#which is becoming a more common sentence in my life and I don't like it because I'm usually the problem solver! I'm usually the advice bitch

[katzirra]

Just want to pop in here and wish you a Happy New Year! You've brought so much light and joy into the world this year! Reminder that you are loved and cared about and you mean so much to so many people just by being yourself. It's not what you create or do, just you as you are matter so much. Here's to an amazing new year!!!

I wish I had more enthusiasm to respond to this post right now, but thank you darling anon.

I'm not sure about all that, but I'll take your word for it lol I hope you have a wonderful new year, and then any hardships and nonsense you had to deal with this year stay behind you!

THANKS for trying to pass some positivity and light to me today lol I'll keep it close to the vest as I Go through my little mental gymnastics today.

💜💜

[flimsy-roost]

I realized the other day that the reason I didn't watch much TV as a teenager (and why I'm only now catching up on late aughts/early teens media that I missed), is because I literally didn't understand how to use our TV. My parents got a new system, and it had three remotes with a Venn diagram of functions. If someone left the TV on an unfamiliar mode, I didn't know how to get back to where I wanted to be, so I just stopped watching TV on my own altogether.

I explained all this to my therapist, because I didn't know if this was more related to my then-unnoticed autism, or to my relationship with my parents at the time (we had issues less/unrelated to neurodivergency). She told me something interesting.

In children's autism assessments, a common test is to give them a straightforward task that they cannot reasonably perform, like opening an overtight jar. The "real" test is to see, when they realize that they cannot do it on their own, if they approach a caregiver for help. Children that do not seek help are more likely to be autistic than those that do.

This aligns with the compulsory independence I've noticed to be common in autistic adults, particularly articulated by those with lower support needs and/or who were evaluated later in life. It just genuinely does not occur to us to ask for help, to the point that we abandon many tasks that we could easily perform with minor assistance. I had assumed it was due to a shared common social trauma (ie bad experiences with asking for help in the past), but the fact that this trait is a childhood test metric hints at something deeper.

My therapist told me that the extremely pathologizing main theory is that this has something to do with theory of mind, that is doesn't occur to us that other people may have skills that we do not. I can't speak for my early childhood self, or for all autistic people, but I don't buy this. Even if I'm aware that someone else has knowledge that I do not (as with my parents understanding of our TV), asking for help still doesn't present itself as an option. Why?

My best guess, using only myself as a model, is due to the static wall of a communication barrier. I struggle a lot to make myself understood, to articulate the thing in my brain well enough that it will appear identically (or at least close enough) in somebody else's brain. I need to be actively aware of myself and my audience. I need to know the correct words, the correct sentence structure, and a close-enough tone, cadence, and body language. I need draft scripts to react to possible responses, because if I get caught too off guard, I may need several minutes to construct an appropriate response. In simple day-to-day interactions, I can get by okay. In a few very specific situations, I can excel. When given the opportunity, I can write more clearly than I am ever capable of speaking.

When I'm in a situation where I need help, I don't have many of my components of communication. I don't always know what my audience knows. I don't have sufficient vocabulary to explain what I need. I don't know what information is relevant to convey, and the order in which I should convey it. I don't often understand the degree of help I need, so I can come across inappropriately urgent or overly relaxed. I have no ability to preplan scripts because I don't even know the basic plot of the situation.

I can stumble though with one or two deficiencies, but if I'm missing too much, me and the potential helper become mutually unintelligible. I have learned the limits of what I can expect from myself, and it is conceptualized as a real and physical barrier. I am not a runner, so running a 5k tomorrow does not present itself as an option to me. In the same way, if I have subconscious knowledge that an interaction is beyond my capability, it does not present itself as an option to me. It's the minimum communication requirements that prevent me from asking for help, not anything to do with the concept of help itself.

Maybe. This is the theory of one person. I'm curious if anyone else vibes with this at all.

[olderthannetfic]

Hi OTNF and everyone,

I am finding that it's harder and harder and harder to get into anything - book, show, movie... most things seem, you know, to just not be doing it for me, be it fanfic or original stuff.

In part, I think, it's a general restlessness and that it's become harder to give anything enough time to get into the stories, the characters, the settings, the narrative voices... I guess you can call it attention deficit on my part, just a need for stories to deliver those sweet, sweet hits quickly, but they're not.

I'm not currently ficcing but I did for years (might again in the future, who knows), and it's made reading, specifically, harder. It's like I've become more aware of what goes on behind the scene, I guess? I feel like I can see the writer giving up on a sentence, skipping a scene because fuck this, trying hard to not repeat a word although it's the only one that fits, etc.

Or maybe it's just the *everything* around us in the world that is weighing on me too much? I could say it's adult life, but then again I have more free time than most (and boy do I need hours of doing nothing to survive the other hours), and no family/partner (all that would put even more pressure on me): what is wrong, to make everything so UGHHH?

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with a brain moaning feed me, feeeed me, and whatever I try to give it, it spits everything out. (Yes, I've tried hobbies, and nothing sticks there either. I've never really found rewards or satisfaction there, so...)

Decades ago as a kid, I was a voracious reader, although studying literature took the pleasure of it away from me. It took time and discovering fanfic that brought me back to reading, but at the time the internet was starting to be a thing, too, and it can't have helped the attention thing. AFAIK I'm not ADHD but then again, I couldn't get a proper diagnosis (the therapists I saw were either dismissive or just about The Talking, which was pointless for me).

I just wonder how it all disappeared, you know? Sometimes I find something that catches my attention for a while - a book (but I read quite quickly when motivated), a fandom... but it's been a while now, and it's just so frustrating! When is it going to come back? Will it ever? *gulp*

I know that books were escapism when I was a child, and then fandom was escapism, but at the moment I find myself grabbing at air and my empty hands are mocking me. Give me my escapism baaaaack!

So, uh. Anyone here with me?

--

Yes.

I felt like that during part of lockdown. Anhedonia is common in those kinds of circumstances.

Getting your mojo back is certainly possible, but you may need to go see a professional about depression and have some chemical assistance (yes, even if you don't feel sad per se), or you may need to change your lifestyle to one that doesn't have the thing causing you to need eleventy billion hours of downtime.

Aside from serious interventions like that, you can consider a social media detox. Remove every source of doomscrolling and time wasting of that type. When the attention span is zero and nothing brings joy, the tiny and useless hits from finishing a game of solitaire or seeing one more instagram post become very attractive. This is a trap. It will suck what little energy and joy you have and make your muscles flabby for the work of getting into an in-depth book/hobby/experience.

I know the feeling of being able to see how the sausage is made, but... well... first, being in a better mental state will make that matter less, and second, reading prose that is more competent will make that less of an issue. A lot of mainstream tradpub genre fiction is not, in my opinion, very well written these days. Obviously, people are still enjoying it, and that's fine, but if you're noticing writers fumbling around, it might be time to check out some literary fiction or some other category known more for prose quality than anything else.

It's also important to have some structure and some things to look forward to. Even if you feel tired, overwhelmed, and busy, sometimes, the answer is to do more... But it must be things that are distinct and significant and that get you off of the couch, like going to one museum every weekend.

I saw some advice once about this kind of thing that phrased it as "One big adventure; one small adventure."

Every week, you should have those two things to look forward to that matter. Check out a new coffee shop. That could be the small one. Go to an event: a gallery opening, a concert, whatever.

Physical exercise and doing some things that aren't as verbal and conscious thought-involving is important too. Painting is a better hobby for zoning out than writing is. Taking long walks in nature is good for most people.

--

The kind of intense, obsessive love I had for reading as a child and that I sometimes have for fandom requires a lot of attention and some time. It's escapist, but that masks how much work it actually was. It didn't feel like work only because we were in training.

If you've filled your brain and your day up with a thousand petty annoyances or minor and useless attempts to feel something, you won't have the capacity for those deeper things.

Because you are already at a point that's equivalent to a bad sprained ankle, trying to get back to running right now won't work. You have to stay off of the ankle for a bit, then build your strength and stamina back up.

[06sunnybunny06]

Is this fate?

Chapter 1

(Neuvillette)

Anyone who hears the word marriage will imagine a couple of lovers entering into an alliance with the help of a long-familiar sacred ritual. Only by the will of fate, only some are able to find true love among the dullness of everyday life. The most unpleasant thing can be a marriage of convenience, where benefit is more important than true feelings. This is a common thing among aristocrats.

You have always dreamed of finding true love, and not allowing yourself to become a profitable commodity in the hands of a stranger. Not everyone managed to win the lottery and find at least an adequate soul mate. Fontaine is considered a progressive country. Exquisitely dressed citizens with a rich pedigree can still be found on the streets. Many turn up their noses as if the purest gold flows in their veins, not a burgundy liquid. Your family is no exception.

