the-sympathetic-villain

[the-sympathetic-villain]

My ADHD went undetected for a long time because I can use my anxious tendencies to brute force a lot of tasks that would be significantly affected by my ADHD. I'm convinced that the only reason I met the criteria for ADHD on the QB test is because my anxiety meds were working especially well the day of my evaluation. I did however 'fail' a few other of the ADHD diagnostic tests the day I was evaluated.

When I got my results, I was told they had confirmed I had PTSD and but my results were 'inconclusive' for ADHD. It was my worst case scenario, because I knew certain things I struggled with were unrelated to PTSD, because my symptoms for ADHD were present years before the events that caused the PTSD.

That apparently didn't matter. From what the evaluator/psychiatrist told me, ADHD could only be diagnosed if nothing else actively explained the symptoms. (At least in the US) Since I had had recent PTSD symptoms that may explain some of the symptoms, I couldn't get an official diagnosis . . . yet.

I had to get treated for PTSD, get it under control (it already was but I did the therapy just to show that.) After 2-3 months, I went back to my doctor and told her my PTSD is under control. I told her which symptoms had improved with medication and therapy, and which ones hadn't. The ones that hadn't, forgetfulness, lack of focus, etc., could all still be explained by ADHD.

I didn't have to go get re-evaluated. No other diagnosis explained the symptoms I was having post PTSD treatment. My doctor was skeptical but agreed to start me on ADHD meds to see if they helped, and they did! I was diagnosed with ADHD, primarily inattentive, about 6 months after my evaluation.

It was kind of a hassle it took a little longer, but ruling out other potential causes for your symptoms is a normal part of the process, so don't get too discouraged!

You may find your symptoms improve after you start meds for what your doctors are suggesting, but you can also keep pressing if the treatments your doctors are suggesting don't improve the symptoms you're worried about.

Hope this helps 💜

To anyone officially diagnosed w/ ADHD, did you ever take the QB test and "fail" it? In terms of not meeting the ADHD markers?

I'm curious because I can hyper-focus in the right testing circumstances (I scored particularly high in a listening exam growing up because i was stubborn and wanted to prove my mom wrong) so Im not sure how accurate such a test is for me personally.

I took it and I did not meet the qualifications and the place I'm seeing is pushing me towards the depression/anxiety route even tho I feel like there's so much in my daily living that is not explained away by that.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

[the-sympathetic-villain]

[the-sympathetic-villain]

trans people will literally go “i have a complicated relationship with my history with gender and sometimes see it as a gender i ‘used to be’ and i don’t really look like a cis person of either gender and i don’t think i can fit it into simple categories” and everyone will spontaneously combust

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Me irl

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Time to bring back the Ratouille thing ->

there's this annoying tweet going around on twitter dunking on "cringe Tumblr Prose" i.e. overly flowery or trying-too-hard-to-sound-literary posts and whatnot and god it's sparked such a miserable conversation because all im thinking while going through people pointing and laughing at all these posts and pieces of writing is. lord, yall dont know how to have fun or be genuine. i'd rather read a thousand cringe but earnest pieces of writing than read constantly irreverent uber-ironic pieces done out of fear of the social media panopticon of shame. like so what if it's goofy and pretentious-sounding at times. it's fun. do you guys remember when you did things for fun?

[the-sympathetic-villain]

I accidentally dyed my hair purple.

[the-sympathetic-villain]

fuck an "intended audience" how about we normalize engaging with new and unfamiliar art pieces on their own terms

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Good Traits Gone Bad

Exploring good traits gone bad in a novel can add depth and complexity to your characters. Here are a few examples of good traits that can take a negative turn:

1. Empathy turning into manipulation: A character with a strong sense of empathy may use it to manipulate others' emotions and gain an advantage.

2. Confidence becoming arrogance: Excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, where a character belittles others and dismisses their opinions.

3. Ambition turning into obsession: A character's ambition can transform into an unhealthy obsession, causing them to prioritize success at any cost, including sacrificing relationships and moral values.

