#yes people with horrible views can do some technical things well

[alpaca-clouds]

The Inner Contradition of Capitalism

Okay, let me talk about something that I took away from several books I have read during the last few months: Capitalism is shitty.

"No shit," you might say. "You needed to read a book for that?"

No, of course I knew that before. I knew before that capitalism is shitty for about 90% of people who have to live under it - and of course for the environment as well. There is a reason I am an anarcho communist and Solarpunk.

However, there is another thing about this: Capitalism is shitty, even for those who are "winning it". While there is very little resaerch on the mental health of the super rich, because most of them obviously do not want to participate in this research, there were some very, very few of them allowed research to happen. And here is the thing: There is some evidence that if you acquire riches to a certain point you might actually get better. You are gonna be a bit less stressed and worried until you reach that point.

But "that point" is actually fairly low - from modern capitalism's point of view. While the few papers existing on it might disagree, but generally speaking it is somewhere between 1 and 3 million. Basically it is the kind of money, where you actually can live just from the money you already have, as long as you do not live in abundance and just relax into a normal lifestyle, rahter than getting a villa and yacht.

But here is the thing: As soon as you are richer than that, research suggests, you will actually get more and more miserable.

Now, again, we just have very little in terms of multimillionaires, yet alone billionaires, who will allow for psychologists and neurologists to actually do studies on this. So we have very few data points from where to extrapolate.

But what we have greatly suggests that the more money they get, the more unhappy and more angry they become.

Additionally there is quite a lot of research that suggests that there is indeed a particular personality profile, that will get into those positions. And that personality profile actually has probably also to do a lot with previous abuse.

Don't get me wrong: I absolutely deteste billionaires. I think they are the source for a lot of the ills in our world. They are horrible humans with so much blood on their fingers. However... In some regards I also pity them. Because if you look at them, you do know that... they are not actually happy, are they?

Will they try to tell you they are? Absolutely. But they are not. They are unhappy, and more than anything they are driven by the fear to lose the stuff they have. Because they know how easy that is - and fear how miserable they could be.

And sure, they will claim how much they work and how great they are for it - because we have this idea of meritocracy in our heads. But... That is also bullshit, and they do kinda know it.

As I wrote about yesterday, I have recently read the non-fiction book "The Dawn of Everything", and within the book there are actually quite a few examples of people, who during earlier times of colonization and the conflicts between indigenous people and colonizers, had been kidnapped and taken as hostage by the indigenous. And... a lot of them were freed, only to return and realize, that the life of the indigenous people was just a whole lot better. And quite a few of these hostages decided on their own will to return living with the indigenous people who had taken them hostage.

And yes, in one case this included one of the superrich at the time.

And this to me is the thing: Capitalism as it is, does not make anyone happy. There really are no winners here. There are only losers. No matter who, everyone is worse of because of it. There is nobody here, who might be profiting. Even those who seem to be profiting are actually for the most part miserable.

I honestly do wonder a lot, why this even could happen. It is a question that the book poses a lot, it never finds an answer. Because technically humans were always more intelligent than this. We were more intelligent than creating society in a way that most of us were so darn unhappy.

We talk so much about the "winners" of capitalism. But the truth is, that they do not exist. Because from what little data we have, there is actually good indication, that those who "won capitalism" and truly gave away most of that money (rather than just putting it into a self-controlled trust), were the only ones who became happy.

[cheesecakeluvrs]

Caleb yandere controversy

I’ve been playing Love and Deepspace since release and I also have read many yandere stories in my time (basically every one that isn’t smut so about… 1%) so I do consider myself reliable to talk about this. Despite me loving yandere stories when I saw those little hints in the trailer I did not want that in LADS. I like them for their views on psychology and commentaries on the effects that both codependency and obsession can have on a person. I did not want to date a yandere! I am way over the romanticization of victims in media.

However I actually did not mind Caleb that much… Let me get one thing straight as well, Caleb is a yandere, he did in fact drug you to get you to stay, and he does show many examples of obsession and possessiveness. People are trying to deny it and you know, it’s fiction, if you want a boyfriend who’s going to act real and not have something quirky about him then just like date a real guy. Now I am not trying to defend Caleb’s actions…! However… all of those things I stated before are to a more mild extent compared to a lot of other yanderes. Plus, a lot of the stuff we see is stuff we have seen before in the game. Deny it if you’d like but both Rafayel and Sylus have been shown to have stalked us. Now onto the big controversy with the drugs, was it bad, yes, am I going to freak out? No, it was clearly just some other medicine that made you very sleepy because MC was planning to sneak out that night. It is questionable and that’s the point! That’s how a proper yandere should be portrayed in media like this! There is clearly some weird stuff going on in his brain but he never technically does anything horrible… you can’t hate him but you still get this eerie feeling… That’s the point! He’s not supposed to be a green flag, nobody in this game is a complete green flag. He had both good intentions (influenced by his possessiveness over the MC tho) and he doesn’t do anything horribly immoral to achieve that because ‘technically’ yes he did just give you medicine like he said he was going to. There is nothing wrong with disliking this kind of person, especially if they reflect a real experience, but I do also think this game adds a little extra layer of ‘unrealisticness to avoid that. I would also like to talk about the most yandere Caleb moment in the game that is…

I’ve never had a boyfriend before but I don’t know how likely he is to track my period… maybe some do… idk, this is just so crazy to me lol.

My major complaint is just I think that a character that shows more obvious traits like that should be in a game with a higher age rating. This game already blurs the line for me, but really that’s all 12+ apps. Well my major major complaint would be the English translation for their relationship in how they’re treated like siblings??? Like whaaaat??? Why? Huh? I just can’t shake that? It’s definitely less in the new chapters compared to the earlier ones he was in but still. Well what do you guys think of Caleb? Do you guys think he was too much? Maybe you like a little yandere and he was too little but you know if you think I’m just completely wrong then write your own post and then your opinions will exist there.

[tirfpikachu]

i mean there’s genuinely no difference between a frat bro saying ‘i’m a lesbian too haha’ and a ‘transbian’… they are males intruding on a female exclusive sexuality that has always and will always face harassment from males just for daring to not feel attraction to them. a man did not grow up with the same experiences as a lesbian. a woman did not grow up with the same experiences as a gay man. they are heterosexuals with het privilege inserting themselves into gay spaces and it is insulting to actual homosexuals - who are a very small minority!- to intrude on our lives and communities. i have been pushed out of most mainstream lesbian spaces by ‘transbians’, they revolve around girldick and people who ‘love butches’ who are always just masculine males. i hold no energy for men who claim space for themselves without giving a damn about us - which is most ‘transbians’. because they are entitled males and were raised entitled males. you are doing fine work by being diplomatic but god including ‘transbians’ is downright insulting to lesbians who have been dealing with lesbophobia and misogyny because we aren’t attracted to and don’t relate to trans women *by nature*. they are heterosexual males and lesbians should not be expected to stand by them after they’ve colonized our spaces. it’s disappointing that you hold such an inherently homophobic view about heterosexual people

also are you not supporting bisexual lesbianism/split attraction model by saying people who are trans, have ‘gay experiences’, but are technically hetero/bi can use gay labels? there’s no criteria for lesbianism besides experiencing similar harassment to lesbians? i think you are well-spoken but should interrogate this train of thought more. who does it serve to include bisexual, or, less generously, heterosexual trans people in gay sexuality?

i thought for a really long time about this ask! it's such a complicated topic that ofc seems very obvious to ppl on each side. originally when i answered your previous asks (you or someone else on the topic) i honestly wasn't fully settled into my thoughts about it. i'm still fairly new to spaces that aren't mainstream tra spaces. i don't agree that male ppl who transition into being perceived as gay women with their partners etc have the same intent as fratbros joking abt being dykes. i think they just occupy a space that previously was almost impossible back when physical transition wasn't a thing. they're still struggling to find their own space. yes, they did (and still do) really bad shit to homosexuals and female ppl as a community. i know that firsthand. but i also have seen people transition that way and i think it's always annoyingly more complex than it is at first glance. but i REFUSE to give up exclusive female4female & male4male spaces. i refuse to not hold heterosexual ppl accountable for their consistent homophobia, especially transfems unfortunately due to their male socializing & body differences that causes a power imbalance. though i have seen transmascs who date bio men and say the wildest shit ever, or even trick bio gay men into having sex with them without telling them. like stuff is getting REALLY bad, truly unhinged, and i am worried. i just want to figure this stuff out, and i don't believe all trans ppl are doing this for evil reasons, or even callous reasons.

honestly, i do think the term lesbian has always been so fucking unique and uniquely marginalized. and many people born with dicks, transfems included, have been horrible to me & other biological lesbians. i think we have been denied basic respect for so long and pressured to the point of abuse for some of us. transitioning becoming more accessible makes this issue much worse and more pressing. personally, where i'm at right now is... i am okay with transfems who post-transition live passing as sapphic with their gfs etc (who at times are transfem too) using the term transbian. but i do think them using the word lesbian on its own just digs the knife deeper for the female4female community, the lesbian community, which before very recently - back when physical transition wasn't possible - was always 99.9% bio women and transmasc folks loving each other. it's a very specific term. it is heavily, extremely fetishized, and demonized, and belittled, and is an isolating af experience from a young age. they don't get it. of course they don't. yet their sexuality is extremely complex if they transition; they go from their relationships being shrugged off to facing lesbophobia. just like transmasc ppl who transition can date bio men and suddenly face homophobia. but that's those people immigrating into the experiences that homosexuals, exclusively same-sex/agab attracted people, were born into. they have had a life free of the paranoia of showing any attraction to their opposite sex. it must be confusing as fuck. it must be isolating. but it's not the same. it'll never be, and i think gay female ppl & gay male ppl have really tried to be accommodating... i do believe there can be wonderful spaces where everyone who lives perceived as gay/bi men, or as gay/bi women, can have their respective gay & sapphic spaces that are trans-inclusive. i also believe that we need our exclusive male4male and female4female spaces too. we need a space to let loose and bond over stuff.

i think it would be immensely healthy for trans people who transition into living as gay to form their own specific terms for that. i think right now they exist in a very awkward in-between place where they try to make gay/lesbian terms match. but they're constantly upset when homosexual culture doesn't magically stretch itself to include them at every turn, they view it as an attack and a rejection, bc they don't realize same-sex attracted ppl have unique experiences too. they accept t4t but not us. and at times they're butting into a culture they can't really comprehend, same as if a bio gay guy went into a club full of transmasc people who live as gay men. there would be a totally different vibe, a different culture, and i think it upsets trans ppl to think that they're different. even though it's 10000% OKAY to be different, you need to come to terms with it. it can be dysphoria-triggering, that makes total sense... but it's not healthy for them to try to utterly deny their sex/agab and shove themselves into a box they are incapable of fitting into and pretend that they were always in that box and they 1000% understand that box and anyone who says they were never in that box before or that they're new in it and need to be respectful is just a horrible bigot. anyone making homosexual-specific inside jokes etc are being exclusionary meanies. it's not fucking healthy for them OR for female4female & male4male people. we're all marginalized in different ways, and it's not earning them any favors from us. which actually only isolates them more!