Unfortunately for you, fate was decided a long time ago. A rich aristocrat had the honor to meet you this week, but your meeting never took place. Soon, a large investigation began against him, which revealed a fraudster. The court sentenced the poor man to a long term in a deep-sea prison.

It was like a miracle. You could have stayed free until one day a letter arrived at your estate. The neatly sealed blue envelope was already in your hands. The seal testified to the rather high origin of the owner of the letter. What was your surprise when you found out that the Chief Justice himself decided to write personally. Because your future husband is in prison. The engagement was soon broken off. It was a blow to your reputation. Even though your father was on edge, you didn't care.

On expensive paper, ink curled out the text. Mr. Neuvillette apologized for the inconvenience caused by the imprisonment of your future husband, but in return he was ready to take his place so that a young lady like you could create a future without a huge stain on her good name.

It was unexpected. That's putting it mildly. You were in complete shock. Knowing the reputation of the most fair judge, whose personality was shown only in a formal setting. He could even be considered insensitive. Watching the trial, you have been convinced many times that this stone face will not be able to tremble under the weight of the situation. And why would someone so busy enter into a marriage of convenience with an unknown girl? Your father will never refuse a large prize that fell right into his hands. You decided not to jump to conclusions and observe your future husband.

At your first meeting, a soft, friendly smile was waiting for you. Officially introducing himself, he outlined all the conditions of your future marriage. Over a cup of fragrant tea, you even chatted a little. In a gentlemanly way, Neuvillette has created all the conditions for your comfort, knowing how intimidating he can sometimes be in the eyes of people.

Good...If you had a choice, and you don't have one, you still wouldn't be able to refuse, knowing the pressure your family would put on you.

Life as Yudex's wife was no different from the past in his parents' house. In addition, there are much more outfits, jewelry, cosmetics and free time. You were surrounded by a lot of servants, as well as cute little creatures named melusines. They often looked at you with interest, asking you about many things that they did not understand. When you talked to them, it seemed to you that you had a lot of small children.

You and Neuvillette treated each other with respect, like spouses who have lived a long and interesting life. Your husband was often away from home, and that was fine with you. You lived without emotions towards this person. He did not demand love from you, but you tried to maintain the image of your spouse. I just had to appear in public sometimes so that people wouldn't find your absence strange.

Deep in my soul there was a feeling that wanted to break out. You've never felt his fiefdom, not even to your own parents, and you wanted to find him somewhere behind brick walls. Celestia may have heard your wish.

For a long time, out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the gaze of a rather handsome young man. This guy is one of the soldiers guarding the courtroom. He often greeted you with such a gentle smile, as if he saw a good friend. Sometimes he even had the opportunity to accompany you. That's when you met. You had a lot in common. To be honest, you've never had such a close relationship with anyone. Perhaps this is what they write about in romance novels. From that moment on, your meetings were filled with all kinds of dangers. It's scary to imagine what will happen when it turns out that Judex's wife has taken a lover. The scariest thing is to find out your husband's reaction, even though you are not that close. Perhaps he has more interesting things to worry about besides your infidelity.

Fleeting kisses turned into passionate, light touches into strong hugs. Each meeting was filled with words about eternal love. On one of those days, you were sitting under a tree. Your hand gently stroked his head, which fell into your lap. After listening to another story about your husband's indifference, although you repeatedly hinted to him about his love for another man, he offered to run away. You could start a new life away from the past, where no one would find you. The idea was wonderful. Despite your fear, you decided to take a chance. When it was time to go to bed, you took only the essentials. With the help of the maid's uniform, easily slipped past the guards. At the indicated place, you met, kissed quickly and rushed off on your way. This is how your new life could begin. How the hell were you wrong.

In the midst of the escape, during the pass, the first drops fell, drumming harder and harder on the destroyed buildings. A light rain turned into a heavy downpour. Fortunately, there was an abandoned house nearby. All the clothes were soaked through. You have lit a fireplace that may have been waiting in the wings since time immemorial. The weather just went crazy. As if the gods themselves were punishing you for sinful bonds. Despite this, you hugged each other while waiting for the storm to end. My eyes closed of their own accord in the warm embrace of a loved one.

After a while, the eyes opened in complete darkness. A strange unpleasant feeling woke you up. Water was able to penetrate through the leaky roof and extinguish the light source. The rain still hadn't stopped, but it wasn't raining that hard. Soft breathing could be heard nearby. He was still asleep. Heavy mechanical movements were heard outside, making you flinch. Lantern light filtered through the cracks of the old wooden walls. Human voices grew louder from the quiet ones as they approached. Your boyfriend woke up to loud noises himself. If only you had woken him up earlier. You would have been able to escape in a matter of minutes, but at that moment the door was flung open by a strong blow. The searchlights hit right in the eyes. While you were recovering, something like a robot appeared next to you for a moment, easily lifting your lover and pinning him against the wall. It was followed by a painful sigh. You could only watch in despair until you were grabbed by the arms and lifted to your feet. A woman in a soldier's uniform was anxiously examining you. You recognized Clorinde in her. One of Neuvillette entourage - "Thank the Archons, you are safe, lady. Let's go there. Mr. Neuvillette is going crazy about your disappearance."

When her eyes turned towards your boyfriend, they dimmed noticeably. - "Take him to the interrogation room right now. He will be tried soon."

You didn't even have time to come to your senses when he was chained up and dragged away, and you were taken away without hesitation, accompanied by several soldiers. After a while, you were already sitting in the guest house and waiting for your husband under the supervision of a guard outside the door. Everything you dreamed of before that day collapsed in an instant. It was a great plan. You could leave Fontaine today and go far, far away. Tears were ready to gush from his eyes. The color drained from face when a familiar voice was heard outside the door. The door opened, inviting a tall figure to enter. You weren't looking at him. I just couldn't do it, afraid of the same cold look that criminals receive in a courtroom.

"Everything I've done for you has been solely for the good. From getting rid of a worthless aristocrat to acquiring status for a better and more comfortable life. Still, I'm worried about your behavior lately. It turned out that you decided to run away, finding solace on the side. A soldier with no money, no status and no good plans for the future. The man who decided to encroach on the sacred, to take away mine. "

The last words seemed to come out of his mouth with great menace. There was silence in the room, but soon he continued. - "I heard him and I will hear him in the courtroom when I sentence him to life imprisonment at the bottom, where even the most dangerous criminals are afraid to go, and if they do, they die long and painfully. I'm waiting for your excuses."

You were afraid. Even your father wasn't as scary as Neuvillette calm tone when he told you what would happen to your lover. Nevertheless, the trembling voice was able to squeeze something out of you.

"I... I wrote it all in a farewell letter....If you found it.

- Oh, yes. A parting gift in the form of an apology on a piece of paper. But you don't seem to know that you and I are officially married, and if you run away from Fontaine, that will remain unchanged.

- You do realize that we are married only on paper, right? We... We don't know each other at all, and I don't think I feel anything like love for you. It was just an agreement between the two sides. I think you deserve more. You could just accuse me of cheating and move on....

After the barely audible words that you squeezed out of yourself out of fear, there was a long silence. You didn't even have time to notice how his figure loomed over you. A big hand in a leather glove grabbed your chin. Your faces were only a few centimeters apart. Had his pupils always been so pointed? Were there small scales on his delicate features?

"How dare you consider our marriage to be just a minor arrangement?" I chose you for a reason. This is a serious decision that I have been making for several hours. You have no right to betray me, let alone fall in love with someone. Breaking a marriage contract is the same as breaking the law, and breaking it is always punishable. It doesn't matter who or what performs it.

While he was looming over you. A clawed hand forcefully pulled the collar of the still wet dress aside, opening access to your neck. The body seemed to turn to stone. Tears welled up in my eyes. You have never seen the anger of your spouse, who courted you so sweetly. Previously, apart from his gentle smile, no other emotions touched you.

There was a flicker of interest in his eyes as the pupils lowered to the open neckline of the dress. The head slowly sank even lower. When you saw who actually appeared in front of you. You didn't even want to know what this creature could do. Her body instinctively twitched at the touch of her nose on her delicate skin. One sharp movement of a clawed paw is enough and the head will fly off his shoulders, but now Neville is not in the mood to kill. The smell of your body beckoned to him. Lips parted, releasing warm breath. His mouth slowly moved closer to your neck. A sharp sigh escaped from your throat when you felt the Neuvillette begin to suck and bite the areas on your skin. His hands held you firmly in one place. The long serpentine tongue slid, leaving wet trails. A red blush has graced your face. To your shame, it turned you on. You bit your tongue, trying not to make unnecessary sounds.

