#your years of experience do not make up for your lack of involvement sorry not sorry deal with it

[corgielicious]

Man I really don’t give a fuck what you really meant by it, if I’m asking a genuinely good question or trying to get an understanding of something, you keep making assumptions about my question and I clarify “no I meant what I said, here’s additional supporting info that what you extrapolated is wrong”, and you LAUGH bemused in my face??? I am going berserk

[hor3nee]

• Fatherhood •

What kind of dads are the JJK men ?

CW/TW: GN! Reader, Mentions of crappy parenting, BREIF mention of pregnancy in Geto's, (Lmk if I should add anything else!)

Characters: Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Sukuna, Toji x Reader

AN: Almost cried writing this the baby fever is going HARD rn dude. Headcanons !

• Gojo •

Menace of a father, but in the good way! Gojo spends his years raising his kids as if he's their best friend, truly and genuinely treats his kids as equals and in a sweet way, allows his children to have complete trust in him. Because Gojo is quite childish himself, he loves playing with his kids, making a fool of himself, and indulging with them.

Has a bit of a bad side to this though, his lack of traditional discipline or making himself the 'adult' in the situation leads the kids to both be very spoiled and not really ever listen to him.

"Sweetheart, darling, my perfect angel, can you please go to bed?? pretty please! Help your old man here, please??"

"Nuh uh!" And with that bout of defiance, he's back to running up to you, like HE'S the child, begging for your help. Because it seems you're the only one who can get the kids in line, and you do.

Plays pranks and teases the hell out of his kids as they get older, always in a loving way of course, but nonetheless loves getting them flustered over his stupidity. Type of dad to do dumbass dances in the middle of a Walmart to embarrass his kids.

• Geto •

Geto is optimum of what it means to be a gentle parent. Cannot, for the life of him, bring it in himself to yell at his kids. He's so soft-spoken, never so much as raising his voice against his children. Geto has children who respond to his voice alone, because it's so lulling, he's familiarized them with it and made them feel safe with it.

Doesn't mean he can't discipline them, of course he can, and he does so extremely gracefully. Whenever you're on your last straw with the kids, fighting the urge to start scolding them and yell, he steps in, smoothly taking over and the kids instantly listen to him.

"We're your parents, honey, c'mon that's not very nice to say, is it? They carried you for 9 months you know. Say sorry." Like magic the kids shut up and come over to you apologizing while Geto stands back, calmly having fixed the situation with ease.

With everything Geto does, has done, experienced etc, he can sometimes feel conflicted. Geto knows what he is capable of, and what he has done, he's extremely self-aware even if he justifies it, and he can struggle to balance the weight of all of it while also remaining a dutiful father.

Despite it, he does wonders keeping it separate from what his children have to see or experience, teaches them respect and kindness and hopes they hold true to it.

• Nanami •

Not a single man on this list fathers as hard as Nanami fathers. He's built for it like no other. Nanami treats fatherhood with his all, he puts his all into it and makes damn certain he does right by it. Stern when necessary, sweet when needed, provides for his kids and refuses to miss any important milestone of theirs.

Nanami is a calm man but the second work starts piling potentially making him miss his kids school play or something he's arguing with his supervisors and ready to throw hands.

He keeps the drawings his kids make on his desk, alongside a photo of you and your kids. Literally just stares at it while working smiling, unable to wait till he's home with the kids. They are his pride and joy genuinely.

No matter how over-worked Nanami may be though, when he comes home you are basically on vacation. Insists you rest and he takes over literally everything involving the kids.

"Darling, darling no, I got this covered. You take rest. You know I love spending time with my kids." He says with an earnest smile, both kids in his beefy arms just dangling around and playing with their father. He's definitely exhausted from work, but that never stops him.

• Sukuna •

The King of the Curses, as cruel and terrifying as he is, taking pleasure in all sorts of sickness and treating love as pointless, legitimately likes his kid.

He doesn't care about fatherhood, or the responsibilities that being a parent entails, but it's nice having a mini version of himself around. That he likes. An extension of himself and you, it's nice to have around he doesn't mind it. He may act aloof about it, not outwardly showing affection like hugs or kisses, but he clearly enjoys it.

He gets a massive ego trip when his kids cause chaos and disturbances. Points at them laughing with his belly "See that? That's mine."

Sukuna never minces his words though, and his kids have to get used to his bluntness. Again, he doesn't care for the concept of 'parenting', and will in their face call the kid some extreme insults and weak and they have to learn to take it.

On the flip side, Sukuna also never minces his praise, and Sukuna has an abundance to give his kids. Every accomplishment or show of strength that they show he'll let them know he's proud. A good ol' fashioned fatherly slap to their shoulder while he praises them.

He treasures his children, and even if he doesn't put much effort into parenting them, you taking over most of it, he's definitely a present figure in their lives.

• Toji •

Went to get milk, hasn't been seen since.

[meanbossart]

Pin!

Hi, I'm RJ (Male, 27 years old) I'm a -usually- horror oriented artist and collaborator alongside my partner and better-half @barbatusart, though I'm currently on a Baldur's Gate 3/DnD streak with both my art and writing, specifically centered around the Dark Urge I created for my campaign and his antics, so that's most of what you will find here!

I want to leave a warning right here that I occasionally venture into delicate topics in regards to character lore and history - though none of it strays too far from what the game already delves into and I try to give a heads-up ahead of time whenever I feel like something might catch someone off-guard otherwise.

PATREON WHERE I POST WIPS, SKETCHES, UNRELEASED ART, ALL OF MY NSFW CONTENT, ETC : patreon.com/meanbossart/

BLUESKY WHERE I PUT UP FULL VERSIONS OF *SOME* OF THE NSFW THAT I CAN'T POST HERE: bsky.app/profile/meanbossart.bsky.social

TWITCH WHERE I STREAM SOMETIMES: twitch.tv/meanboss14

PSA: I get a lot of asks and I'm slow to go through them, please don't take it personally :U

Anyway, here's the guy of the hour:

🚨FAQ BELOW🚨

Q: Does your Durge have a name? A: Nope! I named him "drow" when I played the game because I didn't feel like thinking up anything special. His lack of a name has become part of the character's lore and you will find him to always be tagged with "DU drow", or referred to as The Drow or just Drow.

Q: Where can I read your BG3 fan-fiction? And what is it about? A: Right here! The main plot follows DU Drow, Astarion, and Shadowheart on a new adventure that fractures into a couple of different directions, but mainly focuses on the aftermath of the spawn that Astarion has released and the personal development of the main cast, alongside a number of original characters that get involved in the narrative. My goal was to create a kind of "DLC" experience, so you can expect a lot of themes that parallel the main game.

Q: Can I draw one of your characters, a scene from your story, or any of your characters interacting with mine/other characters? And can it be NSFW in nature? A: YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN, AND I'LL BE DELIGHTED TO SEE IT IF YOU CARE TO SHARE. I'm equally fine with NSFW as long as everyone involved (in the art and otherwise) is an adult.

Q: What drawing software/tablet/brushes do you use? A: I draw on a Wacom Cintiq 22, using Clip Studio Pro. I switch around brushes quite often but most of what I use comes from the DAUB super-bundle by Paolo Limoncelli.

Q: Where can I find more of your work? A: You can find mine and my partner's comics here, but please bear in mind that most of it is highly violent stuff and you should read the content warnings on the store page carefully before making any purchases - if in doubt of whether or not any of it could be detrimental to your mental health, DON'T BUY IT. Stay safe!

Q: Do you take commissions? A: I am not currently taking any new commission inquiries, sorry!

[storm-angel989]

Sorry if I've been the one filling up your inbox and it's annoying and my requests don't make sense but could you do a Valentino's daughter where shes m0lested by her teacher sorry if it's to dark or anything but I would really love to see this in your style love your work and style thank you (and reader is like 17-18)

Hi there,

This is a very real and intense traumatic experience that so many people have been through. I don’t write explicit scenes involving minor characters, and with my lack of personal experience within this topic, writing anything as such isn’t something I’m confident or comfortable doing. That being said, I didn’t want to not honor your request, so I tweaked it slightly to make it Valentino’s reaction to his daughter’s horrific ordeal. I hope that my writing justifies the trauma that reader has gone through and perhaps helps someone, somewhere find healing. 

<3 Mandy 

Valentino couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about the way his daughter had been acting lately just felt off. 

“She’s just growing up, Val,” Velvette reassured him over coffee one morning. “She’s a senior in high school. Probably worried about college. Didn’t you say she was thinking about going up to Ozzie’s territory? Or Mammon’s? That’s a pretty big jump from here.” 

“Not to mention quite a long way from her family,” Vox added. “Add in the stress of senior year? No wonder she seems a little bit more tired than usual.”

Still, despite their reassurances, Valentino couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. It didn’t take him long to decide that he would get to the bottom of this, one way or another. A conversation definitely seemed warranted- light prodding, just to assure her someone was here if she needed to vent. Make sure she knew she was loved, and had support around her. 

And to start, he decided, he would pick her up from practice himself that night. 

Signing into the highschool wasn’t technically necessary- after all, he and the other V’s owned the building in which he stood. But he wouldn’t brush aside the safety protocols. After all, they were in place for a reason. He made his way down the hallway towards the gym, pausing when he watched a plethora of laughing girls emerge from the locker room. He recognized several of them as her teammates. 

“Excuse me, ladies. Have you seen my daughter, ehm, reader?” He asked.

He wasn’t expecting the uncomfortable silence that greeted him. Several of them looked away. An odd feeling settled in his gut and his eyes met the eyes of the girl he knew reader considered her best friend. 

“Readers Best Friend, where is she?” He asked softly. 

“Mr. Cavallero’s room,” she muttered. “ It’s her turn. You might not want to….”

Valentino didn’t wait for her to finish. One of the perks of owning the school- he knew each room, each teacher and the layout of the building like the back of his hand. As Valentino silently rushed his way towards the classroom, that bad feeling in his gut solidified. 

Half dressed. Eyes glazed over. Apologies. Daddy, I’m sorry. His jacket, wrapped around her bare shoulders. The scene blurred together as Valentino’s anger took over. He grabbed the so called teacher by his neck and slammed him against the wall. 

“Baby. Go call Uncle Vox and tell him to come pick you up. Right now.” 

To him, his voice sounded calm. But as soon as his daughter left, he unleashed the fury reserved only for the worst offenders. By the time Vox arrived, there was nothing left- no trace that such a teacher had ever been in existence. Slowly, he took a drag from his cigarette and stared at the disheveled desk before shifting through the papers. 