transfems haven't returned the allyship that female ppl so often show them, and especially did earlier on when it wasn't so girldick-in-your-face in lesbian spaces and homosexual-shaming as it is now. i will personally, where i'm at right now writing this, accept the term transbian to mean someone who has immigrated into the experience of being perceived as a lesbian, faces misogyny & lesbophobia, and may live that way for 30-40+ years or their whole ass lives doing so. i still will consider them my sisters and want to bond over the similarities and differences in our experiences. but they need to fucking understand what they've done, as a group, to bio lesbians and just female4female ppl. and how bio men & transfems are born into privilege, and that doesn't just all shed away the second they grow tits or get surgeries. i will accept transbian for now. but i think them saying they're lesbian women outright has started to feel insensitive to the current cultural tensions within lgbt, and the misogyny & lesbophobia their community has brought us. all the threats and sexual abuse & guilt-tripping they throw at us, in very male ways. i do believe there's absolutely lovely trans women who i wouldn't even recognize as trans and find common ground with when we both talk about our girlfriends and how shitty society treats lesbian-passing couples. i think homosexual bio men tend to be better at asserting their boundaries bc female folks are taught to be meek and subservient growing up. but we've finally had enough. it took me meeting trans women who tell me "hey, it's really fucked up how my community treats lesbians. i'm sorry. you deserve better" for me to really start to process my anger. bc it could've been so simple!! but it wasn't. it still isn't. i want transfem allies to rise up and show the fuck up for homosexual female folks. for the og lesbians. i will welcome transbians, personally, but not in all context. and i don't expect them to welcome me in transbian-exclusive context either. i want actual allyship. i know this isn't me fully agreeing with you anon, we still disagree on certain aspects of this. but your ask did help me. and i want you to know i don't take shit from misogynistic transfems, i don't let opposite-sex attracted transfems to speak over homosexuals, i demand mutual respect. opposite-sex attracted trans people who live as gays irl post-transition occupy a very weird space. i want to open up dialogue about that with them and between homosexuals too. at the very least, more and more transfems are peaking and properly apologizing & showing up for us. little by little.

i don't know where i am about opposite-sex attracted transmascs using gay. for me, personally, i don't really mind bc it doesn't have the same impact as lesbians having male bodies pressured onto them. i would need to talk to more male4male people, including bio gay men and transfems who are only into other male people. i know some transmascs use the term achillean, and other things like that. some also use gay to mean being same-sex attracted, often they're transmasc4transmasc (and can reclaim lesbian if they so desired, or make new terms). i deeply care for both homosexual rights and people who are genuinely trans and transitioning into new experiences. i'm still trying to learn more and find a middle ground. i know i'm a nicefem by radblr standards or whatever, but whatever.

so yeah, anyways. thank you sm for this ask! it really did stir my brain. i know this isn't as satisfying as if i had outright agreed with you after all this, but i tend to have more nuanced takes since i've been deep in the trans community as a detrans woman and seen how complex life is for people who transition into a gay-passing life. i'm still learning and gathering my thoughts. asks like these really do help.

we need to stand our ground gyns. we need to fight for homosexual rights. we need ppl who immigrate into our experiences to show us basic respect and not demand us to do conversion therapy on ourselves or stop making community inside jokes, just erase all our history to make space for them. we can have overlapping experiences without forgetting to celebrate our differences too. we can have trans-inclusive gay spaces and homosexual-only spaces and trans-exclusive spaces. we can literally have it all and coexist! & they need to start holding their bigots & creeps accountable. we need them to figure this shit out. i get that being a hetero person living as gay, thriving in that way as they're more than welcome to, can be really confusing and isolating and frustrating. but they can't keep doing this to other marginalized communities. it's just not fucking fair.

[robertphilip]

do you have any thoughts on why Morgan said Giselle wasn’t her real mom? that scene felt odd to me because she never expressed missing her biological mom before this

I don't think it had anything to do with missing her biological mom, because I don't think Morgan (or anyone in the family) ever thinks about that woman.

for Morgan, it's clear to me that she's struggling with that fact that her parents had another child, and that this one is actually biologically related to Giselle. She loves her sister, of course, and I think they're very close despite their age gap, but you can see by the way her face falls when Giselle says, "you're a true daughter of Andalasia" that she's upset about this on some level.

you can also see that she's very quick to hide her feelings by one, looking at her phone, and two, spitting out a sarcastic remark ("okay, well, if you don't have a wand for a fake daughter of Andalasia, I'm gonna go change.")

the reason she lashed out at Giselle, I think, is because she's not good at expressing her feelings properly so she results to anger, and because she's kind of trying to build a wall between herself and her mother. that may sound like a stretch, but hear me out, hear me out !!

I wrote a fic (which you can read here if you'd like, it's not that long) and I particularly like this snippet from Morgan's chapter:

And where, exactly, did that leave her? How different would things be now that her mom had a child that was actually related to her? She’d never really thought much about the technicalities of their relationship before, because Giselle had always been her mother. But ever since the news dropped, Morgan couldn’t help but start to see herself as nothing more than leftovers from a failed marriage.

and this

Morgan felt Giselle squeeze her hand, and a lump began to form in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to ask what this meant for her, for their relationship. If it would change anything, or if her mother saw her differently now. But asking that meant facing reality, and she wasn’t quite sure she was ready for that just yet.

the way I see it, Morgan was scared that Giselle would start to view her differently, that their relationship would drastically change, and instead of waiting to be pushed away, she started pushing first.

and we know that Giselle doesn't see Morgan differently, that Morgan has been her daughter basically since the moment they met, but Morgan? she's still scared. she's only 14 when her mom gets pregnant. she's scared, and anxious, and probably creating a million and one horrible scenarios in her mind, and starting to feel like an outsider in her own home.

and yes, she could easily just tell her parents how she's feeling, but she's 14 !! then 15, then 16. Robert could barely express himself at 30, you think Morgan can?? she's her father's daughter in nearly every way, of course she bottles things up.

it's also worth noting that, in the junior novel, she tells Nancy that she fully believes Giselle doesn't like her anymore, that she liked her better when she was younger. and when Nancy tells her that isn't true, she doesn't believe her. and we know that she doesn't see herself as Giselle's ~true daughter~ because she says so towards the end of the movie. like Morgan is truly going through it.

and like I said, because she doesn't know how to properly express herself, and because she's scared, she builds up walls around herself, and pushes people out before they have the chance to push her away.

we also know that she was upset about the fact that they had to move, all her clothes got burned (resulting in her wearing clothes she wasn't comfortable in), she had to sleep on the floor of her parents bedroom, she was ignored all day at her new school, and on top of all that, Giselle embarrassed her twice in front of everyone.

she had good intentions, of course, we know (and Morgan knows) that Giselle meant no harm, but there was a lot of anger, and sadness building up in Morgan at this point, and I think she finally just. exploded. and unfortunately, that led her to saying what she said during that fight.

I think she immediately regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, and I have no doubt in my mind that she was going to apologize that next morning, but then, well, the whole Wish™️ thing happened and everything changed.

anyway,,, does this make sense? am I reaching with some of this idk this is just how I interpreted it 🙈

[sketching-shark]

Bangs head on my desk. Its sooooo fucking hard I have literally most of the LMK fandom blocked and I still can’t fucking escape that mid ass pairing I want to explode. Honest to god it sucks because I actually like analyzing LEMH and Sun wukong’s dynamic when it comes to the original story and like the idea of a character trying so hard to be this other person they just fundamentally erase any aspect of who they could be. That shit is interesting (especially if you interpret the two as actual family bc there’s a level of. Tragedy there) but NOOO mfs wanna focus on shipping clones/siblings together instead and painfully writing both characters ooc instead of just making an oc good fucking god. ( that being said I really like the art you draw of LEMH. It’s really cool. Keep up the good work 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾)

fregarewargtfds I once saw someone describe the LEMH & SWK ship as jttw retellings's reylo and. hm. yeah.

BUT YEAH YEAH YEAH to this day one of the things I find most baffling about the western monkie kid & jttw fandom is this widespread refusal to even recognize LEMH's actions in the og classic. Because it's like: here we have what could very well be one of literature's first instances of the "evil twin" trope and it's being done SPECIFICALLY in a way to create the maximum amount of conflict and uncertainty for SWK!

Because on one hand the false monkey of the true and false monkey king arc is essentially the very embodiment of everything that SWK ever wanted; LEMH, in copying SWK so completely, does it in such a way where he gets to be both a yaoguai warlord with a loving family AND a holy pilgrim bound for glory at the exact same time, whereas SWK is constantly being forced to choose between the two! But LEMH's also doing it in the worst way possible! He beats Tang Sanzang into unconsciousness, steals their stuff for his own use, and in so doing drives a serious rift between SWK and the pilgrims!

He clearly doesn't give af about the Mt. Huaguoshan monkeys outside of how they can serve as his personal tools to fulfill his own aims! He just wants them to use their own powers of transformation so that they can serve as his own obedient group of pilgrims! He even eats one of them as part of a merry feast he throws for himself after a violent encounter with Sha Wujing, and immediately has that monkey replaced with another! And he's doing ALL of this wearing SWK's face and adapting SWK's mannerisms! EVERYONE thinks that it's SWK doing these things! It's like LEMH's very existence is throwing it in SWK's face how this horrible version of himself is closer to achieving ALL of SWK's desires than SWK ever was, and that no matter how much SWK tries to change for the better even the two sides of his beloved family automatically think even this version which would inflict such violence on them is the "true" him! No wonder SWK hated him so much!

And AUGH the possibility of LEMH either being a manifestation of SWK's worst impulses or of being his brother just ramps the tragedy and horror of this situation even more! Like if it was part of SWK inflicting all this pain on the people SWK loves most, well there is truly something messed up about this situation where even if it's not technically "you" going along with your worst impulses they will still hurt people! Could you ever trust yourself again? Should you? How much of the blame for this situation lies with you? And can it be enough to fully acknowledge you have violent impulses but don't act on them?

And yes @the-bitter-ocean even in interpretations where LEMH is some random yaoguai who decides to commit identity fraud the story from his point of view of him throwing away his identity so completely that there's basically nothing left of him is just...goddamn. In his ambition he literally reduced himself to one part of SWK's story, just one more obstacle for the Monkey King to overcome.

And SCREAM if LEMH was SWK's brother? Imagine this situation where for SWK he's confronted by what is essentially the culmination of his failures to protect his family, where his beloved brother (I'm saying beloved because SWK loved all members of his monkey family very much) ended up despising SWK so much that he has essentially destroyed everything that he was or could have been in his bid to be the "real" monkey king and bring glory back to that name, but does so in the worst way possible to the point where SWK feels he has to take down LEMH himself. And then for LEMH, you can see how love and admiration for his brother would be twisted into resentment, envy, obsession, and hatred due to the series of atrocities the Mt. Huaguoshan simians faced in large part as a consequence of SWK's challenge to the heavens and his own sense of entitlement, so that eventually he convinced himself he would be a more "true" monkey king than the monkey king himself, and thus completely discarded his own identity to take on that of his brother, and in doing so basically tossed his own morals given how his "version" of the monkey king cares for no one but himself.

