#and can be emotionally and physically traumatized like a human

[couldtheysurviveshibuya]

Rei Ayanami (Neon Geniss Evangelion)

[devilish-cherry]

ᨳ♡₊➳ choso x reader

ᨳ♡₊➳ crack, fluff

"Choso’s closet is officially declared a war crime. It's your moral duty to save him... with questionable results."

ᨳ♡₊➳ a/n: request from this ask!

When Yuji first mentioned Choso's nonexistent fashion sense, you laughed it off. Big mistake. Because now, standing in front of a closet that genuinely looked more tragic than any Shakespearean play, you realized you had drastically underestimated the problem.

You squinted, double-checked, even triple-checked, but Choso's wardrobe remained stubbornly pathetic. His wardrobe could be generously described as "minimalist," which, in reality, was just exactly one outfit and two of Yuji's hoodies that absolutely did not fit.

You stared blankly at the closet like it had personally offended you. Turning slowly, you leveled a stare at Choso, who stood behind you, perfectly poised, hands neatly clasped behind his back.

“This… is your entire closet?” you asked.

Choso blinked, his expression solemnly earnest.

“Yes,” he answered, voice grave as if this admission held world-ending significance. “This is my entire closet.”

You took a deep breath, the weight of responsibility settling dramatically upon your shoulders. "Choso, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but… this isn't a wardrobe. This is a war crime."

Choso appeared gravely concerned by your declaration, his face hardened instantly and he nodded with alarming seriousness. “I was unaware clothing choices could breach international law. That seems unfortunate. What steps do we take?”

“Oh, they definitely can. And yours? Yours deserve an entire tribunal,” you replied dryly, pushing the closet door shut firmly, lest the sadness escape and contaminate the outside world. “We need to go shopping. Immediately.”

Choso nodded once again. “I understand. We must obtain more… fashion.”

You weren’t entirely sure he did understand, but there was no turning back now. You grabbed his wrist with an intensity that made him make an undignified startled sound, and dragged him toward Shibuya aka the epicenter of youthful fashion, questionable aesthetics, and overpriced branded hoodies.

The shopping district was packed, colorful and loud, filled with mannequins wearing things you were fairly certain qualified as crimes against humanity. Choso, meanwhile, regarded everything with cautious suspicion.

“Do humans enjoy this?” he asked warily, eyeing a mannequin in a lime-green fuzzy bucket hat.

“Define enjoy,” you sighed. “Let’s just find something you can wear without causing physical pain.”

Your first stop was a store that claimed "minimalist streetwear," but you quickly realized their idea of minimalism involved cutting basic t-shirts in half and charging triple the price. Inside, ambient music hummed gently beneath the chatter of trendy customers and staff who looked straight off a TikTok fashion vlog.

Choso obediently tried on a pastel crop top and black ripped jeans, emerging from the dressing room with the facial expression of someone experiencing spiritual torment. He looked great, objectively speaking, but unfortunately, Choso himself appeared emotionally traumatized.

“I feel… exposed,” he said, eyes wide.

“You look like an eboy with daddy issues,” you said frankly. “Actually, you look amazing, but this might be too advanced.”

“I understand. No eboys. No daddy issues,” he echoed solemnly, immediately retreating to change again.

Next was the grunge aesthetic store, which smelled strongly of incense, angst, and overpriced vintage leather. Choso hesitantly appeared from behind the curtain, dressed in distressed jeans that looked like they’d been dragged behind a moving vehicle, a dark band tee from a band neither of you recognized, a leather jacket weighed down with unnecessary chains, and studded boots that screamed rebellion. He vaguely looked like a tortured rock star or a vampire trying way too hard to blend in.

You blinked at him. He blinked back, entirely serious.

“Is this better?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Are you planning on joining a motorcycle gang?”

He paused thoughtfully. “Should I?”

You shook your head quickly. “Absolutely not. Honestly, you look like you sell CBD-infused vape juice on TikTok.”

He looked at his reflection. “Is that… a career path?”

“No.”

You even tried the soft-boy aesthetic, leading him into a gentle-colored paradise where everything was pastel, fuzzy, and alarmingly comforting. Choso appeared, completely disoriented, in an oversized lavender cardigan, round glasses perched awkwardly on his nose, plaid pants, and socks with tiny embroidered flowers.

He turns to the mirror, expression troubled. “This is the outfit of someone who would let enemies live so they could learn the power of love.”

“… Is that bad?”

“Yes. I must kill my enemies. Efficiently.”

The next store was a confusing explosion of streetwear and urban fashion, displaying pieces that were both outrageously overpriced and weirdly tactical. You handed Choso an armful of clothing again and waited skeptically as he dressed.

When the curtain opened, you nearly choked. Choso stood there, in a flashy satin shirt, leather jacket, tight ripped jeans, and obnoxiously large sunglasses.

He stared at his reflection in disbelief. "I appear ready to announce my debut album."

“You’re giving me 'second-tier idol kicked out after two months' realness.”

He genuinely considered it. “Perhaps idol life is not suited for a former cursed womb.”

You laughed, nudging him playfully. “Maybe next reincarnation.”

At your wit’s end, you finally dragged him into a casual clothing store, shoving a handful of basics into his arms with a fervent prayer. When Choso emerged, both your eyebrows lifted.

It was… perfect?

The denim jacket fitted his broad shoulders impeccably, paired casually over the dark shirt that emphasized his lean build. Jeans hugged his long legs just right. He looked good. More than good, really. He looked annoyingly fantastic.

He paused, turning uncertainly in front of the mirror.

“You… actually look really good,” you said, stunned into honesty.

Choso looked down at himself, then at you, expression softened into something so oddly sweet it made your heart stutter. “Thank you,” he murmured, and then, entirely serious, “I did not know denim could evoke positive emotional reactions.”

“Denim is humanity’s greatest accomplishment after fire and WiFi.”

He nodded thoughtfully, clearly committing this sacred knowledge to memory. “I will remember this.”

As you went to the counter to purchase your victory haul, Choso watched with careful intensity, clearly internalizing the exchange as if preparing for future survival in a foreign land.

You patted his shoulder gently. “Congratulations, you survived your first shopping experience.”

He nodded solemnly. “This is an achievement worthy of pride?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

A tiny, rare smile touched his lips. “Then I am proud.”

You smiled back, oddly touched by his sincerity. Shopping with Choso, though exhausting, was also fun. His blunt confusion, strange questions, and unintentionally sweet comments were oddly endearing.

As you exited the store, Choso’s expression softened with unexpected contentment, eyes scanning the vibrant Shibuya crowds with quiet curiosity.

That’s when it happened. He stopped abruptly, eyes wide with sudden, intense focus on a street stall.

“Oh no,” you whispered, already sensing trouble.

Choso approached with deadly seriousness and picked up a knitted panda hat. The panda hat was, objectively speaking, an absolute tragedy. A soft knitted monstrosity that looked like a craft project gone horribly wrong. A black-and-white abomination with floppy ears and uneven stitching. It was undeniably off-putting. The street vendor smiled encouragingly, clearly sensing Choso’s vulnerable sincerity as an easy target.

“I must have this,” Choso stated with absolute conviction, his eyes shining with an intensity usually reserved for dramatic declarations or solemn battle oaths.

You choked. “Choso, are you sure-”

He stared straight at you, deadly serious. “I have never desired an object more intensely in my entire existence.”

You sighed, hiding your grin behind one hand. "Fine, who am I to deny true love at first sight?"

Choso’s expression softened into grateful seriousness. “Your support is appreciated.”

You handed over the yen, accepting the hat as Choso gingerly placed it atop his head. He turned to you for approval, looking expectant and oddly vulnerable.

You couldn’t help it. You laughed, genuine and warm. “It’s somehow perfect for you, actually.” you teased gently, nudging his arm, secretly enjoying the smile tugging at his lips. “Let’s head back before Yuji thinks we’ve been kidnapped.”

“Understood,” Choso said quietly, falling into step beside you with unusual contentment, adjusting his precious panda hat again.

Yuji nearly fell over when he saw him. “WHAT. IS. THAT. HAT.”

Choso, completely serious, stared back at Yuji with his usual deadpan expression. “This is fashion. I have evolved.”

Yuji looked at you. You raised your hands like, “Don’t look at me, man.”