Fortunately, the shameful action has stopped. You thought it was over until a low growl snapped you out of your thoughts. Fear enveloped the body again.

- You smell weird. These clothes smelled of him.

He pulled away abruptly. Annoyance showed on his face.

- We need to get rid of these rags. Please forgive me....

- what? Neuvillette, stop!

He yanked off the top of the black dress, exposing your white bra. It was followed by a long skirt. You kicked with all your might, like a cat. Pieces of cloth flew across the floor. A wave of shame swept over you again, leaving you in your underwear and in the fetal position. Your hands were trying to cover all the exposed parts of your body that they could.

After scanning your body, he sighed with satisfaction.

"It's all right now. Unfortunately, we don't have much time left. You need new clothes. It was not proper for the wife of the Chief Justice to walk naked down the street. But for now....

A heavy jacket has fallen on your shoulders. While you were recovering, Neuvillette looked out the door, giving orders to two soldiers. After that, he returned to the room.

- Everything is fine now. A maid will arrive shortly with new clothes. You'll have to wait a bit. Unfortunately, I will have to leave. The trial will begin soon. You have nothing else to worry about. No one will dare to lay a finger on you.

A quick light kiss touched your forehead. Neuvillette started to leave and then you shouted sharply in his direction.

- Who are you?

A tall figure stopped near the door. A long-recognized face turned to you with the same friendly smile.

"I am Neuvillette, your husband, and also the chief justice of Fontaine. Unfortunately, I won't be lucky enough to escort you home, but we'll meet tonight. I'm asking you not to do anything stupid. From now on, you won't be alone anymore. I promise you that."

The blue eyes looked into yours again. Then he left, slamming the door behind him. You fell on the sofa in despair, wrapping your robe more tightly around you. You definitely can't escape now. A soft cry filled the small room.

[autisticrosewilson]

Hello to the one blog I've been loving to read for the past few days :) <3

Just wanted to add a little something that I started thinking abt after reading a few of your really cool posts, I think we should also discuss abt how Bruce's argument abt killing (with Jay) are often framed with "you're not the judge, jury & the executioner" which is really telling of who he thinks can exersise this legitimately? ? ?

I think it'd be constructive to actually properly discuss this aspect of Bruce's philosophy too. Plus, we get more nuanced Bruce characterisation. (Also keeping in mind uh... comic book propaganda of the writers and DC themselves)

YES ABSOLUTELY! Like what if someone is given a death sentence by a court of law? Does Bruce still care? I'm sure most writers would tell you no because Bruce has become a cop allegory. He's a violent enforcer of the law, and he seeks to uphold the law. Which is a recent switch! Batman comics used to be more radical, but now they're being written by old white men. So it's another one of those things where you can ignore it for your PERSONAL INTERPRETATION but you can't say that it's not A Thing because it's been like this for at least a decade.

His argument would likely be that everyone deserves a fair trial, that everyone has the right to be seen in court. Something which I do think Jason would agree with because when he's being written well he's not just shooting petty criminals! Jason's stance comes in with the big players, the disgustingly rich or well connected upper class who get away with murder. This has been true since the Garzonas case, the whole point was that Felipe was virtually immune to the law, and Jason couldn't allow that.

I think what it comes down to is whether they believe in reformative justice or punitive Justice, and I can most assuredly say that Batman believes in the latter. You can argue that Bruce is an advocate of prison reform but we don't really have evidence of that. He considers himself a punishment for criminals, he considers himself an equalizer but that's not true because he just delivers criminals into a system that is fundamentally corrupt and unfair. Do you actually think a trial in GOTHAM of all places is going to look at a rich man vs a petty crook the same way? That rarely happens even in real life.

And I don't think that Bruce does what he does out of inherent malice. Bruce is a deeply empathetic person, the core of Bruce Wayne is that he cares. But that's not enough, Bruce was allowed to grow up sheltered and it gave him an intrinsic idealism. He only has a Birdseye view of what the common people go through, that is not enough to stand there and say that he understands . Because he doesn't. He literally can't. And I think this bias, certainly one projected by the writers but that's another issue, comes through the most with Jason and Steph.

As far back as Jason's Robin era - widely regarded as Bruce's peak of being a good dad - he still makes some pretty big mistakes. Because he finds this homeless kid whose family has been ripped apart by the corrupted systems, who has actively experienced the worst Gotham has to offer, and he comes to the conclusion that if he doesn't take Jason home Jason will inevitably become a criminal even after Jason explicitly says he doesn't like stealing. So he takes Jason in but he makes that position as his son synonymous with Robin. And this is where we have to talk about meta because Jason is intrinsically tied to meta narratives. I'm not sure if you saw my other posts about Robin, as a concept, but I'll summarize here.

Child sidekicks are fine, in early comics. When things were campy light hearted whodunnit mysteries with a few action sequences, when you always knew that the child hero would come out unscathed, would always live till the next issue. And so when Bruce makes Jason Robin you have this veil of suspension of disbelief. But Jason's era is where you start seeing these kids' storylines get worse. More gruesome, more violent, more cruel. They start really testing the limit of Bruce's morality.

Batman: The Cult - Robin Jason has to crawl through a pile of dead bodies and while Bruce is having a mental break this MAYBE 14 year old is trying to get them out. The Diplomats Son - Jason watches a rapist be let go, because he's powerful and his dad has money. He sees exactly the kind of damage it does to the victims, he's the one who finds Gloria Stanson. A Death in the Family - Jason is murdered. Tortured and murdered and betrayed. He's dead and he was always intended to STAY dead. And all throughout Tim's run and then into Steph's the writers retroactively change everything about who Jason was because it has to be HIS fault, because if it's not Jason's fault then it might be Bruce's. Because how can audiences see Bruce as just and good for taking in new kids after what happened to the last one?

The suspension of disbelief shatters. Because now Jason is back and he's angry. Because maybe we as readers know that Tim, and Steph, and Damian need to be Robin because Robin makes money with young readers. But you know who doesn't know that? Jason, who no doubt assumed that his survival depended on being Robin. Who was sold out because he was Robin. Who was badmouthed and disgraced the entire time he was gone by people he loved and trusted. Jason doesn't know that he's in a comic book, but I argue he knows he's in a Batman story.

If not from his first appearance then definitely in recent ones. What can you do besides lay down and forgive and keep coming back when you know that the universe revolves around one man? How do you get rid of the terror and anger at realizing that you can never leave, that no matter how much he hurts you the universe will bend itself in half so that he is still just and right? When you realize that the love that has defined you is a disease rooted so deeply that to rip it out would be to kill yourself, that you can't even stay dead because Bruce does not want you to be.

And they couldn't even stick to Jason being the problem! Because then Steph dies. And all I could think was "Of course she did. She's an East End girl whose been compared to Jason constantly. Or a version of him. Of course she would be tortured to death trying to get Bruce's approval." Here we are, history has literally repeated itself, and...Tim is Robin again. Why? Because this is a comic book, and Batman needs Robin.

But what do you think everyone in-universe thinks? What do you think that looks like? How can you possibly still call Bruce a good parent under these circumstances? Bruce calls Robin a blessing, a gift, a necessity. He relies on Robin, physically to watch his back and emotionally to keep him in line. He trains them, he molds them, he loves them.

But sometimes love just isn't enough and the good Robin does shouldn't negate the harm they get in the process. Robin then becomes this horrible force of change, you get it and you know that this has doomed you, one way or another. Because Bruce believes that suffering is noble, that pain can reform people. It's baked into his character. Even if he doesn't intend to hurt his kids, it's not like we haven't seen him justify it to himself and others. "I love you, I did this for your own good, I thought I could help you, it was your fault I did that, it won't happen again, I lost control of myself but only this once, we can be a family again if you just come home." It reads an awful lot like an abuser trying to convince you or himself that he's not in the wrong.

This was longer than I intended it to be, but I guess my main point is that Bruce and Batman can't ever be fully separated. Something that I think his relationship with Cass shows us he's aware of but chooses to ignore. We know that Batman is dangerous, that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt his kids, we saw that with Zurr-Batman (WHO BRUCE ADMITTED WAS A FACET OF HIMSELF YOU CAN'T SAY IT WASN'T HIM BECAUSE HE HIMSELF SAID THAT IT WAS). So why try and act like it's this impossible out of character thing for Bruce to be harmful? For his kids to feel angry and hurt about his actions or for their feelings to be as or more valid than Bruce's. Batman has and will hurt his kids and Bruce will try to rationalize it all away because he loves them, he would never want to hurt them. And the narrative will tell us that Bruce is right, that this is good and fair and just, that Bruce's perspective is the correct one, that his kids deserve this, because this is a comic book and outrage sells. Or they'll retcon it and pretend it never happened. Or they'll just never bring it up again. Or Bruce will be forgiven regardless just to hammer home how good and right he is.