Minors. The son of a bitch was going after girls he had no business touching. Valentino’s lip curled in disgust. Even he, as the overlord of lust and depravity, ensures that no child would ever cross paths in his studio. No being would participate in his lucrative business until they were of age, able to understand and consent to what he was offering. He could feel his blood boil and suddenly, an eerie calm washed over him. 

“I want every data point on this creature,” Valentino said to the open room. “I want every girl on that team to speak to someone, and I want to ensure that whoever hired him loses their job, and whoever hired that person also loses their job.” He lifted the cigarette to his lips, “and I want every single classroom, corner and crevice in this school and all the others to be equipped with cameras. And a team hired to monitor them.”

“Val, are you…” 

Valentino ignored him as he turned and walked out of the room. “Where is my daughter?” 

“She went home with Velvette, Valentino, what did you do?”

Valentino exhaled a cloud of red smoke as he walked out the front door of the building. “I eliminated a problem, Vox.”

Vox stared at him as understanding washed over him. His fingers flew over his phone and in seconds, there would be no consequences for Valentino’s actions. There would be no court case, no trial, no follow up and dramatic, made for tv rehashing of the trauma these girls had gone through. With the existence of that monster gone, the beings he had hurt would be able to get the help they would need to continue on with their lives. 

Vox  followed him out the door and got into the limo next to him. A quick ride later, and Valentino extinguished his cigarette just before he walked into their flat. 

“Daddy, I’m so sorry,” her words echoed as he made his way down to her bedroom. He felt his anger begin to rise and he took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. 

“Bebita?” he asked softly as he surveyed the room. 

His daughter, curled up and crying as Velvette sat next to her. Velvette looked at him and he made his way across the room. 

“Daddy, I…”

“You have no reason to apologize and I need no explanation,” Valentino replied calmly. “Let me be very clear, mi amore. I am not angry, I am not upset, and I do not blame you. But I do need to know if you’re physically hurt.”

To his relief, she shook her head no. 

“Good. We can talk in your own time, when you’re ready but for now…for now baby, know that I will protect you..” Valentino reached out, an offering of his arms. To his relief, she wrapped her arms around him and he held her in a hug. 

“No one will ever hurt you like that again,” he said softly. “I promise.”

[elite-four-grimsley]

Hi, Mun I've been meaning to asks for advice in how to write Grimsley ? and What are your hcs for him ?

//OOC: HI HI HELLO HI!! I have a LOT of Grimsley thoughts and HCs (I mean A LOT) so buckle up because I have been enabled and I am FULL of ADHD. Seriously, this is extremely long. I’m so sorry.

((General trigger warning for themes of gambling, addiction to gambling, and underage gambling as well as child abuse and child neglect.))

A majority of these hcs are what I stick to when writing my interpretation of Grimsley on this blog, however it can sometimes be hard to include or stick to all of them based on how an RP blog plays out in the long run. 

However, all of these are what I generally subscribe to unless said otherwise.

Childhood and Backstory:

I tend to write Grimsley with a Galarian background, both of his parents coming from Galar and having moved to Unova before he was born. Since we really only have the vague idea of Grimsley being the "son of a distinguished family that fell into ruin", I basically took that concept and ran with it. 

In my canon, Grimsley's father (HC name: Atticus) was born into a wealthy Galarian family (who may or may not have been involved in some Not So Legal things). Whereas Grimsley's mother (HC name: Morticia), who was not as "well off", seeks to potentially marry rich due to her poor upbringing and lack of familial support. 

I haven’t decided on many of the details of how exactly Atticus and Morticia meet, however once they do, they hit it off pretty well and don’t waste much time getting married for both their sakes (Atticus wanting to produce a proper heir and Morticia needing the financial support). Their marriage at first, while perhaps not rooted in romantic love, is generally stable. 

Unfortunately, Grimsley's father eventually falls into bankruptcy only a year or so after getting married. This was likely caused by poor financial decisions coupled with falling into trouble with shady individuals. Of course the family name wouldn’t have the best reputation in Galar as a result of this, so Atticus and a pregnant Morticia make a run for it to Unova for a fresh start. 

Growing up, Grimsley had a rocky relationship with both of his parents. 

His father had grown bitter and greedy in his attempts to salvage the family name and make back his fortune (of course, in ways that were not always legal). His focus would turn to Grimsley, seeking to make his son into an even better businessman than even himself. However, Grimsley was infinitely uninterested in his father’s teachings. He was moreso fixated on battling and Pokemon, specifically Dark type Pokémon. Because of this, Atticus wouldn’t allow Grimsley to consume any media surrounding his topics of interest. This would only be the beginning of the rift between him and his father. It wouldn’t take much time for Grimsley to begin fearing Atticus. 

As Grimsley’s father became more outright abusive, he would begin to use his ace Pokémon, Malamar, as an intimidation tactic to get Grimsley (and Morticia) to do what he wanted. In instances where young Grimsley had come across information that Atticus didn’t want him knowing (regarding illegal activity), he would make his Malamar use its psychic abilities to meddle with his memory. Because of these experiences, present day Grimsley has a slight phobia of Malamar and feels uncomfortable around them. 

Here’s a post that accurately displays Grimsley’s relationship with his father. ((TW for child abuse))

Grimsley’s relationship with his mother was better, considering the circumstances. Morticia was definitely not exempt from Atticus’ control, so she often wasn’t allowed/was too afraid to treat her son how truly she wanted. Even then, she did her best to teach Grimsley skills she thought to be important. The two of them would play strategy games together, like chess, with an emphasis on thinking outside the box when stuck in seemingly “hopeless” situations. Grimsley looks back fondly on how his mother valued those skills and passed them down to him. He also cherishes the moments in which Atticus was absent so he and Morticia could truly bond as a mother and son.

Here’s a post I made that gives an idea of what I think young Grimsley's relationship was like with his mother. ((TW for implied abuse))

Unfortunately, a particularly bad experience with both his parents would be the final straw for Grimsley and at the age of eleven, he would run from home. 

Here's a look into the aftermath of that. ((TW for implied abuse))

From then on begins his "Pokémon Journey" of sorts, meeting young Marshal, Caitlin, Shauntal, and his Pokémon along the way. I don’t have as many details about this as I would like at the moment, however I eventually would like to write a series of fics detailing Grimsley and his Pokémon Journey. 

I do, however, have a post on how I think Marshal and Grimsley met as children.

I also have a few assorted headcanons for "Pre-Elite Four" Grimsley: 

-Grimsley used to have a Galarian (British) accent as a child, but would eventually grow out of it as he grew up away from his parents. 

-Shauntal helped Grimsley dye his hair blue for the first time when he was around fourteen. (Shauntal being more experienced with dyeing hair as she's a few years older.)

-Grimsley's battling style used to be more brute force/aggression focused before becoming an Elite Four member. He would then begin to prioritize strategy. 

-Before he was old enough to legally gamble in Unova (hcing that age to be 18 instead of 21), Grimsley would often sneak into shady, back-alley casinos to partake in gambling. This, of course, is where his gambling addiction would start 

-As Grimsley grew into an older teen, he would develop into quite the "rebel". The others (meaning Marshal, Caitlin, and Shauntal) would take notice of him getting into trouble on a regular basis (sometimes with the law), but he would ignore their concern, only turning a new leaf when attempting to join the Pokémon League. (Post on Grimsley talking about joining said league.) 

-Grimsley originally lied on all his application documents in order to get a chance at joining the Pokémon League. This was because he had a criminal record at that point (likely having just turned 20). After he was chosen to start the process of becoming an Elite Four Member, Alder was made aware of Grimsley's record, however since he was such an impressive trainer, they erased his criminal record. 

Elite Four Era:

Grimsley, Marshal, Shauntal, and Caitlin all became Elite Four members generally at the same time. I don’t want to get into how that may be unrealistic. All of them joining around the same time makes more sense to my brain. 

The four of them swiftly garnered a reputation as some of the strongest Elite Four members to date. 

Of course, with fame, comes a lack of privacy. This would become somewhat of a problem for Grimsley when his gambling habits inevitably piqued the interest of the public eye. News of his addiction took the region by storm, and because of this, Grimsley would develop a habit of making light of his problems (more than he already would). He will often deny anything claiming he has an addiction, calling it a hobby instead. 

Grimsley became a popular topic amongst news articles and gossip tabloids, new rumors about him spreading what seemed to be every week. (A favorite rumor being that he’s actually a vampire.)

As an Elite Four member, Grimsley became less of a rebel, instead adopting a persona that was/is much more charismatic and personable. He aims to come off as someone charming rather than someone who actively seeks trouble. Despite this, he will still find himself in troublesome situations… Not that he does himself many favors as he has a habit of wandering cities and forests during the nights he’s not out gambling. I feel it’s important to note that, at heart, Grimsley is a risk-taker and has an inclination to disregard his own wellbeing. 

Grimsley, despite wanting to come off as the opposite, has a bit of a hard time connecting with people in a genuine way. The other Elite Four members would be his only real friends for a while, and even then, they’re used to his antics in ways not many people are/will ever be able to be. Eventually he will become friendly with more people, but even then, he isn’t particularly close with many of the Unova League members. Along with this, people have a habit of judging Grimsley too quickly before allowing him the room to open up. 

Other than the Team Plasma situations happening during Grimsley’s time as an Elite Four member, there isn’t much else to note here. I feel that his battling style changing/improving, his gambling addiction, his troubles with rumors and tabloids, and his developing relationships (which I will touch on later) are the most significant things to take note when writing Elite Four era Grimsley. 

Alola Era: 

While in his official artwork it is said that only two years have passed since seeing Grimsley in previous games, I feel he’s instead somewhere in his thirties (his Elite Four years taking place throughout his twenties). This gives more room for him to look as physically aged as he does in Pokémon SM/USUM. Though, I do believe Grimsley began greying in his twenties due to stress. 

Because of this specific dialogue: “"Sometimes you have to lay everything on the line in life, and risk it all... When I did that, though, I'm afraid I lost. I took to walking along the shore in my despair.” We’re led to believe that Grimsley’s gambling finally bit him in the ass. However my interpretation of Alolan Grimsley changes depending on what relationships I write for him. 

In an instance where Grimsley does not have a romantic partner pre-Alola, I typically stick with the concept of him gambling away most of his money and ultimately becoming bankrupt. Consumed by despair and in a moment of impulsivity, he resigns from his position as an Elite Four member and runs off to Alola without a single word. 