4. Loyalty becoming blind devotion: Initially loyal, a character may become blindly devoted to a cause or person, disregarding their own well-being and critical thinking.

5. Courage turning into recklessness: A character's courage can morph into reckless behavior, endangering themselves and others due to an overestimation of their abilities.

6. Determination becoming stubbornness: Excessive determination can lead to stubbornness, where a character refuses to consider alternative perspectives or change their course of action, even when it's detrimental.

7. Optimism becoming naivety: Unwavering optimism can transform into naivety, causing a character to overlook dangers or be easily deceived.

8. Protectiveness turning into possessiveness: A character's protective nature can evolve into possessiveness, where they become overly controlling and jealous in relationships.

9. Altruism becoming self-neglect: A character's selflessness may lead to neglecting their own needs and well-being, to the point of self-sacrifice and burnout.

10. Honesty becoming brutal bluntness: A character's commitment to honesty can turn into brutal bluntness, hurting others with harsh and tactless remarks.

These examples demonstrate how even admirable traits can have negative consequences when taken to extremes or used improperly. By exploring the complexities of these traits, you can create compelling and multi-dimensional characters in your novel.

Happy writing!

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Pls pls pls pls tell me you don't support pedos ur posts are so hot and cool I don't wanna have to unfollow you

obviously this ask is in bad faith and u can fuck of for that.

but just so we are clear what i dont support is sexual assault and i think we should be doing what we can to help children be able to recognise and get help in such situations, which to be clear, statistically usually comes from someone they know, often a family member.

this stupid fucking framing of "the pedos" being this sick group of individuals that are hunting down our kids is so fucking dumb, im not interested in going after anyone for the way they think, thought crimes dont fucking exist. We should be dealing with all the issues that lead to adults in positions of power of children being able to abuse the system to get away with it.

stop falling for this shit. if you constantly other and dehumanize these types of crimes people will be less likely to believe victims when their abuser is even somewhat respected by anyone, because surely they couldnt possibly be as bad as those disgusting pedos right??? they arent people they're monsters!!!!!

if you disagree then please do unfollow me

[the-sympathetic-villain]

So sweet and wonderful 💜💜💜

I Never Cease To Wander

Janus really thought he was going to die this time.

Luckily, someone finds him before he does.

----

| Ao3 |

Warnings: Semi-graphic injuries, Logan making a very badly interpreted comment, past child neglect/abuse, fantasy racism/prejudice against magic people.

Pairings: Virgil/Janus

Word Count: 2776

Notes:

My third fic for the @tsspromptmonth sleepy bean cafe event!!!

I really really liked how this one came out, so I hope you like it too!

Written for @doteddestroyer

The Prompt: a magic AU with hurt/comfort, mutual pining, and Janus POV. extra hurt, extra comfort, please. the ship can be Janus/any side(s) besides Patton. please no MCD, unhappy endings, or permanent breakups!

----

aka a magic AU with hurt/comfort, mutual pining, and Janus POV. extra hurt, extra comfort, please. the ship can be Janus/any side(s) besides Patton. please no MCD, unhappy endings, or permanent breakups!

—-

Janus often found himself with no idea where to go next. 

Occasionally, when he was allowed to spend more than a year in one place, he would start letting himself hope that he would finally be able to stay. 

Alas, it would never work out that way. It was the same miserable story every time. 

The prophecy around his curse haunted him. He couldn't hide the snake scales on his face, he hid his multicoloured hair with a hat and his snake eye with his hair, he covered himself with a cloak and hid his clawed hands with gloves, he did everything he could to make himself more palatable, but nothing he could do ever seemed to work, he still hissed, his instincts were hard to control and he lashed out when he was scared. 

What hurt most was that the prophecy was already complete, the prophecy was that the jealous nobles would be cursed with a hideous son, if they weren't to change. It had been brushed off and thus Janus had been born, a hideous patchwork child of serpent and man whom they’d labelled as bad luck.  

He has no magic, no special powers other than the physical changes that came with being half snake. His parents had abandoned him at the first opportunity, the moment he was deemed able to fend for himself - at six years old - he was cast into the streets. 