Because this is a comic book about Batman, and Batman is a hero, he is our protagonist, and so he is reliable and we should never doubt him, or call him out, or be mad at him. Naturally.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Do you two have heretical thoughts about the dementors? (I always thought it was funny that they are actually way scarier and more threatening than the main villain group in a lovecraftian sort of way and seemingly can breed but can't be easily killed,but are just mentioned as an afterthought).

Heretical? Not sure, not sure what the common consensus is on dementors.

Our thoughts are generally that the dementors were created through some magical experiment accident/a catastrophe a long time ago, enough so that the origins of them have become obscured. (I believe this is in Pottermore somewhere but let's just go with it). My guess is that, originally, there were very few of them relative to the then wizarding world's population. However, the few there were were unkillable, terrifying, soul sucking monsters.

My guess is that, sooner rather than later, the idea occurred. Now, if you have an unkillable tiger next door that will eat someone, if not many, and you have no means of destroying it... whom, exactly, are you going to feed to it? Are you going to risk it eating just anyone or are you going to give it people who 'deserve' it or are otherwise a nuisance.

I imagine very early, the practice of feeding dementors law breakers or otherwise selecting some poor sap to keep them at bay was founded. Eventually, they managed to move this feeding ground to a remote island in the north sea that no one would ever visit, and they discovered that if they just let the dementors hover about, but not eat anyone, then a few humans could keep them complacent for many years without having to sacrifice an entire person.

Problem is, I imagine as they kept being fed and sustained, suddenly there's more dementors as they have enough energy to reproduce. You now have an island in the north sea that is fucking swarming with the things. Worse, the number of dementors is now vastly outstripping the number of people the wizarding world would naturally send to prison.

And so now we have a problem.

In a way, I think the Voldemort business helped disguise some of this. Suddenly, there were so many people who had done truly heinous things, who deserved imprisonment, that Azkaban was a booming business after likely years of drought. You have murderers, torturers, everyone you can think of in there with life imprisonments staving off the dementors for decades to come.

This may be part, though likely not all, of the reason trials were so rushed through in the aftermath of the first war and the sentences were so long. Part of the reason Sirius Black may not have got a trial was the wardens of Azkaban banging on their pots and pans screaming, "FRESH BODIES!" and since it felt so obvious to everyone that Black was a Death Eater anyway, why waste time on a trial?

But then, even when there's so many people in there, there's a tension with the dementors. They seem to be a barely contained force even as Fudge tries to use them multiple times for his own ends. He sets them loose and then "uh, children, please don't go near them because sometimes they want to snack and all the prisoners are dried out husks at this point". We're told that the dementors are displeased, specifically, that one of their precious meals have gotten away from them and that this is a problem. Hagrid is immediately sent to Azkaban for a crime in Harry's second year, which when it was believed he committed it when he was a child, had then resulted in an expulsion and not imprisonment.

And we hear news, though never see any of it, that in book seven dementors have been set loose (as Azkaban is now empty and nothing to feed them) and are wandering about the country.

I imagine after the second war, as there's a purge of Death Eaters and sympathizers, the problem is put off again, for a time, as the dementors happily get to munch on those who are imprisoned... But sooner or later, those people will be sucked dry and then we'll have the same problem, but worse, as there are likely now even more dementors.

And yes, it is interesting how blase wizards are about it, but I can see how this happened. Dementors are a reality that the average witch and wizard rarely, if ever, has to deal with. They're on the island of Azkaban, they eat the prisoners. The story is that, and I can't even really call it propaganda as it's something that everyone simply believes, that wizards and witches are ultimately in control of dementors. They're the ones who decide where they can go, who they can eat, and while they're terrifying, they're no more terrifying than dragons who are kept in reserves in Romania. And if you come across one, well, you use the patronus! If they're set loose somewhere they're not supposed to be, it's because some evil witch or wizard purposefully did that. The reality of what Azkaban really is, not so much a prison but dementor containment, is one that would simply not occur to anyone.

We see distress in people like Fudge, who personally have to deal with them and "oh god, they're bargaining with me, what the fuck", but it's evident that even he doubts himself as a) he believes he has them firmly in hand and of course can control them b) the idea that these things are only doing his bidding because the wizarding world had been feeding them an ungodly amount of prisoners over the century/that first war had great timing and really put off this problem for another 10/15 years is one that is so horrifying, so insane, that he'd be mad to even think it to himself.

But I suspect in 10/15 years after the events of canon, there's going to be yet another dementor problem, and one that no one will want to acknowledge and most won't even realize what, exactly, the problem is.

[waokevale]

Looks at you with my eyes sitting in front of you like I'm interrogating you (but it's actually a really nice cozy room). I have heard tale of this WXwood ship. Tell me what you find compelling about the ship I'm considering joining you in WXwood land. Literally just say words at me I'm listening

Alright, very well then, so I shall! 🫡

At first, I only shipped them ironically, because they seemed like the classic "opposites attract" trope, which I favor 👍

But then I got digging, and I realized they're not actually that different after all. In fact, they share plenty of common traits and interests. What many people overlook initially, is that neither of them is actually a black&white character. None of the DST cast is, to be fair. 🩶

So it was inevitable, I became enthralled with this ship and now it's probably my nr 1 of all time.

Here's a list of my reasonings and what I found out about these guys thus far (updated):

1. WX-78 is actually a bit of a softie if you spend some time reading through their quotes. They act tough and logical to presumably hide whatever ounce of empathy they have left, that didn't escape them completely. (But they're not doing too good of a job)

They either use this uncharacteristically soft tone or hide a kind gesture or well-intentioned thought behind robotically constructed sentences and insults.

Even when they are threatening someone/something, they're all bark no bite. They might be very rude, but most of the time they won't actually go through with what they say.

And of course, I don't think I need to show the quotes for machines or metallic structures, since WX-78 openly sees them as their family and acts basically the same as Wormwood does with his plant friends.

2. Speaking of, Wormwood isn't always an empathetic creature. He can sometimes be callous, apathetic and even have favorites amongst plants (and people too), though he doesn't directly state that. He also isn't as dumb as he portrays himself to be, he definitely knows something, but either has too limited English speaking skills or is actively choosing not to say much.

He often sobs or cries when a creature dies, but there are times he reacts with either "whoops", "oh" or "too bad" like it's a small inconvenience at best.

And those are only some of the examples. If you'd like I could always try and find more of these specific quotes at another time.

3. Despite seeming vastly different at first, they would eventually become good friends.

And why do I think that? Because WX-78 actually likes plenty of things that correspond with Wormwood!

Bees (If we were to go back to their previous quote I've shown). Fun fact, WX-78 has a lot of quotes where they express how much they like/respect bees! And since Wormwood blooms, there's countless of them surrounding him at those times. It's a welcome bonus while hanging out around him. (Though maybe not in Spring)

Their quote for green gem is: "PRESSURE AND IMPURITIES HAVE PRODUCED PLEASING PERFECTION" which is. well. Something.

They're very fond of pumpkins, describing them as: "IT HAS A PLEASANT SHAPE" while their seed as "IT IS A SOURCE CODE FOR PLEASING PLANTS" And guess who just happens to have a pumpkin skin ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

The lunar affinity. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume WX-78 was outright worshipping the moon. They have dozens of quotes describing how THE MOON IS SUPERIOR, INORGANIC AND GOOD, I wouldn't be able to fit all of them into this post, (just trust me on that). Regardless, they're still deeply attached to it. it wouldn't be surprising that, if they found out about this aspect about him, they'd become very fascinated with him, because c'mon, it's the moon, and he's from it!

Despite acting like it, WX-78 doesn't actually hate all organic life. Plants in particular, are actually some of the organisms they seem to hate the least. They're partial to potatoes and lureplants; the former because they say they can relate to them, and the latter because "AWW, IT'S JUST AS EVIL AS I AM". They even recognize the beauty of certain flowers, even if they say it in a mocking tone. So then, would it be too farfetched of a concept for them to grow to appreciate organic life with Wormwood's influence ?

And yeah, they might not like him at first due to the whole "Filthy Organic" attribute, but that's just how they are with everyone! And that's what we're here for! That slowburn! With the two of them getting to know each other and realizing they have shared interests and know similiar struggles!