Sorry for the rant! But all the pieces for a whole series of interesting tragedies are! Already! Right! There!!!!! Why are we all so hellbent on ignoring/rewriting them!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[yonemurishiroku]

i know you said you haven’t figured out it out yet but i’d like to hear any thoughts or random ideas you might have abt nezha & nico, either in general or in the time travel verse 👩‍🏫

Wow I didn't expect someone would actually be interested in this... Well, all the more motivation to be enthusiastic, then. xD

You're right that I've yet to figure out their connection, however, I can tell a little about that that drew me to the idea of them in the same picture.

The first would probably be their characterization.

Both are painted in black and white, of kindness and the flaws within. Afaik, the whole thing about Nezha is that he's a naughty, carefree, uncontrollable menace yet also kind in his own ways. He did so many wrongs and he tried to do just as many rights to make up for it. It's similar to Nico, in the way that they are kind at heart, yet can appear evil in others' eyes for some reason. And yes, they both have committed conventional horrible. Hell, Nezha peeled off Ao Bing's spine or st. Would you look at that, Bryce?

Grudge-holding. Now, I'm not saying I fancy what Rick did to Nico's fatal flaw, but talking in canon here, Nico held his sister's death against Percy (and himself) for quite a while; whereas Nezha, having died and was reborn again, literally came fighting his father because the man ruined his temple, where his soul resided. Like. If that isn't one hell of a grudge then I don't know what is.

Their spirits, their willpower, the prowess they possess despite their young ages. They are both so fierce, unstoppable, and resilient. Nezha is portrayed as a literal child in Chinese mythology, but his story is one hell of a ride (ya know, with all the slaying dragons, carving up his own flesh...). Idk about you but it gives me an impression of how intense Nezha might be, which is quite a reflection of Nico's story and characterization. Because Nico is... extreme, too, and you can't possibly tell me Nico's life story, with all that Tartarus and torture in the jar, isn't a grand tale in its own way. Alas, against all odds, they both emerge victorious. I love them.

They're both freaking powerful too, btw. But again, I guess every mythological figure is powerful in its own way.

Idk about you but I think Nico and Nezha should be allowed to sit down together and trade gory, creepy, bloody stories about themselves just to scare everyone else.

2. Their backgrounds, their stories.

They both have daddy issues omfg. Nezha literally fought his father, who ruined Nezha's temple, to the point of interference from other deities. And while I love Nico and Hades's love with everything in me, they did have a strained relationship throughout PJO. Hades told Nico he would prefer Bianca over him, and later nearly fired a ball at him. If that isn't parallel I don't know what is.

Their mothers love them so much I'm crying. Nezha's mother, Lady Yin, carried him in her womb for years and built him a temple when he asked her in a dream. And I suppose we don't need to talk about Maria anymore.

They are both, technically, 'prince's LMAO. Nezha is known as the Third Crowned Prince (or whatever that is bc Chinese is so hard to translate into English omg) and Nico is well, Nico. Their fathers are both technically kings, as well. Hades because obviously, Li Jing is known as one of the Heavenly Kings. And if you really look into it, Nezha is a commander of Heaven's army, directly under his father, whilst Nico is the Ambassador of Hades. Wow.

They are viewed as awful in people's eyes but still took efforts to help. I'm gonna admit my viewpoint might be altered by the Nezha (2019) movie. Nonetheless, I find it quite interesting that Nezha and Nico, though being scorned and ostracized by their kind, ended up being their saviors. Nezha killed himself when the Dragon King threatened to flood his hometown, and Nico went such lengths to aid the Seven with their world-saving quests. This is also proof of their kindness, which I adore so much, btw.

Feud with the sea. Well maybe not feud in Percy and Nico's case. A sensitive topic. History, maybe? Lol. Anyway, the fact remains that both Nico and Nezha share an unpleasant history with a son of the seas. If you take Nezha (2019) into consideration though, they both make peace with said animosity too! xD

They both befriend their old enemies. I'm talking about Wukong and Bob. It's fascinating, in a way lol.

These are everything I can come up with so far... Huh. I didn't expect them to share so similarities... I'm serious about Nezha and Nico having a bonding session now. These two are deemed to be besties.

It doesn't need to be in the Time Travel AU. Nico crash-landed in China before, didn't he? Maybe, Idk, Nezha was sent to investigate, and they ended up friends because Nico is as social as a capybara and Nezha has all the purity and generosity of a carefree child who fears nothing.

...I'm so deep in this omg...  

Anw, if you want to share your Nico and Nezha content, I'm all ears!! xD

[cathartes-aura-shitposting]

ARGONUS INFO: the five point interspecies relationship test

(NOTE: description copy-pasted from DA where i normally post my works. any context that is missing here on tumblr can be found on my DA [linked here and on pinned post] )

[TW WARNING: this post is meant to make a proper guidelines on interspecies relationships. this will make mentions of bestiality, rape, and pedophilia. scroll down at your own discretion]

[the above is best viewed if opened in new tab]

welp, too late to back down now. moderate mature filter on for soon-to-be clear reasons.

behold: the harkness test!

    no, seriously. this is my take on the harkness test if it was an actual thing people had to rely on to make sure their relationship with their alien anthro wolf GF is legal and moral. and, trust me, i may be a complete weirdo furry in the eyes of many, but i'm far, far, FAR from the degeneracy that the furry fandom can get to at times (and if the infamous *REDACTED* The Wolf incident and eerily similar ones have taught me anything, it's that the degenerousy can make the mariana trench look like a pond with how rock bottom it is). so, i decided that the entirety of my omniverse needed some kind of ground for what would be considered bestiality and what wouldn't. thus, the five-points interspecies relationship test (aka the five-point test) exist.     technically not quite a test, but more of a law that exist to protect sapient species in relationships and set a very clear ground between bestiality and a regular ass relationship (Mainly sexual relationship). usually, by the time a world has implemented this law the world already has other sophonts species well-established in their society.

i got mostly everything down on the image, but i'll go into each and every point for extra clarification.

1-are both parties of equal sapience and intelligence?     obviously directed towards sapient beings. this is usually where it starts. 2-are both parties of legal age for their respective species?     this law typically refers to not only the age of sexual maturity but also the age of consent. however, this law will often times also include the legal age of marriage as well.

3-are both parties able to properly communicate with and understand eachother?     this directly ties into both 1 & 2, as you need both to even get to this part. both parties MUST be able to communicate with eachother via proper language, and MUST understand eachother's languages should one party not speak the other party's language. in the majority of world, typically both parties must speak the same language.     unlike the harkness test, BODY LANGUAGE DOES NOT COUNT EVEN IN "SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES"! this is because many sophont that are incapable of speaking/understanding other languages will often always have a translation device, such as a collar, a microchip, ect.     the only "special circumstances" that would otherwise force both partied to use body language is if they are unable to communicate at all, temporarily, for a short period of time. key word on "Temporarily, for a short period of time", since that's the only possible exception in this case. even then, it's still pretty dangerous to solely rely on body language. so if you really want to get it on, it's best to wait until both parties are able to communicate again.

4-are both parties able to properly consent to eachother's actions?     this one's rather self-explanatory, and a pretty solid question at that. this, again, ties into all three previous questions.

5-DO BOTH PARTIES CONSENT THE THE ACTIONS OF EACHOTHER?     aaand this final part of this law/test/questionnaire is perhaps one of THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION in this test. this part is known as "the criminal trap", as certain types of (let's say "really horrible a deplorable") people will take everything above and think to themselves "yup, everything says yes = automatic consent". unfortunately, though, just because they passed all four of them does not mean they automatically consent. thus, this final part is extremely important to make sure that doesnt happen.

    now i'll admit that, while the five-point test is very important to world full of different races and sapient beings, it's not entirely foolproof. some places are very strict about following this rule to a point were said relationships are downright impossible, other places tend to care so little about the law that people are able to get away with breaking this law (...and many other laws as well). the more beings that enter into other worlds and intergrate into said world's society, the more important it is to make sure this law is not only put in place, but also to make sure it is as balanced as possible.

also, here are a couple extra facts:

    -like stated in the image, even in worlds were this law is put in effect, the actual public reception on said relationships can vary, often having some influence on the law itself. for example, on modern-day argonus elkinets are generally pretty good at implimenting and enforcing this laws, but still have some stigma about certain non-elkinet species.     "interpecies" relationships between two different elkinet species have been around for as long as the elkinets themselves, and to them a human-elkinet relationship is no diferent than that of any other relationship. however, relationships between elkinets and uplifted/sentient animals (dinosauroids, common ponies, tranforgees, ect) are often viewed in a negative light, even when the animals passes the test in flying colors.

    -"but what if one fails it?" you may ask? well, like stated, they get charges with either rape, beastiality, pedophilia, ect ect, depending on where they failed in the test (as well as failed in life in general). sometimes they serve extra time because they broke the five-point test law itself.

if i have anything i missed or come up with later, i'll probably add it later.

[aloneandunreal]

october 30, 2023

it's almost halloween, which means i'm well into the semester now, and i think things have been okay. i feel like i've just been going through the motions; and honestly i don't know why but i just feel so old. i know i'm not, i am not even 21 yet, but just the fact i'm halfway through college is pretty scary. i'm anxious that i did not have the real "college experience." i feel like i didn't do enough. or did i? i can't tell. i know i still have time, but that time will go by quickly. i hate to bring in the "what-if" scenarios, but what if i chose a different college? would i be an entirely different person? would i be happier? and of course, there's always the question of what would my life have been like if covid never happened? i'm being dramatic, but i seriously feel a pit in my stomach when i think about it. because i genuinely do think i'd be an entirely different person -- i'm sure most people would. anyway. it's weird that i am a junior in college now, but i feel like i just started college. it makes me think of all the change that has occurred. the friends i've lost, the experiences i've had (there aren't many notable ones, but still). in some ways, i miss being a freshman and having everything be so new.

i am starting to worry about friendships. i have friends, and i love them, but sometimes i feel i should have ventured out more and found different people to become friends with. i know that sounds horrible, but it's true. i don't even have that many friends in the first place, but i suppose when i started making them my freshman year, i was so overjoyed at having friends that i just stuck with them and did not look elsewhere. which, let me reiterate, i love them, but sometimes i wish i had more. not in quantity, but rather in quality. most of my friends are seniors, and can go out to the bars, so me and my one friend are just not included in that. for obvious reasons, but it definitely has put a strain on my relationships with them. and then of course comes the question of next year... i'm going to lose most of my friend group when they graduate. will i just be alone my whole senior year? no one to go out with?

and that's another thing. i just want to have more fun. i want to go out and do things but everyone i know under 21 seems burnt out, and everyone over 21 goes to the bars. i simply wish i could do more. my life feels so stagnant. i want something exciting to happen; something different. a pleasant surprise. but that sort of stuff doesn't really happen to me. it's just like when i complain about not being in a relationship, and those people in relationships say "your time will come" or "it happens when you least expect it." well, i think i'll just be waiting forever. all i want is someone to love me, to want me. i have always wanted to be in a relationship. to meet someone naturally. to experience that. unfortunately, it seems pretty impossible for someone like me. stuff like that doesn't really happen. and i hate to throw a pity party, but it's true. maybe it's not for me! but nevertheless i wish i didn't feel impossible to love.