While in Alola, he finds a new passion in riding his Sharpedo and in Mantine surfing. We know he makes quite a name for himself while surfing under the name “Big G”. I do think it takes a bit for Grimsley to truly want to battle again, but once he does, he’s invited to fight at the Battle Tree, healing his love/passion for battling along the way. 

However, in an instance where Grimsley has an established romantic relationship during his time in Unova, I’m inclined to drift from canon. Rather than going bankrupt due to his gambling addiction, I tend to write that he’s instead retired because of burnout/stress/etc. He then moves with his partner to Alola where he discovers a passion for Mantine surfing, gets through his burnout, and ultimately joins the Battle Tree. I’ll touch more on Grimsley regarding romance in a bit. 

Relationships: 

Hcs and thoughts regarding important relationships that have lasting/significant impacts on Grimsley.

Marshal: 

-Marshal and Grimsley have a very unique rivalry to me. They certainly consider each other to be best friends (likely the first person Grimsley felt such a way about), however their friendship does not get in the way of the two of them butting heads and competing against each other in the way many pokerivals do. 

-Marshal is not as competitive as Grimsley is, but when put together, the two of them fuel the hell out of each other’s competitiveness. They have a running tally on how many times they've won against each other during sparring matches.

-Marshal is Grimsley’s favorite person to play pranks on. Not only because of how gullible he can be, but also because Marshal has the most dramatic/ver the top reactions. 

-(Side hc: Marshal can’t handle scary things/horror very well, so Grimsley will take advantage of this often. Of course, in an ultimately lighthearted way.)

-I do like to include within my own writing that Marshal has/had a crush on Grimsley. Whether or not this is a requited or unrequited crush is up to your own personal preference. I could go either way as a multi-shipper, but in my current canon, Marshal’s crush was unrequited. This, however, did not affect their friendship negatively. They likely became closer because of it.

Shauntal: 

-I very much enjoy the concept of Shauntal being very caring and acting as a bit of an older sister figure to Grimsley. I don’t ever tend to ship them, since Shauntal is a lesbian to me, this is just a personal preference though. 

-Despite being the oldest of the group, Shauntal absolutely loves getting into mischief with Grimsley. The two of them are partners in crime for sure, no one is safe from their antics. 

-Grimsley and Shauntal have a lot of similar interests outside of battling as well. Both of them enjoy horror genres in media, dabble in gothic fashion, like the same music, etc. (I may go as far as to say Shauntal may have been a bit of an inspiration for a younger Grimsley when it came to fashion.)

-Grimsley has read/owns all of Shauntal’s novels. He’s also her prime subject to dump all her ideas onto when planning out a new book. 

Caitlin:

-Caitlin overall isn’t particularly talkative. I hc her to have narcolepsy and autism, which affects her in a multitude of ways. Grimsley, along with Shauntal and Marshal, are all her biggest supporters. They’re extremely comfortable in adapting to Caitlin’s disabilities, it’s completely natural to them at this point. 

-Quality time with Caitlin will often just be allowing her to rest in one’s company, which is exactly what Grimsley allows her to do. He also enjoys hearing about any dreams she’s had as of recent, finding her prophetic abilities to be rather fascinating. 

-Caitlin is freakishly good at all of Grimsley’s favorite card games (unless she falls asleep), which Grimsley is quite the sore loser about. He claims it’s cheating because she can "see the future". She has neither confirmed nor denied this. 

-I also do not tend to ship Caitlin with Grimsley since she’s also a lesbian to me. This is another personal preference, however. 

-(Side hc: Caitlin is transgender mtf in my canon, and the other E4 members have supported her throughout her transition since they were children.)

Iris:

-Before Iris became Champion, Grimsley thought himself to be extremely bad around children. Not only because he views himself as a bad example, but also due to the trauma he has surrounding his own childhood. He doesn’t want to end up like his father and put another child through what he went through. 

-However, Iris almost immediately won his heart with her bubbly and excitable personality. I think this is what started Grimsley’s embracing his “uncle” type role, literally or not.

-Iris absolutely loves spending time with all the Elite Four members. Along with sparring with them, she also enjoys painting their nails, doing their hair (and vice versa), going out exploring looking for dragons, etc. 

-Though Grimsley isn’t as bad of an influence as he originally believed himself to be, he does get into trouble sometimes by teaching Iris gambling card games. 

Piers and Marnie:

-I almost always will subscribe to the idea that Grimsley is Piers’ and Marnie’s uncle. However, it does depend on what I’m writing when I’m deciding on when Grimsley figures out that he’s related to the two of them.

-In some instances I would have it already established like he’d known such information for a while. In other cases, I’ll write it as a big reveal of them figuring it out one way or the other. Either way, I don’t have a set way I’d write it every single time, so that’s up to the writer. 

-Grimsley’s relationship with Piers is pretty relaxed, especially since he’s older and would rather his uncle’s attention be on Marnie. However, this doesn’t mean the two of them don’t get along. They enjoy discussing Dark types and battle strategies together. They’re also both quite sarcastic, and their sarcasm will feed off each other. 

-With Marnie, Grimsley will “coddle” her a bit more. He’s very enthusiastic about her up and coming career as a Gym Leader and loves giving her battling advice. He’s very much inclined to spoil her with whatever she wants, embracing the title of the “fun uncle”. His enthusiasm for her will carry on even in his Alola era. 

Burgh:

-Now Burgh/Grimsley is very much a rarepair, however it is my favorite ship for Grimsley. I’m aware there’s a lot of more popular ships for Grimsley, so if you’d like, you can take this as general advice for writing him in a romantic relationship when applicable. 

-Burgh became Gym Leader around the same time that Grimsley became an Elite Four member, and this is how they would ultimately meet (through the Pokemon League). 

-The two of them would take a mutual interest in each other, finding the other to be intriguing along with being physically attractive. 

-Burgh and Grimsley strike up a friendship due to their passion for battling/Pokémon, advocating for stigmatized Pokémon types (Burgh with Bug types and Grimsley with Dark types), and just how well they bounce off each other and connect. 

-I don’t have one set way in which I write them officially getting together, though I do think it would always be in more of a private setting since Grimsley and Burgh both value privacy when it comes to the emotional aspects of their lives. 

-As the two of them grow closer, they’ll slowly drop their respective facades. Grimsley will allow himself to be more vulnerable and open up about his problems (namely his gambling addiction). His lesser known, softer side, makes itself known the more comfortable he becomes with Burgh. 

-Grimsley loves pet names, but Burgh loves them even more. While Grimsley will often have a set amount of go-to pet names (love, dear, darling), the sky’s the limit for Burgh. Every day it seems as if he comes up with a newer, more absurd pet name for Grimsley. Burgh thinks it’s hilarious, Grimsley thinks it’s extremely endearing. 

-Grimsley is generally very dramatic, moreso in the sense of being sarcastic and sometimes a bit mean-spirited. He’s overly dramatic with how he presents his sarcasm because he finds it personally funny. He’s dramatic in his mannerisms so he comes off as more likeable, attention catching, and charismatic. In contrast, Burgh is more dramatic in an artistic sense. He'll swoon over a piece of art or a bug because he finds it so stunningly beautiful. Though, he definitely does it for show as well, especially with Grimsley. It might look like: "Whateverrrr will I do if my dear Grimsley doesn't give me attention right this second!!!" He doesn't mean it seriously, but he thinks it’s silly and Grimsley finds it adorable. 

-Grimsley has a habit of laying on top of Burgh in a very catlike way. He’s definitely the one to occupy Burgh’s lap or dramatically flop on top of him and go limp. 

-I love the concept of Grimsley being a bit of a hopeless romantic at heart. He craves for that cliche romance when it comes to his relationships. Expect a lot of dates, cooing adoration, and romantic displays of affection. 

-Grimsley is the one to steal Burgh’s clothes. (I hc Burgh to be taller and bigger.)

-I’m a big advocate for Burgh being someone who helps Grimsley begin his recovery as a gambling addict. I think both Burgh’s encouragement, along with Grimsley’s desire to want to improve for Burgh, are things that help with this. Of course, he doesn’t recover overnight. It’s very much a gradual process, but a process nonetheless. This is why I believe Alolan Grimsley would not go bankrupt if he has a romantic partner before SM/USUM. 

-This isn’t to say that Grimsley wouldn’t/couldn’t improve due to platonic relationships. In fact I think he was much better off because to his friendships. However, I very much believe that Grimsley committing to a romantic relationship is a big step in it of itself since he’s very flighty in the first place. This romantic connection and commitment then allows him to open up and begin recovering from his addiction. (This can absolutely be translated into something like a QPR if desired. This is just how I personally write Grimsley.)

((Here are some other Grimsley ships that I would like to shout out: Marshal/Grimsley, Will/Grimsley, Will/Karen/Grimsley, Nanu/Grimsley, Cynthia/Grimsley.))

((I also would like to note there’s several other characters that my current Grimsley muse has interacted with and established friendships with. However, they’re very much specific to this roleplay blog, therefore I did not include them.))

Assorted HCs and Writing Tips: 

-When I write Grimsley, I tend to make him much more theatrical and dramatic than any ingame dialogue portrays him. I love the idea of him being extremely petty, overdramatic, and sarcastic. Essentially I’m attempting to convey the vibes of someone who’s a disaster on the inside and wants to come across as charming/funny/charismatic on the outside. (This behavior mellows out quite a bit once he’s in his Alola era, acting more tired and a tad more genuine.)

-Grimsley is the least responsible out of the Elite Four. He is by no means a bad friend or person, and obviously he’s very clever and smart, though he does have a knack for disappearing without saying anything only to show up hours later. He's mischievous at his core with a love for pulling elaborate (but mostly harmless) pranks on the others (with the help of Shauntal). 

-I’m a firm believer that Grimsley is an awfully sore loser. He doesn’t lose often in battle, but when he does, he’s extremely dramatic (especially in his expressions, see: Alolan Grimsley). I do think that in Alola he’s more outright with his dramatic losses, while in Unova he’s able to behave himself for official battles. 

-Grimsley prefers card games when gambling as opposed to something like a slot machine. He thinks slot machines are too luck-based and don't include enough skill/strategy. He’ll also play tabletop games like roulette. 

-When writing Grimsley’s mannerisms and behaviors, I like to base a lot of them off how cats act. This includes things like walking like a cat (with care and thought… most of the time), him slow blinking when around people he loves (cats do this, look it up), and sprawling out in random spots to nap. I’ve also given him a lot of catlike traits in general, such as his eyes glowing in the dark, the ability to purr, etc. This is entirely optional, but I just think these things fit him.

