#you guys do not understand the kind of compromises that have to be made when you're involved in complex geopolitical situations

[lecoindecachou]

Supposed "leftists" whose only form of activism is yelling and bullying people on the Internet deciding Joe Biden is the antichrist without any understanding of how international diplomacy works are absolutely the reason y'all are gonna get Trump again next year and at this point you absolutely deserve it.

[pagodazz]

Emh fans when they're asked to stop sexualizing Evan Jennings and his characters because it makes him and his wife uncomfortable:

hope y'all are so happy with yourself for going against his wishes and being fucking freaks to him. You're all why he's barely online anymore. you cannot behave and you cannot be normal and you all have ruined what could be a very fun fandom.

Everyone in this fandom sees Evan as a piece of meat basically, you all only care about his character because Evan is a good looking guy. I mean!! let's be real here!!! let me quiz you on the lore!!! let me see just how fucking much you know about ALL the characters. let me see how much you ACTUALLY give a shit. Because all any of you do is post about how attractive you find Evan/habit and it's honestly so annoying.

I'm not saying you can't compliment him??? or appreciate his looks?? but drawing him in sexually compromising positions, writing in great detail about what you want him to do to you (PUBLICLY. no one gives a SHIT what you fucking do in private.) Or you're fucking mixing up habit and Evan, and just acting like you know his story when CLEARLY the most of you have watched habit compilations on YouTube and NOTHING else.

You cannot even convince me otherwise because I deal with people coming in my comments all the time asking about BASIC INFORMATION. like IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE PRINCETON TAPES ????? WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK????? YOU NEED THAT FOR THE SERIES. YOU CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HALF THE THINGS WITHOUT IT???????

This isn't saying you can't write fanfiction or shit like that this is JUST SAYING BE RESPECTFUL?????? these slenderverse actors ARE NOT A LIST CELEBRITIES. they're not like fucking Oscar Isaac or whoever people are obsessed with right now. THEY'RE NOT FAMOUS. THIS IS NICHE. THIS IS NOT POPULAR MEDIA 😭😭😭😭

Emh literally made NO money from their series, they didn't create it to gain anything like that. they created something fun and NOW YOU ALL ARE THE REASON THEY HAVE NO PART IN THIS FANDOM ANYMORE.

you robbed them of being able to love their creation and I hope you're all happy about that honestly because it seems like this fandom is only gonna get worse in this area. and I'm deeply disappointed.

edit: I would like to add one thing, Vincent caffarello had to deal with situations of extreme sexualization as well, and his got to the point to where he had to leave. Vinnie used to be very involved with the fandom, he even used to read fanfic which he had to stop doing because people would be writing characters to SEXUALLY ASSAULT HIM or others and he just couldn't continue to read things like that. He delt with minors sending him explicit photos and messages and that's literally all kinds of FUCKED UP. He did NOT want to be involved with that stuff.

It's like when Evan had someone impersonate him to try to get with minors. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT OBJECTS FOR YOU TO SEEK OUT PLEASURE WITH. THEY ARE PEOPLE.

they are HUMAN.

if they were women?? would you be doing this as much??? or would you realize how messed up it really is.

[soaps-mohawk]

I’ll be honest reading this new chapter made me realize I should probably get back into trauma therapy lol. The way my body locked up when Simon yelled at her and when everyone was semi ignoring her while she was spiraling was not normal.

I did have a question, can you explain why the 141 considered her not speaking up a betrayal? I’m asking genuinely because I was getting so frustrated because I didn’t understand. Especially because reader is the one that had her space violated repeatedly and is so reliant on them for every single thing. To me it seems pretty rational to want to hide something like that to protect whatever facsimile of peace you have after years of uncertainty.

Love your work so much and I hope your weekend is going okay!!!

Omg I'm so sorry 😭 yeah, take care of yourself anon. Do what you need to do to feel better.

It's kind of a complicated situation really. There's a lot of aspects to the situation. 'Mega didn't speak up partially because of fear that they might react negatively to her leaving the barracks with a stranger, but also because of trauma she has around making mistakes and being punished for them, even if they weren't in her control. Then from the guys perspective, there's a lot of parts to it. There's the obvious upset at the fact she didn't trust them enough to tell them, even as they continued to get closer over the weeks that she didn't tell them. Then there's the obvious danger that she put herself and them in. They don't know who put those cameras up. There could have been more cameras elsewhere that would have put all of them in danger, and would have compromised the 141's very confidential information they deal with on a daily basis. They're upset mostly because it's their job to make sure 'mega is safe and she kept the fact someone invaded their territory and her safe space from them just like that. They could have come back while 'mega was alone during their training. They could have been creeping around and they wouldn't have known or been watchful for someone creeping around. That's why John kind of forgave her the fastest. While he's still hurt by her actions, he understands why she didn't tell them. The others are mostly just hurt and also angry. It's a lot of complex emotions for a complex situation.

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

Do Neuromorphs feel some kinda way about Stochastic Parrots? Is it like humans seeing monkeys? Humans seeing chatbots? Humans seeing other, disabled humans? Or is it not particularly notable, given their prevalence, just another kind of guy that exists in this world? As a human living in boring, robot-hijinksless world, I imagine it would be kind of upsetting to see something superficially resembling you, well-spoken and seemingly of your intelligence, but with nothing behind the eyes. You also mentioned that these categories of brain-type aren’t strictly indicative of consciousness, which makes it weirder. Does a Stochastic Parrot with some consciousness remain incapable of emotion? Does a Neuromorph that isn’t fully conscious feel emotions? This worldbuilding rules and I keep thinking about it at work.

Thank you! Yes yes! All of the above, really. Because they're just people. Culturally, human-like robots have a sort of... tug-and-pull relationship with less human-like robots. Plenty of solidarity, alienation, trying to appeal to humans by overacting their own humanity, trying to reject aspects of their own humanity to show solidarity with less-passably human robots. These are basically all the pressing questions of this setting. There's so many varying degrees of weird prejudice and assumptions made on all sides when it comes to human-like bots and non-human-like ones. How people judge you based on the behavior you exhibit, the in-groups that form or fail to form depending on how well you perform the idea of "personhood", etc etc.

Could some neuromorphs exhibit human-like behavior but with the potential emotional consciousness of like, a roach? If a S.Parrot actually comprehends and problem-solves better than a human and, without any training data work out deep philosophical concepts, but is emotionless, is there some strange kind of consciousness going on still? The wonderfully irritating thing is that these can't be answered unless You Are The Thing Itself. I don't know what it's like to be several GPUs stacked on top of each other, so I cannot answer that question without projecting my own experience as a Meat Computer.

The only thing I can actually answer is how People, by whatever definition counts, will reject, accept, understand, or fail to understand, The Other. Whether that's by a robot judging a neurodivergent human who cannot exhibit stereotypically human-like traits, two different types of humans of different cultures judging each other, two different robots judging each other, or even People who should be of the exact same in-group alienating each other due to ignorance, beliefs, lack of beliefs, or other fine differences. That's basically what this worldbuilding is all about. Asking what counts as a person isn't as fruitful as observing what motivates people to come up with their own answers, how willing they are to compromise those answers if their interests align or fail to align with The Other, and what cruelty or kindness they're willing to dish out at something that's considered acceptable to hate or understand.