Choso placed a gentle hand on Yuji’s shoulder. “Brother, this hat brings me profound joy. Please respect my choice. It is important to change. To adapt. Also, denim is good.”

Yuji gave a weak thumbs-up. “Sure, bro. Love that for you.”

Choso’s eyes lit up warmly. “Thank you, Yuji. Your approval matters greatly.”

When Yuji left, Choso seemed thoughtful.

"You know," he murmured softly, "Today was enjoyable."

“Even with all the wardrobe malfunctions?” you gently teased.

"Indeed. But more importantly," Choso stated seriously, "your company was comforting. I believe that humans enjoy activities more when they're shared with someone they care deeply for."

You looked at him quietly, your heart fluttering unexpectedly. “Are you saying you care deeply about me, Choso?”

“Yes. That is exactly what I meant,” he nodded, completely unaware of the magnitude of his confession.

You smiled, touched. Choso’s sincerity was always delivered so plainly and seriously you were never sure if he realized just how charmingly awkward he was being. "That's... actually really sweet."

He nodded gravely, considering. "Sweetness is preferable to whatever emotion that bucket hat induced."

You laughed, bumping your shoulder against his. "Agreed."

Choso looked down at you quietly. "Thank you. For being patient with me. I am still navigating the human experience. You help make it... enjoyable."

You gently squeezed his hand, smiling softly. "You're doing great."

He smiled just barely, the corners of his mouth twitching upward slightly. It felt like a victory.

[sthilarions]

Okay on the subject of Charles inviting Crystal to live in his and Edwin’s home against Edwin’s wishes (and then bringing her to Port Townsend with them, also largely against Edwin’s wishes)

Now, to start with, I want to establish that from a character point of view this is very understandable. Charles sees a damsel in distress and moves in to protect, he sees someone pretty and fun and Edwin-like and alive and wants to engage, it’s all very understandable top to bottom

But the thing is I’ve seen a lot of people say this was actually necessary in general, not just understandable given Charles’s personality, on the basis that Crystal had amnesia and nowhere to go, and, uh, that is not the case, because hotels exist, my friend, and are a much better place to put up someone in distress than on a three foot long loveseat in a presumably one-room office inhabited by beings that work in it 24/7 (who notably do not sleep). Like, the living situation Charles arranged for Crystal here is not a good one for a living person who has joints and a spine and needs sleep and food and fuckin’ tampons! And is there a functioning bathroom anywhere in that building, on that note?

“But hotels cost money and Crystal doesn’t have any,” you say. Uh-huh. You know what else costs money? A last-minute trans-Atlantic flight (or series of several flights, rather, given that they’re going to the West Coast).

They get Crystal on a plane from London to Washington seemingly same-day, and seem to fully intend to pay for a return flight also same day. (And may have also paid for seats for themselves, given that we were told they travelled with her, unless they sat cross-legged in the aisle and let people walk through them for like 18 hours.) Do you have any idea how expensive that is? They can afford to put Crystal in a hotel for MONTHS with that amount of money.

They a) clearly have modern-day living-human currency b) have it in significant quantities and c) are willing to spend it on Crystal. They are fully capable of putting her up in a hotel for a little while.

(And if they pulled supernatural bullshit on the level required to get someone through customs and TSA without a ticket, instead of paying, then they could also pull that level of Jedi mind trick or whatever to get her a free hotel room.)

I have seen the “you don’t understand the realities of being a teenage girl of color” argument and yeah, maybe, but… not to be indelicate but I do understand the realities of a) different types of homelessness and b) being a teenage girl trying to sleep in a room with two awake teenage boys to whom you owe your current survival, who may seem nice but who at any moment could decide you should transition to being street-homeless if you don’t please them, one of whom you already know is attracted to you. Like, physical logistics aside, this is not an emotionally healthy situation for a traumatized homeless teenage girl.

Charles’s actions were fully understandable from a character point of view but they were also very much not rational or necessary or even, with the knowledge they had at the time (ie they thought David was gone), in Crystal’s best interest. The physical logistical issues probably didn’t occur to Charles, because he hasn’t had to deal with them for decades (and some of them not at all), and the issues with power dynamics definitely didn’t occur to him for a variety of reasons, but the fact is that the living situation Charles tried to put her in was not good! He was acting in a way he thought was protective but was actually selfish and that’s a fully natural and even endearing character flaw but it is a flaw and there’s no point erasing that.

[witchofthesouls]

Imagining middle adult human being turned into a sparkling and the Ex-human just Traumatizing the heck out of Cybertronians who don't know their story, (perhaps relates to the fact I turn 37 tomorow), IE organic alien blessed and uplifted by the Primes/Primus.

Because to the mechs who don't know the story the ex human's horror movie level creepy on first meeting. Their mental developmental stage and their physical developmental stagrs are all out of synch.

First of all, Happy Belated Birthday, booky!

Second, it would definitely lead to a lot of suspense, tension, and general fuckery. Honestly, everyone will be traumatized at some level here.

The Cybertronians are just completely baffled and absolutely worried over the sudden sparkling with the soul of a burnt-out worker with potential alcoholism, a nicotine addiction, and terrible sleep habits to go with their poor emotional regulation and shit diet.

Meanwhile, the ex-human would have to deal with specific-frame instincts, especially if they're a type of Seekerkin since those kind of frame-schematics have very specific, built-in quirks.

You think you have the alien equivalent of GERD or pulled a muscle-cable because of chest pain.

No. You, a Seekerkin sparkling, are developing the initial signs of spark palpitations as your spark is reaching out for someone to step up as a creator to regulate your spark energy levels back to acceptable levels. Otherwise, the constant calling will lead to your spark to collapse upon itself, burning out without a proper check.

You ping out as a very stressed, desperately-in-need-for-an-adult-RIGHT-NOW sparkling, so every Seekerkin (and other frame-types that function well in groups) can't help but drop things to bundle you up and pur you into submission as they wrangle your spark back into acceptable levels since you're vehemently refusing to actually bond with anyone.

You can't do anything but allow the mechs to swaddle you, press you against their frame, and rumble for an undetermined amount of time until your chest stops hurting and you get the feeling back in your limbs.

You didn't think you're emotionally-constipated, but it seems like Cybertronians have a different definition, especially since they can make physical contact between their very touchable souls.

Bottom line, one day you'll stop stress-weeping on a random mech's lap from a rumbling hug session, but not any time soon.

The fact that it takes so much energy from you that you literally drop into sudden, hiccuping nap right on the mech doesn't help either.

[the-fox-with-no-name]

Survival Guide for Rooming with Nicky Hemmick

Written by the Foxes & Associates™ (some traumatized, some in love, most confused)

Trust us. You’re gonna need this.

1. He’s friendly. Like… too friendly.

You’ll start thinking, “Aw, he’s so nice!” and end up in a cuddle pile wondering how you got there.

2. He’s very physically affectionate.

If you sit still too long, you become a chair. Do not be alarmed if he treats your lap like a beanbag. It’s not personal. It’s just Nicky.

3. If you walk in on Nicky doing... something, pretend you saw nothing.

No words. No eye contact. Turn around. Leave. Go pray.

4. He likes video games.

You will be forced to play. Resistance is futile. He’s already has a control and a new profile for you.

5. Couch nap = surprise blanket.

He's sweet. Also terrifying. Accept the gesture. Do not question how he knew you were cold.

6. Nicky’s default outfit is either a crop top, gym shorts, or skin.

If it’s hot and the A/C is broken, your new roommate is now a nudist. Fix it. Fast.

7. He has a massage gun.

Unless you want to find out things about yourself you weren’t ready for, decline politely. Or accept… and immediately DIY.

8. If he asks YOU to use the massage gun on HIM…

Put in earplugs. If the moaning gets through, turn it off and run. Neil helped once. There are still knife holes in the walls. Neil doesn’t talk about it.

9. Don’t let him massage you. Just don’t.

Unless you enjoy emotional confusion followed by unsolicited gifts and shame.

10. Nicky is a snack gremlin.

Stock up like it’s an apocalypse or kiss your granola bars goodbye.

11. Shockingly? He can cook.

Especially spaghetti. Eat it. Compliment it. It’s the one time you’ll see him be humble for five minutes.

12. Power out? LOCK THE FRIDGE.

Panic makes him eat like a raccoon in a dumpster. All Ice cream melted last time and Andrew tried to kill him.

