#which I feel no remorse or regret to that person but the others I absolutely do

[adrinoir]

The Miraculous Movie was different than the series…and that’s okay!

I watched the movie this morning and loved it! I think it’s important to talk about the changes that were made and what impact they had.

How the characters were rewritten

There definitely was a difference in how the characters were written in the movie, and some of the redevelopment of characters was really good!

Gabriel was by far the one who had the best redevelopment of his personality. Gabriel in the series is awful, as we all know.

In the series, he barely gives a shit about his own son, like there is absolutely nothing redeemable about his character. In every “what if” episode and the season 5 finale, Gabriel does not show any regret to hurting people, including his own son.

However, in the movie, Gabriel actually makes a better attempt to communicate with Adrien and, most importantly, feels strong regret when he hurt his son. He cries; he feels remorse for destroying Paris and injuring Adrien in the process. He hugs Adrien (along with the spirit of Emilie 🥹) and decides to stop being Hawk Moth. It was beautifully done. He got a redemption arc that he never got in the series. I know I personally felt so good watching that and seeing the relationship between him and Adrien being repaired.

Marinette was her usual clumsy self, but was written as having no friends at school because she embarrasses herself so much. In a way, it makes more sense than her being so popular like she is in the series. Kids in high school can be pretty judgy and ruthless. So it makes sense for the “clumsy girl” to be made fun of and judged by people who don’t know her well.

Adrien was different in a lot of ways. He wasn’t shown running to school to gain freedom. He wasn’t introduced as being a super model who’s friends with Chloe. Instead, he’s already going to the school, he’s already friends with Nino, and he happens to run into Marinette at the library. He doesn’t have that same chemistry with Marinette as he does in the series which is a bit odd that they took that away, but it does make sense that he’d turn her down when she asked him to the ball, since he loves Ladybug. In the movie, he very clearly sees Marinette as just a friend and it’s shown that he’s building a friendship with her without him developing a crush. It’s different but still wholesome, especially when he shows her the old family photo to her. Plus, it evens it out well since Ladybug obviously turns Cat Noir away but they’re still building up their bond, too. They both get turned down.

It was ehhh that Adrien was a bit too cocky at times as Cat Noir, but overall, his goofiness and self confidence is still pretty on brand for him. He was still very encouraging towards Ladybug but not overly flirtatious, pushing her to her limits. Instead, it was them lightly teasing each other and then playfully fighting. And, speaking of the playful fighting, their bond was stronger in the movie seeing as how they were shown spending more time together off duty and that they were treated as equals.

In the show, Cat Noir is automatically made sidekick and left in the dark about everything. But in the movie, he gets to meet Master Fu in disguise alongside Ladybug. Sure, he didn’t help Master Fu with his cane like he did in the series, but that didn’t matter since the lore was changed.

Alya was less annoying in the movie. Sorry. Don’t get me wrong, I love Alya in the series, but she’s so over the top at times with how obsessed she is over the heroes, blogging, and filming things for her blog. In the movie, she was toned down a lot and I liked that. It was also cute that Nino had a crush on her and just her, not Marinette first. Unlike the series, he wasn’t on that pipeline of guys who fell for Marinette since that pipeline doesn’t exist in the movie.

Tom was made out to be an embarrassment for Marinette which is honestly more realistic for a teenager. Most teenagers get pretty embarrassed by their parents, especially when they still treat them very childlike. And, I like that he went out to the fair to look for her since he heard there was danger. Marinette’s parents don’t usually go out to look for her or make sure she’s in her room when there’s danger afoot. So, I appreciate that they made Tom do that since he obviously loves Marinette a lot.

The rewriting of (some of) the lore

As I had mentioned in my previous section, the lore was rewritten, too. Instead of Master Fu being the one to pick Marinette and Adrien simply because they helped him, the kwamis sense that Marinette and Adrien are the right people to be Ladybug and Cat Noir. That was a much better way to write that, in my opinion.

Hawk Moth got ahold of the butterfly miraculous by mistake. That part wasn’t changed but also, it didn’t need to be.

The change of plot

The plot was very simple. It didn’t have a whole lot of crazy, in depth details like the show’s does. So, anyone who has never watched the show can easily understand and absorb what’s going on (I will be forcing my boyfriend to watch it with me since he’s never seen the show lol).

I like that it was very clear cut and easy to understand while still being intense and meaningful. It still summarizes a lot of what the series entails while fixing some issues in the plot development.

They didn’t doddle with Hawk Moth like they do in the show. He was a successful villain in his second attempt but then realized he should stop when he hurt his own son in the process.

Also, there was a reveal. It was a wee bit underwhelming, but I still think it was done well! It was a moment with just Marinette and Adrien alone, as it should be. And, it was cutesy and heartfelt. The fact that Marinette dressed like Ladybug for the ball (cutest dress ever imo) and Adrien dressed like Cat Noir was so cute. That’s what a lot of the fandom has been asking for and written about in fanfics, I feel like.

The romance between these two is most important. They didn’t need Kagami and Luka as 2nd love interests to throw things off track. Yes, I like these characters in the show, but they weren’t needed in the plot.

The music

I love musicals. I was a bit of a theater kid in high school, plus I’m obsessed with music lol. So, yes, I’m a bit biased when I say I love that they made this a musical.

I personally loved the music. I can tell a lot of good effort was put into it and I’ve already been listening to the songs on my Spotify. The song between Ladybug and Cat Noir in the theater “Now I See” and Cat Noir jumping on the clouds (literally, on cloud nine) singing “My Lady” was absolutely adorable and super romantic, which, as we know, is a big part of the show.

Even Gabriel’s song “Chaos Will Reign Today” was amazing! It conveyed a lot of emotion and turns into one of those dramatic villain songs. Keith Silverstein is clearly talented enough to sing for his own character and he did it well.

My only nitpick is that Marinette’s singer, Lou, has a very different voice than Christina Vee. So, Marinette sounds very different, much more mature-sounding when she sings and it kinda catches you off guard. I’m surprised they didn’t have Christina sing for her, but there must’ve been a reason why she didn’t. But, SQVARE sounded similar enough to Bryce Papenbrook when he sung for Cat Noir which i absolutely love.

Conclusion

I personally give this movie a 10/10 just because it made me smile the whole time, and it’s such a feel good movie. I’ll happily watch it again and listen to the soundtrack, especially on a day when I’m feeling down. It wasn’t perfect in every aspect, but it was perfect in a simple, heartwarming sense and that it can be watched by everyone, not only people who watch the series.

I understand if it made you cringe or you were moreso looking for a continuation of the series not a retelling. But, I prefer some simplicity which is a big part of what made me like it. Like I said, I know it wasn’t absolute perfection, but it was so frickin adorable and I can’t help but smile.

There’s a lot of differences but also plenty of similarities between the movie and the show. But understand they’re not meant to be the same and that’s okay! I don’t think the movie was horrible for most of the changes it made. In fact, I think most of them made sense and made it a bit more realistic (as I explained).

[butch-reidentified]

I've spoken before about psychopathy, particularly my own, and the importance of recent research and demolishing the stigma and absolutely absurd past conceptions and measures of psychopathy, which were exclusively based on studies of male prisoners convicted of violent crime.

Just to reiterate - psychopathy is not being deranged and uncontrollably violent. Villanelle from Killing Eve is actually an excellent and well-researched example of high-EQ female psychopathy, and the first fictional portrayal I can genuinely see myself in. Psychopaths with high EQ are entirely capable of cognitive empathy, and many (like myself) are actually very gifted in it, and can even make excellent counselors/therapists as a result of this combined with a lack of strong internal biases and the fact that we won't be emotionally impacted/drained by patients. This presentation of psychopathy is becoming more and more recognized and studied, and is distinctly more common in women. We retain the core defining traits, obviously - boldness, deviancy, disinhibition, very high fear threshold, a tendency toward meanness (self-control is a thing, though), reduced capacity for remorse and regret*, and of course lack of affective (emotional) empathy - but are much more able to moderate ourselves and prioritize social functioning, and tend to view the sadistic behavior of low-EQ psychopathic males as wasteful. My wife calls it "prosocial psychopathy."