Since then, Janus had been all over the country, kingdom to kingdom he tried to find a place he could stay, he rented rooms, took jobs, and still the curse on his parents caught up to him. 

The villagers would find out, looking for a reason to be rid of him, they'd think the curse applied generally, they'd curse his name for any issues the village faced and eventually they'd always drive him out. 

When he could, Janus tried to leave peacefully. When he couldn't…. Well. 

Right now, Janus was stumbling along a dirt road that led out of the town he'd been staying in for the last… year-ish. 

He clutched his arm where a hole had been burned through his cloak and shirt, his skin underneath an angry, bubbling red. There were cuts and bruises all over him, someone had tried to claw his scales from his face. Leaving blood trickling down his face. He was lucky they hadn't taken his eye out. 

They had been trying to kill him. Janus knew that, about half the time they were. This is probably the worst time he could remember. They'd only left him alone when he'd played dead. 

He tripped, right, they'd taken out his cane first and of course he couldn't go and get it back, he thought bitterly as he collapsed to the ground, rolling to the side only to hiss sharply in pain and curl up as he rolled into his injured arm. Biting his lip hard to quell any sound of pain he might have made. He couldn't be attracting monsters from the forest on top of everything else. 

Janus took deep, steadying breaths in an attempt to calm himself, before pushing himself up slowly. 

Unfortunately, the first step he tried to take ended up with him slipping on a puddled section of the road. He tripped sideways off of the path and ended up rolling into a ditch, deeper into the forest. Letting out a small whimper he curled around himself, trying to protect his arm and bruised up ankles and face and - well - everything. 

He ended up sprawled on the ground in the mud, clothes filthy and battered, he was sure mud was getting into the scratches on his face but he couldn’t bring himself to move at that exact moment. His vision blurred as he opened his eyes, the vision of the treetops in front of the darkening sky doubling and blurring and spinning until, eventually, Janus gave up on holding onto consciousness. If he couldn’t walk, there was no way he’d be getting anywhere anyway. 

—-

Janus, in full honesty, did not expect to wake up. 

Somehow, by some miracle, he did. 

Even crazier, he woke up somewhere warm, on something soft. He could feel something on his face, some kind of bandage covered in something that made him wrinkled his nose. There was something on his arm too, and his ankles were bound and stiff. Slowly he peeled open his eyes. 

And immediately closed them again, blinking a few times and trying to comprehend the fact that he was looking at a mirror image of himself. 

After a while of staring, the mirror-him tilted it’s head, before shifting smoothly into a much smaller creature, hopping up onto the bed in some kind of cat-like form, just just off enough for it to feel uncanny, and continuing to look at him through dark fur flopped over its face. 

“What…” Janus grumbled, the creature shook its head and transformed again, becoming something more human looking. 

“Is this better?” They said, pushing back dark bangs to reveal vivid violet eyes. Janus’ eyes widened, they had pure white skin, pale purplish patching on the tips of their ears, their nose and under their eyes. They wore a scarf and heavy clothing that covered the rest of their body. 

“What are you?” Janus asked. He truly wasn’t trying to sound as accusatory as the words came out, “Where am I?”

“I’m a shifter,” They said, blinking, and suddenly their eyes were a deep brown, another blink and back to purple, “I wasn’t sure what form would be most comfortable for you… I wasn’t even sure what you were, I’m guessing human? Whatever, you’re in my house, I found you passed out on my doorstep.”

“A what…” Janus mumbled, trying to push himself to sit up. When his arms faltered the shifter quickly moved to steady him, pushing the pillows behind him so that he could sit properly. “I’m - yes, I’m human, and- what?”

“Last I checked humans didn’t have these,” The shifter said, morphing the left side of his face to once again mirror Janus’ scales. It was honestly a little freaky. 

“No, they don’t,” Janus said bitterly, looking away and pulling his hair back in front of his face. His hat was gone, had the shifter taken it? Or maybe he’d lost it in the mud?