-I do think Grimsley struggles with insomnia. This leads to a lot of sleepless nights along with a lot of spontaneous naps throughout the day. I also like adding the detail of Grimsley finding it easier to fall asleep when sleeping with a romantic partner (namely Burgh). 

-Grimsley’s hair is completely natural, aside from the blue color, which he regularly dyes up to when he retires. He starts greying early around his temples and sideburns, which I mentioned earlier. 

-He absolutely spoils his Pokemon. His Liepard is the most spoiled (because it wants the most attention in the first place), but all his Pokemon are as spoiled as much as they want to be. 

-I will often subscribe to the hc that Grimsley has an irrational phobia of Bug type Pokemon. Not only do I think this makes his relationship developing with Burgh very interesting, but I love the idea of Burgh helping him get over his fear as well. Since it’s irrational, this means that he doesn’t have any sort of trauma that makes him afraid of the typing. I don’t like making Grimsley hateful toward Bug types or any other types either, as he’s an advocate for stigmatized types already and that’d be extremely hypocritical of him. 

-I like making it so that Grimsley’s personal style is gothic. I also think he’s very particular about being called things like “emo” or “punk” and will correct people on the terminology. He has a habit of dressing very formally, even to events that are casual. To him, a button up and neatly ironed slacks is casual. 

-One of my more personal/projected hcs is the fact that I’ve given my interpretation of Grimsley both ADHD and anxiety. Though I do have some in depth reasons for these decisions as well. People with ADHD have a hard time setting aside time and focusing on topics that they have no interest in, which is why Grimsley was so disinterested in things his father would attempt to teach him. He was very much fixated on competitive battling and Dark type Pokémon. Also, people with ADHD have a predisposition to addictions. This would also correspond with his gambling addiction (and his somewhat of an addiction to risk-taking, especially as a teen). I’ve also given Grimsley a few fidgets that are his go-to’s, such as: flipping his coin, shaking his leg, and shuffling cards. As for the anxiety aspect, I believe he has a lot of anxiety surrounding his self image and how people perceive him. He wants to be perceived a certain way and will often become anxious if he feels like he isn’t. 

-Because we see Grimsley become a talented Mantine surfer, I like adding the detail that he enjoys water-based sports even before he’s gone to Alola. This is why he ends up finding such a passion for surfing. He doesn’t do many sports aside from that. 

-Grimsley is very crow-brained and likes collecting things and giving items to people he likes as a show of affection. He has a playing card and coin collection, however the coin we see with him the most is his favorite/lucky coin. 

-As mentioned before, Grimsley likes the horror genre, though he mostly goes for classic horror. He enjoys the shitty movies that no one would expect him to actually enjoy. He also likes musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Little Shop of Horrors. He’s essentially a theater kid who never did theater.

-I like writing Grimsley with a pretty flirtatious personality. He certainly wouldn’t have much trouble flirting with strangers he’d meet at casinos, however I do think he’s an absolute mess when attempting to talk to someone he knows and has a genuine crush on. Please don’t go to him for romantic advice, he’s an absolute mess.

AND THAT'S ALL FOLKS!! Thank you if you've actually read this far. I know this is way longer than what's probably appropriate, however I am so extremely neurodivergent. Don't mind any typos you might find, I tried my best to catch them all.

Here's my Grimsley playlist as a present <3

[cowboyjen68]

hi jen, i just followed you and this is really random but ive seen some of your posts helping younger people and it really struck a cord and i need to just let the words fall out of me.

ive been having issues with my girlfriend she cheated on me but this situation is very complicated and we're both fucked up people but i know she still loves me and i really love her. but my anxiety and our lack of communication is really bad right now and im so worried she might not love me the same anymore

ontop of this im 18 and for the past id say 5ish years my mental health and family life has been getting worse, getting diagnosis is hard especially with mentally ill and just overall bad parents that somehow dont understand or believe. i know im deppresed and have been i have anxiety, sever paranoia maybe bpd and bipolar and autism and everything is just so much. now the one person i had is something thats making everything hurt more and i just don't know where to go, im trying to get help but its so slow in this country and i feel so lost and tired i barely eat now and when i do its ether rare or unhealthy and everything is so much i want to collapse.

i hope this isn't to much to randomly send anonymously but you just seem really kind and helpful. thank u for your reply if you do

HI and please accept my apologies for the delay on answering this. I am sorry you are going through so much. My kids are adopted from foster care and I had many kids in my home for up to 5 years who eventually went back home. That is to say I have a lot of experience with mental illness, the systems that treat them, trauma and kids who came from unstable home lives.

At the ripe old age of 18 you have plenty of time to find love and contentment but right now might not be the time. I understand there might be odd circumstances that caused your girlfriend to cheat on you. If you feel betrayed and lost trust that is a feeling that is next to impossible to overcome for people with no comorbidities let alone a teen trying to figure herself out and deal with navigating the broken mental health/care system.

It is actually quite normal for young love to change and get redefined into friendship even when the circumstance are the best. Her cheating on you might very well be a sign that your relationship is in flux and not what you thought it was. A romance that has run its course is not a failure, relationships do not have to last forever to be important and real and worth having had.

It might be scary to think of not being with her, of not having your "one" person that you can count on but I do believe you can get farther working on yourself if you put time and energy into you and not dividing it up between you and her.

There is a lot of precedent set for women to set aside their romance and intimacy in order to be just friends while one or both does some work on herself. Sometimes it is necessary to stay involved for emotional support or financial support, that is just the reality of our world. Living single can be very difficult.

Please consider letting go of the relationship in its current form and putting your energy of yourself. Letting go of the stress of trying to repair what you had with her will remove so much pressure from you and from her that you will feel much more ready to tackle your mental state.

I promise. You are not a failure, she is not "the bad guy" in this story. Take all the wonderful things you shared with her keep those with you when you want a reminder that it loving her was worth your time even if it didn't end like you planned.

Seek mental health help but starting small. A therapist can help you begin to talk through things and often she can help you find additional resources like a medical Dr, public subsidies for insurance or free clinics to assist you in getting medication and mental health support. Most counties have a social services office and those employees are a wealth of information.

[unsanctioned-if]

I'm curious about the cast. Can you tell us more about them?

I’m so sorry this answer comes so late. One of the reasons for that is that, while I’ve had a good idea of the main cast and their personalities etc. from the get-go, things do change and shape as I write and I didn’t want to give out a bunch of information that I’d later change haha.

But at this point I feel like I’ve done enough work on them individually to be able to give a proper answer!

I’ll be including the characters that are set as “main cast” in the intro post (Cirern, Muir, Wren, Astra, Azora and Kirin) plus 3 additional characters that might end up being part of the main cast. Or not, I’m not sure yet. All I know is that they will appear, be important to some part of the story and that at least one of them will have a romance route option.

I’ll also include which characters are romanceable 😊

Cirern

Cirern might seem distant, coming and going on his own terms and keeping his interactions with the MC as short as he can. But like anyone, he has certain fondness for things and might end up saying more than he planned to when faced with particular questions or observations.

During his years at court, Cirern was known for being brilliant and polite, with an arrogance that would shine through only among his closest. He was seen either as a leader nor a follower, and luckily lacked the ambition that might otherwise make him an open enemy to Aíos’ crown. But little did those people know that his ambition was merely well hidden.

Those who knew him would describe him as lively with sudden bouts of melancholy, of thriving among people until he’d wordlessly withdraw without explanation. When the MC meets him, little seems to remain of the man he once was described as. But spending 19 years in someone’s presence is bound to draw out sides you might not expect to ever see.

Muir (RO)

When the MC first meets Muir, he is a dreamy child with curious eyes that seem to hold the universe itself. But as Muir settles into his skin those qualities begin to dim, and his strange sense of wonder turns into awkwardness and uncertainty, and eventually hardens him into a stoic and quiet adult.

Muir is simultaneously hardened to the outside world and very new to it. He doesn’t relish the prospect of talking to strangers or getting involved in business that doesn’t have to do with his and the MC’s goal. Your relationship with him is shaped and explored in chapter 1 and continues from chapter 2; it can be close or distant, but there is something inherent in his existence that ties him to you regardless of how either of you view each other.

Wren (RO)

Wren is a student at the Institute of Arcane Arts and is recognized by many of its teachers as one of its most promising minds. They come from a line of respected spellweavers who have become one of the most reputable houses in Aíos even with their shrouded and mysterious history.

Wren themself, while armed with a sharp mind that’s been honed by years of diligent study, lacks the experience of life outside of high, safe walls – both the walls of their family home and those belonging to the Institute. They would rather spend more time thinking than doing and is not always tolerant of people who can’t see things from their point of view. They can also be suave (or at least, attempt to be) and might show a very different (aka flirty) side if they take a liking to someone.

Azora (RO)

A young woman with a fascination for the arcane – moreso because of what it could do for her and her cause than any interest in the arcane itself.

Azora embodies many traits that humans are looked down on for by the elves – impatience and impulsivity, for one. But she is likewise willing to learn and holds strong beliefs that fuel her decisions. Most would call her charming albeit stubborn with a self-sacrificial streak when it comes to the things she believes in (for better or for worse).

She struggles with reconciling what she has been taught with what she comes to learn, what that means for her perceived purpose. Her own mind has made her its enemy, and she often relies on others to a potentially harmful extent when doubt creeps in.

Kirin (RO)

Kirin is quiet as a shadow and moves much like one, too, walking in and out of your life as he pleases. He is devoted to his beliefs and for all intents and purposes, he seems devoted to serve you, as well.

He is practical but also idealistic when it comes to his faith and what he does for that faith. But the nature of his order is vague and difficult to grasp for someone not directly linked to them.

Kirin’s personality is hard to pin down since he seems to hide much of it beneath his purpose, just like how he hides his face behind his mask. He is calm, though; sometimes eerily so, and often finds amusement in situations where people might find such amusement distasteful. (Although there’s much more I could share, I can’t do it without spoilers, sorry!)

Astra (RO)

As a vampire, Astra can be described as having little regard for mortal lives, and it’s not beyond her to manipulate and scheme to nudge things in the direction she wants them to go. Sometimes that means feasting on the blood of the unsuspecting, and sometimes that is extended to a grander vision and goal.

Although she can be cruel, she is also fiercely loyal to those she’s close with and trusts. Beneath her exterior, something darker and more unpredictable simmers, though she rarely allows that side of her to show.

Rhalyf (RO)

Rhalyf is an Ekkeran hunter from the far north. His job is to track down unsanctioned spellweavers and to protect people from forces of magic that would do them harm.