Anyway, I just kind of wanted to touch on this again since it's been a while and there's a fair few new followers out here. I encourage you to read the above links and check the tag - it's a pretty interesting topic, to me at least.

Edit 4/25/2024: *Regarding the reduced capacity for remorse/regret: I firmly believe this sounds worse than it is. For people like me, at least, it's not that I'm going around doing terrible things and incapable of feeling bad about any of them. The truth is that remorse & regret most frequently occur as a result of intensely emotion-driven behaviors, which as a concept is largely foreign to me - I don't tend toward remorse/regret because the way I interact with the world, analyze situations, and choose to behave in response, is inherently from the very beginning done with the acceptance of potential consequences actively held in my mind. I'm not prone to regret/remorse because I know myself extremely well and make choices as consistent with my understanding of self as possible, having already prepared myself for the possibility that things could go wrong. It's more about being prepared for what might happen and able to cope when things do go wrong, rather than being a piece of shit and not feeling anything about it.

This doesn't make me better or worse than others; it's a neutral fact that male supremacy has made seem otherwise by constantly claiming that "logic" or whatever is superior to emotions. Fuck that. Loads of the best people I've ever known have been very emotion-driven (what non-shit people identify as a form of being passionate) and some of the shittest people I've known would waste their dying breath insisting they're 100% logical creatures, as if that's even a real thing. To me it feels very simple: if I'm making the best (most internally consistent, most reflective of my personality and values, etc) decisions I possibly can with whatever information I have at the time, then I've done my best, acted with integrity, and don't need to regret my choices. This is very challenging to write/talk about bc of the stigma & connotations involved, but again, this is a completely neutral fact to me in the same way I describe being a woman as a completely neutral fact despite the stigma & connotations involved there. Does any of this make sense?

[yanderenightmare]

Hi I don’t know if you still use this system but I remember a post where you said that you had a categories for the different types of mha boys as yandares possessive v obsessive stuff like that do you still use it while writing for other fandoms?

In reference to these posts, I believe: BNHA yandere beginnings & yandere categories

Cool question!

I'd say it was never something I heeded religiously, but more something I might've referred to every now and again in an effort to find ways to keep the different characters separate.

Adhering to those set yandere categories, it was easier to gauge what reaction different yandere types would have between each other set in similar scenarios. It was more important to me at that time to write them all fundamentally differently because I usually wrote a lot of 'bundle' posts with several characters going through the same imagine.

Take "wrongfully punished," for example, where each BNHA yandere is under the false impression that their captive darling has broken their rules somehow.

Here we have Bakugou, whom I diagnosed as a protective, possessive, and denialistic yandere. He believes that his darling has stolen a knife and proceeds to absolutely lose his shit—his first instinct is to hold back and demand she give it back with minor consequences, but as she refuses (as she hasn't stolen anything), he quickly decides on a punishment that far exceeds the crime—carving the word 'quirkless' into her arm. Then, upon understanding that he was wrong and it was all a misunderstanding, he's just as quick to crash into despair, bearing witness to his horrifying and unjustifiable actions.

His protectiveness and possessiveness come through in how hurt he is over her betrayal, how important it is to him for her to understand that there is no universe in which he'll allow her to escape, and furthermore, no possible way for her to live in the outside world without him if she did—and he'll go to any lengths to ensure she understands that, hence branding what he sees as the ultimate weakness into her arm.

He's a denialistic yandere—wherein the reality he's created for himself, he's able to view his actions as protection—for better or for worse. Condoning his behavior, telling himself that she needs him. But then, as the realization hits and he's forced to see what he's done, his denial reaches its limit, and he's slapped with the understanding that the only one she needs protection from is none other than himself.

Hawks, an obsessive, dependant, and denialistic yandere, has somewhat of a similar reaction where his denials also reaches a limit and he's forced to see his wrongs reflected on him.

However, Deku, an obsessive and possessive yandere, has a very different reaction. Instead of feeling regret or remorse, he hasn't got a single apologetic bone in his body. He's calm and collected, doesn't crack under the pressure of being wrong, and instead simply takes it in stride. In other words, he's built for it and hasn't been denying his nature the same way the other two have.

Where Bakugou and Hawks carry around a constant sense of self-loathing they deny by always finding convoluted ways of condoning their actions under pretenses, such as doing it all to protect their darling or because they love them, Deku is way more honest with himself. He's not doing any of it to protect them, and he's more than aware that love isn't a good enough excuse to hold someone captive. No, he's doing it because he can and he wants to. And he's made peace with that.

In regard to if I still use those categories, I'd say yes, to some degree.

I mean, in simpler viewpoints, one might just look at those categories as personality types. Or rather, if a character has certain set of personality traits, it's then natural for them to be a certain type of yandere.

But at the same time, it's fun to switch it up and give a character completely different yandere traits than what one might naturally expect—for example, suddenly making Bakugou more in line with the yandere type we see portrayed by Deku, and vice versa.

All in all, I'd say these categorical differences are all just tools, and I use and abuse them any way I see fit to create new and exciting takes on what would otherwise be the same story over and over.

If that makes any sense.

[scoobydoodean]

#okay wait do y'all think that she wasn't going to try and murder Dean?#Do you think he was going to get through to her?#convince her somehow to not try to stab him?#that she was telling the truth at all in that scene?#because she was totally going to try and kill Dean#like 100% that was going to happen#and if Sam hadn't shot her then Dean would have had to kill her and that would have been so much harder on Dean#like it was disturbing that Dean had a 3 day old monster child that wanted to kill him but who was then killed by her uncle Sam instead#and even more disturbing that they then never mention her again#but these are also the guys who left their half brother in Lucifer's cage and didn't lose any sleep over it so...#and I love Dean but killing Amy was an asshole move#and there's kinda a difference between killing an active imminent threat and killing someone in cold blood after the fact @jinkieswouldyoulookatthis

I didn't want to clutter someone else's post but this was partially directed at me? I've talked about the whole "Emma vs Amy" debate quite a few times, but I'll share a few thoughts.

Amy is a present, unrepentant, fully cognizant, adult, serial murderer. She is not actually sorry about what she did in any way. She believes that slaughtering humans like cattle to feed them to her son was the morally correct action even if it wasn't the ethical action because it kept her son alive. She is not correct.

Emma is a brainwashed child who's been psychologically conditioned for a few days. She has never killed anyone and only wants to kill Dean because some women who abused her told her to.

Hunters like Sam and Dean primarily deal in punitive justice, not preventative justice—and what I mean by that is that Sam and Dean try not to kill people (with powers or without powers) who have never killed anyone.

While I think you're right to point out that a preventative justice component is in play, that is not primarily how Dean makes the decision to go after Amy, and the reason we know that is because Amy's son swears to kill Dean and Dean does nothing about it because the boy has done absolutely nothing wrong.

Dean's application of his personal code is consistent here. He kills Amy, who is a murderer who killed four people, but he does not intend to kill Emma or Amy's son—both of whom wanted to kill him—because neither has actually killed anyone and both may choose not to.

You say that Emma was going to kill Dean 100%, but you don't actually know that because we never got to see that future. You assume Amy would never have killed again, but when you add up "murderer who regrets absolutely nothing" and "child vulnerable to catching illnesses" you get "Mom who absolutely would kill again as necessary and who would feel zero remorse doing so just like the last time".

I don't personally think SPN gives us any reason to suspect that three days of psychological conditioning from a cult is too much to overcome. We have seen other characters overcome much more serious levels of psychological conditioning intended to make them killers. For example, Cas and Alex. I'm not saying Emma wasn't trying to pull the wool over Sam and Dean's eyes in the scene where Sam shot her, but I am saying that doesn't actually mean in any way that she couldn't be convinced to actually choose a different path.

Under the same litmus test with which you suggest Emma's condemnation, we'd also condemn season 2 Sam for his potential "future" crimes. We are killing monsters before they actually become those monsters... because of the dark path someone else intends for them to go down. Amy—again—is an active present unrepentant serial killer.