Going back to Wormwood. His quote for the W.A.R.B.I.S armor and head gear suggests that he highly admires WX and would like to be strong like they are.

–Wormwood, examining the W.A.R.B.I.S. Head Gear: "Just like robot friend!"

–Wormwood, examining the W.A.R.B.I.S. Armor: "Be strong, like robot friend!"

There's also his quote for the Nautopilot where he's the only one who shows genuine concern for WX-78's perturbation:

–WX-78, when examining the Nautopilot: THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA

–WX-78, when examining an active Nautopilot: I THINK THAT RIDICULOUS SCIENTIST IS TRYING TO KILL ME

–Wormwood: Robot friend doesn't like Pull Rock

5. The survivors' farming animation is quite charming, I certainly loved their small interaction there. They're also shown in the official Return Of Them vignette, farming on the side.

6.. I like the fact that one of them is afraid of water and the other of fire. Adds an interesting dynamic.

7. As @benzybenny mentioned, it's a cute idea that they could make each other's favorite foods. Wormwood has the resources for making a butter muffin practically instantly available, due to his Bee King and Berry Bush crafting skills. And WX-78 is perfectly fitted for the ruins, yes! Them fetching bananas (definitely only to spite the monkeys, not for Wormwood and Wendy specifically) sounds very plausible to me. 😁

8. They just work. Despite claiming they want to "DOMINATE ALL ORGANIC LIFE" WX-78 appreciates people who can stand up for themselves. I'd guess Wormwood would be a huge pushover at first, no doubt, but with their influence, he would certainly have to grow a spine (metaphorically speaking)

Likewise, WX-78 struggles to show kindness to non-robotic creatures, because they fear they might come off as WEAK and SENTIMENTAL. Things they loathe to expose about themself. Wormwood could help them show that it's okay to love organic friends and be nice to others! (sometimes at least.)

I'd say they balance out each other perfectly and that is quite rare to see in modern ships.

While they'd definitely struggle to get along at first, they'd surely grow fond of the other one day :)

I hope this convinced you. if not, I'll try and dig up some more stuff. Then again, keep in mind that there aren't many canon character interactions besides whatever crumbs we've got from their quotes and official animations.

[artwithkai69]

I DECIPHERD THE CONTRACT PAGE..

You are now twenty one grams lighter

This contract is legal and binding.

We reserve the right to use your likeness, face, voice and small town place in whatever nefarious manner is deemed necessary.

Sans soul, your soul mate will not recognize you and will walk right past you on a cold autumn day, never making eye contact, not even processing you have eyes at all. no amount of interaction will move them to a place where they can remember. In feeling, the thousands of lifetimes you have already spent together, each time choosing whatever form would keep you closest like otters holding hands in a tumultuous river. You were birds, you were trees with roots entangled, drinking in the sunlight together. "Wherever we go next, whatever you choose, I will always be there with you." That's done, buddy. Congratulations! You have chosen Bill instead.

McDonald's reserves the right to put a giant yellow M on your torso and forehead and send you running through a crowded times square while you scream "The fries! The fries! They don't degrade in nature!!! It's an immortal food!!! They will be in the landfills long past our deaths!"

Good God, the things I've seen, me? Who I am? Oh I'm Bill's previous lawyer, he put my soul in a quill pen so I can write him legal documents until the sun snuffs out like a candle in this sick universe. I used to be so hot, I was so fine, now I'm fine print. Speaking of which!

Bill reserves the right to put your soul into an inanimate object, a strange creature, a concept, a sentence, a tasteful but rustic mason jar with wildflowers in it. If at any point you wish to have visitation rights with your soul, you will be swiftly denied, unless you have a cool day planned for the both of you, then Bill might want to come along!

By signing this document you forfeit any rights to eat soul food, it will turn to ash in your mouth, a fitting punishment for a fool who squandered the only true gift life owes you.

Bill reserved the rights to dress your soul however deems necessary, especially if your soul was a nerd before acquisition, Soulmakeoverrr! Your soul may become fractured and placed into different objects, this has no purpose and will not resurrect you if you die.

Signee has forfeited all rights to any afterlife, including but not limited to: Heaven, hell, purgatory, big corner, flow state, the dream house, the reincarnation processing center, axolotls tank and consequences hole.

Signee can no longer board the soul train and is advised to discard all bell bottoms. signee can no longer have a puppy as best friend, they can sense what is gone. Cats are indifferent.

Signee may experience occasional demon possesion from Horcukus the Red, Plabos the Merciless, Morbus son of Mortem, Plagga the Oozing and other such common demons roaming earth searching for weakend, empty vessels.

Tips for ripping your soul out at home: Watching youtube commentary channels, attending on extended family with an open bar, using generative AI and asserting that you are creative, turning a blind eye to human suffering, amassing more wealth than needed purchasing a blue checkmark.

this took me like 6 hours in total my brain is fried

[moldybonessmell]

Sevika character analysis post

Because it feels like everyone's miscaharcterises her and she's being treated only like a "hot mommy" I think I got an aneyrism writing this sentence sorry

// ARCANE spoilers season 1 & 2

So, a little disclaimer, I haven't rewatched season 1 so I might get some stuff wrong from it, feel free to correct me in case I get facts wrong

I want to start from the first impression we get from her. In season one she's a brutal right hand of an undercity mafia basically, a gambler and a card player, smokes, a frequent visitor in brothels (tiktok thinks she and Ambessa fucked the same twink and it changed the course of my life, I feel). She's a brutal and strong fighter. All in all, scary bitch (slay, if I may).

But the other aspect of her charcter in season 1 is that she's ridiculously loyal. She's loyal to Silco like a dog. The way she kept following him even after many many opportunities to get deals with his enemies. What it tells us is that even if she seems like a typical villian, she has a strong moral code. "But what about Vander?" You may ask. Well, her moral code also tells her to support the idea she sees as right. Her and Silco both disagreed on Vander's view, and decided to go their separate way. So even if she's loyal, she's still not going to support someone she doesn't agree with, which distinguishes her from a common minion trope.

In the same loyal theme, I would like to touch upon her relationship with Jinx. Yes, they were openly hostile to each other, but in season 2 Sevika decides to follow Jinx at some point. I have yet to decide if it's just because of Jinx being dear to Silco (a gesture of goodwill) or Sevika actually saw the girl growing up and had warm feelings. I firstly thought Sevika collaborated with Jinx on attack on Cait n Vi just for the sake of revenge (the entire Grey ordeal), but the way she instinctively covered Jinx n Isha with her entire body in this one scene, I fall more on "warm feelings" scale than "cold alliance".

Also don't forget the episode where Jinx gifted Sevika her new hand (which didn't last long but oh well). That was a gesture of goodwill, which is crazy concidering all the curcumstances ngl.

The way Sevika told everyone about Jinx they are not handing over their people even before she knew Jinx was relatively stable or even if she wanted to kill Sevika or not shows really well where her loyalties lie. Whether it was in memory of Silco or Sevika changing to be more like Vander and prioritize community.

And now her relationship with Jinx leads us to a revolution in Piltover. Right after Silco's death Sevika, who has always been a number 2, a right hand, tries to become a leader... but kinda fails. Which is expected. If you folow orders your entire life, it's difficult to make people listen to you even if you have a strong character and morals. And she tries again with leading a revolution against the Piltovian regime.. and fails again. But Jinx somehow has people folowing her without even trying. And Sevika decides to support her in hopes of making Zaun's life easier.

I bet she has complicated feelings about Jinx: maybe some warm ones from seeing her growing up, definitely hatred from all the stuff Jinx did (we still don't know if she knows Jinx killed Silco, right? I bet she figured out tbh), but also the sense of hope for change. And so Sevika becomes a number 2 again. The problem is, this new leader to follow doen't have any ambition or even care about community (she only cares about Isha let's be fr).

And Sevika, who very obviously craves community and connection loses everyone. No Vander, no Silco, and now no Jinx.

But you know what she has? The strong desire to make people's lifes better.

And this is why she doesn't stay back during the Ambessa's attack on Piltover, even tho it's not her, as a zauntie, fight. There's a possibility of Zaun getting in danger (bc let's be honest, Ambessa would just obliterate Zaun in case she reighns) and Sevika stands up for a fight.

And this is why I think she's the perfect candidate to end up in the new Piltover senate.

Tbh the first one would definitely be Ekko with the way he build up his community. Yeah he seems kinda down after all that, but for me personally it's a weak plot to make him all about Jinx in the end, sorry, we need TWO places in the council, you know (on my planet they are both there together)

Sevika tried several times in the past to be a leader and failed, but she still tries again, as her sense of responsibility for her people is stronger than her personal doubts.