[queers-gambit]

Creepy Crawlies

inspired by this image by @applegin

prompt: Aemond and Helaena witness how deep your fear goes.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x female!reader featuring: bestie!Helaena

fandom masterlist: House of the Dragon

word count: 1.7k+

warnings: cursing, spoiler FREE, author has arachnophobia and projects in this, spiders (it's a warning to me), generally pretty docile. oh, and, i'm def pretending Aemond's just strong enough to carry a human, so, use a bit of your imagination.

#WhyPayForTherapyWhenYouCanWrite

In truth, you're not sure how or why it happened. Some said it was the Will of the Gods, others claimed it simply made-up, while others said it could've been your own mind playing tricks. Either way, every which way you turned, someone was there to discredit your fears.

It's not like you asked for this kind of humiliation! Honestly! Did people genuinely think you did this on purpose? Did they think you liked this? Being this way? As if it wasn't enough to have fear in general, but tenfold when nobody seemed to understand nor validate the way you were engulfed in anxiety.

Over all, the creepiest, fucking eight-legged, eight-eyed crawlie around. Something you regarded as Hell Spawn, others might call a spider. Either way, you despised the wee creatures - and though you understood boot crushes the little guy, the idea of being so close to one that you could kill it sent you into overwhelming panic.

Ah, fucking spiders.

Again, you're unsure how this fear developed but it was as if you woke up one day and couldn't stop screaming at the sight of the little creature sent from the depths of Seven Hells. Your older brother became the official "Spider Killer" of the family since you spent most of your time with him, but after getting married, your husband now assumed the role.

Years ago, both your mothers had agreed to a marriage arrangement to ensure loyalty from your House (should the time come), and six weeks after your 17th nameday, you were reciting vows to your white-haired lover. He held no quarrel with your fear, and in fact, he was the first to ever not make you feet at fault for it.

It wasn't Aemond's place to ridicule you. He's seen you with a sword, with a bow and arrows, hell, even with an axe - and sometimes, doing all of that while on horseback! He understood you to have no fear, and yet, when a spider comes in your vision, it was as if any and all rational thought vacates your mind. He's seen you throw-up from your anxiety, so, he quickly understood his role and never once complained nor belittled you for it.

Aemond didn't mind killing spiders for you. He could understand that you needed "proof" of their vanquish, showing the squashed bug on his boot, and only then would you breathe easier. However, if around his family, Aemond knew his sister, Helaena, would become upset by him harming - like alone, killing - any insect. She'd prefer them to be set free outside, and as compromise, Aemond would simply escort you out of the room to leave his sister time to collect her buggy friend. He'd walk you to the kitchens, fetch some water, watch you crack your neck, and then venture back to whatever gathering.

You always hesitated before returning to events. Most times, wherever you saw the spider is the exact place you avoid - almost as if there was an invisible fence keeping you away.

Aemond would pause you, slowly pick up his sister's jar, and show you the little fucker was safely inside with a screwed-on-tight lid. You didn't like it, Aemond knew that, but you both made an effort to actively not upset Helaena.

One day, when a thick hurricane ravaged the city, Aemond found you in the middle of lessons and decided to seek out his sister - never seeking Aegon out unless for family matters. His sister, as usual, was catering to her collection of insects, smiling when she saw him, and inviting him over. She mindlessly explained who was who to Aemond, telling him what they did or what their purpose was in an ecosystem.

He listened.

He asked questions.

He was a perfect brother.

And he didn't think you'd know where to find him on such a day, because the moment Helaena handed over a spider to Aemond, bidding he be gentle and not let Aegon near the creature (who had been in and out all day), there came a squeak by the door.

"Oh," Helaena frowned, seeing your frozen form. Her brother had told her of your fear, thinking she'd understand the best. "I-I can introduce you, if you want? Wi-Will that help? Will that help you feel safe?"

You paused, heart melting at her words. "Um... Uh, I-I don't, I, uhhh... I just don't know what will help."

"It's okay, darling," Aemond soothed, nodding at you, hands turning over to let eight-legs carry the spider around.

"Here," Helaena nodded, waving Aemond after her as she approached you. "Why don't you just watch, say hello? No touching," she promised, standing slightly behind you as if you block your exit.

"Um... I don't know..."

Aemond took slow steps, eye never leaving your face. You gulped as he took another step, and from here, he could see a sweat glistening on your forehead - so he took another step.

"Wait! Wait, no!" You begged, feeling Helaena's hands on your upper arms from behind. Aemond was too close now, and you couldn't look away from the arachnid crawling around his flesh. The same flesh you touched, the same flesh that worshiped you nightly, the same flesh that warmed your own in the night. "NO!" You sobbed, backing up so forcefully, you almost tripped over you sister-by-law. "No, Gods, please, no! NO! Just no! G-Get away from me!"

Helaena gasped your name, but your eyes were blown, hands shaking, throat swelling, stomach churning. Aemond spoke your name softly, frowning, but you could only pant as you leaned against the chamber wall beside the door. "We're gonna put her back now, okay?" He spoke softly, nodding slowly at you.

"Please, please, just kill it, jus-just get it gone!" You begged,.

"We'll get it away from you, it's okay," Aemond agreed, his sister quickly opening her jar to let her brother lower the bug into the glass. "It's okay, love, look, just look here." When your eyes flashed to his, then to the jar, he made sure to move slowly and shake the little Hell spawn from his hand.

"I'm so sorry," Helaena frowned.

"It's not your fault," Aemond promised, watching you as you tried to regain your breathing. "It's not her fault either..."

"Um," Helaena looked at you with worry, "m-maybe you'd like to see the others? I have ladybugs, grasshoppers, too. They're nice."

You gulped, "I-Is the spider gone?"

She held up the jar, turning for her little work bench and setting the jar in a satchel - out of your sight. "Is this okay?" She made sure.

"I-It can't escape?" You squeaked.

"No," the girl shook her head. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"No, no," you assured slowly, "it's me."

"Can I ask?"

You eyed her for a moment, "I don't have an answer... I've been like this since I can remember."

She frowned, glancing at Aemond. "Why aren't you comforting her?"

"She doesn't like to be touched like this," Aemond whispered.

"My skin hurts when I'm having these feelings," you admitted with a frown. "I just... You gotta let me calm down."

"Come sit?" Aemond offered, gesturing to the furthest arm chair from the work bench.

"I-I think I should leave. You guys were having fun and - "

"No, no, I want you to stay," Helaena insisted. "We can do anything else!"

"I'm so sorry," you sighed.

"Don't apologize," Aemond frowned, slowly approaching you.

"Aht!" You warned with a finger to halt him. "You're not touching me after a spider!"

"Oh, sweetheart - "

"No, no, no, no, wash your hands," you snipped. "I can't touch you, please, Aemond... For me?"

He sighed, but turned for the wash basin as Helaena lead you to the sitting area. She showed you her ladybugs and grasshoppers, and soon, you were giggling as the grasshoppers just bounced around like a little spring was on their legs.

Aemond eventually joined you, but he could see the panic in your eyes from still being in the same room, knowingly, as a spider. He understood why you wanted them killed instead of set free, and he would've done whatever it took to ensure your comfort. However, it could mean putting his sister's comfort at risk - and nobody, but Aemond, cared about Helaena's feelings.

So, when you married Aemond, you both understood that you two were essentially Helaena's keepers. If that meant capturing spiders rather than killing them, so be it, but Aemond hated watching you suffer. So, he pretended he was needed elsewhere with you to make your escape, and only when out of the room did he swear you took a breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill it," he sighed.