i guess the question always is: would 14 year old me be happy with how she turned out? what about 15 year old me? 16? 17? is it what she expected? or is she disappointed? the unfortunate answer is i really don't know. i guess it doesn't really matter technically, considering i am so different now, but a part of me always thinks about it. despite my overall pessimistic view on life, i think my teenage self always had some sort of hope that it would get better and that there was something/someone out there for me. i'm not really sure i even have that viewpoint anymore, yet in some ways i am happier. it doesn't really make sense.

i miss when everything was new and unexpected. it was scary, yes, but it was exciting in a way. nothing is new anymore. everything is so stagnant and boring. but how can things be more interesting if i feel burnt out already? overall, i wish things were different. not just quality of life, but me as a person as well. i know i need to work to change things, but sometimes i wish it would just come naturally. i guess that's not really possible for someone like me. if only i was beautiful, and interesting, and cool, enigmatic, and most of all memorable. i wish i was the type of girl people remember. who, when they hear a song, it reminds them of me. and not just romantically -- generally. because i do that for some people. but i can't imagine it's done for me. i'm just so average and boring. i feel stuck in a body i hate. despise, really. and it's so unfortunate i still feel this way after all of these years. i thought something might change as i grew older -- i'd get pretty, sociable, not awkward. i'd have, as cringe as it may sound, a "glow up." but i guess that wasn't in the cards. i suppose it's just humiliating that i'm still like this and i am not even a teenage girl anymore; this sounds crazy but it doesn't feel acceptable to still feel (intensely) insecure after puberty. i thought this wasn't permanent? i have changed so much, except in the way i look and feel about myself. which makes me realize i've answered the question i posed above: younger me would be disappointed because i still hate myself. even with all of the body changes, it's never enough. it might never be. everyone's moving on but me. i'm an adult and, in a way, nothing has changed in that aspect (which contradicts my earlier statement, but bare with me. i have mixed feelings). everything is the same.

on that note, i'm going to wrap this up. i wrote about a lot of randomness and my thoughts are messy and not poetic but it is what it is. i'm not sylvia plath. i always write about the same damn things anyway. see you in a couple months.

[rebornofstars]

i might jump on this if i may? i hardly ever actually Do Tumblr Stuff help

how many works do you have on ao3? um. 20 on my new account. 37 if you include the orphaned stuff.

total ao3 word count? again, 80K on the new account, just over 134K overall.

what fandoms do you write for? currently linked universe, legend of zelda, and (kicking and screaming) batfam. i thought i left that fandom long ago but APPARENTLY NOT.

top five fics by kudos? old stuff included? i'm not giving you that info lol, those were horribly embarrassing... new stuff: AITA, tumblr?; paranoia; And Together; Three; and The Cursebreaker

do you always respond to comments? on my current account, yes! although sometimes it can take me up to two weeks to stop chuckling delightedly at the comment and kick it out of my inbox with a note home...

fic with the angstiest ending you've written? oh boy, i try not to do angsty endings... they're not really my thing. probably lettuce heart, which is quite tragic.

fic with happiest ending you've written? oh, absolutely any of the steady going under pieces.

do you get hate? i haven't gotten anything i would classify as hate, but i have been blessed with some very opinionated commenters, especially back when i was writing for marvel 😔

do you write smut? that's a hard nope from me! not my thing.

do you write crossovers? absolutely! i love a well-made crossover. i think to date i've only written one, though, and it's on the orphaned list...

ever had a fic stolen? yep! reposted to a dodgy website full of ads. it wasn't too huge a deal to me at the time, though. the fic in question already had 200K hits, and i had mentally moved on from it. and of course, everything i put on the archive i view as giving those words away - my fanworks are for the readers, and they're made for the express purpose of mucking around on the internet. nothing i ever truly love or would want to attach my name to will ever be uploaded to the archive.

ever had a fic translated? yep! same fic as above. into russian, though also not hosted on the archive and not linked back. so i guess it could also be classified as another theft?

ever co-written a fic? technically, yes! although so far i haven't been doing much of the writing: The Chain group chat

all-time favourite ship? to be honest, i'm not really someone who ships characters. i do like reading and writing the odd romance, but i'm not really attached to any pairings as "endgame" and i'm more interested in really exploring all possible dynamics. there's a whole universe out there of possibilities.

wip you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? a wip already started? the primordials, a time-centric chapter fic centered around a GLORIOUSLY comedic misunderstanding. a wip just barely begun? Relics For Your Endless Night. it would be stunning. it will never be stunning.

writing strengths? i'm not sure how to answer this one! i try to be as well-rounded an individual as i can. i have been complimented most frequently on my banter, action scenes, and imagery, though.

writing weaknesses? personally, i don't think i'm that good at action scenes. odd. sometimes simple 'getting from place to place' segues trip me up as well.

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? i've used google translate for a few spanish words and phrases before, because i felt that it would be almost rude if i didn't acknowledge that part of a character's identity, but it's not my favourite thing. i feel like i'm trampling on toes.

first fandom you wrote for? technically, transformers. first posted on the archive? spiderman.

fav fic you've written? oh, this is a hard one! it changes with my mood. i'm always quite partial to the recent ones, though, so i'll stick in the manner that people used to dance in there.

alright, someone pick this up! @savimatteo2810 @andsomedaykindness @imperialkatwala @polynomialpandemic and anyone else, i don't remember people's tumblr handles very well at all 😭😭😭

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @aeghina

1. How many works do you have on A03?

14! I only started putting fics on AO3 in October. I used to write fics years ago, some for World of Warcraft and years before that, it was Sailormoon and Utena mostly.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

84,157 Over half of that is my currently-being-updated Fierce Deity Dad fic, haha

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Legend of Zelda stuff right now! AU and Linked Universe stuff mostly.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1.https://archiveofourown.org/works/51754873 Father of Time 2.https://archiveofourown.org/works/51814240 Defeat or Deity 3.https://archiveofourown.org/works/51902788 The Unbearable Weight of Three Days 4.https://archiveofourown.org/works/52201303 You Want to Talk to Link, Right? 5.https://archiveofourown.org/works/50953486 Hey Link!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always, every time. I love engaging with people.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angst that much? Maybe "The Silent Realm", a short fic from the point of view of Skyward Sword Link and how he feels about his trips into that space.

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

This is harder because I usually end all of my fics on a positive note! My silly fics though, "Hey Link!" and "You Want to Talk to Link, Right?" are probably the best endings. "Father of Time" has pretty happy/comfort type endings for all chapters but it's not finished, as such.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet! Please don't take that as a challange.

9. Do you write smut?

Not at all, no. I don't mind a little romance and maybe some implied "behind closed doors" type of stuff but I don't write those sorts of things. Too awkward for it.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Oh, I used to! I haven't recently but I have ideas for some. They may or may not ever see the light of day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think I'm popular enough for that, haha

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! Not yet.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oh gosh, for the Zelda fandom it's probably Link/Malon for OOT/MM and Link/Zelda for BotW/TotK

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I think I might finish all the ones I currently. Wait, now I have to check my files. Oh, I did start a "the chain is in Wild's era" fic that probably won't go anywhere so maybe that one.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think that my sentences are clean and easy to understand. I do a lot of editing to make sure I don't sound repetitive. I also output *a lot* of words when I'm in the mood for writing. I think I did 5k one day because I just had to get everything out.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Keeping my tenses straight. Holy shit it drives me crazy

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I try to avoid this because I don't think I'm very good at language building and I don't know enough of any other language to feel like I'm going to do justice to the language in question.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Sailormoon. haha, I'm such a neeeeerd

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

"Father of Time", my currently running "Fierce Deity gets out of the mask and becomes a father to young Link" fic. I love writing it. I love reading it. It's everything I've wanted in a fic and it's just this huge part of my life right now.

I'm not sure who I would tag back but if anyone else wants to fill it out because they saw it on my dash, let me know so I can read it.

[lightdancer1]

I will also note that with both Lovecraft and Rowling

That technical virtuosity in elements of writing does not make up for how the writer chooses to employ that skill. Unlike say, Ernie Hemingway those two actually could write and do some things extremely well. Lovecraft's writing even in his 'real world' settings has a hypnotic dreamlike quality that is hard to emulate but which I actually try to incorporate aspects of because a story should literally make people want to read it and to read it through to the end when they start it.

It is a magnificent thing...yoked to a setting where he will literally describe Cthulhu and a Black woman about the same. The two sides of Lovecraft are inseparable and it's why original flavor recreations of his works are indefensible from white writers in the 2020s (if POCs and particularly Black people chose to do it, that's a them thing and I will let Black people sort out for themselves what they make of that. Not my worry).

Rowling equally can do the psychology of teenage boys, as I said, excellently well. At the most amoral literary perspective this is her greatest feat and inseparable to what the author chose to do in the series, let alone outside it. An author wanting a realistic view of a teenage boy would do well to see how Rowling goes about portraying Harry and his increasingly sophisticated POV and shift from rookie gawky nervous boy of the first book to the raging emo teen of the fifth.

But as with Lovecraft the skill involved at a technical level cannot be separated for what it's used for. Rowling chose to tell tales where the metaphorical equivalent of Jewish people are literal Goblins made to be sinister ugly monsters. Where the Irish kid likes to blow up things. Where the Black character is named Shackle-bolt and where the one East Asian girl in the setting has a name that's literally out of a racist Limbaugh skit. She chose to tell a tale where people had some awareness of problems and did nothing about them, and where protagonist centered morality is at some of its very worst. And unfortunately her comments show that she did this like Ayn Rand because she viewed fiction as 'apply my real life views to a world I created logic be damned' and everyone suffered for it.

[pluto-art]

Cerebrum - Board Update

Now that I’ve quit my job working at a laboratory I can now, hilariously, get back to my storyboard on... mice in a laboratory. Feels so good to work on my project again and actually have energy for it. (Trust me, I really liked the job, which was basically animal husbandry and caring for lab animals, but the way corporate and management ran things was ATROCIOUS. Most stressful position I’ve ever had. Not just that department either, but the entire medical facility. So many overworked, underpaid, frustrated people there. It was horrible.) I’m now working part-time for a friend doing animation. All my years of saying I’d never animate as a job has come back to bite me in the butt.

Thank you, by the way, for all of your kind tags/comments on the last piece I uploaded. I read them all and they’re much appreciated. Sorry I haven’t responded to each of you individually. It’s not for lack of caring, but because I’m very... hesitant to interact much online or with friends. I honestly don’t know how to reintegrate myself into community at this point in time other than just... posting what I love. I’m scared. I’m sorry.

Below is what I’ve been working on since leaving my last position -- thirteen board pages of “Cerebrum”. The first nine were already done beforehand. Trigger warning for animal testing, needles, near-drowning, and a character in peril. Yes, I’m still very much into the macabre. Nothing has changed there.

You can also view the board here, on the “Cerebrum” website. More information about laboratory life at the very end.