I think sometimes people misremember the scene where Sam kills Emma—recalling the scene as a scene where Emma lunges at Dean with the knife and Sam steps in just in time to save his life, or where Dean is unarmed and Emma has him at knife point. But that is not what happened. Emma quite literally brought a knife to a gun fight. Dean had a gun pointed at her, and if she was thinking straight at all, she would have left to avoid being killed if given the chance—especially when Sam arrived. And had she not, Sam could have shot her at that point—but Sam didn't wait to see what she'd do. He wanted her dead, because even if she ran, he didn't think they were equipped to deal with surprise attacks from Dean's Amazon child. That is the decision Sam made after a brief moment to consider, and it makes sense to me given the headspace he was in at the time and his assessment of Dean's headspace as well, but it does not make his decision consistent with his previous or future behavior regarding people who have been psychologically conditioned to kill.

My own frustrations are more with fandom, for a thought process that really really does not make sense to me, where Emma deserves to die but Amy deserved to live. I do not agree with that premise. I do not understand why so much of fandom has the perspective that a child who hadn't shed a drop of blood and who was acting in response to a cult's torture, who brought a knife to a gun fight and had already been driven into a corner where she had no choice but to surrender or run—doesn't deserve a chance to choose something else before she's barely lived and before she's heard a loving word in her entire life, but an adult with full cognizance of their actions who went through with killing four people and doesn't regret it should go on with their life and is "just a good mom doing what she had to" and killing that person is the bad thing. I don't understand that. I don't think Dean killing Amy was wrong at all in the "hunters kill supernatural murderers" show. The only thing Dean did wrong was lie about it and not take enough care to keep her son from seeing it happen.

[agentleem]

Another thing I love about HTP is how they develop the starting villains.

Now, we are introduced to this sabbat clan and they are all pretty one-dimensional. They are all generally just “crazy murderous vampires” and act as such in episode 1. The most personality they have can be gleaned from their fighting styles (shot beard just pummels everything, ape leaps and tackles at his enemies, Pyotr seems somewhat of a stealthy type, meanwhile Kevin takes a hostage and bends his opponent’s will).

By all means, Ogre Poppenang could’ve just left them like that, but they didn’t.

Shitbeard is a crass biker brute. He also recites many philosophical statements and viewpoints during episode 2, and seems to be jealous that the family have graduated college. He also constantly talks about how much he misses many of the mundane parts of life, such as existing in the sun and eating cream crackers. Additionally, he was turned while donating to charity.

Ape meanwhile is the newest member, not even being Blood Bonded to the others yet. He is also the most excited to be a part of the sabbat. He constantly is trying to say quotes that make him seem cool, help him fit in. He is massively cringeworthy—even in universe—but he is completely earnest. He reminds me of a young kid joining a fandom for a show or game they’re excited about.

Kevin is probably the most talked about member so ima keep it brief: his life was shit. He was raised to lead an ok but mind-numbingly uneventful life. He tried to strike it big, to give his life meaning, and failed horribly, leading him to continue his misery. And just as he’s about to swing his life around, he gets thrust into a world of darkness where he gains status but is enslaved in both body and mind. And once he gets tossed away by his new life, he joins the sabbat, because he feels like it’s the only real choice that would matter for him. That it’s the only one that he can make.

Then Pyotr. While everyone else has something hidden that makes them more endearing, Pyotr is shown to be much more VILE than we have thought. He is a coward who only comes out of hiding when he sees a weak or weakened target, and he is willing to backstab his teammates for any advantage without remorse. And when Kitten points this exact detail out, he gets absolutely PISSED that Kitten thinks he still cares about that (though with how pissed he got, I feel like there was at least some part of him that did regret, and his rant afterwards also serves to reassure himself that he’s a heartless vampire, banishing those feelings of regret and shame to the back of his mind. That’s just my headcanon though). When he diablerizes his teammates, however, he gets more careless. More risk-taking. More reckless. He uses his usual stealth approach less and less, going for more brutality. All of which leads to his death. Also, the reveal that he was a handsome man before his turn, probably turned BECAUSE of it, might factor into how he grew so wicked.

[totoanime52]

SPOILERS FOR BNHA 427 BELOW

I actually like how Overhaul's story is ending.

People get on Endeavour's case about him being an abuser and how he got a redemption when he should have died, but then I saw people who kept saying that Overhaul should have had a chance to do the right thing and have his redemption.

Here's the main difference between the two: Endeavour actually regretted the things he did and wanted to better himself as a person. He tried doing what he could to help his victims while understanding that he may never get forgiveness, which was okay for him because he understood that they didn't owe him anything in return. When Natsuo said he was going no contact, Enji was okay with that because this was Natsuo's choice, just as it would be the rest of the family's choice what they want to do in the future. His redemption arc worked because he was bettering himself with no expectations of getting anything in return for it; it was for the people he hurt.

Now look at Overhaul: he never regretted the things he did other than his boss's coma. All the people he killed or maimed? No. The treatment of his subordinates? Nope. What he did to Eri? Absolutely not. Even when Deku found him after the Tartarus Prison Break, all he wanted to do was use Eri again to reverse what was done to him (funny enough, it's what many in the fandom wanted her to do for several characters, HMMMMMM). How can redemption be given to someone who shows no remorse for what he did?

Now Chisaki's boss is confronting him with this reality: the disgust the boss feels towards him for what he did (to the boss's granddaughter, no less), the fact that his apologies are not being directed towards the person he arguably tormented the most because he never cared for her, and that he will be forced to think of his actions towards Eri for the rest of his life. The thing is, it's a path he is being forced down, not one he is taking the initiative to walk himself.

People can have their own opinions on both these characters; that's the beauty of fiction, you make of it what you interpret. At the same time, writing Todoroki Enji's character development and conclusion off as abuse apologist is kind of a bad take when Kai Chisaki, the character who doesn't regret his deplorable actions towards a child and made no move to actually want to apologize or make up for what he did, is given this kind of ending. I think Horikoshi did a good job at having these two characters end up where they are. Neither have a particularly happy ending, but Enji embraces this path as one he will walk as unending atonement for the harm he caused (you could say, his own personal endeavor), while Chisaki is being forced to remember his deplorable actions for the rest of his life because he didn't care about his victims as people.

P.S., The shot of Bakugou and Todoroki running away from their new admirers is priceless.

[david-talks-sw]

Since people were talking about it recently: is there any official reason given of why Padme forgave Anakin immediatly after the Tusken Raider massacre? I always see a lot of diferent reasons given on the internet, from long and deep analises of theirs characters to "the writers didn't think about it".

Okay, folks (or single person who messaged me three times) I'm finally talking about this XD !

I got no official answer.

That said, here's a few points that I do think merit consideration, and I haven't really seen them mentioned anywhere.

1. Anakin is more regretful in the script.

If you look at how the scene is portrayed in the Attack of the Clones July 2001 draft of the screenplay, in Scene 118, pages 83-84...

... he's sorry and ashamed. He is in absolute shock of what he did. We get a bit of this, in the film...

... but in the script it's much more explicit. It starts out with him lashing out at Obi-Wan, at his own lack of power, but it ends with him breaking down and just apologizing over and over.

He didn't just kill them, he went Wolverine-style berseker and murdered EVERYTHING in his path, and he's thinking back on it with a clear-ish head now and realizing the gravity of his monstrous act.

When it's on paper, it reads very differently, to me. He's more remorseful, so Padmé's reaction makes more sense.

But there's a big difference between what you write in a script and what comes out in the film. Once you're shooting, myriad other factors come into play. So Anakin's dialog changes as the delivery and the rhythm are narrowed down, the beats in the scene shift around... but Padmé's reaction stays the same.

And that's where you get the disconnect.

Because what sticks with the audience more is this moment, now.

The anger. Not the shock and remorse.

So why the change? Well, George Lucas had this to say:

"He's very unhappy about that. Very sad and depressed. There was some dialogue here before that I took out, because it seemed to get in the way of the emotional moment of this scene where she says, "To be angry is to be human," and he says, "But to control your anger is to be a Jedi." And so that issue was actually laid out in dialogue at one point, and I decided to pull back from it... because it seemed to me that it was pretty obvious that was what was there. And I didn't think I needed to state it quite as boldly as I did. And that issue will come up at a later time, and I just felt it took away from the moment of his sadness. And I thought the sadness pretty much said the same thing without words." - AotC, Commentary Track #2, 2002

The reasoning was: too much dialog takes away from emotion.