"No, it's okay... Thank you for getting me out of there."

"Anytime," he nodded with a frown. "I wish I could've helped more."

"You help plenty," you assured. "I should learn to knock before entering rooms."

Aemond chuckled, "Yeah, as if that would ever happen."

"Hush." But then, you admitted, "I wish I didn't have this fear."

"Then you wouldn't be you," Aemond eased, letting his hand slide around your waist. "It's okay to be afraid."

"Yeah?"

"'Course," he smirked, "because your husband isn't afraid of a thing and can easily take on the Hell Spawn."

"See!" You cried with a gasp. "You know they're devious little fuckers, too! Sent upon mankind to repent for our sins!"

"Maybe that's why you fear them."

"Hmm?"

"You sinned big time in another life and now the spiders are sent, seeking atonement."

"Oh, ha-ha. Thought I married a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, not a court jester."

"Perhaps, a bit of both?"

"You'd have to be actually funny to be a jester - OW!" You laughed when he pinched your ribcage to make you squeal. "Unfair advantage! You're so bloody tall and have an angle!"

"Hm," Aemond considered, shrugging with a relenting nod, and then stooped low to haul you over his shoulder as if a sack of flour - moving forward to your bed chamber.

"Aemond!" You squealed. "Put me down, this is not appropriate! You know I hate being man-handled! Oh, my God, please, love, there's people watching!"

"Then they can mind their own business, just like we are," Aemond grunted. "I am merely escorting my wife to bed so I can fuck the fear outta her all night."

"It's only past lunch, Aemond!"

"Then I know what I want for dinner," his other hand rose to give a playful swat to your ass; hearing you giggle as he turned the corner.

requesting rules and masterlist

HOTD masterlist

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

do you think Eridan would listen to kpop ? (either the human or Troll variant)

if not...then which troll would be the most likely to :3c

LOL no way, he's a hipster. KPop is mainstream as hell; if anything, he'd have disdain for it (and for pop as a whole). One of the less emotionally perturbed trolls would probably enjoy that stuff, though I don't know that I'd call any of the Alternian crew the kind who'd consider it to be their favorite, since nearly all of them are at least a little alt in some way, and kpop (and idol culture as a whole) is heavily tied up in politics, propaganda, capitalism, and consumption - so the troll version of it would be that times a thousand.

I'd say Feferi, Gamzee, and Kanaya probably quite like it because they're most at ease with their society, but it's not their favorite. Equius probably sees it as being aimed at the lower castes, and therefore crass and beneath him. Everyone else would probably get the propaganda vibes and dislike it on principle, even if some of them might secretly find some songs catchy (cough Karkat cough).

If you want to get into Beforan trolls, haha, oh man. I think more of them would like it than not.

Normally, I'd say that Eridan would at least make a show of liking it, given how much he makes a show of being a Sea Dweller(TM), but his hipster tastes, like his interest in magic, don't appear to be things he can shake. Karkat even calls him a hipster, so you KNOW he's out here dissing Trollor Swift and making disdainful faces when people bring up Troll Marvel.

I have as a selection of bands for Eridan Have a Nice Life (post-rock/post-punk/shoegaze), Sprain (noise rock/experimental rock), and Tool (alternative metal/art rock/progressive rock). Generally, I find he vibes with stuff on the darker side of post/prog rock, or the more lyrical side of heavy metal - both in terms of themes (lots of darker topics, like death, murder, suicide, child abuse, etc.) and in terms of sound. It also fulfills the requirement of being "hipster" by nature. Eridan is a very troubled, angry, violent guy, and I personally like to call the linked bands "angry man music". Just a smattering of lyrics for those who don't want to listen:

I've been doing a lot of damned things without you And all the damned things I do confound you Yeah, Satan and his devils try to take my hand And the angels on my shoulders try to tell me that they understand Oh well, oh well

Imagine this: I'm the guest on some obscene talk show In a cell of moral compromise The audience is made up of everyone that I have ever met in my entire life Every sin I've ever committed is put up on display by screens hung around the stage And we watch, watch, watch, watch, watch, watch, watch The host says "I now present to you an elaborate choreography of failure!" The audience erupts with seemingly coordinated jets of jargon laughter "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Shame on you!"

I'm broken, looking up to see the enemy And I have swallowed the poison you feed me But I survive on the poison you feed me, leaving me Guilt-fed, hatred-fed, weakness-fed It makes me feel ugly

I think even when his tastes do venture lighter, they still never really cross the threshold into pure pop. There's always going to be a hipster, indie, punk-y, shoegaze/post-rock bent to his tastes. I also list for him Dirt Poor Robins, Family Crest, Johnny Hollow...

Wisdom unearned is Intrepid and proud Till we’re dragged by the tide and nearly have drowned Entropy thrives In conditions enclosed Innovations arise When humanity chokes

Cast your heart to the floor, love Feel the sting, feel the weight Of a love, of a love not strong enough Your head's on fire Your hands and feet come off the ground Oh, sweet desire, when your mind, when your mind When your mind's not strong enough It's not that your head is gone It's just that your heart is on fire, fire It's not that the beat is off It's just that your heart is on fire, fire

Once when I was all alone I called you, and you weren't at home My heart fell like a stone, to the ground To the ground, to the ground Why, when morn had dawned on me And anger grew like ecstasy And Leda threw the swan on me and I fell to the ground To the ground, to the ground

Hilariously, this alt/hipster taste means that he runs up against stuff that's ridiculously anti-government; I personally like to believe he does actually listen to outright anti-fascist songs, but if you point it out, he's just like. No it isn't. So SWMRS, Silver Mt. Zion, Vansire.

Well, you gotta keep it up But it will never be enough No sonrisa teenage shit pop Well, you gotta keep it up But it will never be enough No sonrisa teenage shit pop Death to the motherfucking fascist insect This shit makes me so sadistic Death to the motherfucking fascist insect This shit makes me so sadistic Death to the motherfucking fascist insect This shit makes me so sadistic Death to the motherfucking fascist insect This shit makes me so sadistic

There's fresh meat in the club tonight God bless our dead marines Someone had an accident Above the burning trees While somewhere distant peacefully Our vulgar princes sleep Dead kids don't get photographed God bless our dead marines

So I convalesced in the middle west And fell for Ohio's roads I'm standing still by the windowsill Where I once watched the world explode So when it's looking dark in your narrative arc I'm here and you can talk with me A hackneyed fool under fascist rule Wasting days singing about his dreams

It's a pretentious-ass taste, but one that fits in with the vocabulary he likes to use:

CA: all of her FRAUDULENT MAGICS cannot come close to posin threat to my mastery ovver the TRUEST SCIENCES CA: an wwith my empiricists wwand i servve as the righteous hope that wwill incinerate delusion and the deluded alike CA: my holy fire is the wwhite fury bled from the wwrath-wweary eyes of fifty thousand nonfictional angels CA: and wwhen theyre finished wweepin they wwill boww before their prince GG: wow what are you talking about

I miss the days when stars were saintly They sang to me in ways innately Before we enslaved the symphony To playing anthems for selling things I used to wonder, wander farther Into awe, but those days were squandered My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows So I find my spirit in the bottle

Those modal masterworks Atonal oeuvres it seems When I ask afterwards All message lost in between The shifting aperture Depicting sun-soaked scenes I guess they resonate That's Universal Consciousness

Fate’s a funny thing It makes a victim of the will and brings a suit of broken bands A snake so full of tail That it can barely breathe to say it “doesn’t understand.” So, what am I to think? What am I to think? I’m doing it now At least I know I am At least I caught myself before I sent this out Into a stupid world that doesn’t give a damn Oh, what kind of fool do you think I am?