“Then surely you are not human?” The shifter said, leaning forward to look more closely at Janus, they poked him with a soft paw instead of a hand, and Janus was a little freaked out, understandably. 

“I am human,” Janus insisted, “I was cursed.”

“Oh…” The shifter said softly, “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Janus shook his head, waving him off. 

The shifter sighed, “Let me change your bandages,” they changed the topic, “The burn on your arm was bad.”

“...Must you?” Janus sighed, “I’m sure I can go on fine-”

He didn’t want to get too comfortable here, he couldn’t, not when this person would surely send him away as soon as they found out what a disgrace Janus was. 

“Your ankles are broken,” The shifter pointed out, poking one of his feet and making Janus yelp in pain. Before he could say anything, the shifter jumped into a bird form and landed on a shelf across the room, shifting again to become something squirrel-adjacent to grab a wad of bandage and a jar of some kind of cream, before hopping down from the shelf. They were human-looking again before they hit the ground. 

“...Wow,” Janus said softly as the shifter walked back over, that was… strangely beautiful. He’d always been warned away from magic, people were scared of it like they were of him, but this shifter… they’d bandaged him up, clearly done something about his nasty clothes, considering what he wore now was far more comfortable, and they’d been nothing but kind, if a little naive. 

“Hm?” They said, before sitting down sideways on the bed and taking his arm, pushing up the sleeve to get to the bandage around the burn on his arm. Janus’ eyes widened when he actually saw the wound. It was still red and angry, but it didn’t hurt as much. 

“Sorry-” Janus found his cheeks were hot - was he blushing? Janus wasn’t sure why he was blushing - but… “I’ve just never seen magic like that before…”

“Even though you’re magic?” They asked, tilting their head, “You’ve never been around magicfolk before?” 

They cut the bandage from his arm with a careful claw before scooping some of the salve from the jar and carefully applying it to the burn. Janus winced, but forced himself not to pull away. 

“No… I’m not magic, I’m just a cursed human - I wouldn’t be welcome-”

“You are welcome,” The shifter told him, meeting his eyes, “Here at least, and I’m sure you’d be fine to stay.”

“You never told me where here was,” Janus said, to keep his mind off of the fact that the shifter had said he could stay. He couldn’t stay, he could never stay - let alone with a pretty shapeshifter who was being so kind to him. They slowly wrapped the bandages back around the wound. 

“My home,” They said, frowning as though that was obvious - obviously it was, but Janus had meant more broadly, so he gave him a look as they removed the gauze from his face to check on those wounds too,  “Oh - it’s like, a magic neighbourhood sorta - a hidden village of magicfolk.”

“That… exists?” Janus askes, the shifter nodded. Before turning around, suddenly larger ears twitching, just before someone knocked on the door. 

“Stay here,” They said, turning away and shifting into something taller and more muscular, covered in dark fur with big antlers and deer legs. They opened the door, paused, before shifting back to their more ‘normal’ form - normal for Janus at least. “Oh - hey Lo, what’s up?”

“How is the human you rescued?” the other person asked, Janus tensed, leaning around to try and see the person at the door. He was tall, with sharp silver eyes and glittering translucent wings folded behind him. His skin was silvery with little white dots - they looked like stars. 

“He’s okay, awake now, but I’ve got it,” The shifter said, a little closed off.

“Did you figure out what the issue was with his face?” The other asked bluntly. Janus winced, turning his face away. 

“Don’t say it like that,” The shifter huffed, sounding genuinely annoyed. Janus was surprised by the defense, “He says he was cursed.”

“Cursed… could be dangerous,” Lo said. Janus sighed softly, deciding just to curl up, that was the response he had expected. 

“I don’t think so,” The shifter said, defending him? “I think the curse only affects him.” 

“Really?” The other sounded doubtful, “May I speak with him, if he’s awake?”

The shifter looked uncomfortable, but eventually they nodded, gesturing for Logan to come in. Janus pressed himself into the corner as subtly as he possibly could - which wasn’t actually all that subtle. 