An audience member will have a stronger emotional reaction from Anakin crying than Anakin crying while screaming "woe is me!"

I get (and generally agree) with the reasoning. But, personally, I have mixed feelings about this particular artistic choice.

On the one hand... if the intent is to show that Anakin made a big mistake and is sorry and sad because of his actions, then I think it's safe to say that it's not what most people took away.

Which then leads to things like John Ostrander writing Anakin as thinking he'd kill them all over again.

Also, it makes the viewer question the wisdom of Padmé's judgment.

But on the other hand... whether Anakin was feeling apologetic or not, he still did it. He still effectively massacred a whole tribe, he made that choice.

And whether the intent in that specific scene is conveyed efficiently or not, Anakin's character flaws (which the Prequels are really about) aren't really impacted and still tie together perfectly.

The only real change to that scene is that Padmé goes from having a more understandable reaction to "missing a lot of red flags".

2. Padmé thinks she can fix Anakin.

Here's what Natalie Portman had to say on the scene, which I think is an interesting take.

"She's this very powerful woman, and I think Padmé is sort of intrigued by this darker side she sees to him, especially because she's such a person who tries to fix everything. She sees problems in the world and she still has that idealistic passion… to think she can change everything, and she can change people who have darkness to them. And she sees goodness in him. She sees this passion. And she sees that there's a lot of anger in that passion, that it's not just the goodness and purity of her passion. So I think that is definitely attractive for her- that there's something that she can try and help heal or mend. That might be a big surprise for her when she can't." - Natalie Portman, AotC, Commentary Track #2, 2002

A part of Padmé is intrigued by Anakin's darker side, the "handsome bad boy" part... but that's coming from a place of "I can change him".

But the only thing that can change Anakin... is Anakin himself. Unfortunately, he keeps:

indulging his darker selfish impulses because he lacks discipline, acting on emotion despite knowing better,

regretting it for a moment and acknowledging that it was wrong,

starting again, never learning from his mistakes.

Which is part of the reason why their relationship is sort of doomed from the get-go.

[itsyoung8]

The reasons that led Bullies to attack others

Bonjour! during this time when I wasn't active here, I reflected on some things including the reasons for Bullies to go after certain students, especially those no-cliques and nerds. So here is my theory for each of the members. Bonne lecture!

Russell Northtrop: Russell is the one who required the most thought from me to be completely honest. Russell hardly talks about his family except for his parents' divorce and even less about how he feels about his feelings about school. Then I remembered a line of dialogue where he wished he was a warrior or something. So I thought if he was acting as a brute at the beginning of the game, it's only to be in the shoes of a warrior.

Davis White: Along with Troy, Davis is one of the cruelest Bullies of the group, probably having no remorse for his actions. Yet he is aware that what he is doing is horrible. Indeed, in a line of dialogue, he says that he wouldn't be who he is now if his cousin hadn't made him eat insects. And therein lies the origins of Davis' behavior: he himself was bullied by his own cousin in the past. He would never have been a stalker if he hadn't been bullied himself! What he does is pure revenge on life and nothing else. He wants to show that he is strong but also to show others what he has experienced.

Trent Northwick: The only reason Trent bullies other students is to become men. This reason leads us to wonder if Trent received an education where he had to be a "manly" and "strong" man and not a "weak" man. We will never know since Trent does not mention his family at any time.

Troy Miller: For Troy, I have a lot to say. It can be assumed that attacking others by beating and humiliating them is a way for him to train for the Army and prepare in advance in case of mobilization in a territory infested with enemies. Also, it's easy to guess that he's doing this to feel manly and be a "real" man (spoiler: this kind of thought is). A theory, darker but perhaps related to this question of virility, is that he harasses other people in order to his feelings for boys, let me explain. It is known that Troy has a penchant for boys (especially Russell). Except that for him, loving boys is not something manly and does not make him a man. So he hits and humiliates others to feel more virile. Of course, I also thought that he was doing this in the hope of getting Russell's attention. This would explain why it is one of the cruelest.

Wade Martin: Wade is like Davis, he only does this for revenge and to show that he is strong. His father mistreats him and to relieve himself, he attacks someone weaker than him. I think if his dad wasn't such a piece of with him, maybe he wouldn't be who he is. Nevertheless, this does not excuse his behavior or that of others for that matter.

Ethan Robinson: Ethan is only to train and become a better ninja. I think he is not aware that his actions have a negative impact on those he "faces". He's so in his ninja world that he doesn't see the harm he's doing to others and he is, I think, the one who will have the hardest time stopping harassing his comrades.

Tom Gurney: Tom only does it to be in a group and not to be alone. I don't see him taking pleasure in doing so, on the contrary. I think he's the one who regrets his actions the most and feels sorry for what he's doing. However, as I said, this does not excuse anything.

If you are a victim of bullying at school, or any other form of bullying, talk to someone you trust: parents, friends, teachers, etc., who will be able to help you or advise you. Do not remain alone in this situation, which is absolutely not normal. I put the French national number for victims of harassment below. I do not know if there is one in every country. But if you know of any, don't hesitate to share them.

Numéro national pour les victimes de harcèlement: 3018

If you witness a case of harassment, go help the victim. Not to act is to be complicit.

If you are a person who harasses another person, you should know that this is punishable by law. Harassing someone won't make you a cool and strong person, on the contrary. What you do will have an impact on your victim for, no doubt, a more or less long time.

[fanby-fckry]

Random Facts About UH3 Alastor:

His father was an on-again-off-again feature in his and his mother’s lives until Alastor was 12, and is a big part of why Alastor has BPD traits and gets along better with women than men.

(If you’re new to this AU, or missed my other Cluster B Alastor posts, hi! Author has BPD and accidentally projected onto Alastor. Now I write him as intentionally having multiple Cluster B traits that I do, as well as the ones implied by canon.)

His parents weren’t married – to each other; Alastor has a stepmother he’s never met and doesn’t want to meet.

He claims that drinking was more fun during Prohibition because it was illegal.

He has rose-colored glasses regarding the previous fact; Prohibition-era Alastor absolutely complained about how much harder it was to get alcohol after the ban went through.

He doesn’t view nudity as inherently sexual.

He’s still more comfortable with others’ nudity than his own because he equates it to vulnerability.

He’s panaesthetic and bisensual. He doesn’t know those terms even exist, but picking microlabels helps my writing stay more consistent.

His aesthetic attraction isn’t based at all on gender, but he tends to feel more comfortable with physical affection from women than from men, which skews the sensual attraction a bit.

He can be sensually attracted to men and is sensually attracted to Lucifer, but 1.) it’s rarer and/or takes longer for Alastor to develop sensual attraction to a man, and 2.) Lucifer isn’t a man in the human gender binary sense of the word.

Lucifer is the only nonbinary person Alastor has ever felt any kind of attraction to, but that has more to do with lack of exposure to nonbinary people than anything regarding Alastor’s tertiary orientations.

Alastor may or may not have some gender fuckery of his own going on, but I doubt I’ll ever be exploring that in the main series.

I would describe Alastor’s gender as “man by default.” He doesn’t think about it very often. He’s not exactly an egg; it’s not that he’s in denial or unaware that being something besides a man is an option, it’s that he doesn’t care enough to pick a different label. He’s not dysphoric about being a man, but he’s not supper attached to the idea, either.

I think if he was born into Gen Z, he might identify as agender or cassgender, but as it stands, he inhabits the liminal space between, “I don’t feel strongly about my gender, which means I’m cis,” and “I don’t feel strongly about my gender, which means I’m not cis.” (Both valid experiences, btw.)

He’s 100% the type of person to tell a traumatic story from his childhood as if it’s a funny one and not understand why everyone’s looking at him like that.