13. Nicky is… unreliable at times.

Going on a trip? Bring extra socks, shirts, dignity, and backup underwear. You’ll need all four.

14. Working out with Nicky = flirty chaos.

He will make innuendos. He will try to sneak a peek. Matt says have a spray bottle om stream mode. You’re not training a cat, but close.

15. He’s allergic to winter. Emotionally.

Extra scarves and layers in the drawer. Blue one’s his fave. Thank Renee for prepping like a mom.

16. Honesty is okay. Just be gentle.

Think: “therapy voice.” Do not use sarcasm unless you want tears and German swear words.

17. He will talk about his family.

A lot. Again. Still. Just nod and toss him his favorite ice cream when he looks sad.

18. There’s a German boyfriend. Name: Erik.

If Nicky starts whispering sweet nothings in German, don’t panic. It’s not Satan. Just his man. Be cool if they FaceTime. Or run.

19. He gets lonely.

There’s a yellow sticky note in the cabinet of “cheer-up supplies.” Add to it. You’ll become his new emotional support human.

20. Do NOT go to Eden’s Twilight without backup.

Only bring Neil, Andrew, or Aaron. Anyone else will not survive. You have been warned.

21. Drunk Nicky is a cryptid.

He will cry, prank call exes, sing ABBA, and snuggle you like a stuffed animal. Pick the top bunk. He won’t climb… probably.

22. If you’re a girl: you’re safe.

If you’re a guy: Good. Freaking. Luck.

23. If he introduces you to Erik… BE. F*CKING. CAREFUL.

One wrong move and you're either part of the family or part of a murder documentary.

24. If you by chance enter a polycule with Nicky and are okay with that…

That’s cute. But you're on your own. You signed up for this. The rest of us are out.

25. Hurt Nicky, and we will kill you.

No metaphor. No hyperbole. No Fox left behind. You've been warned.

Signed the Foxes

[velvet4510]

Ok so I came across an Erik Lehnsherr hater who shall not be named (I don’t even remember their username anyway and frankly I don’t want to if this is how they think) who claimed that:

Erik was an emotionally abusive predator to Charles, intentionally drawing Charles closer to him and targeting his insecurities so he could break him in First Class.

Erik intentionally drove Charles and Raven apart so that he’d always have one of them under his thumb and purposely planted the seeds that the fallout was all Charles’ fault and emotionally manipulated Raven into hating Charles so that they wouldn’t be able to stand united against him.

Erik was overall no better than Shaw in how he handled the human vs. mutant situation - but also on an individual level; the example given was that he tried to shoot Raven in front of Charles, just as Shaw shot his mother in front of him.

the overall message of the prequels is “don’t try to help a traumatized person that you happen upon in the ocean because that person will destroy your life,” a message apparently sealed by the Paris proposal finale in which Erik “waits until Charles is physically and emotionally isolated from everyone else in his life to swoop in and play savior and take him away to his remote home to keep calling all the shots.” (I’m paraphrasing here, but that’s the gist of what they said.)

Firstly, my friends, I am tired. I am sick, fighting off a bad cold. I am up to my neck in schoolwork. I don’t have the energy atm to write the kind of rebuttal to this claim that I want to make. And the fact that I’ve no idea how to create my own gifsets certainly doesn’t help.

Secondly, we all know that Cherik do not have a perfect or even healthy relationship. I really don’t think any of us are under such an illusion; we all regularly express our frustration with many of their moments. But I do think that there are more than a few flaws in this user’s claims that can be articulately opposed.

So I summon my fellow Cheriks. Do whatever you want. Be as academic or rageful as you like. But address these claims in some way, please??? Help me dive into the nuance, pick it to pieces! Once I’m well again, I’ll make my own post to add to the discussion.

Also spread the word; tag others you know so they can chime in.

(I personally would love it if anyone with the gifset skills that I don’t have could make some kind of master set of every time, every moment big or little where Erik is kind to Charles or soft with Charles or just shows/indicates that he genuinely loves him. Just to really put a bruise in that “abuser” accusation.)

Even if the original accuser never reads any of this, I think it’s worth it to put the discord out there for the rest of the fandom. Usually I don’t wish to give haters the time of day, but these claims were just too extreme and too juicy for me to shrug them off.

So please, however way you want to do it, let’s not let these claims go unanswered.

@wishchip106 @star-lights-up @swordsandsadness @cherikdogfood @uniquecellest @sinspirefly @caramelc0rgi

[weepingtalecowboy]

Considering what Batman did in Gotham war with Jason

A fanfic exploring how everyone (especially Jason) of his children starts genuinely fearing him

Because it is canon that there are more situations where he hit and beat Richard then there are off him hugging him in the comics

He did his hardest to push Tim away he literally tried to kill Jason and then he just mentally broke him because he thought that it was the only way to make him stop being a criminal

He was straight up unsupportive towards Damian and even though he knows that Damian has no idea what a normal life is and how he isn’t allowed to kill anybody because he genuinely has no idea how to navigate society but instead of therapy he just gets berated for something he doesn’t fully understand (and while I don’t excuse his behavior or actions if he was given help like even Richard himself was enough to somewhat help him out at how to actually do things without violence a therapist could probably do much more for him but Richard already shows that just basic support was good enough for a start)

Like considering how he maybe loves them but his own mental health is so bad that the constantly hurts everyone around him

He should not even be near them if he truly loves anyone of them (except if he got psychological treatment and even then he should for the love and happiness of his kids just stay as far away as physically possible)

Batman is a mess and not equipped to raise children let alone vigilantes

he himself isn’t copping well enough to help anyone he is emotionally unstable and has lots of issues but he at least has a nanny who will take care of him when he is neglecting himself but Alfred can’t do everything for everyone and Bruce himself can’t help his family and later Alfred dies anyway making Bruce's kids dependent on him

But Bruce has no idea how to do anything for them (it is not in his range of abilities to play an actual parental role that doesn’t just mean give the kid a home over their head and food)

And while I love his character a lot over the years he is losing his path of justice more and more there are more situations of genuine concern then ever before

It just makes him seem so much more human than ever before

Because no human can live a live of vigilantism without getting more mentally ill over their whole career

After all the military discharges soldiers who are unfit for duty because of mental or physical limitations and problems

It is for their own sake but Bruce wants to fight that fight for as long as he lives

And he is dragging in more and more innocent children into his war against crime

At some point it will be to much like how Jason was killed then brought back wrong

Or Richard snapping and beating him for what he did to his brother who will never be able to fully recover from something that traumatic

Tim already knows that without robin Batman will become a monster even without crossing the line of killing

And then did everything physically possible to stop him from his self destruction

But Batman is made to self destruct there is no way he won’t break at some point (seeing as he already is breaking apart and in Batman beyond he is totally and utterly alone till Terry joins in

A fanfic exploring what would have happened if he was hurt by Nightwing after what he did to Jason is an interesting opportunity to explore

But because at the end of the day everyone knows that Batman is needed they are forced to let him live but they also know that he will actually truly snap if they are not there for him

So everyone starts living at the mansion and in fear of angering him (because there is no Alfred anymore to stop him)

They do everything to keep Jason away from him but they can’t move away anymore because Bruce disapproves at it

And Richard forces himself to interact as much as possible with him so that he focuses on him instead of his younger siblings

But the most important thing is to make sure that he doesn’t find out about their fear of him because they all know that this will make him truly upset (and by now they will never try to even play with fire anymore)

But also he is forced to raise everyone by himself

Has to make sure that Jason feels comfortable enough not to feel adrenaline because that is another problem altogether (which is hard when he immediately starts crying when being in the same room as Bruce)

Has to shield everyone from Bruce because nobody feels safe anymore

And on top of that make food and do chores (as the only good enough cook in the family and Jason no longer being able to do so) and teach the others how to do their chores despite them all being disasters at it (because no Alfred anymore)

And to somehow make it even worse he has to somehow convince Bruce to take care of himself while also trying to not make him any more upset

Then after a few years into that dynamic Bruce and past Bruce swap bodies

And while the whole league of the past and the past Batman immediately think future Bruce is an imposter because he behaves differently from how Batman would they simply tie him up beat him up

Past Bruce is surprised that everyone is at home and speaking to him and just assumes that it’s a good week but quickly realizes that something is wrong like how his entire family is going out of his way except for Dick how he seems extremely nervous about everything he says

How everyone is doing their best to keep Jason away from him

Main While the whole family assume he is having a good week and under no circumstances should they ever try to upset him in any way which is hard when he is constantly seeking them out and asking about Jason

By the point he realized what happens

He proceeds to go and beat up his future self and get therapy because he absolutely hates how everyone is afraid of him

That is not how Batman should ever be seen Batman is a sign of hope for the city not a monster hell bend on hurting criminals

[starlightweave]

The BG3 companions if they were in Middle-Earth:

@window-on-the-west highly valuing your input here!