Like, I really can't stress enough, but Eridan is abjectly fucking miserable, angry and violent, anxious and unhappy. And his taste in music should reflect that, his feelings of impotence, his angry and anxious energy, his desperation. Have a Nice Life is probably the band I pick for him, because their discography reflects so greatly these emotions of anger, impotence, self-loathing and self-destruction.

The thing about being a hipster is that there's, the way I see it, three main reasons people wind up falling into it - the first is that they want to feel special, feel better than other people (not really Eridan's deal); the second is that they're just generally a music liker and their taste is indiscriminate enough to include indie stuff, too (and this is also not really Eridan's deal); and the last is because there is something in their soul that cries out for validation that they can't receive in the mainstream - for example, emotions, impulses, thoughts, and urges too dark for radio play (such as an obsession with genocide and murder). It's actually really important to me that Eridan IS a hipster, and specifically the type of hipster who's super pretentious and looks down on stuff that's "popular."

He has a massive fixation on being understood - complaining constantly that people don't "get it," that "nobody understands." This would extend to his taste in music. He would seek out genuine-ness, something grungy, something real, and unfortunately, stuff that's made for mass-market consumption must have the edges sanded off by nature. Given he actually gets upset when people don't "get" him, I'd wager that he doesn't treat media that he feels doesn't "get" him pretty poorly, too.

To be clear, I'm not trying to diss KPop in any way. It's not really my thing, but I get why people like it, and I'm not saying you shouldn't. Just feel like I have to toss that in there. I just really don't think Eridan would like it. And also he would probably be mean about it if you told him you liked it.

[sciderman]

thinking about what if situations, dunno why but I have the image in my head of Uncle Ben with Pete in hospital after he over does it doing Spider-man shit, Ben's worried. At the hospital, Ben meets a very uncertain Wade Wilson, suffering in his hospital bed with a cancer diagnosis, thinking about if going into the Weapon X program is genuinely worth it, they start talking. Ben talks about life, about how you shouldn't survive just to be alive, you should survive so you can live. Ben doesn't tell him to join the weapon X but he doesn't tell him not too, they just have a genuine deep talk about both sides until Ben needs to go back to Peter. I can literally hear Wade going, “That was fucking stupid", in his head, all that sentimental spiritual shit.. But.. It genuinely does help him, whether he realises it or not. Dunno, just like the idea of it, maybe years later when Peters talking about Uncle Ben, Wade finally feels brave enough to tell him about the time in hospital where he spoke to him.

hmm. i really think the "survive to live" philosophy isn't exactly a very uncle ben coded message. i think uncle ben doesn't embody that - he's a very selfless guy. he will put the needs of others above his own, always. he's like peter in that way - or, at least, peter wants to be like uncle ben. wants to be selfless, like uncle ben was. and he's actually not very good at it. he has to work at it. and it's difficult.

i think the "survive to live" philosophy aligns more with aunt may. aunt may is more about the self, and personal happiness - even though she's a nurse and she's very nurturing and selfless too. aunt may is kind of a free spirit - in fact, i think aunt may and wade have a very similar approach to life and love, and i had written a WHOLE lot of scripts about that. that aunt may and wade - they're kind of obscenely alike. that aunt may didn't know if she could make compromises and be selfless enough to succeed in love.

there are a lot of parallels between what wade and peter are going through, and how ben and may were, as dumb kids. may was a kind of free-spirit, who didn't actually see herself as settling down with ben parker. but ben was a patient, loving, supportive man, who waited for her.

a parker boy doesn't give up on love. he'll stupidly hang on, forever and ever.

I think there’s an irony to that “survive to live” philosophy being the entire wholeass opposite of what peter takes away from the death of uncle ben.

I can’t really speak to uncle ben’s philosophy - I don’t think “great power great responsibility” in whatever way he said it (or didn’t say it - remember, in the comics it was never actually said by uncle ben) - peter definitely took his own lesson from uncle ben’s death and I don’t think it was meant by uncle ben at all. in fact, i think wade might have even been onto something when he said -

obviously uncle ben wouldn’t say that. but - fact is, great power great responsibility is a self-imposed lesson from peter. and it has very little to do with what uncle ben actually meant when he said it in 9319.

I think uncle ben might’ve meant that peter had a responsibility to the people in his life. and a responsibility to himself. that he couldn’t just - disengage with life and shut himself away from it and avoid things and run away from things. it's actually a lesson that is hammered into peter over and over again, and a mistake he keeps repeating.

he uses his responsibilities as spider-man as an excuse to run away from his responsibilities as peter parker.

i think uncle ben would've been disappointed to see all the mistakes peter made with the people he's loved. all the secrets and lies he's kept - uncle ben was a chronically honest man. but he was a simple guy - he didn't have any secrets. may - may's more understanding about it. she knows sometimes secrets are necessary, at a time.

i think it's awesome and sexy that, finally - all the elements are coalescing so that peter will finally learn the lesson that uncle ben actually intended for him to learn.

sorry, i went off on a tangent again. but man, i should finish those wade/may posts. may is so, so good for wade. she'll heal him. i think all wade needed was the love of a mother.

[sideprince]

I’d love to hear your answer to #2, #16, and #18 of the Snape asks! :)

2. How old were you when you decided you loved this unwashed man? What’s the story, child?

I was in high school and Going Through It. I was really ready to get out of my parents' house and be an adult, and I was dealing with a lot of tough things and basically ready for a new escapist hyperfixation (though I probably wouldn't have put it like that at the time). I found him intriguingly complex and the main reason I kept reading the books was to find out more about him - what his story was, why he was doing what he was doing, etc. I didn't doubt his motivations were ultimately in service of defeating Voldemort (because I know how to read and can spot basic literary elements like foreshadowing and characters who are foils), but it was clear there was a lot to this guy. I think there must also have been a kind of loneliness and ambitious determination in how he was written that I identified with. He was absorbing enough to be a good distraction from my life and I really needed it at the time. Still do sometimes.

16. What do you headcanon about his relationship with his parents?

I don't think his relationship with his dad was great (thank you, thank you, you can put my Understatement of the Year Award in the mail). When Snape was a very small child, he probably wanted his dad's approval and didn't understand what he kept doing wrong when his dad lashed out and grew increasingly abusive. Back then the abuse was probably more comprised of a lack of attention, shouting, and maybe a smack or two. As he got older I imagine he started feeling that need for attention and approval less and less, or rather, that it got more murky under layers of resentment and fear and pain and anger. The taller he got (ie. less physically vulnerable) and the more distance he got what with being gone most of the year, and the more his sarcastic, snarky personality came out, (and the more confident he got with his magical skills that his dad couldn't touch or take away from him), the more he must have talked back to his dad and challenged him. Rowling has said something about his dad having whipped him with a belt, and I can imagine that being a way for his dad to assert himself against a son who had skills he himself never would, and who hated him. We see this attitude in the Dursleys as well, thinking they could abuse the magic out of Harry. So yeah, I can see Snape's dad going at him with a belt, shouting about "where's your precious magic now, boy?" I can also see Snape's magic - like most underage wizards' - getting away from him in a moment like that and throwing his dad off or undermining him in some way that made it impossible for him to continue in that moment and probably unwilling to try again.