This story is partially based on old lab practices, partially steeped in fiction, and partially referring to actual laboratory practices (still) done today.

Old Practices: - catching mice in the wild; very outdated - forced swim test; technically still used (?), but might be getting phased out

Fiction: - cage structure and placement; may have been more accurate years ago - grabbing a mouse around the middle and the last two holding techniques

Current Practices: - grabbing a mouse by the tail; yes, this is done, but you grab it near the middle or base so as to not cause the animal any harm - shots/injections - ear tagging - scruffing (doesn’t hurt them at all)

Some will complain about animal torture. Let me tell you something: Those animals were treated incredibly well, considering the situation they were in. The air they breath and the water they drink is cleaner than ours. Everything is kept as spotless as possible. There are tight regulations about how suited up you are according to what rooms you are in, how you handle the animals, and making sure all of the little cute fuzzes (and the livestock) have adequate food, water, and soft bedding. The pigs are given toys to play with and nice music to listen to (the pigs seemed legit happy; not a care in the world; they were kinda spoiled, actually), the birds are given a huge cage to fly around in, the rodents and ferrets are given enrichment, and the staff genuinely cares about their animals. No animal is allowed to suffer beyond what is necessary (meaning, what the test requires, and this is under regulation and must be permitted; if there is no other way to avoid pain for a test, it must be approved before being enacted; you can read about this online). As soon as an animal looks to be under the weather, it is reported and the veterinary staff quickly determines whether to administer healing medication or have the animal humanely euthanized. I am saying all of this to dispel any concern that anyone may have about what is conducted behind closed doors. It is unfortunate that animals are still being tested, but I understand why, as do the people conducting said tests. Nobody likes doing it. The folks there legit care about their animals. It was very comforting to see. Also, despite the fact that corporate sucked, the work itself was a mix between very standard and very interesting.

And, yes, there were white mice and they were the friendliest models.

[deripmaver]

laurent is a good person - book 1 meta

one of the most amazing things about captive prince is how the reveals in book 3 recontextualize all of the scenes leading up to them, including about laurent himself. in book one, all we see is damen pov as he’s being abused and humiliated by this supposedly spoiled, vile ice prince. when the regent comes to damen and subtly (and not so subtly) insults laurent, calling him unfit to rule - well, why would he think anything different? laurent has insulted him, had him whipped within an inch of his life, and even attempted to (and later successfully lmfao) have him raped while drugged out of his mind. 

after book 3 we can reread most if not all of book 1 as a very traumatized boy who has finally been confronted with the man who killed his brother, leaving him alone with his abusive uncle, and who he clearly has made into a complete monster in his own mind. damen of course sees him as a complete bitch, but there’s textual/subtextual evidence that laurent is well liked, and that his behavior during book 1 was actually pretty out of character for him. i’d like to provide some examples of that now!!!!

“Laurent had stopped dead the moment he had seen Damen, his face turning white as though in reaction to a slap, or an insult. Damen’s view, half-truncated by the short chain at this neck, had been enough to see that. But Laurent’s expression had shuttered quickly.” Captive Prince, Chapter One

i couldn’t resist adding this one in hehe. laurent recognizes damen!! he’s come down, knowing his uncle has devised another truly horrendous and triggering “gift” and that he’ll lose support if he calls it our for what it truly is, only to find out that it’s fucking damianos of akielos sent to him as a sex slave. a jab at laurent’s trauma about auguste and also a jab at laurent’s frigid sexuality - which ofc is completely the regent’s fault. fuck that guy so much lmfao 

“‘It’s so rare to see you at these entertainments, Your Highness,’ said Vannes.” Captive Prince, Chapter Two.

this is right before the fight between govart and damen in the ring, of course. damen sees laurent as depraved and vile as the sexual sadism on display by the veretian court, and considers him to be a willing purveyor of it. this is wrong, of course, as said by vannes here. laurent has only shown up because he wants to humiliate damen lmfao.

“He did remember being supported by two of the guards, here, in this room, while Radel stared athis back in horror. ‘The Prince really . . . did this.’ ‘Who else?’ Damen said. Radel had stepped forward, and slapped Damen across the face; it was a hard slap, and the man wore three rings on each finger. ‘What did you do to him?’ Radel demanded.” Captive Prince, Chapter Four

this scene, to me, was the most telling lmfao. it’s right after damen is whipped. you could argue that radel is just a servant in the employ of the royal household, so is of course going to be loyal to the prince, but he seems genuinely surprised of the prince’s cruelty towards damen. not only that, but he slaps him and immediately assumes damen must have done something. which - i mean, technically he did lmao. not necessarily enough to deserve having the skin flayed from his back, but you know. if laurent was in the habit of torturing pets and slaves, why would the overseer react this way?

“The men guarding him were the Prince’s Guard, and had no affiliation with the Regent whatsoever. It surprised Damen how loyal they were to their Prince, and how diligent in his service, airing none of the grudges and complaints that he might have expected, considering Laurent’s noxious personality. Laurent’s feud with his uncle they took up wholeheartedly; there were deep schisms and rivalries between the Prince’s Guard and the Regent’s Guard, apparently.” Captive Prince, Chapter Four

laurents relationships with his guards are also some of the biggest indicators that he isn’t just a spoiled brat, but can insire a deep loyalty in his men. even if they do all want to fuck him. ah, sexual harassment. it’s also hilarious that damen immediately assumes they’re loyal to him because they want to fuck him - nice projection there, dude. we know a bit more about laurent and his guards thanks to green but for a season, but this little bit here is interesting.

“Laurent was indeed good at talking. He accepted sympathy gracefully. He put his position rationally. He stopped the flow of talk when it became dangerously critical of his uncle. He said nothing that could be taken as an open slight on the Regency. Yet no one who talked to him could have any doubt that his uncle was behaving at best misguidedly and at worst treasonously.”  Captive Prince, Chapter Five

idek what to say here. laurent my beloved <3333

“‘When someone doesn’t like you very much, it isn’t a good idea to let them know that you care about something,’ said Laurent. Damen felt himself turn ashen, as the threat sank in. ‘Would it hurt worse than a lashing for me to cut down someone you care for?’ said Laurent.” Captive Prince, Chapter Seven

this isn’t really relevant to my thesis lmfao i just love this exchange bc it gives SO MUCH information about laurent and his uncle in just three lines of dialogue. what has the regent done, who did he cut down just to hurt laurent? when and how did laurent learn that? p a i n 

“Laurent’s fussy horse began acting out again, and he leaned forward in the saddle, murmuring something as he stroked her neck in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture to quiet her.” Captive Prince, Chapter Nine. 

HORSEY NO- lmfao this scene just hurts so badly on the reread. especially later on, in book 3 i think, where laurent says something like “i provoked my uncle.” he’s really blaming himself for his uncle KILLING HIS HORSE, his horse that his murdered brother trained, one of the only living connections to auguste... all because his uncle could not let a single miniscule plan laurent had set go through without some kind of repercussion. literally all laurent did was do something to stop an innocent group of people from being abused, nothing to undermine his uncle’s rule, but because the regent is VILE he could not let laurent have even this. he’s so good with her, too. he must have known by this point and also known that there was no way to stop this. P A I N

“‘I know that you have somehow arranged this,’ said Erasmus. He was incapable of hiding what he felt, and just seemed to radiate embarrassed happiness. ‘You kept your promise. You and your master. I told you he was kind,’ Erasmus said. ‘You did,’ said Damen. He was pleased to see Erasmus happy. Whatever Erasmus believed about Laurent, Damen wasn’t going to dissuade him. ‘He’s even nicer in person. Did you know he came and talked to me?’ said Erasmus. ‘—He did?’ said Damen. It was something he couldn’t imagine. ‘He asked about . . . what happened in the gardens. Then he warned me. About last night.’ ‘He warned you,’ said Damen. ‘He said that Nicaise would make me perform before the court and it would be awful, but that if I was brave, something good might come at the end of it.’ Erasmus looked up at Damen curiously. ‘Why do you look surprised?’ ‘I don’t know. I shouldn’t be. He likes to plan things in advance,’ said Damen.” Captive Prince, Chapter 9.

this is the first in-text confirmation we have that laurent has a good heart beneath his layers and layers of trauma-induced lashing out. book one often skeeves people out because of its graphic and, honestly, yes, kind of sexualized depiction of rape, slavery, and depravity, but beneath it all you meet these two protagonists who are going to have all of their most deeply held views about each other challenged. laurent from very early on is shaken to his core when damen refuses to rape nicaise in the ring - it cracks the very foundations of the person he’d built up in his head as this horrible monster who killed his brother in cold blood. and damen keeps defying laurents expectations by being a good person through and through. on the other hand, laurent spends the first part of the book taking out years of anger on damen, but here for the first time we see him do something just because its the kind thing to do. yes, torveld is an ally against his uncle, but laurent has clearly been scheming with him for a while now, and he’s now overlooking his hatred of damen and working with him just because none of the slaves deserve whats happened to them. it’s such a sweet moment.

“One of the other men, eyeing them, approached a moment later. ‘Don’t mind Jean. He’s in a foul mood. He was the one had to stick a sword through the mare’s throat and put her down. The Prince tore strips off him for not doing it fast enough.’” Captive Prince, Chapter Nine.

HORSEY NO- pt 2. this is just another really sweet and sad detail - laurent being so upset that the horse’s death could have been more painless. it must have hurt so much to see her in pain, and to know that the only way for that pain to end was being put down as quickly as possible. i wuv him. im sad

that’s it, though there are still a few more chapters left in the book. this isn’t providing any new information, of course, the path of the three books is to show that laurent isnt the man we meet in book one, that he’s actually sweet, and earnest, and he’s been fighting his own battle practically alone against his abuser since he was fifteen years old. also, the reveal that laurent knew who damianos was from the start makes it clear imo that all of his violence in book 1 was supposed vengence, not... him being evil. he apologizes explicitly in-text, and also, all of the acts of violence he commits cause serious problems for him in terms of his future alliance which he then needs to fix. i just love how layered these books are, how there’s so much information in them that makes rereading almost more fun than reading them for the very first time!

[connectionterminated13]

No problem I love to talk and this has been in my head for about 2 years LMAO....

Lizzie has the same power as William, Evan would have had reality warping powers kind of similar to scarlet witch but he hadn't developed them yet and actually only got his powers literally as he was dying. And yeah it was all him and like pure terror that accidentally destroyed the pizzeria and knocked out half the town.

Oh no I didn't notice that but it does work for Mikey.

Michael at this point doesn't really see himself as mutant sure he has powers and sure he technically is what but he's not one of the freaky ones they show dead in the newspapers. He's not the kind that him and his buddies joke about in the lunchroom. He's not the kind that senators yell about late at night when dad accidentally leaves the TV on. Because he and his family are normal good people.

Yeah. The kid did. Like he knew Michael definitely did it but William of is just so trustworthy, And his story makes perfect sense if you listen to him... After a while it became too much for his family to try to disprove the rumors so they just kind of left before proper Legal persecution could happen.