“Hello,” The… fairy? Nymph? Janus didn’t know, greeted, “My name is Logan, I am a sky-aligned warlock, and the leader of this small community, what is your name?”

“Janus…” He said hesitantly, glancing at the shifter, who nodded reassuringly.

“I’m Virgil,” they say, smiling awkwardly, “Sorry - I forgot to tell you earlier.”

Logan nodded getting closer to Janus, “May I examine you?” He asked, Janus frowned, but slowly nodded, not sure he actually had much of a choice, “Wonderful.”

The warlock got closer, with Virgil watching anxiously over his shoulder, leaning over to trace the scales around Janus’ eye. He stayed completely still as Logan thumbed over the scales, not even breathing as his hand traced the edge of them. 

“These are grotesque,” He said, Janus tried not to choke. Logan's friend could shapeshift yet Janus’ scales were grotesque? “Is it because you’re cursed?”

“Fucking obviously,” Janus snapped, pulling his face away and turning away, Logan frowned and looked at Virgil, who was glaring too.

“What did I do?” Logan asked, frowning. Janus was trying to hold back tears. 

“You come in here knowing he’s injured, distressed and cursed and call him grotesque?” Virgil practically yelled, “Of course he’s upset what the hell Logan-”

“That’s not what I meant-” Logan said quickly, “I was talking about-”

“Go away,” Janus said, gripping tightly to the blanket Virgil had left over him. “Get out-”

It didn’t occur to him that it absolutely wasn’t his place to say something like that in someone else’s house until Virgil echoed the sentence with a polite, “I think you should go,” Janus curled in on himself, a tear slipping down his cheek - if he hadn’t ruined this before, he absolutely had now. He heard Virgil and Logan having a short conversation before a door closed, Janus barely even registered Virgil coming back over through the tears he was trying to stop until the bed sank where Virgil sat down.

“Hey…” they said softly, “I’m sorry that happened… oh-”

“I’m sorry-” Janus said quickly, “I- I can go I just- If you give a cane I can leave-”

“No- no! Why would I want you to leave??” Virgil said quickly, placing a hand gently on Janus’ wrist, when he didn’t flinch away, Virgil gave him a gentle squeeze. 

“I-” Janus took in a sharp breath, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes as they turned into sobs, “I upset y-your leader and yelled at him to get out when I don’t- I don’t even live here I-”

“Hey hey-” Virgil says softly, shuffling closer, “He was being stupid and insensitive, you had every right to tell him to go away.”

Janus tried not to choke on his tears.

“He was talking about the scratches on your face, not your scales,” Virgil told him, “But I thought he meant that too - he’ll want to apologise to you at some point, but not right now.”

“You- You really don’t want me to leave?” Janus asked, voice small. 

“You’re injured and you’ve been hurt so much - you’re welcome here as long as you want to stay, curse be damned,” Virgil said, finally making Janus look up into their vivid purple eyes. Virgil was all feathery now, their ears looked like an owl’s tufts and they had a mane-like tuft of feathers around their neck - Janus wondered distantly why they had chosen that form, “Would you like a hug?”

Oh that was why, because when Janus tipped forward into him, he found himself comforted by the plush purple and black feathers, arms wrapped around him as Virgil shuffled to make them comfortable and he found a large feathered wing draped over him like a blanket. 

“Let it out,” Virgil said softly, petting his hair, “You must’ve been through so much…”

Janus didn’t stop crying for a long while, and the whole time Virgil held him, cooing and chirping and making soft, comforting noises as they held him, occasionally running his fingers over Janus’ scales and through his mismatched hair and by the time he was done they’d started pressing little kisses to the top of his head. Janus’ breath hitched a few times before he was ready to talk. 

“Thank you,” They whispered, voice small, “You… this- this is- just- thank you…”

“Janus,” Virgil said softly, “You know you are welcome to stay here. No matter how long that is, I’m not gonna kick you out for some curse that’s not your fault.”

Janus practically melted into him, he’d never been treated like this before, so gently, he hadn’t ever had someone look after him before, let alone someone so perfect.