He legitimately thinks that these stories are funny, because he’s twisted them around in his mind as an attempt to cope, but they retain enough of the original detail that on the rare occasion he decides to joke about them out loud, people go, “that’s kinda fucked up, actually.”

He has low empathy, but not no empathy. Every now and again, he does actually get some empathy, and every time he does it feels like a slap in the face – surprising and very unpleasant. If he could turn it off entirely, he probably would.

Remorse is a similar ordeal, rare but not unheard of, and he actively denies feeling it.

I started to write more about Alastor’s relationship with the concept of remorse, and remorse vs regret, but honestly, it needs its own post.

I projected a lot of my ace experience onto him, including the idea that kissing is boring 9 times out of 10. Not necessarily unpleasant, just… Boring. If there’s blood or biting or some form of D/s element, then it can be exciting, but otherwise we don’t get it.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

hello! i checked your blog and couldn’t see anything but i apologise if i missed it! do you have any tips on writing regret? for example character a does something to upset character b and now character a is dealing with the aftermath of that

Tips on How to Write Regret

Characters make mistakes, but sometimes it can be difficult to write how they're feeling in the aftermath of those mistakes. Here are some tips and tricks on how to write regret!

These are what I personally try to take into account when writing regret, and I definitely can't cover everything, so feel free to add in your own tidbits of advice!

1. Measure the Regret Based on the Mistake (and your character!)

Regret is a spectrum. It ebbs and flows, rising up to be absolutely suffocating at some times and fading into the background at others. Depending on the mistake your character made and the way that your character personally deals with the knowledge of making such a mistake, their regret is going to differ in intensity.

The reactions of your characters to regret are an incredible way to make them more three-dimensional--especially when the regret (seemingly!) doesn't match the mistake.

Why are they so apologetic and remorseful over something as simple as breaking a mug?

Why do they not seem to care at all that a civilian has become collateral damage?

A character's supposed overreaction or underreaction to certain things can be a great source of tension between your cast.

Just be sure that an overreaction/underreaction to a situation matches your character's personality...or, if it doesn't, make sure the moment counts!

A reader is going to be incredibly jarred if the normally stoic character breaks into tears over a mistake, or if a normally emotional character is cold in the face of a tragedy, so you'll want to save these moments for points of high tension or importance!

2. Pace Your Regret Carefully

Sometimes regret isn't as simple as an apology and resolution. Regret can linger, which is why it's important to pace your character's regret carefully if it's prolonged throughout the story.

If your character's regret is coming from an unresolved argument with another character, you may want to avoid dragging the argument out in a dramatic, constant unwarranted miscommunication kind of way; many readers have started turning their backs on the miscommunication trope, so be warned! Instead, you can have it simmer and fester rather than exploding in bursts, forcing the characters to come to terms with this wall between them as they try to rebuild their relationship.

(Also, make sure you don't completely eliminate apologizing from the equation! Sometimes an apology and resolution can be better for your plot than a cycle of miscommunication; there's nothing more potent than the big "I'm Sorry" scene!)

If your character's regret comes from past mistakes that can never be corrected, you may want to explore the healing process, and how certain people cope with long-term regret.

3. Some Symptoms of Regret

Rapid or unsteady heartbeat

Shaking (hands, legs, etc.)

Chills

Insomnia/Fitful sleep

Rumination

Ruthless criticism of oneself

Perfectionism/high expectations

Crying

Embarrassment/shame (and all the things linked to that: i.e. face feeling hot, wanting to hide, wishing you could melt into your shoes)

Avoiding talking about the mistake

Constantly going over the mistake in their head

Short temper from stress

Defensiveness

Denial

Headaches

Resentment

Queasiness (since regret and guilt are linked to anxiety, they're often described as "a pit in your stomach" or "a bad feeling in your gut" so play around with ways to talk about this feeling)

At times, your character may forget about their regret if they're occupied, which is why regret often hurts the most when they're alone with their thoughts. Either that, or another character brings it up or there is a trigger of some kind to remind them of their mistake.

4. Ways that People Cope With Regret

Therapy/talking about it with others (the healthiest way!)

Refusing to think or talk about it at all

People pleasing and approval-seeking behaviors/attempts to make up for their mistake

Inability to say no (especially to someone they've wronged)

Convincing themselves that they were in the right

Over-apologizing or refusing to apologize at all

Turning to alcohol or drugs

Hope this helped, and happy writing!

[gatheringbones]

[“It’s easy and tempting to regard other people in a transactional way, and indeed, many of our interactions with other human beings are transactional by their very nature. When you order food in a restaurant, the focus of that interaction is not on the hopes, hurts, and longings of either you or your server—even if the interaction is warm and friendly, the core of that relationship is about both your interest in getting your food in a timely manner, without that allergen on your plate, and your server’s concern about your eating your meal, not causing a fuss, and leaving a decent tip. It’s transactional on both sides.

But there is a difference between transactional and objectifying—a transactional relationship can nonetheless be respectful, courteous, and kind. And there is certainly a difference between a transactional relationship and one in which the other person is regarded in their full subjecthood as a whole, multilayered human being, full of talents and dreams and selfhood, holy and created in the divine image. In which the work is to encounter the other person in their messiness, their fullness, on their own terms, rather than through the lens of your own interests or needs.

Much harm is caused when we regard others as objects, or in transactional ways, and forget to behold their full humanity—to see them as complete human beings whose concerns and feelings matter as much as our own. I believe that a true apology must be an interaction that honors the full humanity of the other; it is not transactional.

As I’ve mentioned before, you don’t apologize at a person. You apologize to them. It’s not, of course, a petulant “But I said I was sorry!” It’s also not about crafting the perfectly contrite words of regret and remorse. There’s a difference between saying you’re sorry because you realize that a thing you did had a bad consequence, and doing so because you really understand that you hurt someone—and that person’s feelings, experience of the world, safety, and self all matter profoundly.

A true apology is about trying to see the human being in front of you, to connect with them and communicate to them, to make it clear—abundantly, absolutely, profoundly clear—that you get it now, and that their feeling better matters to you. Your apology is a manifestation of genuine remorse. It demands vulnerability, and it is a natural by-product of all the work of repentance and transformation that you’ve been doing up until this point. (This is, incidentally, why I think apology comes later in the process—the apology that is needed is generally one that reflects all of the understanding, transformation, and accountability work that has already been taking place.)”]

rabbi danya ruttenberg, from on repentance and repair: making amends in an unapologetic world, 2022

[myths-tournaments]

Awful Characters Round 1 Part 2 (3/8)

Propaganda under the cut!

BEN LINUS

One of my fave characters of all time! Also a prolific liar. Almost every single thing this man says is a lie. He lies, manipulates, murders, and feels very little remorse, all in the name of “protecting” the magical Island where he and his people live. Ben is fueled almost exclusively by bitterness, stemming from an entire childhood’s worth of abuse from his alcoholic father, who blamed Ben for his mother’s death in childbirth (Ben did eventually kill his father, along with the whole community he grew up in). Additionally, Ben is desperate to have some great destiny or higher purpose, and his bitterness toward the fact that he’s just an “ordinary” man and jealousy toward the man who DOES have a higher purpose drives Ben to commit various acts of cruelty and murder. Ben does act as a villain for most of the story (save for the last season, in which he’s more of an anti-villain and eventually an anti-hero), but he has two redeeming qualities: his love for the Island and his love for his adopted daughter, Alex. The latter is complicated by the fact that he kidnapped Alex as a baby from her biological mother, a woman stranded alone on the Island. However, when forced to choose between protecting the Island and saving Alex’s life, Ben ultimately chooses the island and deeply regrets this decision for the rest of his life. He’s eventually forced to reckon with his many, many mistakes and undergoes something of a redemption arc, but he spends enough of the show establishing himself as a villain that I can easily see the good denizens of Twitter attacking his fans.