EDIT: I FORGOT ASTARION how could I, my 2nd favorite romance and I completely forgot about him 😭: a Sindarin elf of Rivendell I think, fought in the Seige of Mordor during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and was badly scarred, physically and emotionally, by the war. Was taken prisoner for some time, tortured and enslaved ;_;

Wyll: a ranger of Ithilien who's lowkey in love with Captain Faramir (bc who ISN'T). Cries his eyes out at Aragorn's coronation

Lae'zel: ALSO a ranger of Ithilien, but originally a foreigner, a woman of Harad or Rhun, who was part of a very tiny minority of ppl who were against allying w/ Sauron (recall Sam's/Faramir's musings over the young dead Southron man, if he believed in the cause of Sauron, or if he only wished to be home, and was threatened/forced to fight). She escaped and made it to Gondor. The type of ranger who's like we should do a suicide mission into Mordor and end this once and for all I'LL tear down the foundations of Barad Dûr MYSELF

Gale: the approach I think most ppl would take is to make him a figure like Feanor, super talented but arrogant, flying too close to the sun and pissing off the gods lol. However 1) Feanor was a dick, not at ALL charming like our Gale 2) I think he needs to stay human (as I think the fact that he wants to accomplish SO MUCH in his life but has less than a century to do so cannot be discounted when we speak of his ambition). In which case he'd be like a Renaissance man of Gondor, like Faramir. Deeply learned in Gondor's lore, but also highly skilled in battle. Also thinks the Ring "is a gift," BIGLY. YUUUGELY in favor of using it against Sauron, CONVINCED his good intentions and knowledge of lore would allow him to master it for good (but also to grow his own power)

Shadowheart: a bit tricky since we don't have an abundance of cults kidnapping people, but what if she was a Dunedain girl, kidnapped at a young age by agents of The Enemy, and then sent back years later as a spy for Sauron

Karlach: another tricky one. Perhaps if she was a woman of Rohan, captured and badly wounded in an orc raid. Arwen's mother was so physically and emotionally scarred after she survived an orc attack that she left for Valinor; it's clearly a traumatic experience, so what about someone who couldn't run away to Valinor? Who has to live with what was taken from her in this attack, and then learn Wormtongue, one of her own people and the king's own advisor, whom they all trusted, was a spy for Saruman? And then learn that Saruman, who was supposed to be their friend and protector, sold them out to Saruon. Nobody gets betrayed like Rohan in LOTR so that's my argument for placing her there.

Minthara: one of the Noldor elves in the First Age who was captured by Melkor but survived and escaped Thangorodrim. I recall that these elves' old communities didn't always treat them well, finding them too traumatized and changed to accept them again :(. Fits w/ the taken hold of an evil cult and then made an exile. She'd start her OWN resistance against Melkor, with blackjack, and hookers!

Halsin: one of the Beornings. OBVIOUSLY. For those who don't know, in the Hobbit, Beorn, after whom the Beornings are named, is a giant mountain man who can shapechange INTO A BEAR. He lives with highly intelligent animals, can speak to beasts, has a giant garden with giant flowers and giant bees, and lives off honey cakes and cream. He also HATES goblins (ie orcs) and only offers his help to Bilbo & Co because they have fought and killed a whole bunch of goblins (also he knows who Gandalf is ffs don't trust his shitty adaptation in the movie 🙄 that scene is so much funnier and better done in the book)

Jaheira: a Silvan elf of Thranduil's realm. veteran fighter against orcs. Totally wanted in on the council of Elrond but she pissed off Thranduil with her lecturing about how did you let Gollum get loose lol

Minsc: also a Boerning. I know he's not a shapechanger but his animal companion, ability to speak to beasts, and the fact that he is GIANTIC and all muscle, pls, he fits right in with the mountain men. He'd also love living on honey cakes and cream, as would Boo lol. Being a Rider of Rohan also works for him imo - altho he looks way to big to fit on a horse lol, their culture surrounding war and martial prowess has parallels w/ Rasheman

The Emperor: a ringwraith 😂 THEE fucking ringwraith in fact, The Witch King of Angmar himself. No man can slay me 💅🏼 Thanks to @oryndoll for this one lol

[trexiejan]

Some Toxic Dickbabs moments that happened in canon. (LONG POST)

so i saw a dickbabs shipper talking crap about dickkory saying they're the most toxic nightwing ship? and they also claim dickbabs is the most healthiest ? it's ironic considering I've seen many dickbabs comic panels where dickbabs is being toxic towards each other plenty of times in the canon comics. Looks like Tom Taylor wants to brainwash people and make them believe that Dickbabs is such a perfect healthy loving couple since day 1, when that hasn't been true at all before he was put in charge of the nightwing comics to write dickbabs wattpad fanfiction in the book every single issue, this ship has done nothing but damage both characters even in tom taylor's run Dick is turned into a happy go lucky himbo who is incapable of accomplishing anything on his own without being monitored and babysat by barbara 24/7.

Anyways let's proceed with dickbabs history of being a toxic couple.

Remember those times where Barbara physically and verbally assaulted him when he was only trying to be nice and polite. She yelled at him, called him stupid, a crybaby and beat him up.

Also they keep calling Kory a victim blamer for something that happened once in over 30 years ago but ignore the fact that Babs has victim blamed him and slutshamed him multiple times in the modern comics when he was sexually assaulted and raped by Tarantula and when he got shot in the head by the Joker.

Dick just got raped by Tarantula and was traumatized by what happened but instead of comforting Dick, she has the nerve to mockingly say Dick likes his rapist. her jealousy always clouds her judgement.

I'm sorry But Barbara is canonically a victim blamer and a slutshamer. Don't forget how she also insults and slutshames other women like Helena when she gets jealous of the other women in Dick's life. She called dickhelena a cheap one nightstand even though Dick clearly told Helena he doesn't do casual sex and and she mocked Kory and refused to help her on a mission when her people were dying.

so yeah let's get back to her history with victim blaming Dick. She victim blamed him again after he got shot in the head and had an amnesia and when his memories was restored, she lashed out at him for forgetting about her when he had an amnesia.

And remember that time when Bludhaven was burned down and Dick lost his apartment, he came to Barbara to ask if he can stay at her place but she kicked him out of her apartment the next day. She's totally fine with him being homeless but dickbabs shippers claim babs has always been very loving and supportive towards him while calling Kory a slut.

Even in elseworld stuff she treats him like garbage. Aside from cheating on Dick with Batman and getting pregnant with Batman's baby in the BTAS universe, she's also very emotionally abusive to him in comics where dickbabs shippers brag about them having a kid in it like in whiteknight.

Barbara was always out there acting like a toxic judgemental domineering bitch in the modern canon comics, Barbara behaved like this consistently for more than 30 years but Kory is the one we should crucify over something that she did only once from 30 years ago 🙄 Did they crucify Barbara too when she was ableist to Cass and called her stupid because she can't read.

And they call Kory a sexual assaulter? Because she kissed him when they first met. Did they forgot that Kory was an alien, she was clueless about Earth laws when she first came to earth, she didn't know that you're actually not supposed to kiss someone without their consent, she had no clue that it was considered inappropriate and she kissed him not to sexually assault him but for her to learn english. Her people can learn other languages through kissing and Kory didn't learn anything about Human law until she officially joined the teen titans, so you can actually excuse her for her behavior what's not excusable is Barbara who is a human being who studied law for years, but still has the nerve to commit a sexual crime. As always, She violated Dick's personal privacy, she put a spy camera on his apartment so she can enjoy watching him naked without his consent. Look it up on google the crime is called voyeurism. Barbara would be considered a creepy criminal by human law. I'm not surprised considering I always think of her as a type of gf who has no respect for her partner's personal space especially when she's Oracle, She never respected Dick's privacy even in tom taylor's run, she keeps monitoring his every move in her computer, she always invades his personal space. Dick is trapped in this relationship. It's not a good relationship if you constantly watch your partner's every move and if you keep following your partner around like a dog wherever he goes.