(And you know she would have them after whole 2 times oof)

I've seen people on multiple platforms make jokes about Sevika in the council being ridiculous, but I strongly disagree, as you can see. No, she does not have anger issues, Jinx's just annoying/j

All in all, I think she's a very interesting and complex character.

Thank you for reading, feel free to share your thoughts.

[angelofdumpsterfires]

BILL'S CONTRACT FINE PRINT DECIPHERED

I'm sure someone has beat me to this, but because I decided to decipher/translate all 1000ish words of the fine print on this here totally normal contract (by hand)

Bold code is theraprism substitution cipher, the rest is the author's substitution cipher, i've reformatted the text to be more readable but i've also made a version with the more accurate, original line formatting here

YOU ARE NOW TWENTY ONE GRAMS LIGHTER

THIS CONTRACT IS LEGAL AND BINDING, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO USE YOUR LIKENESS, FACE, VOICE AND SMALL TOWN PLUCK IN WHATEVER NEFARIOUS MANNER IS DEEMED NECESSARY.

SANS SOUL YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NOT EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU HAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER - IN FEELING THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER, EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS, YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTWINED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU. -

THATS DONE BUDDY, CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD.

MCDONALDS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT A GIANT YELLOW M ON YOUR TORSO AND FOREHEAD AND SEND YOU WALKING THROUGH A CROWDED TIMES SQUARE WHILE YOU SCREAM “THE FRIES, THE FRIES, THEY DON'T DEGRADE IN NATURE… ITS AN IMMORTAL FOOD… THEY WILL BE IN THE LANDFILLS LONG PAST OUR DEATHS.”

GOOD GOD, THE THINGS S I’VE SEEN, ME. WHO AM I? OH BILL'S PREVIOUS LAWYER, HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE. I USED TO BE SO HOT. I WAS SO FINE. NOW I'M FINE PRINT.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUL INTO AN INANIMATE OBJECT, A STRANGE CREATURE, A CONCEPT, A SENTENCE, A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT.

IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED UNLESS YOU HAD A COOL DAY PLANNED FOR THE BOTH OF YOU, THEN BILL MIGHT COME ALONG.

BY SIGNING THIS DOCUMENT YOU FORFEIT ANY RIGHTS TO EATING SOUL FOOD, IT WILL TURN TO ASH IN YOUR MOUTH, A FITTING PUNISHMENT FOR A FOOL WHO SQUANDERED THE ONLY TRUE GIFT LIFE OWES YOU.

BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DRESS YOUR SOUL HOWEVER HE DEEMS NECESSARY, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SOUL WAS A NERD BEFORE ACQUISITION, SOUL MAKEOVERRR!

YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS. THIS HAS NO PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU WHEN YOU DIE.

SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS OF ANY AFTERLIFE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: HEAVEN, HELL, PURGATORY, BIG CORNER, FLOW STATE, THE DREAM HOUSE, THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER, AXOLOTL'S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLE.

SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER BOARD THE SOUL TRAIN AND IS ADVISED TO DISCARD ALL BELLBOTTOMS.

SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER HAVE A PUPPY AS A BEST FRIEND, THEY CAN SENSE WHAT IS GONE. CATS ARE INDIFFERENT.

SIGNEE MAY EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL DEMON POSSESSION FROM HORCULUS THE RED, PLABOS THE MERCILESS, MORBUS SON OF MORTEM, PLAGA THE OOZING AND OTHER SUCH COMMON DEMONS ROAMING EARTH SEARCHING FOR WEAKENED/EMPTY VESSELS.

TIPS FOR RIPPING YOUR SOUL OUT: WATCHING YOUTUBE COMMENTARY CHANNELS, ATTENDING AN EXTENDED FAMILY EVENT WITH AN OPEN BAR, USING GENERATIVE AI AND ASSERTING THAT YOU ARE CREATIVE, TURNING A BLIND EYE TO HUMAN SUFFERING, AMASSING MORE WEALTH THAN NEEDED, PURCHASING A BLUE CHECKMARK.

[prentitsluvr]

this was gonna be a post about my emily headcanons but i got way too carried away with literally the first one so this is now a post about why i think emily is autistic. i'm gonna put a page cut in because this post got way longer than i intended LMAO

this is a huge one for me, i literally like, in therapy sessions i've been bringing in compilations of emily from each individual season and explaining to my therapist how the clips make her autistic.

i think she's autistic bc she skin picks, which is a form of stimming and also a compulsive/obsessive behaviour which a lot of autistic people (such as myself) struggle with.

a lot of the time when she jokes/is sarcastic it isn't picked up on by others -- such as in 05x20 when she talks about her 'sin to win weekend in atlantic city', it's most likely that she's just fucking with morgan (because of her confusion at the end of the episode until he clarifies and she suddenly snaps back into that sort-of joke), and also like in 06x10 when one of the police officers (?) is asking her if he could join the FBI if he had a prior and she was like "oh well if it was a mistake" and he was like "really?" and she just looked at him and said no

she's got a pretty monotone voice compared to the rest of the team, and the same with her facial expressions. i love looking at her next to rossi because he's very expressive with his voice and his face, and it puts it into perspective how little she actually moves her face (which is also quite interesting when you compare it to how expressive paget is)

she tends to make kind of strange eye contact. when she does make direct eye contact it's pretty intense and with quite Wide eyes. But a lot of the time she's a little avoidant with her eyes, she might look at the other person momentarily before glancing away again. an episode that comes to mind is 02x11 when she's talking to Hotch and she's talking about her mother and she has to look away before she's able to talk. when i was more masked, i always did this kind of thing, because making eye contact was so intense and took up so much of my brain that i couldn't formulate sentences, so i would look away to be able to think of words and then look back at the person when i spoke

she's really good at sort of acting/pretending to be someone else. we've seen this when she puts on a persona to talk to unsubs, and also when we found out she was undercover as Lauren for 2 years. this is often a form of masking/a sign of a good ability to mask. i know a lot of autistic people who've gone into theatre because they find it so easy to become a character, since they're already essentially acting in their everyday life

she's very secretive and doesn't trust easily. she relies on herself for everything. this could partly be because of her trauma -- her neglect from her mother (and seemingly absent father), which would've led her to have an avoidant attachment style. but it is also a trait of many autists who have learned that others can't be relied on to help us

she thinks very objectively and logically, but is also intensely passionate and has a very strong sense of justice. when she does let her emotions lead her thinking and actions, it's often to more of an extreme. what comes to mind for this is 03x05 when she finds out the little girl is being abused and she gets extremely intense about it (rightfully so) in a way we don't normally see from her.

she actually stims a fair amount. there's a lot of moments of her playing with something like a pen, bracelet, or spoon, and also the aforementioned skin picking. she also often has 't-rex arms', where she holds her arms up at her sides (similar to how reid does, although i feel his are more obvious and emily often only does one hand, which is the same as me)

the way she holds her hands while she's standing is common in autistic people, it's called posturing. she does a lot of small things like this

this post got away from me a little lmao, i could go way more into detail on some of these things (and more that i inevitably forgot about when making this list) but this was not supposed to be this long a post, or focused on just this one headcanon LMAO

[c00kietin]

It's the 17th of March, so y'know what that means-

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all! I know the majority of you probably don't celebrate, which is fair, BUT I decided I wanted to talk a little more about the country I was born and raised in- the Emerald Isles of Ireland!! :D

If you're just here for the art, well here ya go! However, if you want to learn more in a VERY long post:

Just to start off, here's the Irish flag and the Ivory Coast flag! Wanted to add this because they can get easily mixed up (I got them muddled up a LOT when I was younger-)

Since it is Saint Patrick's Day, I should probably elaborate what that's about- what I've been taught in school is that Saint Patrick preached the Gospel to the Irish, one method including the shamrock to represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Of course, and the whole "he drove the snakes out of Ireland" but don't worry. There are still snakes in Ireland. And I'm pretty sure "snakes" is a metaphor anyway. And, turns out, he wasn't even originally from Ireland- he was British! Oh yeah, and he was kidnapped by pirates to become a slave when he was a teenager for 6 year s -

Here are some stereotypes or the first things that pop into your mind when you think of "Ireland"- leprechauns, short gingers, "Top of the mornin' to ya" and our love for spuds and beer. And, to tell you some stuff about them too!

Leprechauns originally wore red! They pop up in fairy tales quite often too.