IANTHE TRIDENTARIUS

Her number one hobby is ruining every person's that she knows life. Her second hobby is being soooo slutty about it despite looking like a literal wet rat. Her third hobby is having an extremely unhealthy relationship with her twin. Her other hobbies include cannibalism, wearing a maid outfit, being extremely convinced she is the main character, the badboy sexy love interest and the villain. 'Why', you may ask. Well, the answer is, for shits and giggles #justgirlythings i, aswell as literally everybody else in the fandom have gone through the pipeline from hating her to desperately wanting to fuck her. expect for i still fucking hope she dies and doesn't come back for good. (that would literally solve all of everybody's problems) as god intended (EXPECT FOR. one of her hobbies literally is gaslighting god) She is fucking horrible i will love her until i die and even after that

parks and recs jean ralphio voice she's the woooorst!! The moment she learns she has to kill someone to become a Lyctor (aka a more special necromancer), she doesn't hesitate to kill and cannibalize the guy who has been her cavalier since childhood… cavalier who she also totally bullied as kids, she was allowed to choose one guest for her and her twin sister's birthday party each year, and she would always pick whoever she thought her cavalier didn't want to see there! While other characters are shown to regret the process of becoming a Lyctor (which involves someone close to them dying)/were forced into it because of circumstances, Ianthe has absolutely no regrets, she believes she did what she had to do

The author once said of Ianthe: "I don't think she's been nice to anyone, if she has I'll go back and change it." She killed and ate the soul of someone she has known all her life so that she could become a necromantic saint and tormented him plenty before that. General negging, ganging up against him, always inviting people he didn't like to their birthday parties. She doesn't regret killing him. I think she is repulsed by the idea that his digested soul is affecting hers. She helped her crush lobotomise herself so she would be in Ianthe's debt, and later lied and said she didn't see the corpse of a woman her crush killed under her bed (why did she do that? I do not know). She has a bone arm because her original arm was cut off, she hated the replacement so her crush cut THAT off and grew her a new one out of just bones. She had it gilded and only after that did she decide to help her crush deal with the person who had been repeatedly trying to kill her. She wants so badly to be the main character but people keep interrupting her villain monologues.

she has her own content warning tag pollrunner's note: this is the most compelling propaganda I've ever seen for a character, thank you for submitting

She's such a bitch to everyone all the time, she causes nothing but problems, she tries to do a villain speech but fumbles it because her tummy hurt, she is the awfulgirl of all time

[theonethatyaks93]

Sleepless in Burbank (PaTB/Brinky Fic)

Hey y'all!! Oooh two new fics in one week?! What the heck is wrong with me? Anyways this came from a challenge me and my good writing pal/friend @therealhayyhay were doing where we gave each other prompts for fics. She asked me to write a fic where Pinky gets a little too into Brain's personal space when sleeping and I happily obliged. Go read the one she made for me it's so sweet!! She's such an amazing person!! But here's mine for those who were interested. Hoping this becomes a recurring thing because it was so fun and it allows me to write fun things!! Enough of my ramblings here's the fic:

Only Pinky could make bedtime an utterly laborious task.

That’s what The Brain was pondering to himself currently as his partner was sprawled haphazardly across the bed, snoring softly. He had absolutely no sense of staying on his side, which Brain found irritating, even though it had been happening for years. He desired sleep, especially after tonight’s failed plan ended in an explosion. A reprieve from all the pain was enough for him.

But apparently, Pinky did not care about personal space.

He wanted to reprimand him for his unusual position, but he was already too far gone. He’d probably be up until morning if Brain were to awaken him now.

By all things good on this planet would Pinky just move over?

Brain groaned, bloodshot pink eyes shooting open as his friend kicked him accidentally in the waist for the second time in five minutes. He knew that Pinky was prone to excessive movement while he slept but this was becoming too much. He was thinking about just taking his pillow and sleeping somewhere else, but…something kept him from leaving. An odd feeling held him down, refusing to let Brain get up.

It didn’t help his case when Pinky made a faint, breathless noise, which caused Brain to feel a light blush dust his face.

God forbid, he was going to regret this later.

He turned to face upward, staring at the bars at the top of their cage. They were barely visible in the darkness, rather they were only shadows. It was somewhat ominous. Even a little scary. But if looking at them would benefit, then so be it.

Brain wanted to fall asleep; he wanted to just drift off and wake up to a nice cup of coffee to kickstart his morning. He secretly hoped that Pinky would fix them breakfast, give him a massage, and kiss him on the forehead like he did almost every day. Brain liked their routine quite a bit more than he was willing to admit.

But sleep was all that he craved right now. Not affection, not embraces, and most certainly not kisses. He just needed to close his eyes and sleep. That was all.

Really. No thought of kisses from Pinky’s cloud-like lips right now. No.

Brain closed his eyes, feeling a slight wave of drowsiness wash over him. He inhaled deeply and sighed, finally feeling content about his situation. Pinky hadn’t even touched him once recently…

SMACK!!

Brain winced in pain as Pinky’s paw hit his face with such vigor it almost caused him to yelp. He briefly held his eye, which lightly stung from the impact.  He growled, sitting up in bed with an angry look on his face as he saw his companion’s arm fall right onto his pillow, taking up all his space. Of course, Pinky was still dead asleep.

How on earth was he supposed to rest now that Pinky was becoming a bed hog?

He wanted so badly to wake him up, to shout and tell Pinky that he needed to share the space. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His friend looked so happy, so peaceful, even if he was invading Brain’s space unknowingly. Ruining Pinky’s night just to confront him would be too cruel, even for him.

Groaning in defeat, Brain cautiously moved Pinky’s paw off his pillow before he laid back down, facing away from him. He guessed his ruined circadian rhythm would be somewhat mendable. At least, this way, he wouldn’t be distracted by something else. Or rather, someone.

Brain felt a little remorseful about turning away from Pinky, but it was what he needed for a good night’s rest. Though, he could still feel a little heat pooling in his cheeks. But he chose not to dwell on that, instead focusing on falling asleep once and for all. Pinky did bump into him again and he pulled the blanket away a little, but that was normal. Brain was used to those things.

He was just about to drift off when he heard soft murmurs coming from behind him. Brain cursed under his breath; what did Pinky want now? He turned around, about to spout some harsh words when he noticed how Pinky was beginning to toss and turn aggressively, whimpering quietly. Which only meant one thing:

Great, another nightmare. Just perfect. At least he wasn’t talking in his sleep this time.

Brain always hated it when Pinky had nightmares. He would get so scared, and then he would be dead silent the next day. Pinky would sometimes wake up in tears; other times he’d yell while still slumbering, which would very much startle Brain. But this time, it was different. He was too quiet, no shouting or crying to be witnessed. Instead, violent thrashing was present, which was not the regular occurrence when it came to Pinky.

This one must be really bad.

He felt his ears droop, guilt lingering in his mind as he watched Pinky violently turn in bed. His whining was still clear, and to say it was bothering Brain was an understatement. Brain had been so annoyed with Pinky’s sleepy antics. And now he was suffering through what seemed to be a very upsetting dream for no reason. Curse the unnatural nature of the resting world.

The persistent thought in his mind just to ignore him and sleep be damned. He was going to do whatever it took to ease Pinky.

Brain scooted closer to his quivering partner, his mind whirling. Giving affection was not usually his strong suit, so it was taking him a while to figure out an adequate solution. Choosing the more…intimate option, Brain wrapped his arms around Pinky, soothingly rubbing his back with care. Pinky stopped stirring, though his face was still in an unpleasant grimace.

It wasn’t enough. Pinky needed to be certain that he was there for him. Here goes his dignity.

He carefully pulled Pinky closer, continuing to hold him tightly and gingerly squeezing him. It was disheartening to see him so distressed, but Brain knew that he’d be able to calm him down. Hopefully.

“Hush, Pinky. It’s alright. No need to fret, I’m here now. I’m always here for you,” he whispered softly, trying his best to sound sympathetic. Brain nuzzled his chest, placing a small kiss on it when he lifted his head up afterward.

It thankfully worked.

Pinky became relaxed, his previously tense body loosening. A soft smile graced his lips as his quiet snoring returned anew. Brain un-did their embrace, pulling away from Pinky with a placid smile, satisfied with his work. He felt relieved that he’d been able to help Pinky so much.

But now, he needed to sleep.