Many people think Dickbabs is such a healthy couple because of Tom Taylor's run. I think for someone who is a huge dickbabs shipper like tom taylor it's expected he's gonna try to convince people to believe that to sell his favorite ship but in reality even in Tom Taylor's run Dickbabs relationship is pretty toxic and forced. It's toxic when your partner doesn't respect your privacy, when your partner constantly stalks and keeps an eye on you on every single thing that you do, when you wanna talk to other people but she's there lurking in her computer listening to your conversations with other people, when she puts a camera on your mask so she can always see what you see and hear what you hear, as if you're not a real human being who needs your own privacy, and constantly follows you around like a dog, like Barbara does to him every single issue. It really is a sign of an abusive relationship when there is no respect. How is Tom Taylor's Nightwing good when the book keeps destroying Dick's independece by having Barbara stuck to him like a leech 24/7 . The book is called Nightwing but Tom Taylor turned it into a Nightwing and Batgirl fanfiction series where 90% of the time Dick hasn't done anything on his own and where his IQ is chopped off in half to prop up Barbara as the smarter woman in their relationship. Dick can't even handle his own missions without constantly being babysat by Barbara in her computer like a sidekick who needs to be watched 24/7.

Poor Dick he became Nightwing to stop being Batman's sidekick and be independent only for Barbara to take away his independence and treat him like a sidekick again. Dickbabs has always been a toxic ship in any kind of form.

and don't forget Tom Taylor himself is a toxic misogynist slutshamer. He keeps throwing shade on Kory on twitter by liking comments that slutshame her on twitter

You know what would be the best way to fix dickbabs? is by letting them move on from each other! Let them grow tf up and move forward in life outside this relationship.

Babs is an anchor that brings him down whenever she's too involved in his life and same with Babs because do dickbabs shippers even care about Barbara. I haven't seen any barbara fan complain about barbara not doing anything on her own other than chasing dick around like a dog in his comicbook every single issue.

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

This is getting frustrating - Eurylochus defender rant

I AM SO SICK AND TIRED of people bashing Eurylochus without fully understanding his character!

STOP blaming Eurylochus for wanting to leave the PIG turned men behind in the Circe saga. He's a literal mortal against A WITCH! What tf did you want him to do?! Stomp in there and demand Circe turns the men back into humans?! Ask her kindly to turn them back without knowing if she actually would or turn HIM into a peg too?!!!!

He voted to leave because he thought those men were already a lost cause. He wanted to save the few he had left because after the cyclops saga, he didn't want to see any more of his friends/comrades brutally die.

He didn't, I repeat, DIDN'T KNOW that Hermes was going to help out. To me, leaving would be the right thing to do. And leaving people you think are a lost cause is SO different from sacrificing six men.

STOP blaming Eurylochus and the crew after forming a mutiny. Odysseus literally sacrificed six men! How could they trust him after that?! How would YOU feel in that situation?!

Not to mention they all saw their friends get brutally murdered by Scylla. How would you feel after seeing that?! After seeing men get brutally torn apart in front of you?!!!

Eurylochus probably felt more hurt because Odysseus made HIM hand out the torches. Literally making him an accomplice to murder! And if Eurylochus didn't hand the last torch to someone else he too would've died.

Eury didn't recognize his friend, his brother in arms anymore. That was an imposter in his body.

And believe me when I say, F*CK THEM DAMN COWS!

Eurylochus was tired, starving, and traumatized. How would you feel if you saw 563 men die horrible deaths? How would you feel after probably having constant nightmares of those deaths that probably cause you to sleep less?! How would you feel after starving for so long?

The human body can only go so long without food and tiny morsels of fish (that you HOPE you come across) don't help at all. I would like to see any human in Eury's place not feel the way he did in mutiny. You wouldn't last long at ALL. Physically, mentally, nor emotionally. You'd be in the same damn boat (no pun intended.)

He just wanted to have one last full meal with his buddies before they bit the dust. If it had to come down to suicide by cow, then so be it.

Lastly, when Eurylochus says "But we'll die" he's coming to terms with what's happening. He's scared but he's tired and he knows what's about to happen. That's all I hear when I listen to Thunder Bringer.

He's accepting his fate. That's all there is to it. So, kindly, KEEP YOUR HATRED AWAY FROM MY BOI! *snatches Eurylochus and leaves*

Thank you for reading my rant. I'm tag-teaming so if you have anything to add. Go right ahead.

Also, I ain't arguing with anyone, you got an argument? Argue with the wall. Eury haters are not welcome on this post.

[skarsjoy]

Slash Film: 10 Best Alexander Skarsgård Movies And TV Shows, Ranked BY RUSSELL MURRAY JUNE 14, 2025 6:10 AM EST

All of their 10 are ranked below with their description of Alex's performance. Since Murderbot is the newest, I'm including the full write-up on it here.

MURDERBOT (#4)

It might be too early to determine where exactly "Murderbot" truly belongs on this list. The newly released Apple TV+ series hasn't even finished airing its first season as of writing, and the network has at least seven entries in Martha Wells' "The Murderbot Diaries" to mine material from. That said, it's already such an entertaining star vehicle for Alexander Skarsgård that it could go down as his career-defining project — for now, a spot in the top 5 feels reasonable.

If you have yet to be acquainted with the weird delight that is "Murderbot," it follows the misadventures of a corporate security android (played by Skarsgård) who musters up enough free will and self-awareness to hack into [its] programming, liberating [it] from the lines of code that dictate his every moment. Now in total control of [its] future, the self-christened "Murderbot" is forced to play the role of mindless drone to avoid being melted down by his creators before he can make his final escape. [It] accompanies mining crews on dangerous expeditions and pretends to be as oblivious as possible. Every so often, an accident or local hostile will compel him to protect the humans he cares very little for — the rest of the time, [its] binge-watching thousands of hours of streaming content and monologuing to [itself] about whether or not [it] should slay [its] captors.

Skarsgård is absolutely killer as the melancholy Murderbot, making [its] mechanical alienation strangely relatable. It would be easy for the character's verbosity to drift into an unlikable "Dexter"-style narcissism, but Skarsgård's performance — with its mix of bored detachment and weird bursts of youthful excitement — gives "Murderbot" a narrative vibe that's as unsettling as it is endearing.

THE NORTHMAN - With all the pieces in place and production under way, Skarsgård went absolutely wild for his role as the Norse folk legend Amleth, packing on serious muscle mass and enduring a physically and mentally strenuous filming process to tell the story of the Viking prince's quest for generational vengeance. It's a credit to both Eggers' career and Skarsgård's talent that "The Northman" still rules despite being Eggers' most disappointing film upon release, though we feel it has aged into a violent, trippy, visually striking, and emotionally dynamic showcase of Skarsgård as a truly great actor.

GENERATION KILL - Alexander Skarsgård plays Staff Sergeant Brad Colbert, a character based on a retired marine veteran who has since become an outspoken advocate for the awareness of post traumatic stress disorder brought on by joining the military. The series' unflinchingly brave reckoning with the psychological and emotional consequences of warfare is what raises it to the level of "Band of Brothers," and the subtle, natural performance from Skarsgård is what raises it to the near-top of his filmography.

SUCCESSION - Skarsgård plays Matsson like a boyish, stupid sociopath who is so alienated from normal people that he can't help but see them as disposable pawns. At the same time, Matsson is given a humiliating humanity that paints his evilness not as genius, but as the embarrassingly insecure behavior of someone with no social skills. He nails the series' delicate tone, creating a character who is both plausibly dangerous and deeply stupid. Skarsgård and Matsson became the central villain for the triumphant final season of "Succession." Though he can't hope to fill the massive void left by Brian Cox's Logan Roy, Skarsgård is imposing, memorable, and totally arresting, and a large reason why season 4 might be the best season of "Succession" overall. 

MURDERBOT - Skarsgård is absolutely killer as the melancholy Murderbot, making [its] mechanical alienation strangely relatable. It would be easy for the character's verbosity to drift into an unlikable "Dexter"-style narcissism, but Skarsgård's performance — with its mix of bored detachment and weird bursts of youthful excitement — gives "Murderbot" a narrative vibe that's as unsettling as it is endearing.