Most view ekkerans as a bitter, cold people, but Rhalyf is quite the opposite. The hardship he has endured has only strengthened his belief in trying to create a kinder world. And to him, that means exterminating cursed magic, including yours.

Eéithn

Pixies like Eéithn is a rare sight in Aíos’ so called civilized parts. A person who encounters a pixie might count themselves lucky to experience something most could only imagine, but such triumph would be short-lived if they’re not careful when dealing with pixies and their love for trickery.

Whether Eéithn is different from his fellow pixies or embodies all the same qualities that the stories warn about is something the MC will have to determine for themselves. He can seem as sweet as he can seem cruel and might cooperate one moment only to switch allegiances the next.

One thing is for certain, though; like most living creatures, he is desperate to survive.

??? (RO?)

A cryn woman with bright eyes that don't seem quite right. (I really can't say more about her right now.)

Thank you so much for the ask!

[blubushie]

I'm going to be completely honest, you are extremely cool. I do have an actual question though: When did you start using tumblr and why? What made you decide to share your story via this account?

Sorry this is a mite late, I typed all this up and then my browser crashed and I had a 5-second breathing exercise so I didn't lose my mind over my lost 5 paragraphs.

I actually had a Tumblr account from 14-17. I first joined because I had the understanding that Tumblr was largely a safe haven for the Other Crowd—people like me that were social outcasts or didn’t fit in anywhere else. I deleted that account when I was 17 because Back In My Day they were too many creeps on Tumblr that were obsessed with the sexualisation and anatomy of an intersex 16 year old boy. I had too many questions about what was under my clothes, I had too many chasers flirting with me and talking about my anatomy in ways no child should ever be spoken to or of about, and I’ve been down that road before and it got to be too much so I shot through (luckily that hasn’t happened since I’ve been here now except for the occasional hate asks).

I came back after meeting Lozza (who I’m aware is active here—please fucking DM me if you’re reading!) who got me into TF2, and I came for the TF2 crowd and to talk about my fic. Funnily enough, this all started because of Learnin’ the BLUs, and how I wanted to reach people with my writing and my take on Sniper from someone who’s been in his shoes long enough to get it.

I stayed because TF2Tumblr largely doesn’t seem to understand much about Sniper. I haven’t seen an instance of anyone really getting him down as a character—hell, I don’t think even I fully get it. I impart a lot of my own experiences onto him, but I’m lucky (or unlucky) enough that I have the ability to do so. I’m a bushman, a functionally extinct species. I’m a sniper. I’m a bounty hunter. I understand Australia and what it would’ve been like for him to grow up there as an Other, I understand the culture—a major problem with people writing Sniper in Australia is that they base him off city roo things when this bloke is from the outback. Australians aren’t a monolith. We’re not the same across towns in the outback, let alone across states and territories. And city life and outback life are two VASTLY different experiences. The outback covers about three-quarters of the Australian continent but only holds 5% of its people.

You’re alone out there.

A lot of people don’t understand, or even know, a bloody thing about sniping. There’s a helluva lotta maths involved. It’s rocket science with a rifle. They don’t understand camping, or what makes a bushman a bushman, or what drives people to be bushman, or that there’s some kinda magic in Australia itself that sings in your blood and pulls at you like a noose when you leave. They don’t think about how he wouldn’t recognise a single star when he looks at the sky in New Mexico, how the moon would be upside-down, how there’s suddenly people everywhere when most of his life he’d be lucky to see a total of five people over the span of a month. That shit affects who you are as a person. They also don’t understand that shy, gentle Sniper wouldn’t be a thing—shyness and gentleness is not something people are looking for in someone who deals with other people through violence. Clients want confidence, determination, they want someone cold but friendly enough that they themselves aren’t afraid to approach them.

He's a professional, and a businessman. I am too.

The fandom has a tendency to tip the scale in one of two directions far too often. It lacks nuance and balance. Me being here, a bushman and sniper and bounty hunter, hopefully provides some much-needed perspective to a fandom that I sometimes feel is lacking it.

Over the year I’ve been here, I’ve sparked friendships and connections and I’m so glad I made the decision to come back. People are reading my fic and liking it, I’ve got mates, and all’s good. My being comfortable in the hole I’ve carved out for myself in the escarpments of our little hellsite has made me feel I can be more open about who I am and what I do. That’s how you ended up with me telling my stories about the things I’ve seen out in the bush, the things I’ve experienced, the people I’ve met over my adventures and the person I’ve grown up to be.

I also came because (if you haven't noticed already) I have a Whole Lotta Thoughts about a Whole Lotta Things. And I stayed because, for what's felt like the first time in my life, people want to listen.

I’m glad I’ve come back, and I plan to stay for much longer this time. :]

Also thank you for calling me cool! It always surprises me when people say that cuz I just see myself as some bloke tbh 😅

[moseslikellamas]

♱𖣂 Redfork Menace ♱𖣂 pt.21

Benjicot Blackwood x Bracken!OC

Summary - Sentencing

Warnings - fem!reader, suspense, adult language, period typical misogyny, condescension, adult language, feelings of shame, feelings of guilt, mentions of alcohol, mentions of choking, manipulation, benjicot brainrot, Kieran Burton fancast.

Word count - 2k

Hi sorry for the delay! Work is still slammed.

Shanda woke with a pounding headache as her handmaiden shook her awake.

“Hurry up my lady, they are all waiting for you.”

It was the third time the woman had shaken her and she groaned as she pulled herself upright. The room around her spun ever so slightly and she felt so terribly nauseous as if she were aboard a ship. She allowed the handmaid to pour her into a gown not bothering to care which it was the woman had picked for her.

“We haven’t the time to bathe you, oh dear.” The woman fussed with her hair and Shanda regained the hiccups.

She waved her off. “It doesn’t matter too much. Just throw it in braids and we’ll be off.”

Her hair was certainly the least of her worries at the present moment. Keeping her feet firmly on the floor was enough of a challenge, she hoped Lord Elmo would make this a quick affair.

Once she was dressed and presentable, Shanda was swiftly led into the great hall by the Tully guard that had been outside her room. She wondered when the guard had shown up and what schedule they were following. It certainly wasn’t a very good one by her own accounts. It was a worrying problem across the riverlands. It shouldn’t be so hard to source non wandering guards.

Inside the great hall she found most of the people in a similar state to herself, grimacing and looking half green. There were a fair few though who appeared haughty though and smirked at the rest of them who had been less successful at handling their spirits. Shanda wished those people would choke on their dinner as she made her way to the Blackwood table. She sat beside Alysanne who seemed better off than most and more put together than the rest of the table combined.

Lord Elmo sat impatiently on his chair at the front of the room, his fingers tapping along the armrest.

“Right, now that we’re all here we can get started.”

He gave Shanda a very pointed look but she did not feel bad at all for being late. In fact she was mostly angry she had to get up at all. Must she be present for this? It didn’t matter if she was here or in bed, the outcome would be the same.

“I’ve allowed you all to say your peace. I’ve heard the arguments from both sides and I’ve got years of experience dealing with this under my belt now. I think we can all agree we’ve explored this as far as it can be.”

No one protested his words, not a single murmur went up when the Lord paused. Shanda was under the impression he could say quite a bit without earning the crowd’s ire tonight. They didn’t have the energy. And a good portion of men was missing from just about every house. The fight had been wildly successful in that everyone had gotten involved. None of the men who had been escorted out for fighting had ever returned and she shuddered to think of what Lord Elmo was doing to them.

“Ultimately this dispute boils down to the same thing it always has, stubbornness, nosiness, and a lack of discipline. Dispute it as much as you like but that’s what it is. You don’t have enough to concern yourselves with so you spy on your neighbors and start something there instead. No matter, we’ve all been victim to this squabbling behavior. But no more.”

Now murmurs did go up and Shanda looked for Martyn across the room. He would not meet her eyes though and it seemed he had not gotten up to any drinking last night. Her eyes then darted to Royce’s, who were bloodshot and droopy. They were a predictable trio, she thought grinning.

“Let’s move to the first order of business. I should think that this will not be a surprise to anyone, Benjicot Blackwood and Shanda Bracken are to be married.”

Shanda nearly rolled her eyes when the Lord looked at her. She could still remember the way his gaze had burned into her blushing face during the questioning.

“Has he mistreated you?”

“Threatening death and holding me prisoner are great offenses.”

“And yet you seem perfectly comfortable holding the man's arm, curious isn’t it?”

Shanda had cursed Benjicot a thousand times for escorting her into the courtroom but it was plain to see they did not despise each other. The look Lord Elmo pinned her with now said the same thing. It was accusing and it begged for her to protest so he could drag the show out. But she was not in the mood for the theatrics and had mentally prepared herself for this outcome already. She would not give the lord the satisfaction of a public fit about it.

Everyone else in the room seemed as equally unmoved by the announcement as she was, not even a whisper echoing at the words. Taking that as a collective agreement from them all, Lord Elmo continued.

“One marriage isn’t enough though is it to fix this mess? No, of course not. We’ve done that before as has been pointed out to us.”

Now she did scoff when his eyes landed back on her, a mischievous twinkle in them.

“Alysanne Blackwood and Martyn Bracken will be married as well.”

Shanda gasped and all over the room more muttering broke out. Alysanne was stiff as a board beside her, and for a moment Shanda knew she had stopped breathing. Lord Elmo called them all back to attention.

“Lady Marcelle Grey and Ser Colmar Mallister. Ser Joth Piper and Lady Bellena Mooten. Ser Harry Fisher and Lady Violet Smallwood. Ser Wendall Wayn and Lady Darla Keath. Ser Rebecken Grey and Lady Elyana Darry.”

In quick succession he rattled off a list of names and Shanda was shocked at how many there were.

“All to be married. The riverlands will stop this division at once. Now we move on to the betrothals.”

The list of names was twice as long this time but the only one she was listening for came last.

“Royce Bracken and Lady Lyla Blanetree.”

The hall was complete and utter chaos at this point with houses screaming at each other and others champing at the bit to start throwing punches. Tully guards crowd in around the tables keeping the men in their seats while Lord Elmo cackles from his spot up on the dais. Shanda watches all of this in a detached and tired manner. It’s too loud and too exhausting to tune in with her full attention, so she watches with a far off fascination. She knew this was only the first bit of whatever horrible plan Elmo had laid out for them, it was a waste of energy to get upset this early. She wanted to hear out the rest of his ideas before judging.

It took a while for Lord Elmo to get a grip on himself and call the room to order but in time he did. In all he had proposed seven marriages including hers and fourteen proposals that were to take effect when the couples were of a marrying age. He had promised, once they were all silent again, to keep ensuring riverland betrothals were of the utmost importance in the years following. Insisting that they had let their own connections die in favor of trying to foster with other parts of the realm.