Brain settled back onto his pillow, this time choosing to face Pinky rather than away from him. It was a euphoric notion that the last thing he’d see before finally closing his eyes would be the mouse he…tolerated most. He took a cleansing breath, prepared to finally get the sleep he so desperately treasured.

Until he was forcibly tugged from where he lay by Pinky’s slender arms, being pulled into his chest.

Brain was about to protest by removing himself from the hug, but before he could muse a way to part, he was struck with a pleasing warmth, his backside feeling like it was on fire. His initial confused expression shifted to one of contentment, a deep blush present. He sighed in Pinky’s hold, mostly from their shared heat. He supposed that sleeping like this for one night wouldn’t be the worst.

It was all so calm. Brain could hear Pinky’s gentle heartbeat and his low breaths in his ears. It was weirdly peaceful. Unlike those other times when they did this when they were awake, which were still nice, but this hit different. Probably because Pinky wasn’t awake, and he was the only one that could appreciate this affection.

Before he could second guess what he was doing still in Pinky’s arms, his eyelids grew heavy, and his mind began to wander. Perhaps, he’d scold his friend for this tomorrow. But currently, all he focused on was remaining with Pinky, together. As sleep finally came to him, Brain snuggled closer to his partner, the softness and warmth of his fur being the final thing he touched before drifting off.

*****************************************

He was awoken not by the sunlight, per usual, but instead by the sound of shuffling beside him, and a light yawn. Brain blinked once, the familiar scent of Pinky welcoming him back to reality. It was only then that he realized that he’d been sleeping with such proximity to Pinky all night. He’d almost forgotten about last night’s escapade.

And then he saw Pinky’s stunning blue eyes and it all came back to him.

Oh goodness, Pinky looked incredible. Wait, was what happened last night real?

It was. What a relief.

“Narf! Good morning sleepyhead!” Pinky playfully tousled the fur on Brain’s head and kissed his forehead, which caused him to blush.

“Good morning, Pinky.” Brain droned, still a little bit tired, though it had been the best night of sleep he’d gotten in a while. “How did you sleep?”

Pinky giggled. “Oh very well Brain! The bed was extra warm for some reason. Gee I wonder why?”

Brain smirked a little; Pinky’s tone had indicated that he knew the answer, which was just a little humorous. “I must say that last night’s rest was very pleasant. I’m almost completely ready for the day.”

“Wonderful, Brain! Poit!” Pinky sat up immediately, getting ready to do his usual morning procedures. “I’ll go make breakfast, get your yummy coffee all ready, and then we can…”

Brain cut him off, grabbing Pinky’s arm to keep him in bed and placing his hand on Pinky’s mouth. “I said almost. I didn’t say get up, did I?” His voice was almost a needy whine and there was a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Brain couldn’t help but softly smile when Pinky’s gaze met his as he realized what Brain had meant.

“Egad!” Pinky’s face lit up. “More bedtime with my bestest boyfriend? You mean it?”

“Indeed. Just a few more minutes shall suffice excellently.” A part of him wanted to just get out of bed and start the day, but Pinky came first. And he needed more time with his lover. Desperately.

“Yay! It’s cuddle time, sweetheart! And your gonna looove it!” Pinky giggled as he settled within the blanket again next to Brain. The temperature increased dramatically.

Brain could only muster one quick chuckle before his and Pinky’s lips met for a quick, but well-deserved chaste kiss. When they parted, Brain settled his head below Pinky’s, wrapping his arms around his waist again. He felt Pinky’s arms do the same; they were even closer than they had been last night.

As the two just relinquished in their shared embrace, Brain couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest mouse in the world that he’d found Pinky. Not only was he a great friend but he was a doting partner and, yes, an exquisite snuggler. He knew that they’d always have each other, no matter what abnormal circumstances came their way.

Even if Pinky kept him awake for half of the night.

Special thanks to once again my good friend @therealhayyhay for just being the coolest and most supportive person ever. BTW you might wanna check the notes on the Ao3 version of this for a little surprise lol. Thanks for reading!!

Ao3 version is linked below:

[datastate]

i can't remember if i've mentioned this here, but i've been having. thoughts abt how mr. chidouin's the one who killed qingyuè / kai's mother. maybe it's sort of an honor, in a twisted sense, that it's the godfather that's the one who puts the final nail in the coffin -- but it hardly matters. the death's covered up, dismissed, as all others have been. and that is that.

there is nothing for gashu to return to. their child is the next bargaining chip to keep him locked here under threat without needing to explicitly disclose they killed that 'chinese traitor' and could just as easily kill one with her blood...

but then - what it means later on... dredged up because mr. chidouin's always been curious, hasn't he: he wonders what kai remembers, he wonders how kai languishes, if he does at all. he wonders how much mandarin means to kai, or if he even knows he's chinese. he wants to learn about kai as his friend, but also as the killer. it's that morbid taste of it, of wanting to know what exactly he took away - or if it's he who made kai strong.

because he's proud of who kai's become, he is, as inconvenient as it may be for their assassin to end up unable and unwilling to kill anyone... that doesn't mean se's not strong. & it's just fascinating seeing that play out, seeing how kai clings to the chidouins now and directs his strength into something protective, only accepting destruction when absolutely necessary -- which, with them, provides just enough leverage to justify it. it makes mr. chidouin feel special, seeing someone as strong as kai kneel to love (a love he'd been deprived of; one only chidouin could return... still the murderer, he lifts it from qingyuè's body)

but... kai only kneels because this love isn't fake.

once gashu was convinced to let kai go, to no longer endure the dread of watching his son's tragedy unfold, mr. chidouin instead became his caretaker and embraces that proudly.

so when mr. chidouin dares to ask kai, he's forced to confront the discomfort in his own heart that he'd tucked away and refused to linger on. killing's part of the business, there's no room for regret and you won't make it far if you do, but... hearing the long unheard grief from kai's mouth. something hidden from the only person who could possibly empathize with him, and instead given to the murderer... this desperation to know who he is. it should be perfect, the perfect moment to plant that thought: you're mine. isn't that all that matters? - but it only makes kai retract. & it makes mr. chidouin's heart ache with forgotten remorse.

his mistake is forgetting the value kai weighs each life with. mr. chidouin is unable to envision a world in which that inherent value may tip the scales unfavorably for someone who discards them as pieces. oh, yes, he does acknowledge each life as important - but certain sacrifices must be made.

& yet... while he believes kai's still so naive in this way, he can't find it in himself to blame him.

mr. chidouin was freshly 20 when he pulled the trigger on qingyuè, and he then moved on to meet atsuko & sara as mrs. hiyori dealt with what remained of gashu. he was never forced to deal with the ugly end of death... but kai was exposed too early and thus detached himself. once mr. chidouin - again at fault - wears that wall down... kai realizes he has nothing to grieve, though witness to mr. chidouin's own family, the curiosity aches again to know what only his father knows. (what only mr. chidouin knows.) this desire to mourn and understand who exactly he's grieving never knowing, before he fully accepts the chidouin's as his own with nothing else to linger upon.

it takes patience - but mr. chidouin instead told him: keeping her memory is pointless. (it was nothing but a painful exercise in guilt, that's all he remembers her as before he saw reality as it was. he's saving him. he loves him).

...and when kai's eyes flicker with anger, he truly looks like his mother.

[lolirockenjoyer]

Why I headcanon Praxina as a narcissist/sociopath – Praxina's NPD and ASPD traits

‼️‼️For the beggining, important‼️‼️

It's absolutely not a diagnose because it's fictional character, I'm not a specialist, I just very interested with mental disorders and psychology, and we didn't see enough of her behaviours to tell that. That's why I talk about traits, not personality disorder. Like I said, we don't know her thoughts, I can only speculate based on my analysis of her behavior. I will talk about her visible acts or acts that I think she would do (behaviors or thoughts that really fits her).

"Antisocial personality disorder is mental disorder that causes harmful behaviors without remorse. A person might show disrespect toward others and be manipulative, aggressive or reckless". – we literally got short Praxina's description lol. But let's talk about basic ASPD symptomps that I clearly see in Praxina or I headcanon she could have.