Yes. Evan is still alive in there because he fucked up reality so he could still be alive in there as he was dying. That's why all the animatronics are so possessive. He fucked up reality real bad....... And yes the other kids are in there but they're just normal kids except for Cassidy.

Well from charlie's point of view her boyfriend was involved in a horrible accident that killed his brother and blew up one of their father's businesses. Charlie doesn't know, About any of it. After all he looked human, and always went along with his mean buddies jokes about mutants.

But Henry does now. He doesn't really care since Williams a good friend And business partner. He looks into x completely normal and it's just all around a great guy. And sure Henry probably wouldn't want either of his own kids to be like William but william's a good person, he's the exception along with his kids!

It is pretty useful but when it comes to not dying it is not useful.... And yes he does abuse it, Most people in town perceive him as like a great father and trustworthy human being plus like great friend. Literally the only person he's ever genuine with is Henry he's never used his abilities on Henry, Because Henry is such an intelligent and wonderful man that that would be a gross misuse of his power. And yes when he starts murdering people and selling death robots, He uses his ability to endear himself to people.

Well he doesn't really think of them as Guinea pigs.... Elizabeth's death was an accident a happy accident but an accident. He turned it into a success and made a business out of it That would both benefit him both scientifically and financially.

Are you kidding me it's the 80s baby everyone wants a slice of that Mutant killing pie. And after all all William needs to do is get some perspective shady army dude or just general fool With a lot of money in the same room as him and He could convince them to let him chop off their arm and beat them with it if he wanted to. Either way it's more like a side thing/like hobby for William. He gets lots of extra money and people get Basically mini sentinels

yes. William gets accidentally crushed to death in one of his own machines Killing him, But he comes back.

He still has his original power, But it's practically useless. Even when he can get his slow moving rare blood out and on fire it hurts now.. No Michael's a bit too scared to go and face William. His current plan is to go find X factor their group of mutant hunters, And tip them off anonymously about William then go try to find some Living relatives of his Mother who live in New York or just give up and live in the sewers. Luckily for him in Pennsylvania he decides to break in to A church to sleep somewhere safe and is accidentally awakened by a nice and concerned young man named Jeremy.

I would scream into the void about my X men AU if you all let me

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (March 1/2021) - Breaking Point

Sam has been unable to find a cause for the security breach, leaving Tommy trapped. A heated argument in the cell escalates to a horrifying end.

As the rest of server mourns, the Eggpire celebrates. With their biggest obstacle in the way of their objective gone, it’s time for the next step.

It’s the start of the Final Stage.

---

VOD LINKS:

HBomb94

Ponk

Tommy

Tubbo

Ranboo

Jack Manifold

Connor

Badboyhalo

Captain Puffy

---

- HBomb hosts Foolish and Jack Manifold’s episode of L’Cast!

---

The Prison Stream

(This portion of the recap will be more detailed than normal since it’s one long conversation and there are many important lines here, including a couple that were hard to hear during the stream)

---

- Tommy’s stream starts with him making sounds and singing “Roadtrip.” Dream tells him to stop, he’s trying to write a book.

Tommy: “What are you writing, Dream? What are you writing?”

Dream: “None of your business.”

- There’s a little gray and white cat sat on the chest. Tommy says it’s annoying.

Dream: “No he’s not...he’s actually the best thing that’s happened to us.”

Tommy: (Trying to lead the cat away) “Come with me, come with me...you know what I named him, don’t you? Pussboy, Pussboy!”

- The cat returns to its spot on the chest

Tommy: “Oh, Pussboy, you are so ugly.”

Dream: “C’mon, you’re being mean!”

(Tommy punches the cat)

Dream: “Tommy! Stop!”

- Tommy starts singing “Roadtrip” in autotune. Dream tells Tommy that if he can be quiet, he’ll give Tommy more potatoes.

Dream: “I think that...the cat is the best thing that’s happened to us.”

- Sam joins the call to say hello and ask how it’s been going. He’s come to drop more food into the cell. Tommy also picks up a new clock.

- Tommy asks to be let out, but Sam says he still hasn’t found out what the security issue is. Dream asks how long Tommy will be in here for. Potentially for a while, but not forever.

- Tommy protests about how bad the prison has been. He threatens to get lawyers on Sam, he knows Big Law.

Tommy: "Sam...you know I don’t deal very well in...close quarters situations for a long time, Sam. Sam, you remember when you visited me in exile, Sam? Alright, this is worse than that, Sam...let me out. I don’t like this. Let. Me. Out. Sam.”

- Sam insists he’s doing the best he can and leaves.

- Dream tries to say that it’s not that bad. He’s been in there for a long time, but now it’s better! Tommy writes a book to Dream, signs it and throws it to him.

Dream: “I have company. I have a cat -- I mean, technically it’s not my cat, technically it’s your cat, but still! It’s just as good, keeps me company when I write and everything, we talk sometimes -- ‘cause you’re annoying a lot of the time--”

- Dream throws away the clock in the lava, saying they don’t need it. Tommy punches the cat again.

Dream: “Tommy, hear me out, hear me out...what if...we get out together, okay?”

- Tommy is not a fan of the idea, Dream shouldn’t be let out too. He goes over to the cat and shouts at it for being in his spot. He punches Pussboy twice.

Dream: “Tommy...TOMMY, STOP!”

Tommy: “Excuse me! Come this way, come this way, excuse me Dream I’m trying to right-click Pussboy--”

(Dream moves to get in front of the cat)

Dream: “Tommy.”

Tommy: “Come here, come here! Do you like this cat, Dream?”

Dream: “Yes, I do.”

Tommy: “Why?”

Dream: “Because he -- Tommy, he keeps me company --”

(Tommy punches Pussboy again and leads him towards the lava)

Tommy: “Pussboy, this way. Pussboy, this way. Let me show you the light--”

Dream: “He’s probably low, he’s probably low!”

Tommy: “Oh what, you love him? Do you love him? Do you love him?”

Dream: “Yes, I do...Tommy, he’s made things better in here -- okay listen! When you leave, can you sit him down and leave him here?”

(Tommy goes over and punches Pussboy again. He tries to lead Pussboy away again, but when the cat doesn’t come he punches Pussboy twice more, killing him)

Tommy: “Yeah. And that’s what happens when you love something, bitch.”

...

Tommy: “See, now when I leave, when I leave, you’ll have nothing! ‘Cause you are lonely, and you’re m-m-manipulative, you’re a fuckin’ twat, and I mean that.”

Dream: “Tommy...I’m gonna get out! And you just motivated me -- you motivated me all the time, you just -- that was hope, right? The cat was hope -- the cat was hope that I could live a nice life in here--”

Tommy: “And now it’s dead, now it’s dead.”

- Dream insists that he’ll get out, and when he does, he’ll get his revenge on everyone who wronged him. Tommy asks if he’d kill Tubbo. 

- The subject goes back to Dream’s plan of escape.

Dream: “I have a plan. And the thing is, Awesamdude’s never gonna believe you that I have a plan because he thinks it’s unbreakable, unescapable--”

“I have a plan. And you know, there’s a certain someone who owes me a favor, but -- that might be a part of it, but...I do have a plan.”

- They argue about the conditions of the prison again. 

Dream: “I’ve been in here a for hundred times longer than you, and you sit there trying to tell me that it’s so horrible, that it’s so bad -- yeah, it was! But guess what, we have each other to talk to, and we had a cat until you fucking killed it!”

Tommy: “Dream...Dream, and listen to this -- fucking engrave this on you, write this into your arms, Dream...You don’t have me. You’ll never have me. We don’t have each other, alright? I am me, and you are this fuckin’ loser who goes around manipulating people, lying to get what he wants. You are a fuckin’ no one, man, alright? And when I’m going to leave here, you’re not! You might have a favor -- you think, who is it, Technoblade’s gonna be able to come in here to let you out -- Technoblade, he doesn’t like governments, but he likes self gain! You think he wants to piss off the owner of the most POWERFUL building on the entire server, just so that he can get a video that BARELY scrapes the five million view mark -- NO, Dream, alright? You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you’re deluded, you’re delusional, and I fuckin’ hate you.”

Dream: “Okay...yeah, but I have something Techno would want, so...it means knowledge, alright?”

- Dream says that even when he’s in here, he’s more powerful than Tommy outside. Tommy replies that if he wanted to, he could kill Dream right now. The only reason he doesn’t is because they need the revive book.

- Dream says that he will never use the revive book to help Tommy or his friends. Ever.

Dream: “So kill me. Go ahead, come on.”

- When if Tubbo dies, Dream says, they’ll come begging for Tubbo to be revived, and Dream will ask to be let out.

- Tommy then says that this isn’t worse than exile, because in exile, Tommy thought Dream had all the power, and Tommy knows something...he thinks the revive book isn’t real. Jschlatt was just a drunk, why would he have this book?

Dream: “Jschlatt gave me the book -- why else would I switch to Jschlatt’s side?!”

...

“I’m not lying! Jschlatt gave me a revive book after...before he died....because...he said--” (he cuts off here)

- Dream asks why he would be lying about that.

Tommy: “You’re a liar! You’re a liar, and really, through your Netherite armor and skin, I look at you and you know what I see? I see a sad little man who’s insecure about the fact that this server has gotten so far ahead of him that his only little glimpse of power in this world is gone. And I see an insecure, sad little man. So fuck off. You stupid green lad.”

Dream: “Your life...is literally in my hands. Does that piss you off? Does that make you mad? Does that make you so mad that I -- if you kill me -- I MIGHT AS WELL BE A GOD, TOMMY! YOU CAN’T KILL ME, AND I CAN KILL YOU! So what does it mean, that you can’t kill me because of the revive book -- what does that mean? If you can’t kill me, does that make me some kind of god?”

Tommy: “No Dream. I could kill you right now. If I wanted to.”

Dream: “Okay. But you won’t. But you won’t! I could kill you if I wanted to! I could kill you right now, actually.”

...

Tommy: “I don’t think this revive book is real. Schlatt? He’s fuckin’ dead. I’ve seen his grave! His grave is real, his corpse is there!”

Dream: “Okay...Why don’t you go see him then?”

Tommy: “NO -- stop it stop it stop it st--”

--- ---

CANON DEATH: TOMMY

Cause: Punched to death

--- ---

End of stream.

---

- Tubbo, Ranboo and Jack see Tommy’s death message in game chat.

- They go to the prison and Sam is there to tell them what happened. Sam couldn’t get there in time. He didn’t think Dream would actually kill him. They’re all in shock. 

- Tubbo and Ranboo think Tommy will be back. There’s no way he’s actually dead, right? 

- Jack Manifold is in celebration. He got what he wanted! He thought Dream would want Tommy alive, and killing Tommy himself would be an extra jab in the chest for Dream, but apparently not? And now he has a hotel!

- He decides to check on Tubbo and makes sure he’s okay. 

- Jack walks down to the shore and looks up at the prison, and...it hits him. He’s spent months plotting to kill Tommy. Jack realizes his victory feels hollow. Even now, Tommy and Dream have managed to take away this from him. 

- Of Ze Haus, he says that this place no longer means anything to him. He gets a flint and steel and sets it alight, watching it burn.