“Would- would it be inappropriate to ask you to stay?” Janus whispered, clutching Virgil’s clothes as he stayed curled up to him. He yawned, pressing his face into the feathers. 

“No,” Virgil said softly, “You’d have to do a lot more to get rid of me right now… You’re the perfect size to hold.”

Janus rolled his eyes, “You can be any size.”

“Shhh…” Virgil shushed him, kissing the top of his head again before nuzzling his hair. 

Janus didn’t think he would ever get something like this, someone who cared for him enough to hold him while he cried, a place he could stay. He didn’t know yet if he could trust it, but he knew, at the very least, that he’d gotten incredibly lucky to have landed on Virgil’s doorstep. 

----

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur @oatmealdaydreams @littlerat2 @goldnskyart (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

[the-sympathetic-villain]

*The continuation of answer choice number 11, due to character limits, “I’d let them. Permission and credit are needed. How I feel depends on who asked, if I’m also familiar with their works and if I think they could do my work justice. But regardless, even if I’ve never read their works before, I’d still give them permission (to write a fanfic about my fanfic) as long as they asked first and gave me credit. I’d just feel indifferent/probably wouldn’t feel as happy and excited as I’d be if the asker was someone whose works I was already a fan of”

This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[the-sympathetic-villain]

Masterpost: How to write a story?

Compilation of writing advice for some aspects of the writing process.

How to motivate myself to write more

How to get rid of writer’s block

Basic Overview: How to write a story

How to outline a story

How to come up with plot

How to create a character

How to make a character unique

How to name your characters (Masterpost)

How to start a story

How to write a prologue

How to write conversation

How to write witty banter

How to write the last line

How to write a summary

How to write a book description

How to write romance

How to write friendships

How to write emotions (Masterpost)

How to write an argument

How to write yelling

How to write anger

How to write betrayal

How to title fanfiction

How to write an unreliable narrator

First Person vs. Third Person POV

How to write character deaths

How to use songs in a fanfiction

How to name fictional things

How to write self-insert fics

How to write multiple points of view

Introducing a group of characters

Large cast of characters interacting in one scene

How to write dual timelines

Redemption arc

Plot twists

Fatal Character Flaws

Good Traits Gone Bad (x)

Slow burn

Explanation posts about writing terms

What is…

AU ideas

Favourite tropes

Tropes of the day

List of Genres

Drabble vs. One-Shot

Advice for writing relationships

Masterpost: how to write relationships + romance

More specific scenarios

How to write a bilingual character

How to write a character with glasses

How to write heterochromia

How to create a villain

Reasons for becoming a villain

How to write a morally grey character

How to write an inferiority complex

How to write a road trip

How to create and write a cult

How to write amnesia

How to write being stabbed

How to write a stratocracy

How to write a heist

How to write the mafia

Criminal past comes to light

Ideas for traumatic experiences

How to create an atmosphere (Masterpost)

How to write a college party

How to write royalty (Masterpost)

Paramilitary Forces/ Militia

Superpowers Masterpost (Hero x Villain)

Inconvenient things a ghost could do

A Queen’s Assassination Plot

Crime Story - Detective’s POV

Evil organization of assassins

Evil wins in the end

Causes for the apocalypse

Last day on earth

Liminal Spaces

Workplace AUs

Signs of co-dependency

What to wear in a desert

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[the-sympathetic-villain]

if you could, would you get a cat today?

yes / no

if you already have a cat, then would you get another one

[the-sympathetic-villain]

WHAT KINDA CAT ARE YOUR MUTUALS

I REALLY WANNA SIT HERE AMD GO THROUGH TAGGING EVERYONE BUT I HAVE TO GO TO BED NOW SO I’LL DO SO TOMORROW!!!

[the-sympathetic-villain]

WHAT KINDA CAT ARE YOUR MUTUALS

I REALLY WANNA SIT HERE AMD GO THROUGH TAGGING EVERYONE BUT I HAVE TO GO TO BED NOW SO I’LL DO SO TOMORROW!!!

[the-sympathetic-villain]