. All Sokka had was father’s farewell words to cling to - and I’m not sure if Hakoda truly expected his son to be able to protect Katara and the village in his absence, or he just tried to make Sokka feel a bit less depressed about being left behind. You know, by giving him purpose and a Big Important Job to focus on and to feel needed and trusted. 

Which leads me to think that Sokka’s sexism is not rooted in Southern Water Tribe’s culture itself, but in his own insecurity and pressure of being the oldest boy in the village. If girls could be warriors - and be better than him - it would put into question all his self-worth, purpose and the trust given by father. Once Sokka met Kyoshi Warriors and later all the skilled girls, it challenged him on a very personal level, but he accepted the truth and moved on and alongside, finally became a true warrior and a man. 

And I find it indeed an interesting case, as Sokka’s sexism and dismissal of girls is not necessarily stemming from the culture he is part of, but rather is the effect of not knowing said culture & pre-war history of his Tribe. And of course, from his own insecurity. 

[beneathsilverstars]

i do think about how pre-canon isafrin would be such a fucking mess

[sporesgalaxy]

hi sorry for reposting my own philip wittebane takes again but im having a moment. im having some kind of a moment because of rotating these in my mind. i hope they haunt you like they haunt me ^_^

[kadextra]

I’ve slept on it, it’s a new day, I feel like can say that Sweet Despair is the best lore stream I’ve ever watched

[anglerflsh]

how did you find out you were gay

tldr I don't fucking know man. Sono gay perché odio le donne

[who-is-page]

Just read a conference paper that mentions fictionkin and... does a fantastic job at completely misunderstanding the phenomena and confusing it with KFF, but worse than that is that it uses a grand citation of a TikTok for that part. How is this going to be a foundational part of your paper's point when you can't even be half-assed to actually look into it. One of the authors has a PhD.

[sciderman]

How do you feel about the increase in really weird NSFW ads on here (advertising panels that look like sexual encounters, and AI art apps that pride themselves on porn) but will take down NSFW posts from their users, even if it isn't technically sexual.

i hate all social media and it's consistent prioritising the advertisers over the users and the internet simply was a better place before capitalism sunk its hooks into it

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

something about qbad mentioning how much horror he put red team thru every time purgatory gets brought up... something about how proud dapper was of him.

like this is just my late-night read but- it feels like guilt qbad is trying to twist into pride. he keeps needling away at it. “i killed them all, over and over and over again.” “they were hunted by a monster.”

it’s like- reassurance. like a nail he’s trying o beat into his head. he’s had SO much trouble with legitimately hurting his friends, despite making that vow all the way back when the eggs first went missing, despite all the tree talk and the promises to save the kids no matter what. He never faltered with elq, and that protected them. He keeps faltering now. Sometimes he doesnt remember the code, or cucurucho, or skeppy. But that doesnt matter, right? Because he’ll protect the eggs. He’ll be the monster. he is the monster. he can and he will protect them even as his seams start ripping and he keeps breaking further and further apart. even at his worst, he’ll do whatever he needs to protect the eggs.

he’ll be the monster. wont he?

[finch-the-foolish]

So uh.. I did a thing. Shoutout to @gummys-whump-acc for the prompt inspo. In essence, whumper tormented and killed a local fae creature, an action which had.. repercussions.

TW for noncon body modification (magic based), reference to blood and death

Whumper stumbled back a step, staring up at the figure standing before them. They were ethereal, unnatural, features which seemed ever so slightly wrong painted with a sharp, furious rage. Their little experiments seemed to have returned to bite them. How.. unfortunate.

They took another step away, breaths unsteady, gaze flitting about like some caged, helpless animal searching for escape. It was a sense of weakness that they had long inflicted, long found glee in. And yet, here, there was only fear remaining in their chest, every breath too tight, stammered attempts at speech tripping over themselves like their uncertain steps.

It merely smiled in response, a thing of sharp teeth, eyes which seemed nearly hypnotising, a clawed hand swiping out. Whumper gasped, eyes wide with panic as they were ripped up from the floorboards, that wretched hand now entangled in their shirt's collar. They clawed at it, far more weakly than they'd like, gaze fixated on the faerie before them.

"Look at you," it hissed, its other hand grabbing at their hair, pulling their head up. "Powerless. Pathetic. You're the little thing who killed my child? The little bastard that stole them from me?"

Whumper tensed, shaking their head. "I- n- no- I don't- I didn't-"

It narrowed its eyes, swirling blue-green holding a malice that had so often greeted Whumper in the mirror. "You're a coward. A lying, hateful little bastard." Its hand shifted, grabbing onto their throat, a frantic, pained noise stuttering out in response. "How about we teach you a lesson, on who to mess with. On who to hurt."

They stared at it, nearly frozen at the words, one hand still trying desperately to pull their claws away. "P.. please- I- I won't- I won't hurt anyone- just let me go-"

The fae paused for a moment, expression cold. "Your promises are as worthless as your life, fool. It is a mercy that you shall keep either."

Its eyes seemed to glow, then, magic lighting up around them, painting Whumper's little home in blues and greens; swirling, glowing energy that seeped into their veins, into their mind, their soul, agony lighting up every inch of their frame.

A hand scrabbled at the fae's wrist, pained gasps all they could manage as their back lit up, bone pushing through skin, fear decorating a face which had so long been smug, been gleeful, in its tormenting. It felt like eternity, it felt like a moment, like they were infinity and nothing at all against the grand spectre of the magic which now carried through their veins.

And then, abruptly, they were released, falling to the floor, little more than a mangled creature, distinctly wrong. Crimson decorated the floorboards and their back in equal measure k, ragged wings with too little material stretched unmoving over their form.

The fae stared down at them, a twisted smile barely visible in their blurry gaze. "Good luck, little one. Perhaps you will learn something more than harm, this way."

And with that, it was gone. With that, they were alone, with the consequences of their sins, the pain which they had wreaked returning to spite them.