Ireland is second when it comes to having the highest percentage of gingers with 10%, with Scotland having 13%. As for being short, I reassure you, there are plenty of tall and/or lanky people around. (A lot of my teachers are like this-)

I've heard no one say this as a greeting. The only Irish person I can think of who does is Jacksepticeye. You might be more likely to hear "How's it going?" or "What's the crack?"

As for loving beer, we are one of the highest consumers for it, but there are many other higher consumers! Also, I don't know if this is a thing in America or not, but we tend to call them pubs. Bars are a bit more...fancy? I don't know how to describe the difference.

And for loving potatoes? Okay. This is probably true lol. Almost everyone I know likes potatoes (with some exceptions). And, of course, who can forget the Great Famine when blight destroyed the potato crop and killed around a million people- spuds were a huge source of food back then.

And now, for language! Here are some I'm used to hearing quite regularly (and use often, too!)

Another two that I want to add are more Cork exclusive, but saying "boy/girl" at the end of sentences and using "like" a lot is quite common (especially the like one- I say "like" all the time ;v;).

And now, Irish itself! Now, I'm not going to tell you anything major (I'm not a teacher) but I will try my best to explain a little!

Irish is not the main language of Ireland but in some particular areas (shown in the right image) there are regions called Gaeltacht districts which predominantly speak Irish. Their Irish would be a lot better than my school-knowledge based Irish :'D Another thing to add is that different provinces (the provinces shown in the middle image) have different versions, or pronunciations of some words. Being from the province of Munster, I've been taught the "Munster" pronunciations and words.

So..."Tá mé éan sásta" would mean "I am a happy bird" :D

I apologise for how messy my writing looks-

OKAY. ONE MORE THING I WANTED TO COVER IN THE IRISH LANGUAGE IS THE NAMES, because I've seen plenty of people online and in real life joking lightheartedly how hard Irish names are pronounced. So here are some Irish names!!

Saoirse - this one is brought up quite a bit- It can either be pronounced as "seer-sha" or "sair-sha"!

Róisín - "roh-sheen" !

Eoin - even I had a hard time pronouncing this when I was younger- it's pronounced as "owe-in" like "owing" but without the g!

Fódhla - I remember this appeared in the newspaper once and a family member was baffled by it- it's said as "foh-la" :]

Another I want to mention is Eilish- you probably know it thanks to Billie Eilish, which is pronounced as "eye-lish"- but it can also be pronounced as "eye-leesh"!

Last one, Sinéad- you may have seen this one once or twice as is pronounced "shin-aid" :D

And now, some more quick stuff!!

Musicians from Ireland!!

On the left you have Hozier (love his music!! :D) and the right is the Cranberries!!

Some other Irish artists you may be familiar with are U2, Thin Lizzy, Westlife and Sinéad O' Connor!

Some popular Irish snacks!!

crisps/chips!! (I love em both dearly)

of course, how can I not bring up Irish bread: soda bread and blaas :D

Hot chicken rolls!! (seriously how are these not more popular elsewhere-) and spice bags!! (chips with spices, peppers. maybe chicken)

Animal wise, we haven't got anything too crazy, but we do have one of the largest breeds of dog, the Irish greyhound and the now extinct largest deer, the elk.

I think I'm beginning to run low on space, so I'll end it there!! If you're also Irish, free to add on facts/words!!

I don't usually say this but I would kinda appreciate reblogs since I felt like I put a bit more effort into this ;v;

So uh, yeah- Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! :D

[unheavenlycreatures]

Just in case anyone wanted to know what the fine print of this entire long contract says without wasting roughly one million hours of their precious time: i still have this cipher memorized, so, you're welcome. I took liberties re the punctuation, as all punctuation marks are the same symbol.

YOU ARE NOW TWENTY ONE GRAMS LIGHTER

THIS CONTRACT IS LEGAL AND BINDING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO USE YOUR LIKENESS, FACE, VOICE AND SMALL TOWN PLUCK IN WHATEVER NEFARIOUS MANNER IS DEEMED NECESSARY.

SANS SOUL, YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NEVER EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU HAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT OF INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER, IN FEELING, THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER, EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS, YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTANGLED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU--THAT'S DONE, BUDDY. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD.

MCDONALDS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT A GIANT YELLOW M ON YOUR TORSO AND FOREHEAD AND SEND YOU WALKING THROUGH A CROWDED TIMES SQUARE WHILE YOU SCREAM "THE FRIES! THE FRIES! THEY DON'T DEGRADE IN NATURE!!! IT'S AN IMMORTAL FOOD!!! THEY WILL BE IN THE LANDFILLS LONG LONG PAST OUR DEATHS!"

GOOD GOD. THE THINGS I'VE SEEN. ME? WHO AM I? OH I'M BILL'S PREVIOUS LAWYER. HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE. I USED TO BE SO HOT. I WAS SO FINE. NOW I'M FINE PRINT.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUR SOUL INTO AN INANIMATE OBJECT, A STRANGE CREATURE, A CONCEPT, A SENTENCE, A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT. IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL, YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED. UNLESS YOU HAD A COOL DAY PLANNED FOR THE BOTH OF YOU. THEN BILL MIGHT WANT TO COME ALONG.

BY SIGNING THIS DOCUMENT YOU FORFEIT ANY RIGHTS TO EATING SOUL FOOD. IT WILL TURN TO ASH IN YOUR MOUTH. A FITTING PUNISHMENT FOR A FOOL WHO SQUANDERED THE ONLY TRUE GIFT LIFE OWES YOU.

BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DRESS YOUR SOUL HOWEVER HE DEEMS NECESSARY. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SOUL WAS A NERD BEFORE ACQUISITION, SOUL MAKEOVERRR!

YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS. THIS HAS NO PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU IF YOU DIE. SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS TO ANY AFTERLIFE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: HEAVEN, HELL, PURGATORY, BIG CORNER, FLOW STATE, THE DREAM HOUSE, THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER, AXOLOTL'S TANK AND CONSEQUENCES HOLE. SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER BOARD THE SOUL TRAIN AND IS ADVISED TO DISCARD ALL BELLBOTTOMS. SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER HAVE A PUPPY AS A BEST FRIEND. THEY CAN SENSE WHAT IS GONE. CATS ARE INDIFFERENT.

SIGNEE MAY EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL DEMON POSSESSIONS FROM HORCULUS THE RED, PLABUS THE MERCILESS, MORBUS SON OF MORTEM, PLAGA THE OOZING AND OTHER SUCH COMMON DEMONS ROAMING EARTH SEARCHING FOR WEAKENED, EMPTY VESSELS.

TIPS FOR RIPPING YOUR SOUL OUT AT HOME: WATCHING YOUTUBE COMMENTARY CHANNELS, ATTENDING AN EXTENDED FAMILY EVENT WITH AN OPEN BAR, USING GENERATIVE AI AND ASSERTING THAT YOU ARE CREATIVE, TURNING A BLIND EYE TO HUMAN SUFFERING, AMASSING MORE WEALTH THAN NEEDED, PURCHASING A BLUE CHECKMARK.

[year2000electronics]

This is tamblr support we need you to agree to are new TOS.