“But we must all live beside each other and not our northern or southern allies. It’s time we fixed the problem in our neck of the woods before trying to worry about anywhere else.”

Shanda agreed with him there and knew this would be a popular point among the river lords. A lot of lucrative deals would be brokered in the shadow of these marriages and that would only ultimately benefit them all. It paid to reinvest in their own lands even if that meant dealing with your annoying neighbor. She hoped it would be enough this time.

“My next order of business is regarding court. I propose we meet every sixth moon to hash out any recurring grievances that cannot be solved without an outsider perspective. It will also allow us time to spend together like last night. We can organize tourney’s and dances, and all sorts of events. The bottom line is, we will stop fighting each other.”

Shanda adored this idea and listened in hot anticipation as the various lords squabbled over the details. It was decided at last that they reconvene every nine moons as some of the houses further away did not relish the journey so close together. Shanda would’ve given them twice that amount of time if they wanted it. It would be nice to see everyone on a semi-regular basis as opposed to nearly never at all. And under pleasant circumstances instead of fighting or some petty drama.

“And for our last order of business, we shall hold all of the weddings here before any of you depart. I don’t mean to give you the room to undermine me. And silence yourselves!”

Lord Elmo at last let the easy smile he’d been wearing slide off of his face to reveal his frustration at the arguing lords.

“For too long the river lords have tried to put the authority of their warden in a back storage room. Pulling it out when it suits them to boast and storing it when the attire doesn’t suit their narrative. Now we’re going to put my narrative to work and see if we can’t obtain a better outcome.” Elmo eyed them all one by one, his face promising pain for any voice that dared grumble now. And none did, the room was quiet as a tomb and half as welcoming in the present moment.

Beside her, Alysanne was taking deep and measured breaths. Her fingers were anxiously twitching through her hair and Shanda wagered she was itching to get her hands on a bow string. Below them a Blackwood called out.

“We marry by the old gods, we’ll be in the godswood.” A chorus of Blackwood men rang out their approval.

It was now that Shanda froze on the spot, a rush of hot fear and anger washing through her as she considered the real consequences of this marriage. She did not hold by these old and foreign gods. The room around her was filled with buzzing voices and the torchlight was annoying her eyes. Could she be held by a marriage sanctioned by the seven? Surely there was some precedent for the matter. She wasn’t the first woman to be wedded to a man with a differing religion. Everyone was suddenly sitting too close to her and she anxiously threw glances at Lord Elmo hoping he was soon to finish.

“Aye, we’ve a heart tree for you to swear your vows under. The rest of you are open to using our own sept…”

Without really thinking or waiting to be dismissed Shanda grabbed Alysanne by the hand and pulled them up. She half dragged Alysanne along as she fled, the woman seemed in shock. But Shanda was mostly concerned that the woman was plotting Lord Elmo’s downfall and believed she had the means to orchestrate it. They needed some air and some time to think. Whatever else the Lord intended for the riverlands could wait until they had both.

Once they were out of the great hall, no one but the outside guard had bothered to watch them leave, Alysanne took over. She led them outside within minutes and once there, the lady screamed a horrible war cry that echoed off the castle walls and disrupted the neighboring birds. Shanda watched her pant and pace furiously muttering to herself. She wondered if the lady’s anger would turn on her, for being partially responsible for this whole mess.

“My dear sweet nephew is the biggest fool in the entire realm.”

Smiling despite herself, Shanda replied. “Why not dream bigger? Biggest fool in all of the world.”

Alysanne let out a bitter laugh, and the wind picked up. Blowing her dark curls in the breeze, slowly it began to drizzle around them. Across the moat of water a herd of deer flee through the thickening trees.

Shanda quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “So what are you plotting?”

[infiniteorangethethird]

hey! sorry if this is weird but would u mind explaining what being "loveless" means? like in the way people say "loveless aro" or "loveless apl" etc

Heya there, not a weird question at all! However I do wanna preface this by saying that other ppl in the community might have different experiences with the term than I do, different reasons for identifying with it, so just keep in mind that as almost everything, being loveless is a spectrum and others might have slightly varying definitions of it.

I'll give a shorter, more generic reply, and then a longer explanation of my own relationship with the word, hopefully it'll be enough to paint a picture to anyone new to the term. (If not, feel free to ask follow-up questions! I love talking abt this stuff lol)

In general terms, loveless is pretty much what it says on the lid. The LGBTQIA+ wiki describes it as someone who "is in some way disconnected from the concept of love, does not feel love, may doubt that they feel love, or rejects the idea that they need to experience love". Basically, someone who doesn't feel love, or feels it in a way so disconnected from how other people seem to experience it that calling it love would feel disingenuous, wrong. Ppl who identify as loveless are usually reclaiming a word that has been used against them so many times - essentially saying "actually I don't feel love (the way society expects me to) and that is okay".

In terms of my personal experience: from what I can have seen, when people say they love someone, what they mean is an emotional desire to be with someone - to spend time with them, to talk to them, to make them happy, make sure they are safe and well. You get the gist. The important parts to consider here are the fact that it is an emotion, and that it is directed at a person/concept, not the actions surrounding that person/concept. It doesn't matter what you do or what the other person does, you want to spend time with them, even if it would need you to do or try things you otherwise wouldn't even think about doing. (The trope of "going to see a movie you hate but your loved one loves" comes to my mind.) You don't desire the actions, you desire the person, so to speak.

And this is exaclty the thing I don't experience. When I spend time with people, I do it with the expectation that I get something out of the interaction - a good time, help or support, a listening ear to my current brainrot, whatever, which I "pay back" by offering my support, my help, my listening ear when the other party needs it. I am not drawn towards people but rather experiences - and if those experiences involve or are made better by involving others, it matters little to me who those others are, so long as the experience itself is not ruined. It's always so strange to me when people go into things they don't really enjoy just to appease someone they love - if you don't want to do it, then why do it when someone else wants you to? And even more so: why do you want to spend time with someone when every interaction you have with them makes you unhappy, makes you suffer? ("They sometimes treat me badly but I can't just stop loving them" is a sentiment I hear a lot and don't understand at all.)

But most people don't view relationships as exchanges of goods and services, and have an expectation of this emotional drive from the other party. This emotional drive is what I'm missing, and this lack of drive is the reason I choose to call myself loveless. It might be tempting to assume that I choose to not feel love, that I am deliberately distancing myself from people, but trust me: I've tried for many many years to force myself to love others, but emotions don't exactly work like that. Me calling myself loveless is accepting that there's an emotion others experience that I don't, and that it's okay to not be able to feel love. It frees me of the expectations I have been putting on myself for so long.

I hope this helps answering your question 😊 other loveless ppl feel free to add onto this, the more thoughts shared the merrier!

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Oh my! A Kataang shipper (I’m assuming based on the few posts of yours I’ve read) who doesn’t hate on Zuko or Zuko/Katara to raise up their own ship!? Not possible! Seriously though, I’m very glad to find your blog, it’s a very refreshing change of pace. People can ship what they want to but some in this fandom (most, and it’s very concerning) love to go feral for their own ships and destroy anyone who doesn’t agree. And why does most of that have to involve crapping on the twelve-year-old pacifist who survived a genocide!?

I never really watched ATLA much when I was younger but I’m watching it properly from start to finish now and I’m trying to enjoy it, but I keep finding horrendous takes on tumblr that bring me down. I finished the Southern Raiders episode earlier and wanted to come talk about it with fellow fans here, but I think I’ll just stick to enjoying the show by myself because the way so many people are using this episode to prove how bad Aang is makes me uncomfortable. Everyone using TSR to boost Zuko and Katara are missing the point. This isn’t a Zuko and Katara episode, this episode is a Katara episode. Aang isn’t the villain here getting in the way of what’s right. He was raised by monks.

The best way I can think to illustrate this point is (and please bear with me because I’m not sure I’m going to articulate this right) someone afraid of snow. Imagine your whole life you’ve been raised to avoid snow. There’s nothing wrong with snow by itself, but you’re repeatedly told to avoid it and that it’s bad and harmful so you grow up fearing snow. Now one day one of your closest friends wants to go play in the snow and your first instinct is to firmly warn them away from it because that’s what you’ve been told growing up. They’re really insistent on playing in the snow and you realise you can’t stop them and it’s not really your place to so you just try to advise them against anything too crazy. As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of your other friends is actively encouraging playing in the snow and mocking you for your fear of it. That’s how I see the Katara-Zuko-Aang interactions of this episode. Aang is the person raised to fear snow (in this case, violence and killing), Katara is the one who wants to play in the snow (in this case, getting justice for her mother) and Zuko is encouraging it. When Aang confronts her, he’s not upset at what she’s doing, he’s upset because she was going to steal Appa from him and not tell anyone where she was going, which I think is pretty fair given that they’ve already lost Appa once and Aang wasn’t there to stop it.

Sorry, I didn’t mean for this to get so long or out-of-hand. I just got excited to talk to someone with common sense in this fandom and started rambling!

hello friend!! im honored you find my blog to be an island of tranquility amidst the turbulent ocean of the atla fandom 💛

i completely understand your desire to restrict your enjoyment of atla to yourself and your close circle, as there are indeed far too many people on tumblr who take "fandom" to the farthest extremes of harassment and abuse, issues the atla fandom are (unfortunately) particularly rife with. so many anti-aang people love to be loud, proud, and violent about their lack of media literacy... 💀

im also glad you enjoy my posts about tsr!! i fully agree, tsr is a katara episode, and to in any way decenter her perspectives and experiences is to fundamentally misunderstand the ep. (people who interpret tsr as a ship episode, or worse, as an episode in which aang is a villain, are either willingly ignorant or have been deeply failed by the educational system. critical thinking is a tool!! we must exercise it to keep it sharp!!)

i also think your analogy of snow is apt to describe the triangulation of tsr! i might revise it slightly to suggest that aang is not necessarily "afraid" of snow (violence/murder) but more so that he has been raised to be wary of the detrimental consequences that violence, and especially murder, can have on both those who impart and those who witness this bloodshed. i fully agree, tho, that aang is by no means upset at katara for wanting to pursue her vengeance -- he's simply reminding her that she has a choice (after all, allowing her to take appa on this journey represents the ultimate trust aang has in katara's decisions, whether she chose violence or no, bc you're so right that aang is sending appa off with her not so long after appa's devastating disappearance!! that's how much he faith he has in katara to make the decision that is right for her!!)

no need to apologize for rambling in my inbox 💛 tsr is one of my favorite eps in the series, i love getting to talk about it!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi Makenzie

I'm sorry for bothering you, but as I followed your blog for over a decade now and this is the first time I need to deal with questions around sexuality, it seemed to me like the best way to get good and trustworthy input was to ask you.