He probably had a better relationship with his mom, or at least a more complex one. They had magic in common, and must have been somewhat close at some point because I don't know who else would have told him so many details about Hogwarts when he was a kid. The amount he knew about the school - and the magical world in general - indicates that she talked about it with him at length and probably on a number of occasions. As he got older and his relationship with his dad got worse, his mom was probably in the middle, not wanting to compromise her relationship with either of them. If Snape was like any other angsty teen, then at that age he probably would have lashed out at her and resented her for letting his dad treat both of them the way he did. There was probably rough period for them where his teenage need to push his parents away coincided with the natural distance that would grow between a parent and a child who spent 10 months of the year away at boarding school. When he got older, though, he probably would have had more sympathy and started to understand that she knew his dad as a very different person than he did and had her own relationship with him. It's also possible that as his intellect continued to blossom despite everything else he had to deal with at school, it changed his relationship with his mom. The dynamic was no longer that she was a source of knowledge for him, but that he knew and understood more than she ever had and maybe he looked down on her, or at least pitied her, for what he might have seen as her limitations.

18. What’s an aspect of his character you wish more people would explore?

He isn't just intelligent, he's an incredibly good judge of character. If you set aside his skewed impression of Harry, he's someone who understands profoundly well what makes people tick and how they think. He's a great spy because he understands how Voldemort thinks and operates, as well as all the Death Eaters around him. It makes sense - someone who's a great occlumens would, through that kind of insight, learn how to put himself in someone else's shoes without having to read their thoughts. When he talks to Harry about what legilimency is, that the mind is not a book to be read at leisure, he reveals a complex and nuanced understanding of the way you have to be able to interpret and understand someone's thoughts. What he's really saying is that it isn't enough to see what someone is thinking, you have to be able to understand its context and what that thought means to that person if you have a good sense of them. This requires incredible intelligence, empathy, and judgment of character.

I think it's also why he speaks so tersely and reveals so little about himself, except for the occasional feral moment when he's triggered and unable to maintain that control. It's not just because he doesn't want to compromise himself by speaking too much, or that he knows the more verbose he is the more he gives away about himself. He thinks more than he speaks and so he speaks very little because he's busy listening to others and to his own brain whirring away at a thousand miles a minute.

(This is also why I get a bit tired of the take that Snape is a Feral Man and that Alan Rickman's portrayal has nothing to do with Book!Snape. It's an integral part of his character that he observes much more than he speaks, and most of the time he's described in the books as someone whose behavior is controlled. His expression is consistently described as "unreadable" "unfathomable" etc. The angrier he gets, the more quiet his voice gets - as you know, given your absolutely brilliant amazing Snape Speaks post!

He's feral only when he's triggered, and we only see him act that way in rare and vulnerable moments, and those moments are compelling exactly because this isn't his usual self, but rather his primal, unchecked self. He's portrayed as a person who put a lot of effort into controlling and overcoming that primal self and would fall apart if it was his constant state of being. There's an inseparable link between the guilt that drives him and his need to control his emotions. The whole Feral Man take ignores exactly the aspect of his character that I love so much, that he observes more than he acts, and is a great judge of character. And I think there's a lot to interpret in how his eyes are described more often than any other character's, except maybe Harry -- again, because he uses his eyes more than his body or his voice.)

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I'm the anon who asked that one ask you didn't make. Let me rephrase that, just in case the first one was too much.

How about the M6 who saw MC burying their head underwater when they cry? MC has this habit of hiding their problems and always keeps a strong persona in front of everybody. But when they breakdown, they go to a stream, a lake, the bathhouse, whatever place that has bodies of water so that they can put their head in the water and scream out their tears and inner conflicts. Because when they do this, nobody can hear them cry underwater.

Hopefully this one is more acceptable than the other one. Thanks, Brainrot. I'll try to be more considerate for the others :)

Hi anon,

I want to be clear from the beginning of this that what I'm saying is not coming from a place of anger or hate. Rather, there's been a small but growing trend in my inbox lately that I want to address, and this request is one of the clearest examples of it. I intend no harm against you and I'm not requesting any kind of apology, I'd just like to give some boundary reminders.

I understand your frustration with your first request not getting written. The opportunity to have content for a favorite set of characters custom made to your ideas is exciting! Much of the time that it doesn't happen, it's because there's more mini-hcs in the inbox than I can write, or it's because due to the amount of traffic through it some of the asks get lost. (I still write well over 90% of the prompts that come in, though, which is how my current posting output is roughly 2 full headcanons, a Vesvuvia Weekly prompt, and 21 mini headcanons a week!) It's why I usually don't mind receiving a request a second time in case there wasn't space for the first one ^.^

However, I still have the right to pick what I do and don't write. While my guidelines are written with the comfort and safety of my readers in mind, they are primarily there as my own personal boundaries. Writing about things like waterboarding, torture, child abuse and neglect, toxic relationships etc. without a context of healing, recovery, and personal growth is and always has been off the table. I chose not to write your earlier, more extreme prompt because it would violate the boundaries I outlined in my pinned post, and I'm choosing not to write this one either for the same reasons. I don't judge you for wanting to consume content with those themes (we all have our tastes, and that's okay!) but I'm not going to compromise my own boundaries or mental health to write something that's meant to be a free gift of my own creativity. There are other authors you can ask for those themes who would be happy to provide.

I don't bring this up often because I don't want to ruin the chill vibes, but I do in fact do this for free. I clock easily 30+ hours of work a week putting content on this blog alongside my full time job - and that is work that I am happy to do! I'm privileged enough to do this without needing to monetize it, and I find my reward in being able to share my writing with people, make friends, and create joy where I can. Even if I did depend on this for my livelihood, that still wouldn't entitle anyone to my services. I'm immensely grateful to the people who send me their ideas and support my work and give me feedback, but the work I do for the people on my page is out of joy and love, not obligation.

For the few anonymous requesters who send me prompts with disturbing content outside my guidelines, I understand that not everyone has an interest in checking my boundaries (listed in my pinned post) first. I'm not angry about that. However, I in turn have no interest in writing for requests that disregard those boundaries. Those requests are not entitled to being fulfilled or responded to.

To the vast majority of my readers and requesters, thank you!! Your ideas are a constant source of creative delight and your feedback and interest and joy light up my page. You guys are the best and have a special place in my heart :)

Cheers,

brainrot

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

I have seen a post comparing Steven's adoption of Henry II in the anarchy with what the Velaryons did with the Strong boys wanting to justify that their claim is legitimate, but in my humble opinion it is not comparable at all. This situation could be extrapolated to Aegon II having adopted his nephew Aegon (that was the LEGITIMATE son of his political rival) having himself a living son, in addition everyone would know that he is not his son and well in this case it would not be applicable but the adopted heir retains his family name...This is not what happens with the Strong boys, It has nothing to do with the modern concept of adoption that they want to apply. I don't understand why it's so hard for them to accept that these guys had no real claim to the throne. They can continue enjoying their characters accepting that they are bastards in every sense of the word. Do you think they are comparable situations?