MELANCHOLIA - Alexander Skarsgård has a prominent supporting role in the first half of the film as Justine's fiance Michael, whom she loves but ultimately cannot see a happy life with. On its own merits, "Melancholia" is one of the best movies of the 2010s. In terms of Skarsgård's career, his vulnerable performance makes up for his lack of screentime, though not enough to rank it above some of his meatier roles.

INFINITY POOL - [Skarsgård] plays James Foster, a young writer who tries to escape his relationship problems by taking a getaway to a remote country that attracts wealthy tourists like his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman). He quickly falls under the influence of an arresting fellow traveler named Gabi (Goth), who encourages him to engage in dangerous, morally corrosive acts — the consequences of which (due to the country's unique laws, culture, and apparent scientific advancements) are that James be forced to watch a clone of himself be horrifically executed by the state. 

DOCUMENTARY NOW! (Soldier of Illusion Parts I & II) - "Soldier of Illusion" is surreal, hilarious, and unexpectedly disquieting as it looks at the absurdity of Herzog's artistic dedication from a new angle. Skarsgård's Rainer Wolz is compelling and empathetic. The actor's performance, coupled with Mulaney's bluntly comedic script and Alex Buono and Rhys Thomas' fidelitous '80s aesthetic, creates a hyper-reality so tangible it's often hard to remember you aren't actually watching a documentary.

BIG LITTLE LIES - Alexander Skarsgård plays Celeste's husband Perry, making up the other half of a toxic and abusive marriage. Skarsgård delivers a memorable supporting performance in the series, standing out in the crowded ensemble as one of the series' most entrancing characters. Skarsgård was awarded a Golden Globe and nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for playing Perry.

TRUE BLOOD - Skarsgård was perfectly cast as a hulking, mysterious Viking vampire, literally towering over every scene with a distinct vibe that's effortlessly charismatic and menacing at the same time. While his performance is totally believable, there's also something so impressive about how well he nails the show's tone and style, especially given that his later work is mostly naturalistic and understated, his soapy head-whips and dramatic stares feel artfully employed rather than cheap. 

LONG SHOT - Skarsgård appears in the film as the Canadian Prime Minister, and though the script is mostly channeling a 2010s Justin Trudeau, Skarsgård gives him an awkward brashness that turns him into a three-dimensional rom-com villain. "Long Shot" is great on its own, but definitely worth watching for anyone interested in seeing Skarsgård in a light-hearted comedic story for a change.

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1884970/alexandar-skarsgard-best-movies-tv-shows-ranked/

[itsclydebitches]

Emotions.exe

Mensah had gotten halfway through the wall's blood spatter when Arada appeared, hollow-eyed and shaking a bit, like the environmental controls were down. Her hands were steady enough on the mop though. Minutes later Pin-Lee followed. They took up the bucket, turned as if to leave the habitat and dump it, then set it right back down, staring into the red depths. "So," they said. "We going to talk about it?" "You mean SecUnit?" Ratthi asked. "No, you idiot, I mean the fact that SecUnit blew up a woman's head!" Or: The aftermath of a murder.

First Murderbot fic! 🎉 You can read it below the cut or on AO3.

Mensah wound up cleaning Leebeebee's blood off the habitat wall.

Despite surviving an explosion she was in the best shape out of the team, physically and emotionally speaking. Plus, what use was she as the leader if she didn't volunteer for the tough jobs? Being the 'Captain,' as SecUnit had inexplicably called her, was more than just daring rescue missions and (failed) attempts at contacting the company. A true leader was willing to get their hands dirty. Literally. With blood and brains.

The thought was so absurd Mensah found herself giggling. Hysterical? Maybe. Probably. But at least she was keeping her lunch this time around. Amazing, how quickly humans adapted to new situations. After slicing open SecUnit's spinal column and dismantling it for parts, mopping up bits of a would-be murderer's brains wasn't so bad. She hadn't even liked Leebeebee before the almost-murdering thing.

She shot Gurathin, Mensah thought and dumped the rag back into the bucket with more force than was strictly necessary.

"You cleaning that, or…?"

Ratthi suddenly stood in the doorway, staring at the swaths of bloody water that now ran across the floor. Mensah sighed.

"More like making a mess of things, as usual." She pinched the bridge of her nose, noticed that there was something… organic sticking to her fingers, and promptly swallowed down a scream. "How's Gurathin?" Her voice came out strangled.

"Fine, fine. I mean, not fine, obviously, but his life isn't in danger. Anymore, I guess. And he's complaining a lot. Which is weirdly… comforting?"

The ghost of a smile slipped onto Mensah's face. Yeah. That was comforting.

"Also, no way in hell I'm letting you clean that alone. Gimme."

She didn't have the energy to resist Ratthi's hyper insistence, so she merely handed him another rag and nodded towards the upholstery. It was a bit horrifying, really, just how quickly one could get used to the traumatizing and the macabre. One week Mensah had been surveying a hellishly boring planet in the vain hope of inducing some life into their economy, the next she was mopping up bits of skull and spinal column, pretending it was just another mess her kids had made. Funny, that.

"You okay?" Ratthi asked, side-eyeing her as another giggle escaped.

"No. Not in the least."

"Ah. Well, love the honesty!"

She'd gotten halfway through the wall's blood spatter when Arada appeared, hollow-eyed and shaking a bit, like the environmental controls were down. Her hands were steady enough on the mop though. Minutes later Pin-Lee followed. They took up the bucket, turned as if to leave the habitat and dump it, then set it right back down, staring into the red depths.

"So," they said. "We going to talk about it?"

"You mean SecUnit?" Ratthi asked.

"No, you idiot, I mean the fact that SecUnit blew up a woman's head!"

"Okay, sorry! It gets a little confusing with the pronouns!"

"…Oh. Yeah, I see how that wasn't clear. Sorry. But," Pin-Lee help up a finger. Like Arada's it shook slightly. "Gurathin was completely fucking right—"

"Wait, wait. I love the guy, but Gurathin is never completely right."

"Oh shut up, Ratthi." Gurathin's voice suddenly came over the Hub. The system crackled faintly, but there was something else off about his tone.

Mensah's eyes narrowed. "Gurathin? You're awake? How are you feeling?"

"I'm perfectly fine."

There was another burst of static, what might have been a struggle, and then Bharadwaj's voice flowed through. "He's high as a kite on pain meds."

"Ah."

"I'm fine."

"You're humming."

Sure enough, there was a faint tune flowing through the HubSystem, rising and falling in between Gurathin's speech. Mensah didn't recognize the song, but it felt familiar; like an old childhood tune embedded deep in her consciousness, inducing nostalgia, but irretrievable as concrete data.

Shit, she thought, swaying just a little. Now I'm starting to sound like SecUnit.

…. Is that bad?

Ratthi had placed both hands over his heart, looking for all the world like his birthday had come early. Pin-Lee made shooing motions towards him like they could scoot the good feeling right out of the room.

"Great, Gurathin had that stick medically pulled out of his ass, huzzah! Now can we please talk about the dangerous killing machine lurking in the next room and what we're going to do about it?"

"Why should we do anything?" For the first time Arada spoke. She dropped the mop, wiped her hands one-two-three-four times against her pants, then approached Pin-Lee as a keeper would some skittish animal. When no growl or bite came she took Pin-Lee's hands in her own and Mensah could see how hard that grip was, her knuckles bleached white. "Babe. We're as dangerous as it is."

"… What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You're upset that SecUnit killed a person today? We killed a person yesterday." Mensah felt a shiver go down her spine at the grim smile that crossed Arada's face. "If SecUnits are people—and I think at this point we can all agree they are—then we picked up a person with a Hopper and smashed it against the ground until it stopped moving." Her grip tightened even further. "That SecUnit had a face, hun. A personality too, though it probably never got to show it because it was still a fucking slave to the company that made it. You hearing me? We picked up a slave and gleefully crushed its body because it dared to threaten our family. I don't regret it. But its death was slow and no doubt horrifically painful. At least our SecUnit killed Leebeebee instantly. At least she had free will."

Pin-Lee seemed to be staring straight though Arada. "Oh. Okay. I think I'm gonna be sick now."

"Do it in the bucket."

They took their wife's advice and Mensah shut her eyes, the truth of that flowing through her. Bad enough to be the victim, but she couldn't stand the thought of her team grappling with being the perpetrators as well. The villains. The monsters.