- He passes by Tommy’s house and finds Ranboo planting red and white flowers outside.

- Jack switches into his L’manburg uniform and walks along the Prime Path.

Jack: “I remember the day I joined the server. The day after the first war. L’manburg was still a big hole, and we built it up. And Tommy invited me to join. And I betrayed him (laughs), so really this has all come full circle.”

“Maybe I was always really just upset because I always felt like he cared more about the discs than...anyone. And I guess I just enjoyed it when we were friends...and...I’ve not really had any friends...since...then, really. Never really wanted any.”

- Jack later speaks with Foolish and tells him that Tommy’s never coming back from prison. Foolish didn’t know him too well, but he’s still a bit sad. When anyone passes, it’s sad.

- Jack heads back out into the wilderness, wandering to the beach area at the edge of the forest where Quackity had his argument with Badboyhalo a while back. There’s something just beyond the hill.

- Quackity meets him there and escorts him back home, telling him he was heading too close to something, could have gotten “a nice view of it.”

- He’s been thinking of writing up a draft of their contract. He also sees the new McPuffy’s.

- Jack tells Quackity that Tommy’s not in the prison anymore. Quackity says they need to talk to him and make sure Jack keeps his hotel. As the rain pours, Jack tells him. Tommy didn’t make it.

- Quackity and Jack have a moment in front of Tommy’s house. Though upset, Quackity says it’s time to get back to work.

Quackity: “Jack...don’t let this affect business. The train doesn’t stop.”

Jack: “No, it only goes faster.”

- Jack also speaks with Antfrost. Antfrost gives his condolences, and says he’ll put together a celebration “of life.”

Ant: “Bad and Sam will be happy...to attend, of course!”

- Afterwards, Jack heads down into Karls nightclub and ends stream there.

- Connor speaks with Sam Nook at the hotel.

- Bad meets Ant at the Holy Land. Ant asks if the church would be a good place for a celebration. Ant sits Bad down to tell him. Bad is overjoyed. 

- Bad says that now, they don’t even have to do any preparations: 

They can move into the Final Stage.

- They get milk for the cake and decide to throw the party at Tommy’s house!

- They meet with Sam at the prison entrance. He sounds dejected.

Sam: “I didn’t think Dream would ever actually...try and kill him”

Bad: (laughs) “Is this the same Dream we’re talking about? It’s Dream, Sam.”

Sam: “I mean...Dream had...I thought I had...broken the will out of him, to do something like that. But he...he did.”

- He says they need to find out what it was -- he wandered around the prison several times and couldn’t find any sign that someone had done something.

- Ant and Bad try to reassure Sam that Tommy signed the waivers, he went to see Dream, and Sam shouldn’t blame himself. Sam doesn’t see it that way.

- They say they’ll talk to Sam later and leave the prison. They see Sam Nook at the hotel. Sam is excited about the new upgrades for the hotel! Tommy will be so excited to see them!

- They return to Tommy’s house and speak with Punz as they make a party floor and sing the Crab Rave song in dudududus.

- Meanwhile, Captain Puffy is grieving, feeling like she failed Tommy. As she logs on, Bad and Ant decide that Puffy might want to join them for the party! 

- Punz meets them there, and they tell him that Tommy’s dead. Punz isn’t sure how he feels, it’s bittersweet.

- Puffy arrives and angrily tells them to leave. What’s wrong with them?!

- The Eggpire sees Sam Nook at the hotel and goes up the floors to find a place to party. Puffy comes up and tells them to find another place to party. They argue again.

- Foolish arrives to visit his room in the hotel. Puffy leaves them. They quarrel about who has the room for the night.

- Puffy mines down the Eggpire’s meeting room. She’s noticed that being a hero hasn’t worked. Sparing people, being merciful, it hasn’t worked. She might need a change of perspective. 

- The Eggpire decides to visit the Egg and break the news to it. They see the wreckage, but Puffy is in the Nether by the time they get there.

- Puffy visits Logsted.

- The Eggpire goes down to the Egg Room and finds the pathway blocked up with obsidian...is this why the Vines have been slower to grow lately?

- They break the barrier and find the Egg drenched in water. They wake up the Egg and it speaks.

“This world is mine. It belongs to me.”

“No no no, I know, but we’ve got something to tell you!”

“I see all...I...am...all...”

“Oh so you--”

“I know all.”

“You know then! Guess -- well, we’ll tell you anyway in case you don’t know -- but guess what? Tommy’s dead! Dream -- the green guy, you met him -- killed him in the prison! I guess Tommy got stuck there, and Dream killed him! Are you happy?"

“Feed me...I require nourishment.”

“No no no, don’t worry -- that’s coming soon! We’ll take care of that! We’re already gonna begin the preparations, right guys? Yeah, we’re gonna begin the preparations, and we’ll send out the invitations, we’ll let everyone know...and the final stage can commence! This is wonderful!”

- Once on the surface, Bad announces that with a little more preparation, they’ll all get exactly what they want. The final stage is about to commence. 

The day of celebrations, the day they’ve been preparing for, the day the Egg has been preparing for, is about to happen...

- Bad goes down to the Egg Room one last time and stands at the Egg to give a final speech.

“Everything leading up to this point, EVERYTHING, all the way going back to the discovery of this...beautiful, luxurious Egg, okay...we had it all planned. As soon as we found it, we knew what was gonna happen. We knew the objective...”

“We may have forgotten what it was, forgotten the ultimate goal as soon as we boxed the Egg up in obsidian. But guess what -- that didn’t stop the Egg! Boxing it up only made it STRONGER, and LARGER, and more powerful! And the Egg’s been storing up that energy, okay? You may have been thinking the Vines have not been spreading...but that’s because we haven’t WANTED them to spread. We have been working, storing energy, storing power...in preparation for the final plan. The final objective. And there were only a couple people getting in the way. But guess what? One of the biggest obstacles -- Tommy -- is no longer in the way...now that he’s not in the way, we can commence with the final stage...the final party...before it all comes to a conclusion...”

“Brace yourselves...everybody on this server, prepare. Anyone who is anti-Egg...you guys better get ready, because we know who you are. And at the end of the day, the Egg is gonna be victorious. And there’s nothing ANYBODY can do to stop it.”

“Good luck.”

[yanderecandystore]

hellu, can I request how would Delinquents, teachers, and bullies react to female reader pepper-sprayed the twins for self-defense when they try to beat up reader?

Hello, it's been a while, I'm sorry it took so long- I've been dealing with a lot of school assignments and I can't lie that I have frequent breakdowns over this-

I'll try and upload the requests that I already have and see if I should open up for requests again, or leave it be closed until the waves of work I need to do gets less overwhelming.

I hope y'all are doing great, stay safe everyone.

I'll make this a very short scenario boo.

TW: this is basically a civil war at this point- // for each pair, I'll add a different context (since technically the delinquents aren't from the same institution as the bullies) // female reader // bullying // self defense // anxiety // bullying (verbal and physical) // mentions of stalker behavior and brief mentions of distrust and paranoia

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Triple Spice combo [Yandere!Teachers / Yandere!Delinquents / Yandere!Bullies x F!Reader - Scenario]:

🎇Let me set the stage for a quick sec!🎇

So I'll explain what will happen- This is basically a post with three different timelines, each one based on each character type you're more interested in (example: you want some sour delinquents? You can follow the delinquent timeline and see how they react). Each follows almost similar circumstances, but still a bit differently to be able to fit for each individual timeline.

Come with me boo cause this one is long!

🎆: 🍒Bully's Timeline🍭

You have been the target of bullying for some weeks now, ever since you crossed some rich kids while going to your college. Unfortunately for you, they seem to be heading to the same location as you, apparently they also studied there- Although it should have been quite obvious. You're not the type to confront people physically, and you don't really feel like capable of fighting people of on your own, but because with their constant presence in your life you started to feel the need to get yourself prepared for what was going to come- Especially since you didn't feel like you could count on anyone.

You bought pepper spray in hopes of being able to stop your tormentors from continuing with their sick game.

That's when the incident happened, you were minding your own business when they came looking for trouble. You took the opportunity to finally put a stop on this by spraying their eyes with it.

✳️🍒Bullies🍭:

→ Alexandra Coldwell:

It was so fast and so painful that she couldn't even understand what just happened- Like- How dare you?! How fucking dare you?!! You think this is funny? This wasn't supposed to happen at all!

"- AAAAH!- what?- OH MY GOD-" Alexandra wasn't able to even finish her sentence, the pain was too much for her to handle. As she dropped to the ground trying to clean her eyes out, she couldn't help but feel confused as to what had even happened.

How could you do something so cruel to her?? Yes, she followed you, bullied you, made rumours about you, pulled your hair a couple of times and maybe she did throw insults towards you- But she didn't try to blind you!!

The worst part isn't even the humiliation she is going through, it's the fact you thought you would be able to pull a stunt like this and go away without any scars- She is so, absolutely livid by your stupidity.

Alexandra knows you must be liking this- And you know what? Enjoy your last free moments cause she will make sure you'll pay for it. She'll make sure to have a proper revenge under her sleeve, a proper punishment for harming someone like her in public.

Darling, darling, I hope you start looking behind your back from now on, never know what could happen when the person who is obsessed with you is just as insanely pissed off as they're madly in love with you.

→ Adrien Coldwell:

It was so fast and so painful that he couldn't even understand what just happened- Like- How dare you?! How fucking dare you?!! You think this is funny? This wasn't supposed to happen at all!

"- What- Oh my God I'm DYING!-" Adrien would be a lot more dramatic about it, even if he can articulate in great detail how much it hurts. In his panicked state, he started trying to wipe the substance with his sleeves- Which only helped to spread it more.

How fucking dare you not only hurt his precious eyes but also humiliate him on public like this?! What has gotten into you?? Yeah- I guess he did say hurtful stuff, followed you around to torment you, did throw stuff at you- But ya know- He didn't try to take your eyeballs out!?? Now that he thinks about it, he probably should have.

Adrien has a very weird view on your "relationship"- He thinks you're above him and so he must push you down, he loves you but being gentle with you will leave you to pull this kind of shit.

You're probably laughing to yourself now, the man is temporarily blind and you are laughing at him, you're somehow worse than he thought.

Still, he'll make you pay for it, don't worry about it dearest- You're fucked regardless. You tried to stand against him and now sadly he'll have to put you in your place again. Don't worry, it won't be so early- He still needs to prepare his plan.

Darling, darling, I hope you start looking behind your back from now on, never know what could happen when the person who is obsessed with you is just as insanely pissed off as they're madly in love with you.

🎆: 🍎Teacher's Timeline📕

You have been the target of bullying for some weeks now, ever since you crossed some rich kids while going to your college. Unfortunately for you, they seem to be heading to the same location as you, apparently they also studied there- Although it should have been quite obvious. You're not the type to get physical when it comes to defending yourself, but you felt that you still needed to do something about it- You talked with the only person you could trust in this moment, since they were your mentor and you needed some guidance from someone that could potentially help you solve this out.

Their idea was to be able to personally see the harassment happening so they could have visual proof of who is doing what to you, hopefully being able to expel the ones causing you harm.