I haven't seen this argument myself but clearly those are two completely different situations. Stephen didn't adopt Henry II, he made him his heir as a compromise to end to the civil war. And yes, the clear parallel would Aegon II naming Aegon III his heir over Jaehaerys and Maelor, had they survived. Again, this was part of a peace treaty. Everyone knew who Henry II's parents were, and there was no question of his not being trueborn. Henry II was still Count of Anjou, the title he inherited through his father, and styled himself Henry FitzEmpress in honor of his mother.

To understand why this happened, we need to look at some context. Henry II was only 20 when he decided to re-take his mother's throne, and Stephen was past 60. At that point England had been at war off and on for the better part of 15 years and both the clergy and the lords were unenthusiastic about continuing and forced Henry and Stephen to the peace table after Henry made some early gains in his campaign. Stephen respected Henry, and Stephen's own sons were kind of uninspiring as future kings go. Eustace, the older son and main obstacle, died before Stephen did, and the younger son, William, agreed to renounce his claim. Stephen never really took the throne due to strong personal ambition in the first place, but because he was persuaded by people close to him that Matilda would be a poor choice for queen, both due to her being a woman and due to the influence of her husband, Geoffrey of Anjou, who was pretty well hated in England. Leaving the throne to his children did not seem to be a major consideration for him when all was said and done. Conceding heirship to Henry II meant that the fighting could come to an end, and the country would be in capable hands, but Stephen himself would not face the humiliation and possible consequences of being outright deposed. As it turned out, Stephen died not even a year later, so Henry II took the throne sooner than expected.

Rhaenyra's Strong children are bastards that she's trying to put into the line of succession while claiming they are trueborn. They were not "adopted" by the Velaryons. The medieval world did not have a concept of adoption like we do in the modern world (Rome did, but not medieval Europe). The reason why it is treason to call them bastards is because what Rhaenyra is doing is illegal, and Viserys, Corlys, and Laenor are shielding her from the consequences. I wrote a post here about the whole idea that Rhaenyra's children are not legally bastards, but I have to admit comparing them to Henry II becoming heir after Stephen is a new one!

[lemonpais]

read this one article where it basically says Venom is a reflection of Eddie and how his intentions to do good, no matter how he goes about it, is capable to screwing other people over.

they’re actually pretty similar, and not just them both being losers. Venom is obviously not a squeaky clean guy, and if it wasn’t for Eddie then he would gladly still be with his kind, taking over Earth as we speak. (it’s beautiful that this random human was able to make him see the beauty of Earth in just a few days and was able to switch him over)

Eddie completely fumbled Anne and screwed her over, despite his intentions to expose a secretly corrupt Carlton, and managed to get her fired as a reporter, not realizing until she left that no matter the intent, (or the fact that he ended up being right) , he managed to screw someone he loved, and he didn’t stop to think of the consequences.

Venom (mostly just wanting to eat brains but I digress) also managed to screw Eddie by letting his anger (and protectiveness of Eddie, you little homo—) stop him from thinking of the consequences, despite Eddie constantly trying to get him to understand the necessity of not being seen and being careful, and completely fucked his interview with Cletus and created Carnage in the process.

( Also, pointing out him inconveniencing Eddie by making holes in his roof AND leaving his apartment trashed. )

( Now, there is the argument that “Eddie made a promise that Venom could eat bad guys.”, which is valid by the way. But you also need to take into consideration where Eddie is coming from and the position him and Venom are now. Being the main lead of suspicion and always being at the scene of the crime, they don’t have a choice BUT to lay low and Venom needs to compromise. )

Yes, what Eddie said to Venom was hurtful but I could understand his frustration and that he just wants Ven to chill the fuck out. (not to mention he’s still adjusting to being with Venom daily and also readjust from what happened with Carlton and Riot. Trying to be the next Batman is the least of what he should be worrying about ❗️❗️)

Basically all I’m trying to say is they’re both pretty impulsive when it comes to the things they care about, although the actions can have terrible consequences later on, a little bit of my thoughts of who’s actually to blame for the argument in the second movie, and just talk about another aspect of these two.

— 🍋 ✨

[vigilskeep]

oh, anders sounds pretty angry when saying the irving line. it's one of those few that sounds esp kind of sincerely hurt, i suppose, you know, the same way he gets riled up in some of his dialogue where he drops the jokey demeanor fpr a moment. which is interesting in general considering how irving described to treat him in thedas info book, like asking the templars to go easier on the boy but then regretting going soft him. and all anders has to say in return is that he hated him, and means it

i think it makes sense to me that anders would genuinely hate irving and it also makes me want to eat drywall so here’s some thoughts on that

being a first enchanter is probably the most privileged position in a circle and it’s also the worst job you could ever have. you’re leader and advocate of the mages. to the templars, you’re the voice of opposition and discord. to the mages, you’re the guy who works closest to the templars, deciding to make compromises, agreeing to make certain mages tranquil, overseeing harrowings, and placating the rebellious. and if you don’t balance this, all those people under your care are going to die

in many ways, irving and greagoir are the intended ideal of a first enchanter and knight-commander. world of thedas vol2 says: “it is a surprise to many that irving often credits knight-commander greagoir for his success as first enchanter. [...] though their friendship was never entirely without conflict, mutual respect and understanding resulted in a working partnership rarely seen in the circle leadership.” (i consider the first part a veiled joke at greagoir’s expense but that’s my very specific irving characterisation lmao.) in the mage origin, irving and greagoir are constantly arguing, but the very fact that irving can do that on the regular while visibly appearing on a fairly even footing is a mark of the respect he holds. it’s a rlly different energy to, say, meredith and orsino’s arguments. likewise, greagoir’s trust in irving during broken circle is phenomenal: he straight up will not annul his demon-infested circle if his first enchanter says it’s alright.

so the trust irving holds with the templars saves the circle. it also makes kinloch hold one of the most lenient circles in southern thedas—yes, it’s still a circle, it’s horrible, but the freedoms that some of the senior enchanters have are insane. you do not win that kind of trust from the templars without concessions. you do not win it, for example, without being the kind of first enchanter who does things like lure apprentices into blood magic and then hand over anyone willing to try it to the templars. it doesn’t surprise me that every part of irving’s behaviour reads as treachery to anders, the guy who said, “i will not stand by and watch while you treat all mages as criminals while those who would lead us bow to their templar jailers!” (emphasis mine, directed at orsino during the last straw.) it’s not in anders’ nature to be particularly charitable to those who collaborate with the circle. the trust irving holds with greagoir puts them visibly on the same team

irving cared about anders. he “took pity on the tearful boy”, he was “endeared” by his friendliness and charm, he “looked upon anders with sympathy”. he told the templars to be kinder to him, and he even made efforts to arrange time outdoors for him and the other apprentices. he worries about anders after karl is taken to the gallows, telling him that even a first enchanter might no longer be able to protect him if he tries anything, implying he has been protecting him all this time, and overall it’s heavily heavily implied that if it hadn’t been for irving’s influence anders would be tranquil or dead. so where’s “i hated that bastard” coming from? because from anders’ perspective, i think even all this still reads like cowardice and treachery. when you’re twelve years old and crying and missing home and you get dragged to someone’s office after your escape attempt, it looks like they have all the power, and all irving ever did with it was cave to the templars to get his meagre little liberties and tell everyone there was no other way. i also don’t doubt that anders deeply resents the idea that he should have to be grateful to anyone for the above. grateful for the privilege of his life? for being allowed not to have his very emotions stolen from him? for a supervised day under the sun if he’s well-behaved? perhaps next he can write them all thank you letters for his hands, since they didn’t cut them off. maybe after that he can pay the rent he owes for the cell he was in solitary confinement in