"It was self-defense," Ratthi said, gripping hard at his hair.

Arada looked over Pin-Lee's shoulder as she continued dry-heaving. "And killing the woman with a gun to Gurathin's head wasn't?"

"Fuck."

"…Subdued." Gurathin's sing-songy voice came over the Hub again. Mensah waited for more and when it didn't come she sent Bharadwaj an inquisitive ping. What she got back was the electronic version of a woman groaning into the palms of her hands.

"Gurathin?" Mensah raised her voice. "What did you mean by 'subdued'?"

There was a long, annoyed sigh and when he spoke again she could really hear the pain meds at work. His voice was slow and syrupy.

"Its status," Gurathin muttered, sounding half asleep. "I was hooked into the system and stupid SecUnit joined when it landed so…" Mensah couldn't see him, but she could easily picture the dismissive wave Gurathin gave with his hand. He'd briefly been connected to SecUnit then, mutually through the Hub. "Its status report said 'Subdued.' 'Target Subdued.' But she wasn't. Subdued is to overcome. To bring under control. It doesn't mean kill."

That… wasn't a bad point, actually. They'd all seen how quickly SecUnit had moved against Gurathin. Mensah had been staring right at it, supposedly immobile on the table, and then poof. Gone. Across the room with a hand around her teammate's throat. If it could move faster than the human mind could process input, surely SecUnit could have grabbed the gun from Leebeebee without her realizing? Or shot her arm, even the gun itself, with that impeccable accuracy? Something, anything other than shooting her bloody head off.

"SecUnit wasn't functioning at full capacity," Mensah found herself saying. Even to her own ears the excuse sounded like just that: an excuse. But true too. "It was damaged in the explosion and I had to… dismantle part of it in order for us to get back. Maybe it wasn't capable of subduing her? It was damaged."

"Yeah? Or maybe it just likes killing people." Pin-Lee wiped a hand across their mouth, slumping defeated against the couch. "Ah fuck. I don't know."

"Or…" Ratthi paused.

"Or?"

"Or it wasn't incapacitated—not entirely anyway—and it doesn't love blowing peoples' heads up for the hell of it, but a secret third thing." Ratthi spread his arms. "Arada, you said it. You killed that SecUnit because it threatened your family. Well, aren't we kinda sorta maybe becoming our SecUnit's family? Maybe it could have subdued Leebeebee, but that never even occurred to it because she was threatening to kill one of its precious humans, so boom! Instant death for you, bitch girl."

Everyone stared at him. Over the Hub a faint, disbelieving laugh sounded from Gurathin.

"It's not a stray pet!" Pin-Lee yelled at the same time Arada went, "Bitch girl?"

They argued then, as they so often did, about whether SecUnit cared enough to kill for them. If it would have killed for Gurathin ("Think about that, Ratthi"), or if it had just been waiting for an excuse to impose lethal force. They bickered about their own safety, and then agreed that it didn't matter because whatever danger a rogue SecUnit posed, it didn't compare to the forces now hunting them. SecUnit had done its job, gone above and beyond, arguably, by killing itself to keep them safe. Those seemed better odds than striking out on their own, even if the odds still sucked.

"Well now I feel bad," Ratthi said. "I mean, it saves our lives and now we're just gonna keep using it? While doubting it the whole time?"

Pin-Lee was back to waving their hands. "It's a SecUnit, Ratthi. We're supposed to use it! That's why we bought it!"

"Oh c'mon, now you sound like one of those company blowhards. Or Leebeebee. Yes, I said it, and I'm not taking it back! I just mean, if it's a person and it saved us, don't any of you want to… I don't know, thank it?"

There was a long silence at that. Then Gurathin said: "No."

Arada quirked a small smile. "I mean, it would hate that. So if you're looking to do something nice thanking it probably isn't the way to go. Or talking to it. Or… anything."

Ratthi nodded. "Yeah. It's unfortunate that its love language is clearly acts of service and there's not much we can do for a super-powered SecUnit."

Everyone was staring at him again.

"What? Oh c'mon, seriously? You know, love languages? Like—like—Pin-Lee, you're always touching Arada because that's her love language, but you prefer verbal affirmations. You practically glow whenever she validates your feelings, or compliments you on something you're working on."

"…that's actually really insightful," Arada whispered.

"Yeah." Pin-Lee gently traced their hand over Arada's wrist, seeming to look at the action in a new light. "I'm super turned on by him right now."

"Me too."

Ratthi didn't seem to be listening. "There's acts of service," he said, ticking them off on one hand, "but as said, what can we do that a SecUnit can't? Ugh, just realizing now how inferior that makes me feel… but there's also words of affirmation, which it hates. Quality time, which it hates more. Physical touch, which it hates soooo much—"

"Actually…" Mensah hadn't meant to interrupt, but for the first time in two days she was finally able to think back on all the traumatizing shit she'd been through and was surprised when an oddly hilarious memory surfaced. She didn't think SecUnit would appreciate her giving the others a detailed account of its malfunction back at Deltfall, but the gist…

"It was injured," she said to a now captive audience. "Whatever that other SecUnit did to try and control it also made it… well, almost drunk, in a way. Like it had lost all its inhibitions." She'd skip over the moment of sworn fealty and promises to 'defend the ship' while she made her escape, though Mensah knew if the others had seen all that they'd probably feel safer around SecUnit too. "It touched me during that time. A lot."

Mensah rolled her eyes at Gurathin's squawk of indignation.

"Oh don't be disgusting, not like that! It just… held my hand. Touched my shoulders when it was trying to reassure me. It let me help carry it and leaned into me. Like it craved that." Across from her Ratthi was doing a silent, chaotic happy dance. "It doesn't like to be touched, it's made that clear, but I do wonder how much of that is learned behavior. Like… fuck it feels insulting to say it, but maybe 'stray pet' isn't entirely wrong? It does remind me of a dog who flinches because for its entire life touch has meant pain, or has been outright forbidden. But if you were to show the dog that things don't have to be this way…" Mensah shrugged.

Ratthi was practically vibrating now. "So we need to balance giving it new, positive experiences with respecting its newfound autonomy. Ah, that's a tricky business."

Pin-Lee snorted. "So what, Mensah? You want to go in and try giving it a hug?"

"…no."

"Didn't think so."

"But I do think SecUnit deserves something from us. An act of faith, if nothing else." Mensah straightened, attempting to imbue as much authority into her posture as she could. It was hard with blood on her clothes and a shake in her voice, but she still tried. "Until proven otherwise, I am going to work under the assumption that SecUnit has our best interests at heart. I know keeping it around currently aligns with our best interests, but even if it didn't, I still think SecUnit has earned that level of trust. So I'm choosing to give that. I would recommend you do the same. But it's only that, a recommendation. I don't think this is something we can come to consensus on just yet." She paused there, letting the words sink in. "As for love languages… how about we just take things slow? Maybe let SecUnit tell us what it needs and when it needs it."

"Sure, sure," Ratthi held up his hands. "You know, you're absolutely right. Kind of rude of us not to ask its thoughts on all this."

That drugged, breathy laugh sounded over the Hub again. Gurathin was so far gone for a moment they couldn't understand him. They heard some whispering from Bharadwaj before the laughs tapered off into snickers.

"I love you idiots," he said, causing some raised eyebrows all around. "Do you really think SecUnit hasn't been listening this whole time?"

…Right. Fuck.

With a defeated sigh Mensah picked up her rag and got back to work. There was still a lot of blood to clean.

*

Four hours later they'd settled back into something like normalcy. Yes, someone was hunting them, but the sad reality was there was little they could do about that right now. Arada had insisted they leave as soon as possible… up until Bharadwaj pointed out that there was nowhere to go. They had no way of contacting anyone off planet and the planet itself was beset with strange artifacts and deadly fauna, neither of which were accurately represented on their maps. Mensah had thought back to her conversation with SecUnit in the Hopper, about how frustrating it must be to guard a species governed more by emotion than common-sense, and finally told everyone to stay put. The safest place was at SecUnit's side and it, thanks to her, needed the habitat to repair itself.

Mensah told herself she was just checking on it as a security precaution. The sooner it was fixed the sooner they could come up with a plan and get out of here. She wasn't worried about it, or anything.

Oh of course you are. Just don't tell the bloody unit that. Likely to give the thing a heart attack that way.