THIS TERMS OF SERVICE IS LEGAL AND BINDING. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO USE YOUR LIKENESS, FACE, VOICE AND SMALL TOWN PLUCK IN WHATEVER NEFARIOUS MANNER IS DEEMED NECESSARY. SANS SOUL, YOUR SOULMATE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AND WILL WALK RIGHT PAST YOU ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY, NEVER MAKING EYE CONTACT, NOT EVEN PROCESSING THAT YOU HAVE EYES AT ALL. NO AMOUNT OF INTERACTION WILL MOVE THEM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN REMEMBER, IN FEELING, THE THOUSANDS OF LIFETIMES YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT TOGETHER; EACH TIME CHOOSING WHATEVER FORM WOULD KEEP YOU CLOSEST LIKE OTTERS HOLDING HANDS IN A TUMULTUOUS RIVER. YOU WERE BIRDS; YOU WERE TREES WITH ROOTS ENTANGLED, DRINKING IN THE SUNLIGHT TOGETHER. "WHEREVER WE GO NEXT, WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE, I WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU"? THATS DONE, BUDDY. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE CHOSEN BILL INSTEAD. MCDONALDS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT A GIANT YELLOW M ON YOUR TORSO AND FOREHEAD AND SEND YOU WALKING THROUGH A CROWDED TIMES SQUARE WHILE YOU SCREAM " THE FRIES, THE FRIES, THEY DON'T DEGRADE IN NATURE!!! IT'S AN IMMORTAL FOOD!!! THEY WILL BE IN THE LANDFILLS LONG PAST OUR DEATHS!" GOOD GOD, THE THINGS S I'VE SEEN. ME? WHO AM I? OH I'M BILL'S PREVIOUS LAWYER. HE PUT MY SOUL INTO A QUILL PEN SO I CAN WRITE HIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS UNTIL THE SUN SNUFFS OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THIS SICK UNIVERSE. I USED TO BE SO HOT. I WAS SO FINE, NOW I'M FINE PRINT. SPEAKING OF WHICH, BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR SOUL INTO AN OBJECT: A STRANGE CREATURE, A CONCEPT, A SENTENCE, A TASTEFUL BUT RUSTIC MASON JAR WITH WILDFLOWERS IN IT. IF AT ANY POINT YOU WISH TO HAVE VISITATION RIGHTS WITH YOUR SOUL, YOU WILL BE SWIFTLY DENIED -- UNLESS YOU HAD A COOL DAY PLANNED FOR THE BOTH OF YOU, THEN BILL MIGHT WANT TO COME ALONG. BY SIGNING THIS DOCUMENT YOU FORFEIT ANY RIGHTS TO EATING SOUL FOOD; IT WILL TURN TO ASH IN YOUR MOUTH, A FITTING PUNISHMENT FOR A FOOL WHO SQUANDERED THE ONLY TRUE GIFT LIFE OWES YOU. BILL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DRESS YOUR SOUL HOWEVER HE DEEMS NECESSARY, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SOUL WAS A NERD BEFORE ACQUISITION. SOUL MAKEOVERRR! YOUR SOUL MAY BECOME FRACTURED AND PLACED INTO DIFFERENT OBJECTS, THIS HAS NO PURPOSE AND WILL NOT RESURRECT YOU IF YOU DIE. SIGNEE HAS FORFEITED ALL RIGHTS TO ANY AFTERLIFE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: HEAVEN, HELL, PURGATOR, BIG CORNER, FLOW STATE, THE DREAM HOUSE, THE REINCARNATION PROCESSING CENTER, AXOLOTL'S TANK, AND CONSEQUENCES HOLE. SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER BOARD THE SOUL TRAIN AND IS ADVISED TO DISCARD ALL BELLBOTTOMS. SIGNEE CAN NO LONGER HAVE A PUPPY AS A BEST FRIEND; THEY CAN SENSE WHAT IS GONE. CATS ARE INDIFFERENT. SIGNEE MAY EXPERIENCE OCCASIONAL DEMON POSSESSION FROM HORCULES THE RED; PLABOS THE MERCILESS; MORBUS SON OF MORTEM; PLEGE THE OOZING; AND OTHER SUCH COMMON DEMONS ROAMING EARTH SEARCHING FOR WEAKENED, EMPTY VESSELS, TIPS FOR RIPPING YOUR SOUL OUT AT HOME, WATCHING YOUTUBE COMMENTARY CHANNELS, ATTENDING AN EXTENDED FAMILY EVENT WITH AN OPEN BAR, USING GENERATIVE AI AND ASSERTING THAT YOU ARE CREATIVE, TURNING A BLIND EYE TO HUMAN SUFFERING, AMASSING MORE WEALTH THAN NEEDED, PURCHASING A BLUE CHECKMARK"

YOU ARE ALSO NOW TWENTY ONE GRAMS LIGHTER

Agree?

wow! seems legit to me! AGREE!!!!!

[b17ch-b01]

SPOILER FOR SOME OF THE STUFF AT thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com!!!!!!!

THIS IS MY TRANSLATION OF ALL THE CODE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUL CONTRACT!!!!

"this contract is legal and binding we reserve the right to use your likeness, face, voice and small town pluck in whatever nefarious manner is deemed necessary, sans soul, your soulmate will not recognize you and will walk right past you on a cold autumn day, never making eye contact, not even processing that you have eyes at all, no amount of interaction will move them to a place where they can remember, in feeling, the thousands form would keep you closest like otters holding hands in a tumultuous river, you were birds, you were trees with roots entangled, drinking in the sunlight together. wherever we go next, whatever you choose, i will always be right there with you. thats done, buddy, congratulations, you have chosen bill instead, mcdonalds reserves the right to put a giant yellow m on your torso and forehead and send you walking through a crowded times square while you scream "the fries! the fries! they don't degrade in nature!!! it's an immortal food!!! they will be in the landfills long past our deaths!! good god! the things s i've seen, me, who am i? oh i'm bill's previous lawyer! he put soul into a quill pen so i can write his legal documents until the sun snuffs out like a candle in this sick universe. i used to be so hot. i was so fine, now i'm fine print" speaking of which, bill reserves the right to put your soul into an inanimate object, a strange creature, a concept, a sentence, a tasteful but rustic mason jar with wildflowers in it. if at any point you wish to have visitation rights with your soul, you will be swiftly denied, unless you had a cool day planned for the both of you, Then bill might want to come along. by signing this document you forfeit any rights to eating soul food. it will turn to ash in your mouth. a fitting punishment for a fool who squandered the only true gift life owes you. bill reserves the right to dress your soul however he deems necessary, especially if your soul was a nerd before acquisition. soulmakkeoverrr! your soul may become fractured and placed into different objects. this has no purpose and will not resurrect you if you die. signee has forfeited all rights to any afterlife, including but not limited to: heaven, hell, purgatory, big corner, flow state, the dream house, the reincarnation processing center, axolotl's tank and consequences hole. signee can no longer board the soul train and is advised to discard all bellbottoms. signee can no longer have a puppy as a best friend, they can sense what is gone. cats are indifferent. signee may experience occasional demon possessions from horculus the red, plabos the merciless, morbus son of mortem, plaga the oozing and other such common demons roaming earth searching for weakened/empty vessels(tips for ripping your soul out at home) watching youtube commentary channels, attending an extended family event with an open bar, using generative AI and asserting that you are creative, turning a blind eye to human suffering, amassing more wealth than needed, purchasing a blue checkmark"

[whentheskittlesfightback]

I FINALLY TRANSLATED THIS ENTIRE THING, AND AT THIS POINT I DONT CARE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ALREADY I HAVENT SEEN IT. also all of the punctuation is the same tall rectangle so i had to guess, but you get the point of what it says. HERE IT IS!!!😋

this contract is legal and binding. we reserve the right to use your likeness, face, voice and small town pluck in whatever nefarious manner deemed necessary, sans soul. your soulmate will not recognize you and will walk right past you on a cold autumn day, never making eye contact, not even processing that you have eyes at all. no amount of interaction will move them to a place where they can remember, in feeling, the thousands of lifetimes you have already spent together, each time choosing whatever form would keep you closest like otters holding hands in a tumultuous river. you were birds, you were trees with roots entangled, drinking in the sunlight together. "wherever we go next, whoever you choose, i will always be right there with you". thats done, buddy. congratulations, you have chosen bill instead. mcdonalds reserves the right to put a giant yellow M on your torso and forehead and send you walking through a crowded times square while you scream "the fries, the fries, they don't degrate in nature!!! it's an immortal food!!! they will br in landfills long past our deaths!!!" good god, the things i've seen. me, who am i? oh i'm bill's previous lawyer. he put my soul into a quill pen so i can write his legal document until the sun snuffs out like a candle in this sick universe. i used to be so hot, i was so fine. now im fine print. soeaking of which, bill reserves the right to put your souk into inanimate objects, a strange creature, a concept, a sentence, a tasteful but rustic mason jar with wildflowers in it. if at any point you wish to have visitation rights with your soul, you will be swiftly denied. unless you had a cool day planned for the both of you, then bill might want to come along. by signing this document you forfeit any rights to eating soul food. it will turn to ash in your mouth, a fitting punishment for a fool who squandered the only true gift life owes you. bill reserves the right to dress your soul however he deems necessary, especially if your soul was a nerd before acquisition. soul makeoverrr! your soul may become fractured and placed into different objects. this has no purpose and will not resurrect you if you die. signee has forfeited all rights to any afterlife, including but not limited to: heaven, hell, purgatory, big corner, flow state, the dream house, the reincarnation processing center, axolotl's tank and consequences hole. signee can no longer board the soul train and is advised to discard all bellbottoms. signee can no longer have a puppy as a best friend, they can sense what is gone. cats are indifferent. signee may experience occasional demon possessions from horculus the red, plabos the merciless, morbus son of mortem, plaga the oozing and other such common demons searching for weakened, empty vessels. tips for ripping your soul out at home: watching youtube commentary channels, attending an extended family event with an open bar, using generative ai and asserting thay you are creative, turning a blind eye to human suffering, amassing more wealth than needed, purchasing a blue checkmark.

i feel insane. if i got anyfin wrong just tell me pleas.