There's a lot of context to this, but the TL;DR is that I (a trans masc) used to staunchly believe I'm aroace (which I'm still not sure of that I'm not) until last month this person swaggered into my life and basically upended my understanding of myself by somehow making it so we're in a relationship together. That means that for the first time in 23 years I have to think about the downstairs equipment and, worse, use it.

Now, my partner is absolutely lovely, don't get me wrong, but I am very much not into sex at all. Or like, it's fun, but it's also a chore and while I like the intimacy of it all, I just... don't like sex. It's extremely painful and since my partner has been circumcised it takes so long to get them off (over 4 hours!), even on their own- the closest we've come to me being involved at all when they do is my letting them come in my mouth by some last-minute manouvering- and even so, after two times I physically cannot bring myself to do it again, which puts them off too.

I know one of your mottos is that orgasms aren't the end-all-be-all of sex, but it seems to be the only thing to make the whole ordeal worth it at all. It's like we're stuck in a feedback loop where I only put up with sex because I want them to enjoy themself, and they need to see me enjoy myself to enjoy themselves, but with them having a really hard time getting of and me being physically unable to (even on my own: I never feel anything, even if the muscle-spasms indicate something happened).

I'm very worried about the strain this will put on the relationship, since they told me on the very first day that they do need to get their rocks off, and while I'm fine with them watching porn to get off and the occasional comment that they would prefer me have the body of one of those actresses, I'm not secure enough in this whole relationship yet to just set them free sexually. Not in the least because a part of me doesn't want to lose the way our sexuality works atm. It's dysfunctional and painful, and there is practically no benefit to it at all, but it's fun having them so close. If only the rest of the deal didn't exist.

It's basically a lose-lose situation where I was wondering if you could tell me if I should be worried about the sheer amount of pain I experience with penetration (also with tampons: the two times I tried putting one in, I ended up crying on the bathroom floor because of the pain) and if you maybe have any advice regarding the rest of the whole shitshow.

Thanks in advance and have a nice day!

hi anon,

oh my god there's a lot to unpack here

before we get into the important stuff I just want to open by saying your partner's four hour plateau period is maybe not an outright medical marvel but is definitely unusual, and both scientific and anecdotal evidence indicate there's no particular reason why that should be linked to circumcision. I have no idea what would actually be causing that, but it's probably not a lack of foreskin! just wanted to point that out, because it's interesting.

anyway, and much more importantly: you two should not be having sex with each other and maybe need to just break up entirely.

literally every single thing about how you are talking about sex indicates to me that you don't want to be having it, you don't like it, it's painful, you don't see the point, you can't bring yourself to do it... literally stop doing it. stop that right now. there's literally nothing but trauma that's going to come from repeatedly forcing yourself into something that sucks this bad for you.

okay, so, where does this leave your partner? well, in grand sex witch style I am humbling suggesting that they either put up or shut up. sex is important to them and that's fine, wahoo yay sex, but they've chosen a partner who Does Not Want To Do Sex At All and that has consequences, namely that they do not get to have sex with that partner.

if you're uninterested in opening the relationship up (which is fine!) that means they either need to cope or y'all need to break up, which frankly sounds like it might be awesome for both of you based on everything you're saying here. no one is necessarily at fault here, but this is a major lack of compatibility that seems like it's only going to keep eating at both of you. there are lots of different ways to be intimate in a relationship, and you both deserve to find someone operating on a more similar frequency.

also, hey, this?

I'm fine with them watching porn to get off and the occasional comment that they would prefer me have the body of one of those actresses

you shouldn't be fine with that. talking about anyone's body like that is shitty, let alone an intimate partner. I would hit somebody with a car for that, personally.

also hey PS if tampons suck that much there's a chance you have vaginismus, a condition that causes the vaginal muscles to reflexively and often painfully tighten to prevent penetration. it's a fairly common condition that's often caused by anxiety or trauma, and in many cases the easiest solution is to Stop Putting Things In Your Vagina.

[sroloc--elbisivni]

Hello! Sorry for the wait, I kinda... blinked and I had read through all of your recs! haha... (And I struggled a lot w the length of the summaries and number of bookmarks shdjd pinning it down to 7 and a blog was A Struggle) the rid2015 rec was BIG LOVE I adore musings on how growing up in a war might have affected Bee and the ways it manifests. And the mission fic!! I love those :) also I kindaaa cheated and the first three are all from the same writer but they're the ones I Reread Endlessly so I had to rec em all 

A Spark of Courage by Stardustjinn. Transformers Prime, pre-canon, Gen, 19k, complete. origin fic! a take on how bee might have ended up with the autobots in tfp - and the logistics involved, bc new bots are a precious resource in their war...focus on Ratchet and Bumblebee, but has a wider ensemble cast! jazz :D

Do You Like Bees? by Stardustjinn. Transformers Prime, between eps 21-22, Gen, 3.3k, complete. Bee is a clever sneak who cares about his friends getting enough rest, and Ratchet with his synth-en project isn't. The result is...about what you'd expect :)

Pedal to the Metal by Stardustjinn. Transformers Prime, pre-canon, Gen, 14.2k, complete. Bridge malfunction drops Arcee and Bee half a week away from the base, and they have to make it back. It's not quite a mission fic, more like a series of unfortunate events. Focus on Arcee and Bee's bond but everyone makes an appearance eventually :D Cliffjumper included! He's not dead yet haha

Golden Slumbers by JellyDishes. Earthspark, Gen, 5.4k, complete. Cajoled into movie night with Mo, Robbie and the Malto bots, Bee falls asleep, and dreams, past and present blending. It's like...a gentle exploration of Bee's deep-seated fears. It made me cry, and it comes with gorgeous art, so what's not to love really

Brave Educational Experience by rahelum. Earthspark, Gen, 3.3k, complete, references to past voice loss that I'm fairly sure aren't canon in this continuity? It becomes apparent that growing up during a war might have left some gaps in Bee's education, Ratchet steps up to fill in after everyone's freakout is done and over with :P

Nefarious Jazz - Decepticon Demise by BlushLouise. G1, Gen, ~1k, complete. Only Spec Ops would think "Creative ways to end the decepticons" makes a good party game. Jazz plots, as expected, and Bee watches and learns like the sneak he is (affectionate)

If Anything Happens to Either of Us by JCMorrigan. Animated, Gen, 1.9k, complete. Prowl and Bumblebee talk in the aftermath of Nature Calls, bc I love TFA but the lack of talking things out sometimes REALLY grates despite knowing what to expect from most cartoons

I need to get more tfa bee fics, the number of times I WISHED I could rec digger bees but no, no, you WROTE that :') if you have the time, maybe you'd like to check @ justawannabearcheologist 's blog here in tumblr, their "tfp weeljack in tfa" au is pretty neat - their rewrites of total meltdown and nanosec are my favorite out of the lot (predictably haha) I like it when Bee risking life and limb to prove himself is treated with due seriousness.

Hopefully there's something new here you like! If not I can swap you, I have tons more I discarded as too niche haha. I hope you have a lovely day!

:DDD thank you!!! i have collected the links for these for convenience--almost all of them are new to me, and I am delighted.

Spark of Courage by Stardustjinn

Do You Like Bees? by Stardustjinn

Pedal to the Metal by Stardustjinn

Golden Slumbers by JellyDishes

Brave Educational Experience by rahelum

Nefarious Jazz - Decepticon Demise by BlushLouise (this one i already knew and love)

If Anything Ever Happens to Either of Us by JCMorrigan

true story digger bees is one of those fics that exists because nothing i was finding in the fandom quite scratched that itch. woe to the state of tfa fic. if memory from a few years ago serves, ff.net tends to be better in the way it often is for finding gen fic, but i'm not going to be the one to go digging. i'll be sure to check out that blog, thanks again!

[descole-dead]

fandoms are so entitled now like in all my years of talking to other online freaks about fiction that i enjoy ive never seen a time where people were so entitled. Obvs you can have your headcanons, your comfort characters, write your fics or whatvere you like but at the end of the day you’re taking in someone else’s art and story. the story wasn’t made for your wants in mind, it’s not a story that popped out of nowhere either it’s quite literally someone else’s creation that they’re willing to show with you, your job is just to watch/read it. it’s still art so obviously your perception is an important part of the viewing experience too, (if that makes sense, im not smart sorry!) but there’s definitely a line like no you don’t understand how to write these characters better than the writers do because they’re not your characters that you came up with in your head like god damn my god stop embarrassing me in front of the professional writers with jobs.

i guees how we got to this point is that were so easily connected online and(for lack of a better term but you get it)nerd culture is more mainstream now so fandom spaces are huge now, and that means the odds of finding someone else who perceives a character the same way you do is much larger until there becomes the problem - widely accepted canon headcanons that actually dont mean shit to the people involved with the source material but enough people feel it should be canon so now they think the writers are obligated to follow popular demand, or at least what the complaining party believes is popular demand. idk some of you sillies can write your own stories if you want you really want to, but stop being disrespectful to someone else’s art. (And just because money is being made from it, doesn’t mean its not real art! stop acting like movies and television are not an art form :) give the writers with jobs the same respect you would give to fic authors. also be for real

[xenodisparity]

What is Black Film?

If you were to ask for an answer immediately, I wouldn’t know. I’d probably say something stupid like “The Color Purple” (dir. Steven Spielberg). But with further analysis, I’d be honest. I don’t know. I don’t know what “Black Film” is. Is it the connection a movie holds within the culture? Does an all black crew necessitate the “Black Film” tagline?

I’m going to regurgitate a phrase I’ve heard very often. “Black People are not a Monolith”, and with that being said, not everything NEEDS to be a black film. But that rhetoric is harmful. Bear with me here. My personal perspective on Black culture in film & tv is entirely warped. Astray. Discombobulated. Any word you wanna used to describe…f**ked up. I give credit to the lack of positive representation of myself in media as a growing black boy, all the way to a young man.

What do I mean by this? Why am I so confusing right now? Because I’m confused. Because I myself don’t know how I feel about this topic. But I am not ignorant. I am not complacent. I know that there is more to the world that I can learn. I know that there is more to the culture than what I’ve seen so far, and at this point, it is my duty to make sure I see through.