to anders, i think even everything good irving managed to do for the mages under his care, they’re all placating measures, designed to keep them just comfortable enough in their cages not to break the bars. that’s not necessarily a kindness to the mages, not in the eyes of the guy who came to the conclusion that there can be no compromise, there can be no peace. i don’t think those thoughts are as ummm coherent during awakening—you’re getting them in the simplistic rebellious form of “i hated that bastard” for a reason, it reads like a leftover from a teenage grudge against a teacher (which it also is!), and oversll i think it’s more personal and complicated than all this political reading because irving was so much a part of his life—but they’re there. as a last point on real hatred from anders, i think it’s worth saying that irving was probably aware of and somewhat complicit in things like karl being transferred and anders’ solitary confinement, not to mention presiding over their harrowings and being involved in the making tranquil of surely many people that anders knew. like those are compromises irving made and was probably present for, regardless of whether you think he had any real choices

this is so long but i love thinking abt both characters so much. i’ll leave it there. as usual just thinking out loud, open to discussion etc

[stellaluna33]

What do you make of that car scene where Rory is ranting about Jess and how she "doesn't like the things she does" with him? I was always confused by it because what things? Going to a party and making out on a stranger's bed? Going to a concert without telling your mom? Because those things are very tame compared to what she later did with Dean and Logan, yet we don't get such a scene with them even though it would have been so much more fitting. Jess antis point out this scene to show how the relationship was toxic but I don't see it, it just seems like the show is telling us one thing but showing something completely different. Yet on my new Rory poll, so many people reblogged and commented that they started disliking her when she fell for Logan and saying that was the moment her character went downhill! Not Jess. Do you think the writers originally planned for Jess to be the big mistake Rory makes, but then decided to add Logan as an afterthought in her college years because they didn't know what other storylines to give her? But even so, Jess and Rory didn't get nearly enough scenes exploring their relationship before Rory suddenly crying that she doesn't like who she became around Jess, and we don't see her acting out of character around him ever, so it all just falls flat.

Yeah, I don't know, honestly. My best guess has always been that she was expressing frustration with the way she tended to be too timid to confront Jess about the things that bothered her, which actually IS something that was a frustrating change from their PRE-dating relationship to their DATING relationship. Rory used to feel comfortable telling Jess when she was unhappy with what he was doing (and he tended to respond well, even! That's part of how they grew closer!). But, for some reason, when they started dating, she started feeling afraid to bring things up. She left him that impulsive, angry answering machine message, yes... But then when he showed up, she chickened out and asked him to delete it without listening to it (who knows if he actually did, haha!) and I think THAT'S what she hated herself for (not going to the concert)- that she felt afraid to rock the boat. And then after the disastrous party, there's that whole sequence where she wants to approach the diner to talk to Jess, but then chickens out (and Jess does the same). For whatever reason, she was afraid to tell him how she felt, and he wouldn't tell her how HE was feeling either!

That's something that actually really frustrates ME about their dating relationship too, so it's interesting to think about the possibility that Rory was ALSO aware that she was doing that, and was frustrated by it, but maybe couldn't understand why she was acting that way. I don't necessarily think that means that it was Jess's FAULT either, but it was something that was broken in their relationship.

I don't know if the writers intended to make any comparisons to OTHER relationships there, either? It might have just been about them. Milo was leaving, so Jess had to leave, so the relationship had to be sunk, I don't know. But it is interesting that Rory does ALSO compromise herself for the other guys- and in larger and more catastrophic ways- and yet she didn't seem to see it that way with them (maybe her rueful "despite all the bad he's done, I'm in love with him" is a similar sentiment?). I really don't know. Maybe the other guys were just more likely to talk her round to a particular point of view, which made it easier for her to rationalize it with "It made sense at the time" afterwards. Kind of ironic.

[dozing-marshmallow]

Hello omg i LOVED your yandere fics so much! Is it alright to request for more yandere Chris content? Not really sure abt on what but probably with a reader whos a part of the show/after the money?? Or anything you would like or see fitting really!

HI THERE!! Thank you so much, and of course it’s alright! I appreciate that you love my (yandere) posts! 😊💗 I hope it’s no different with this one!

YANDERE!CHRIS MCLEAN HEADCANONS (PART 2)

“(Y/N)... You...really mean a lot to me, you know that, don’t you, (Y/N)?” his mad eyes thumping pink, over you.

You sigh,“I do, Chris...I do.”

Another beautiful day. One more to spend alone with him again.

Earlier on, he stripped you of all your possessions, your clothes, your phone, your dignity.

Yep.

Going behind your vulnerability, sitting on his bed, your back on his chest, his arms around your stomach, he kisses your neck.

His hair could scratch you for hours. His hands that trapped you could move up and down for days. You want out.

You want out.

You hate yourself for being born. Was this what you were made for? For this sadistic reality show host to leave as many hickeys as he wanted on the skin you worked hard to keep healthy?

Healthy... The grass is stepped on everyday, yet can still stand high.

That’s why you’re not permanently confined to the suffocating indoors. You were given chances to go outside on the beach and take a breath of anything else other than Chris. He never needed to worry- he lived on a literal island with surveillance cameras situated everywhere.

He never needed to worry.

Chris’d only give you suitable clothes if he had arranged a place to go with you, a date, a trip.

Just when you were feeling you had a belonging again, Chris would take the outfit off you the second you got back to his home, locking himself up in the bathroom and staying in there for a while.

He’d grunt your name and sigh really loudly.

The only thing more you wanted to add was that when he did come out, he’d be clutching the garments, face all red and drool from more places than one.

Yuck.

On special days, he put a collar on you. A shock collar.

No particular reason.

Just to zap life into you.

And laugh.

Of course, he still had his job to attend to after forcing you out of yours so he would keep something of you to compromise the work separation.

Not a photo. Anyone could get a photo of you.

That’s why Chris prefers paintings to hang, and small statues to greet. 

Now that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Not one museum, one art gallery, one household.

Speaking of household...

With the phone he confiscated from you, he’d occasionally have it on his person to play any voicemails they left you, sneering, chuckling at your attempt to hold onto the cliff.

“Come back, (Y/N).”

“We’re all waiting for you.”

“Where are you, my baby?”

Understandably, you let go. You wished you didn’t, not in front of a monster like Chris who only chortled at you.

You want to go home.

“If they wanted you to come back, they would.” he slides down next to you. You never knew if he purposely fed off your pain, or if he was that socially deaf,“All they can do is play helpless and hope for a miracle. Because that’s what they want to do.“ he affirms, taking your crumpled, wet face into his hand, the other strokes the side,“See how no one really cares about you, asides from me? I’m the only one that can see how much gold you are. You may be all to me, but I’m guessing your family is all to you, even if they’re worthless. All of them. See how kind I am, (Y/N)? I’m not a monster after all! A real monster would never have let you hear their voices again. Don’t you just love a family guy?”

You wanted to reject everything he said. Reject that hand, his remarks, the love.

But you’re too tired.