They personally gave you pepper spray in hopes that if they aren't near you to help you, you can at least defend yourself in some way.

That's when the incident happened, you were minding your own business when they came looking for trouble. You took the opportunity to finally put a stop on this by spraying their eyes with it.

✳️🍎Teachers📕:

→ Matthew Robinson:

Although you thought to be in a situation where no one would be able to help you- Causing you to use your only item of self-defense- That couldn't have been further from the truth, as Matthew has made sure to pay close attention to you after you came by and ask for his guidance. It was a call for help and he would have been a horrible mentor to not make sure you'll follow his instructions, and it seemed like you did perfectly fine.

He got to be present to not only see the ones causing you harm, but also to see how well you're able to take care of yourself. He was going to intervene as soon as he saw them come closer, but you managed to stop them all by yourself- Honestly he is very proud of you for being able to stand your ground.

Since Matthew was able to see them starting the aggression just like many other witness surrounding the scene, he felt like he had an argument strong enough to be able to properly punish your bullies- Of course he is aware that the Coldwells have a reputation for getting staff members fired for trying to reprimanding them, but honestly he has been inside this place long enough already.

Getting fired isn't his problem, his problem is not being able to give them what they deserve for frightening you, and even worse than that: He needed to make sure you would stay safe in and out of college- You came to him saying they were following you outside of your classes, so of course he'll be worried for your safety.

After expelling the Coldwells, Matthew will just need to find a way of keeping you safe and under his surveillance, you may need more guidance after all, and it would be extremely worrying to not have you by his side. He just needs to plan out a better schedule for you two, one where he can be more present in your life after you're done with your classes.

I wonder what plan comes to his mind.

→ Madeline Allen:

Although you thought to be in a situation where no one would be able to help you- Causing you to use your only item of self-defense- That couldn't have been further from the truth, as Madeline has made sure to pay close attention to you after you came by and ask for her guidance. Madeline has been following you while you walked through the school's halls as she recorded every interaction you had with any of the other students. After you called her for help she entered full protection mode, she was set on getting your tormentors expelled.

However, Madeline hasn't been inside the institution to be able to earn the trust of the other teachers, or even the principal themselves- She needed some evidence and better witness testimony than those from students who were terrified of getting in trouble with the bullies around this place. You could say she had a guess as to who could be causing you trouble but she wouldn't be allowed to take action unless she could prove their identity and involvement in bullying you.

She gave you the pepper spray hoping you would feel less worried, to feel calmer in knowing you had not only something that you could use against them but also to symbolize how she would be there for you if you needed. Seeing you using it for the first time as you spray in the eyes of the culprits made her realize that she was in fact correct. Of course it's them, right?

If there is something wrong happening in Amaryllis, you can almost always pin it for being the Coldwell's fault. Bullying it's probably the least surprising thing this little demons have been accused of- Still, their rein over this institution and your worried little mind ends today, she doesn't care if she lost her job or if they try ruining her life by blackmailing her and such-

They can try but she is pretty sure they won't have any luck finding her, what can I say, she is good at burning evidence. What worries her though it's what will happen to you if they ever try to take their frustrations out on you again. She can't allow that to happen, you'll end up getting hurt and she'll feel awful if it was because of her interference in the case.

You need her help after all, right? You did come to her asking for guidance, and clearly you know nothing about physical self-defense- You clearly need someone to take care of you dearest. She needs to plan this out carefully, not only so the twins aren't allowed in school's grounds but to hopefully be able to guide you even if she is not your teacher anymore. But how could she have you near her everyday after classes?

I wonder what plan comes to her mind.

🎆: 🍋Delinquent's Timeline🐍

You have been the target of bullying for some weeks now, ever since you crossed some rich kids while going to your college. Fortunately for you, they didn't seem to go the same college as you did- Yet what you should have known was that nothing in life could have been so simple, you would still see them again over and over again after that incident. You started to feel anxious knowing that they were probably stalking you to know exactly when and where to find you, and since you already have to deal with going to a horrible institution and fearing for your own safety everyday.

You bought pepper spray so you could defend yourself not only from your stalkers but also from any possible classmate that could end up trying something weird with you.

That's when the incident happened, you were minding your own business when they came looking for trouble. You took the opportunity to finally put a stop on this by spraying their eyes with it.

✳️🍋Delinquents🐍:

→ Jackson Macnee:

He doubts you noticed that he was there when that happened, he doubts that you even care if he is staring at you at all- He always thought you were probably too scared of him to even tell him to stop, most people aren't scared of his appearance but are at least aware of his title, so they at least respect the path he walks. He is already used to this.

But let me tell you, to see the Coldwells come so near his territory seemed pretty interesting at first- Until he discovered why they were dumb enough to come here. He didn't know you were being bullied, let alone by these brats- He did notice you had changed your behavior recently, although he didn't pay any attention to it because he thought you were just getting accustomed with the way things work around Saint's Bernard hellhole of a place.

He was hoping that maybe you were just having issues with settling in- It is a rough place after all, and although he wishes deep down to be able to help you feel stronger he still feels like he shouldn't make you do something you don't want to. If you wished to talk to him, you should just go straight to him (even if he is aware of how terrifying that could be).

However, Jack was so far from the truth. His assumptions were confirmed fake after he saw the twins Coldwell treat you like he treated him- It was unbearable to watch, it was like he was seeing his past collide with his present self, you were reminding him of all the things he hated about himself, while also bringing his blood to boil in a desperate need to help you out. Yet he didn't need to do anything about it, you managed to defend yourself on your own.

It wasn't as rewarding to watch as he wanted it to be, but you sure did crack their ego pretty badly- He shouldn't have doubted you, after all he has been stalking you for so long, he should have known what you were capable of doing. Still, he doesn't trust the Coldwells enough to just let them run away like that, they would probably come back soon.

In the meantime, this should be a good excuse to get to talk with you, right? You clearly need some actual training, some flimsy pepper spray bottle isn't going to stop them from coming back. I hope you're ready to be trained by a lovesick delinquent, he won't be soft until he knows you can stand on your own.

→ Jannette Sartorius

She doubts you noticed that she was there when that happened, she doubts that you even care if she is staring at you at all- She always thought you were probably too scared of her to even tell her to stop, most people are scared of her. She is trying to get used to it.

Janette thinks she has every reason to observe you from afar, you're beautiful and you seem too precious to be in a place as horrible as this one, it must suck a lot for you to be somewhere like this-Seeing people like her.

She considered calling you to join her gang, but she is sure that you'll probably deny the offer- Physical confrontation was never your thing right? She can respect that.

Although you don't talk with her, or even interact with the other students at all, she did notice you were acting a bit more- Reclusive these days. Something was wrong, and sadly she would have to find out about it way too late.

Janette didn't know the twins personally, she knew they were rich and famous but- Yeah, she didn't really care about knowing anything about them, they're just some pretty faces amongst the others in the fashion industry. She does envy them a little bit, but tries to avoid anything relating to them since she feels self-conscious looking at their pictures. Now she has a new reason to hate their porcelain faces, they were stalking you.

They were stalking you and taunting you, and if you didn't do anything to stop them she would have already jumped in. They were alone, and honestly she doubts they have any idea of how to go one on one with someone- There is no way these brats have any experience in fighting, right?

Well, she didn't get to know that since they ran away after you sprayed their faces with pepper spray, clever girl.

She knows this is probably not the end of this, they did threaten to come back and hurt you for defending yourself. But you know- She doesn't plan on letting that happen, not again. Consider yourself lucky cause now you just got a new best friend who I set on protecting you.

Is there something wrong with that? Aren't you happy with being her friend? Well, you could just go to "girlfriends" if that's what you want- She wouldn't mind it at all.

Janette prefers to take care of you without you having to watch her beat someone's ass- But she could teach you a few things if you wished to, hey, spending time with someone so cool it's always nice, so of course she'll take every chance she can to spend as much time with you as possible.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[intoevernightfanfic]

@antibunni sent me some emoji for the fanfic writer's ask: 🙋‍♀️💖🤗📚

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

Yes! Quite a few. My friends all know, and so does my whole family. Some of my IRL friends have read my fanfic, and my family has too! I once even had a former boss (who was a friend as well) ask to read Arranged Marriage because we both had a thing for "monsters" if you catch my drift LOL. So, yeah, a couple of old coworkers turned friends have read my fanfic too. They've told me to publish, but I'll get to that in another of these questions lol.

💖 What made you start writing?

I'm an extrovert, and I was homeschooled until 10th grade. It was a horribly isolating experience, and I was very lonely. I used to maladaptive daydream (aka astral project myself outta here!) to escape what felt like a prison to me. I had no friends and nothing to do, so I started disappearing inside myself and my characters, and eventually I felt compelled to write these stories down. I started writing on my mother's typewriter when I was very young (I think I was 6 or 7), but didn't start writing series until I was 9, and novels when I was 12. I wrote 6 novels before I was 15. I'd say I actually wrote my first fanfic when I was 9, which was a parody of Star Wars involving my dog as a Jedi lol. (And yes my parents read it.)

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

What I have to say is going to sound somewhat contradictory to the advice out there, but bear with me lol.

It's super helpful to get feedback about ideas and character traits (like a high level outline) before and during the first draft process! That's not always possible when you don't know anyone, but even a friend who isn't in the fandom can give feedback. Having an alpha reader to ensure the message comes across as intended and that the characters are well-rounded has helped me immensely. I like to bounce ideas off of them prior to writing / editing a fic so I can be sure the idea is solid and the execution will work. They help me catch logical fallacies and plot holes that I'd never see otherwise!

That being said, having an alpha reader can end up intimidating you if you're first diving into writing, because high level feedback can leave you grappling for how to fix issues. Still, I think it's good to get a feel for your voice and your own problem solving style before leaning on a beta reader too much. A huge chunk of writing is critical thinking and problem solving! And that comes with thought exercises and practice. That's not to say you want to live with your thoughts in a vacuum -- just that you'd want to attempt the puzzle before bringing the pieces to someone else. By knowing what you've already tried and how it did / didn't work with your goals, they can provide more tailored feedback.

Alpha readers work well because, to me, what's more important than "great fiction" is embracing your unique way of viewing the world and telling the story you want to tell. Personally, I think honing your storytelling (which you can do when you're passionate and engaged with the story!) is more important than attempting technical perfection. That's why it's important to attempt to get out of the sticky parts with your own solutions first. Only then do I go to someone else and ask what they think about the solutions I've come up with.

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

No, I decided some time ago that it's not lucrative for me. I spent a couple of years as an entertainment columnist and music journalist for multiple publications, but I never got paid. No matter who I wrote for, I was told that they couldn't pay me, but that it was "good for my portfolio." I also did some ghostwriting, but again... Didn't get me much of anywhere. I finally decided I'd never capitalize on it, because of a combination of: oversaturation in the publishing industry, my lack of interest in my own OCs, and my experience with motivation dips when given writing assignments. I also don't think I'd be able to handle the kind of rejection that trad publishing doles out, and I don't want to lose rights over any of my work. I won't get into the self-publishing side of things right now. X)

Thanks for playing, AntiBunni! 😊💕