Fourteen year old me would have sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes at the thought of having a conversation about the idea of Black Film. Particularly because he believed that it wasn’t necessary. He believed that not everything needed to involve Black people. “The world doesn’t revolve around you” is the phrase he consistently said to himself. He was tired of the internet. He was tired of social media pages such as “The Shaderoom” and “Worldstar”, which popularized gossip & instigation within the black community. He thought it was ignorant.

Let me switch gears real quick and talk about a movie I’ve recently watched titled, “American Fiction”. It was written, produced, and directed by Cord Jefferson. A black man. American Fiction tells the story of Thelonius ‘Monk’ Ellison, a black author who is fed up with Black stories in entertainment always including pain, or negativity. Monk is played by Jeffery Wright. Opposite of Jeffery Wright is Issa Rae, who plays Sintara Golden, a popular author who writes stories about the black experience, whether it be negative or positive.

In the movie, Monk goes through a series of events fueled by envy, disdain, hypocrisy, and jealousy. He wants his novels to become popular. He’s a black man creating stories. To him, that’s a “Black story” Experiencing his novel is the “Black experience” because he is the black man who wrote it. He doesn’t want to “feed” into the stereotypes and create a story centered around black trauma.

But that’s not what makes the bread. It’s even more apparent when Monk’s sister dies suddenly, the caretaker for his mother. His sisters death is the catalyst for this movie. It creates his motives. He doesn’t even grieve the loss of her life. He can’t accept it. His mother’s health rapidly declines after her daughter’s death. He still cannot accept it. Monk closes himself off internally from everyone. He has a complex.

Monk is getting anxious. He needs money to pay for his mother’s care. Their family has a maid, but she found love. She wants to leave and get married. Monk lets her leave. Throughout the movie, Monk questions why isn’t he in love, why isn’t he married. Why is he so much like his father, but not at the same time. Did I mention Monk’s father committed suicide by gunshot when he was younger? Oh I didn’t? Sorry. Monk is going through a lot as you can see. I didn’t even need to add that part.

Are you noticing something? Has your brain flipped? No? Yes? Maybe so?

Monk succumbs to his desires and writes a book titled “Fuck”, written by a fictional character, “Stagg R. Leigh”. Stagg is a fugitive on the run, but he wanted to write a book and share his terrible, no good, dirty black experience. Monk uses this pen name and fictional character to garner millions of dollars in revenue. He can finally pay for his mother’s care.

But now here comes the next battle…Internalized Racism!! Monk is shocked that “Fuck” is critically acclaimed. Monk denounces the work in private, but he secretly loves the attention. He got what he wanted. He got his popularity, he got his coin. But at what cost? He had to dig into the stereotypes he hates so much. Here’s the kneeslapper, Monk himself IS a stereotype.

Monk & Sintara Golden are chosen to join three white judges on a panel for the literary awards. But Monk doesn’t care about black stories because he only allows himself to see the negativity in them. He doesn’t allow himself to understand the representation, to be empathetic and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around his ideals. Monk thinks that Issa Rae’s character, Sintara Golden, is fetishizing and exploiting black trauma.

He called her work “Black trauma porn”. Monk believes that Black people have the potential to be more, to create better stories. Sintara tells him “Potential is what people see when they think what’s infront of this isn’t good enough.” This silences Monk. The jury for the awards ends in the three white voices declaring that “Fuck” by Stagg R. Leigh is essential to black voices. Much to Sintara & Monk’s dismay.

At the literary awards ceremony, “Fuck” is revealed to be the winner of this year’s award. The crowd applauses as they look around for Stagg R. Leigh. Monk’s anxiety is at an all time high. He decides to go on stage. Monk reveals he has a confession to make, but right before he speaks, we smash to black.

What? Excuse me? Is that how it ends? These are all the thoughts I had until we opened again on Monk reading off a script while speaking with a movie director played by Adam Brody. They’re on the set of “Plantation Annihilation”. The director criticizes Monk for the smash to black ending, calling it boring. He needs to bring “more”.

Has this entire movie been a screenplay Monk has been writing? Is Monk really the man we know? The conversation with Brody’s character ends when him and Monk come to a conclusion. Right as Monk goes to the stage and proclaims his pen name, a SWAT team runs in and points weapons at him. At Stagg R. Leigh. They then shoot him down, proclaiming the award trophy was a gun.

The director loves this ending, and Monk sighs. Shortly before he leaves, he comes face to face with an actor dressed as an enslaved man. The actor throws up a peace sign, and Monk nods. He drives away & we finally cut to black. The End.

In this movie we had a man by the name of Thelonius ‘Monk’ Ellison battle his own internalized racism in regard to what a “Black story” is. I saw my fourteen year old self in Monk. I related to how Monk felt about the negativity within Black stories. The difference is, I didn’t let myself become ignorant, I didn’t turn my head at the sight of stereotypes, and I most certainly did not become a hypocrite.

The thematic elements of “American Fiction” are plain as day. Yet, they’re so complex, so nuanced, that I am itching to watch it again. I want to see what else I can uncover. The standard of Black entertainment is always under a lens. From Spike Lee to John Singleton…and even…..Tyler Perry. Black stories are plentiful, despite the content. Representation matters. Getting more Black faces on screen matters.

With this watch of “American Fiction”, and my personal opinions aside, I can finally answer the original question.

What is Black Film?

Black film is an amalgamation of collaborative effort between several Black entertainers to tell a story about the Black experience.

[give-soup-please]

I'm asking for a sibling but, do you know any red flags in therapists to watch out for? Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable-

it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but it isn't always the best to seek advice like this from a blog on tumblr. generally, information seeking like this should be taken to professionals and adults you trust. that being said, in the past decade i've made my way through 7+ therapists and have been seeing my current therapist for more than 3 years, so i do have some things to say on the subject. i'll break this up into two categories- ethical and personal. ethical being the big, far reaching stuff involving the law, and personal being the things that i've learned through experience as being a bad sign. i recognize this is for a sibling, but for ease of writing, i'll be using the pronoun 'your'. and keep in mind that for the personal stuff, that these issues are complex and nuanced, and my experience won't be everyone's.

ethical:

lack of privacy - if your therapist spills the beans to someone about your personal problems without your consent, that's a big red flag. this is a little complicated if you're a minor, as parents think they have a right to know, and some therapists may tell and some won't, depending on their personal style. but if they go, 'oh yeah, i was talking to my non fellow professional buddy joe about your situation', that's generally a red flag

sexual advances - should be obvious. a therapist has a unique role of power in their client's life, and it shouldn't be abused. any sexual advances or desires for a romantic relationship are forbidden by their code of ethics. red flag if they express an interest in these things.

'multiple relationships' - by this, i mean a therapist shouldn't generally be seeing you outside their work or be in a relationship type with you that would get in the way of their work. this can be complicated because the nature of therapy from my experience is that they're closer than a professional friend but more distant than a regular friend. the explanation i use is that i like my therapist and enjoy the work we do together, but i wouldn't invite him out for coffee to gossip about the neighbors. there are certain boundaries that we both abide by.

lack of consent/informed consent - a therapist should give people information enough to make an informed decision about the course of their treatment. if they don't do this, that's a red flag.

lying about their experiences - putting those under the same category. if they're lying about where they got their degree from or their experience, run. that's a major red flag.

if you want more details on any of these things, look up their code of ethics and give it a read, they explain the law better than i can. but this is a generalized crash course of the biggest things in there.

personal:

this is stuff that isn't against the law, but should still be watched out for:

'only one solution' - i once had a psychologist tell me that only medication would fix my problems. and that talk therapy did nothing. this is... blatantly false. talk therapy takes time and effort, but it's not 'worse than useless' as she suggested. i dropped her after our first session. because why would i go to a psychologist to talk, if she believes that talking doesn't help? in general terms, the human brain is complicated, trauma is complicated, and the path to healing isn't easy. if a therapist tries to take your options away, or suggest that their path is the only path you can take to being better, be wary. there are multiple techniques therapists use, and some will be better than others, but if they're proposing 'my way or the highway'... that's bad. there is no one size fits all in these circumstances.

leaving your sessions in a bad place emotionally. this one is kind of complicated, but my current therapist does his best to make sure we don't end on a sour note in our session. due to the nature of the work we do, this is sometimes inevitable. but if you're leaving every session feeling worse than when you went in, and your therapist opens up (or lets you open up) big topics within the last ten minutes of a session, and doesn't close them off so you can function for the rest of the day, that's bad. generally, me and my therapist have an unspoken rule that the last ten minutes of any session coming back to a more stable place before we part ways. you don't cut someone's skin open to remove an abscess, and then shrug your shoulders five minutes later and say 'we'll take care of this next week.' again, not always avoidable, but if every session finishes like that, be wary. an example of what my therapist does would be what happened about seven months ago. we explored some new topics, i talked about some stuff that i hadn't mentioned before that was... exceptionally dark. i'm pretty open about my experiences on tumblr, but there are things that happened to me that i don't even talk to friends about. point being, we processed through some stuff together, and then in the last ten minutes, my therapist told me a story that involved his dog eating an entire plateful of broccoli off the dining room table when his back was turned, and how terrible the dog's farts smelled for the rest of the day. i, being a connoisseur of lowbrow humor, laughed until i cried. it was a fantastic and hilarious way to lighten the mood, and helped me regain my balance before i had to move on to the rest of my day. there are many examples i have of this, but that one sticks out the most. again, there are some sessions you'll leave feeling like shit. but if stuff's getting brought up last minute that's not addressed, bad sign.

not letting a client get a word in edgewise. - seems obvious, doesn't it? i had a therapist who would not shut up, and i left his sessions about 30-40 minutes later than the standard time. he didn't have that many clients, so he had extra time for individual people, but it was him talking the entire time and giving me his opinion after i'd describe the problem in one sentence. not a good therapist. dropped him pretty quickly.

not letting a client lead the session - if a therapist says, 'we are going to talk about this today' and you say you don't want to, and the therapist tries to put pressure on you to talk about something you clearly aren't ready to talk about, BAD SIGN. it may not seem obvious, but a client is and should always be in control of how a session goes. a therapist should never demand a session be taken in a particular direction, and they shouldn't put a crap ton of pressure on you to talk about a subject if you're not ready to or don't have the energy to tackle it. there may be times when they gently nudge you to talk more about something, especially if it is important, but a client is always the one in control and makes the final decision. if a therapist tries to take that away from you, that's bad. it's also bad if they never let you take an easy day or acknowledge your desire for a break from heavy topics.

yeah, the reason i've had more than 7 therapists in the past decade is because i am exceptionally picky. and i have the right to be, considering the work i'm doing. i hope this helps.