It was gonna end the same anyway.

You’re forced to use the same toothbrush as him.

Not even a warm bath bubbled a smile.

In soap waters, he’d still hold you in his slippery arms as his head goes back on the edge of the tub.

You’ve seen his body over and over.

He’s seen yours over and over.

Purple and purple.

Less than human.

A party hat strings around your jaw.

Chris blows the party horn and cuts the cake.

You also share a plate.

...And a mouth.

A celebration? Ah, right. 

Commemorating the year that dripped since he took your happiness.

For his.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

I'm actually really surprised that the supergirl writers didn't steal from a Charmed episode and have an episode where there was someone killing people in their dreams. Or maybe instead of killing people, he somehow traps their minds in their own nightmares and uses their bodies to do bad things.

Of course Nia would be the only one who could stop the bad guy, obvs, but I also had an intense desire to set this idea in the Sister, Sister verse, so maybe when the guy sets his sights on the superfriends, they're just like, okay we won't sleep then.

And everyone thinks Lena is most equipped to deal with the lack of sleep, so they don't really worry about her, until one evening Nia goes to Lena's apartment passed out on the floor, having hit her head on the way down.

They bring Lena back to the Tower medbay, but because she's fallen asleep, Lena's now compromised, so they have to restrain her. Except when she wakes up she seems totally herself, if a little panicked to be strapped down. Most people who are targeted by the bad guy are zombies from the moment they wake up, so Lena is so normal that they're kind of taken aback, and ultimately determine that maybe her magic protected her, question mark?

So they release her, and Lena gets back to work. Until Nia makes a discovery on a potential strategy and turns to find Lena behind her with a knife.

They fight, and once Lena is subdued, Nia dives into her friend's nightmare that she's trapped in, where Lex has her strapped to an operating table and is ready to pick her apart like a specimen. Nia is horrified, but understands that it's a manifestation of Lena's old fears, and tries to get through to her. Because maybe it'll be like the Black Mercy-- if Lena can reject the nightmare, maybe it will end.

It takes some effort. At first Lena can't even see her, and Lena's raw and palpable fear makes Nia's heart pound in her chest like the fear is her own. But little by little she gets through to Lena, and when Lena believes Nia, the straps release her and Nia can help Lena slide off the table. But they're still in a lab, with no visible doors.

How do they get out?

Then they hear Lex start clapping, and as they watch Lex's face melts away to reveal their true villain. Lena grips Nia's hand tight, and Nia can taste her friend's renewed fear. Lena can feel how her mind has been violated, her body made not her own. But Nia can also feel that old Luthor fight in her.

The bad guy monologues about how he couldn't tip his hand with Lena too early, before he fully had his claws in her, not when Lena had such power at her disposal. With Lena, he gloats, he could do anything he wanted.

"I don't think so," Nia says, lashing out with a bolt of dream energy. But the guy deflects with a magical field.

Nia looks to Lena. "Was that his power of yours?"

Lena swallows thickly. "Mine. I-- I'm sorry, I can't--"

"It's okay," Nia promises. "I got this."

And she does. But as she fights the villain, it becomes apparent that the magic he siphons from Lena is finite-- Lena visibly weakens as the fight progresses, and Nia falters.

"The more we fight," he taunts, "the more I drain from her. Kill me, and she goes with me."

But before Nia has the chance to face an impossible decision to choose one or the many, Lena grabs a scalpel from one of the trays amd slits his throat.

"Fuck you," she grunts, before she staggers.

Nia catches her, tearfully asking why she did that.

"Spite, mostly," Lena rasps, prompting a tearful laugh from Nia. She squeezes Nia's hand. "And because I couldn't bear it if he used my power to hurt you."

"Lena..."

"I'm sorry I blamed you for keeping Kara's secret. It should never have been your burden to carry..."

"Lena, stop--"

By now Lena is visibly fading, her life force bleeding away as Nia cradles her close.

"Thank you, Nia," she whispers. "For-- for everything."

It's the last thing she says as her eyes flutter shut. In growing panic, Nia shakes her head in defiance. "No," she declares. "Not like this."

She reaches out to where the villain is similarly starting to dissipate, and uses her dream energy to corral the sense of Lena that's bleeding from him. She gathers all she can, then compresses it into a ball of glowing light, an energy that's warm, and gentle, and familiar.

Using her power, she returns the energy to Lena, directing it to settle squarely in Lena's fading chest. It takes a moment, but then the orb of energy pulses, and the light spreads through Lena, bringing her back to opacity.

Lena's eyes open once more, her chest rising with a deep, full breath. Nia gasps in relief, and hugs Lena to her chest.

"Don't you ever do that again."

When they return to the waking world, everything seems to return to normal. Except for one thing that doesn't make the trip back with them.

Lena no longer has her magic.

[jezebelgoldstone]

i managed to hold out for like a whole day and a half but i am officially like halfway through the magnus protocol

and

okay so i KNEW that johnny sims and alexander j newal voiced people in this series but like. when """"g. g."""" (no it's not gigi are you kidding) and fucking jerry showed up i literally oh my gods. i didn't start crying but if i were the sort to cry that would've done it. really seriously truly. oh my gods. oh my GODS. i cannot. i am emotionally compromised.

also. as a sidenote. i've seen so many posts speculating about whether or not norris and.... gha i forget the other one's name. i keep wanting to call him chuck. CHESTER that's it fucking chester. anyway! i keep seeing all these joke posts about being trapped with the love of your life and the worst boss it's possible to have in a window's 95 computer, and speculation about whether this is on purpose or if it's just johnny sims doing his usual thing and being slightly claustrophobic when it comes to things like characters and his actual friends, but like, guys.

guys.

come on.

if i hadn't read a thing on magnus protocol before i started listening there would be absolutely no question in my mind that it's jon and martin and probably jonah. (not elias, mind, which is why his voice is different. JONAH.) it's so... anything i write about it is going to make it sound like i'm pushing too hard which is going to make it seem less likely, but. i literally don't understand how in the show this is supposed to be taken any other way.

like okay listen. a little while ago i started writing this fanfic where the love interest is in disguise, right? but like, not in disguise from the READER. i always try to have the main pairing on screen together in the very first scene of any fic; by the end of the first chapter at the absolute latest, and in this one the identity reveal isn't going to be until like at least halfway through the story. but i wanted people to keep reading, and i didn't want people to worry that i was going to end up pairing the mc with an oc, so i did nothing to hide the love interest's identity from the reader. like, EVERYTHING about him is exactly like in the movie. his looks, his speech patterns, his mannerisms. when the mc asks for his name (after they've been talking for a long while already) the love interest is clearly lying and gives a fake name. i tagged the fic with hidden identity and identity reveal and all this kind of thing. it was. it was not hidden at all. and yet! there are still a few comments where people are speculating about whether or not the love interest is actually the love interest. i mean it makes sense; it is possible that i could've fucked up writing so bad that i may have accidentally made it seem like this rando oc was the love interest when he isn't, so if that was the case no one wanted to either make me feel bad or look silly when the actual love interest showed up. so like i get it? but also. i was 100% NOT expecting there to be any question AT ALL regarding the identity of the love interest.

and i gotta say. i feel like if johnny sims has read any of the posts speculating about chester and norris's identity, he probably feels exactly the same way.

also it's not windows 95! it's the business-focused precursor to window's 95, and that's worse.