• 1. Physical/verbal aggression, hostility or violence toward others.

Do I have to even explain this? This one is thing you don't have to analyze more to see. She has visible problems with controlling her emotions, especially anger and she stays verbally and sometimes physically abusive towards others (mostly her brother). Also good!Praxina showed Praxina solves her problems with agression and violence. The first thing she suggested to do after the little girl fell from the swing was destroying the swing and wondered why Sunny Bay residents can't just put in jail all the people who litter the beach. She also shows the attitude of keeping her emotions inside, considering them to be weak (love is for losers).

• Reckless or impulsive behavior.

This one is maybe not as visible as the first one but we also don't have to get deep into character to see how thoughtless she is. For an example I will use Izira's medallion case (of course there is A LOT more these type of situations but if I will have to exchange all of them, we would stay here forever). When Mephisto showed medallion to Gramorr and Gramorr became furious and ordered them to destroy it, Mephisto was terrified and wanted to quickly destroy it. But Praxina knowing well she puts herself and her brother into danger, she keeps it, didn't even thinking about the consequensces.

• Breaking the law or disregarding rules and social norms.

That's the thing both Praxina and Mephisto do with pleasure. They destroy things, hurt others, breaking the law in almost every freaking episode (and were caught by police once and I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't just one time). At least on earth, we don't know what they were doing on Ephedia and how law and rules look like there but if they do such things on Earth why wouldn't they do this on Ephedia?

I have pretty accurate headcanon they were rebelious and problematic kids who always put themselves in troubles for things like vandalism, fightings (I see Praxina in it more tbh), stealing and stuff.

• Using wit, flattery and charm to manipulate, lie or deceive others for personal gain or enjoyment.

It's not thing we saw a lot but I see Praxina in this symptomp. I can only refer to manipulating Iris in "Thanks for no memories" or Doug in "Smartphone".

• Not taking responsibility for actions or behaviors.

Oh my fucking god it's her freakin' symptomp. Shifting blame onto others, blaming others for your failures, not taking into account the consequences of your actions and completely not learning from your mistakes are things that whole fandom meming from. And that's her fatal flaw and big problem she keeps in herself.

• Lack of empathy and not showing remorse, regret or concern for behaviors.

Bruh, probably I don't have to explain it. Even good!Praxina ABSOLUTELY didn't understand people's feelings, completely couldn't feel other people and didn't get why she should help someone. But really, the last thing we all can say about Praxina is that she has atleast a little bit of empathy.

Now time for NPD which is not as visible as ASPD in Praxina but if you take a look for her character, you really can see a lot of narcissistic traits she shows. In NPD there is more headcanons I have based on things that fits her a lot but not only.

"Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a diminished ability to empathize with other people's feelings". – and there is another almost perfect Praxina's description we could have lmao.

• a grandiose sense of self-importance

This one may be not seen by some people watching the show but I think Praxina is person with very unstable self-eestem and sense of self which is very characteristic for NPD. Most of people suffering from NPD have absolutely no self-eestem so they unconsiously show signs of grandiosity to cope with feeling of intense shame, worthlessness and self-loathing what fits Praxina very much. It was showed a lot how Praxina shifts blame on everyone except herself, absolutely can't stand failure and displace every situantion in which she was the problem by blaming other people to cope with deeply hidden shame for her actions, feeling of imperfection and low self-esteem.

• a preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, beauty, or perfect love

I can only headcanon her fantasies but let's be honest, she's definetely a person who dreams about being famous, succesful and excessively powerful. Especially powerful. Is there any other character which focus on success and power of the spells and attacks like Praxina? (if we were stubborn we could say Gramorr but in his case it looks different). Power is 100% a thing Praxina could envy princesses of, especially Iris.

• a need for excessive admiration

Oh my god, Praxina is such an attention seeker sometimes and it's hard not to notice it. Yes, she obviously wants to make an impression and arouse admiration from everyone (especially her magic) but can we focus about her and Gramorr relationship, because it seems very interesting. I see Gramorr as a Praxina's "equal person" (a lot of people with NPD call it differently and feel it differently but I think this term fits to this the most). I really see Gramorr as kind of authority for Praxina and person she has some admiration for. So if she feels this way, she requires the same? Lol.

Of course she looks for his praise and approval. What's probably the reason she belittles her brother's achievements while exaggerating her own (what's also very characteristic for NPD).

• behavior that is exploitative and takes advantage of others to achieve their own ends

This one and next symptom below, I explained earlier when I talked about ASPD so we can skip.

• a lack of empathy or an unwillingness to identify with the needs of others

• a tendency to be envious of others or a belief that others are envious of them

I bet on the first one. I can see she can be unhealthy envious of princesses and royal family. She can be envy of all of attention, admiration, power and position, she definetely believes she deserves. Praxina is obviously a person who's fantasizing about absolute control and advantage over other people. Look how ecstatic she was when she thought she will enslavement the whole planet with Gramorr. She was so absorbed in her fantasies and sick expectations of herself and others that I don't hesitate to say she literally lost her mind (at the beggining and at the end of last episode). Girl you're delusional.

• arrogance, haughty behaviors, and attitudes.

It is also visible in Prax. She IS haughty towards her brother, princesses and bet everyone else. If we talk about Mephisto. I don't think Praxina really see him as a stupid or incompetent. Her verbally agressive behaviours and probable thoughts can be just defence mechanism to cope with her extreme low self-esteem.

That's it in a nutshell. I just had to share my opinion with you. Iiscussions on this topic are very welcome!!

XOXO.

[vividxmenace]

hi! so I found you on tiktok and I'm so in love with Lilly It's not even funny

buff women are my weakness and I need to know more about her after catching up on your fic

Is Lilly programmed to feel specific ways? Like how she doesn't care about her torture at the facility, is she made to feel that way so she doesn't go crazy?

Also in one of the chapters it talked about an incident with the maids. Will we ever get to hear more about that or talk to any of the maids at some point? How many are there and where do they stay?

OMG??? HELLO?? THANK YOU SO MUCH SOBBING I'm gonna write a LOT here so I hope it's not too overwhelming lmao

So, without getting into spoiler territory for the first question, the short answer is no. The long answer? Kinda.

Lilly went through thousands of different training departments during her three years at the facility. This included just about every form of torture you could think of, physical, emotional, mental, etc.

Lilly has very high LV due to how many people she's killed. At some point, she truly did lose her mind. The only thing keeping her going and not breaking down mentally was the drive she had to see the boys and to protect her cat, butterbean.

She ended up obsessing over the guys to the point that she was known for it around the facility, which is why in the most recent chapter she goes absolutely ballistic over the new guys being chained and injured.

I also want to clarify something, Lilly does not carry any remorse for killing, and genuinely enjoys, and craves it.

She is not a good person to anyone other than the cast of Undertale, AU characters, and a handful of people from her past. The only reason she cried in chapter 16 was because she was afraid the boys would leave her and not want to be around her, not because she regrets what she's done. We just haven't really seen her interact with 'normal' people yet, but we will eventually, and it's...not great lol.

She's horrifically co-dependent on them to keep herself sane. She has no choice but to feel the way she does, or she would lose her mind. She believes that what happened to her at the facility was a good thing because it made her strong and basically immortal. Her only coping mechanism is being completely co-dependent on the boys/characters of undertale, and if anything ever happened to them, she would go absolutely insane.

These feelings were technically 'programmed' into her, but not with code, rather from what she experienced. She genuinely looks back on her time at the facility as an amazing experience and opportunity. Mostly because it's given her power to protect not just any Undertale characters, but her boys too.

For the second question, yes! The maids used to stay on the grounds full-time, but now come and go from 6am to 4pm (I think?? I don't remember if I put the specific times in the fic or not lmao). There is a bus that brings them back and forth, currently with 25 maids employed to take care of the grounds. There used to be a head maid who managed them and reported to Lilly weekly...

Something happened though :)

So, now she hates them, and there is no longer a head maid. It's also why they are no longer allowed to stay on the property.

Later on we will get to talk with some of the maids! We'll also be getting a new one in the future that will interact with the group more, but that spoilers, so I won't go into detail :P