Like her 'heart attack' on the Hopper. Remembering SecUnit singing the Sanctuary theme song brought a true smile to her face. It was the first in a while.

"Come in, Dr. Mensah."

She hadn't even needed to knock. Poking her head into the security bay she was relieved to see that SecUnit was out of its repair station and had settled into a corner of the room, curled beneath a blanket. Everything about its posture screamed vulnerability and no matter how much Mensah reminded herself that this was an inhuman killing machine, the reality before her took precedent. If SecUnit had been one of her children she would have absolutely marched up and given it a hug. If it was a colleague she would have sat beside it, encouraging conversation so that they might share some of the day's burdens. Hell, if it was human she would have insisted that it at least take one of the bunks rather than curling up on the floor like…

Like a dog, she thought. When was she helping it come into its personhood and when was she ignoring its unique needs? SecUnit had already reminded her that it wasn't human and could weather so much more than their fragile bodies—and perhaps fragile psyches—ever could… right before it crashed face-first into the floor. Maybe it was just human arrogance, but Mensah couldn't help but think that just because SecUnit could function without so much of what they took for granted didn't mean it should.

It wasn't looking at her—no surprise—but the avoidance felt pointed this time. Like SecUnit could read everything going on in her head and was determined to ignore it.

Mensah huffed out a laugh. That's probably its most human trait of all.

"I take it you heard?" she said, getting straight to the point in a way that made it flinch. "Our conversation earlier?"

"Yes."

"And you don't want to talk about—"

"No."

"No. No, of course not. Alright then. You don't have to talk, but indulge me for just a moment." Mensah watched as SecUnit's hands tightened around the blanket (like Arada's over Pin-Lee's), but she didn't back down. This felt like something it needed to hear, even if it hated it.

"I want you to know three things, okay? One: I meant everything I said about trusting you. I hope to god nothing changes that makes me regret that decision, but for now? You're a member of the team. Better get used to it." She cracked another smile at the pained look that crossed its face. "Two: we're staying here for now. We can discuss particulars in the morning and I still value your expertise in security if you disagree, but I just can't see the use of traipsing about a deadly planet with no destination in mind." Mensah felt a surge of pride when SecUnit nodded, seemingly in agreement. "And three: well, this is from Ratthi. He wanted me to say that we've cleaned up the mess and… Leebeebee. We figured you wouldn't want to do that when you got up so, it's done. She's buried out in our garden. I won't be eating any more of those potatoes, but Bharadwaj insisted she have a proper burial. Plus, now she's actually doing some good. Sort of." Mensah trailed off awkwardly, half-hoping SecUnit would continue the one-sided conversation. No such luck. It stared at the wall, unblinking, until Mensah felt sweat pooling in the center of her back.

"Right. That's all. I'll just leave you to it then. Goodnight."

"…You're wrong."

Its voice came right when she was about to close the door, softer than a whisper. Mensah paused, wondering if she'd imagined it. She didn't dare turn back around, sure that looking at SecUnit would scare it off.

"Wrong about what?" she whispered back.

"I liked killing that woman. I enjoyed it."

Those words should have sent Mensah running for the hills. Two days ago they probably would have. Now though, she felt only an immense sense of relief rush through her, so strong she leaned her head against the doorway.

"You know, SecUnit," she said, relying on its enhanced hearing to pick up her words. "I liked you killing that woman too. She was vile, possibly evil. She threatened so much that I hold dear and she shot Gurathin. So yes, I'm glad she's dead. Does that make me a monster? Dangerous? I don't know. But you're not alone in that feeling. I enjoyed you killing her a whole fucking lot."

Mensah listened to her own harsh breathing. There was no other sound between them. SecUnit didn't need to breathe, it didn't shift, and the hum of its repair unit had long fallen silent. It could have killed her from behind without her ever realizing, but all Mensah could think was that if it did, she probably deserved it.

There was no violence. Only a halting, humbling, "Okay."

Mensah nodded and crossed the threshold, allowing the door to slip closed behind her. Okay, then.

Okay.

[bogleech]

With most insects and things I can understand that they have a place in the ecosystem, but I have trouble understanding the same thing with bed bugs. Are they just like. Kind of domesticated ticks? How did they end up almost solely indoors (to my understanding)? I had them in my apartment a while back and it was a pretty traumatizing experience. I know they don’t carry diseases like mosquitos and are really more mentally/emotionally harmful than physically harmful.

I saw your post about how we should be thankful the world isn’t so sterile that there’s no living thing left to harm or inconvenience us. And I do agree! But I think bedbugs are the one thing that I have trouble fully grasping that concept with. It’s harder to see the bigger picture with something that occurs in such a small and personal space, I suppose.

I can't find the post where I launched into this before but tiny bloodsucking animals ("micropredator" is growing as the preferred term over lumping them in with "parasites" per se!) exert a lot of important pressures on their host animals; everyone knows predators change how animals eat, sleep, mate, nest together and migrate, but so do the things that just "annoy" them, like having fleas! Additionally "micropredators" work together with predators and diseases in regulating population balance, and by taking nutrients non-lethally from their hosts, they help redistribute energy back into circulation! A little flea or tick or bed bug collects a little blood protein from a bear, it gets eaten by a spider or it dies and rots, and now that bear's protein energy is back in the food web well before the bear has passed on! All throughout that bear's life, its blood is "becoming" all these little pesky bugs that then become food for other things! When it comes to bed bugs, which are closely related to stinkbugs, assassin bugs, aphids and other "true bugs," they adapted to live in bird's nests, bat caves, rodent dents, anywhere juice-filled vertebrates come home to and rest, and the ones that feed on us are so closely related to a bat-specialized species you can only barely tell them apart:

The "bat bug," however, can't utilize human blood well enough to maintain an infestation on human hosts alone! They fully require bats!

We aren't sure when some bat bugs branched off and started traveling with humans, but we do know that they used to be MUCH MUCH EASIER to deal with. Perfectly ordinary pesticides used to clear up a bed bug problem just fine. That changed when we invented DDT and tried to use it to wipe them out altogether. It's one of the harshest synthetic poisons ever developed, and it kills through just an ion channel in the animal's nervous system. By drenching North America in DDT for years on end, we "seemingly" wiped out bed bugs and a few other things, but really all we did was give a few generations of human beings a bunch of new chronic illnesses and give a few generations of insects a mutation that makes them resistant to not just DDT but lots and lots of other poisons.

Bed bugs basically destroy people's lives but never naturally evolved to be that good at it; it's just another result of capitalism ignoring the warnings of the scientific community. People died rich off DDT before they ever had to care about its after effects.

[illnessfaker]

y'know what i don't see talked about a whole lot in the midst of discussion around age gaps and child exploitation, and the fact that yes, children or minors otherwise should have supportive adults in their lives outside of their family or people with authority over them (because the family an authority figures are the primary sites for child abuse)?

the fact that you can 100% have very inappropriate boundaries with a child or someone underage that are purely emotional/mental vs. just concerning ourselves with the sexual or physical (though there are plenty of sexually inappropriate boundaries that don't look like typical sexual abuse due to their purely mental or emotional nature.)

like, the fact that "i had to talk some 30 year-old 'friend' of mine online out of a suicidal episode when i was 12" (and often times this comes with an implication that they barely had the capacity to manage their own mental problems at the time, were actively being abused at home, were actively self-harming, etc.) appears to be such a common anecdote is disturbing.

if you ask me the whole "children aren't your therapists" thing isn't exclusive to parent-child relationships. it's the responsibility of grown, emotionally-capable adults (not all adults are emotionally-capable, which isn't a moral judgement - if you don't feel you're emotionally equipped to support children then i'd rather you not go against that feeling i think, and simply not everyone is going to have the faculties to do that kind of thing even with self-work) to provide a sense of emotional and physical safety to children in their community rather and not the other way around. this is why it's also important to work on cultivating a sense of community and mutual support among adult peers vs. the individualistic capitalism-driven mentality of "fuck you, i got mine" and people who look at human connection as a transactional thing where your friend asking you to help move furniture for them or something is "demanding too much labor" which apparently seems to be a thing (that isn't to say there aren't situations where an exploitative imbalance is actually present, including in an emotional sense.)

in other words, when thinking about not further traumatizing and disenfranchising children more than they already are, then you can't just think about things purely in terms of the sexual or physical. idk if that's somehow controversial to say but if it is that's kinda concerning lol.

[bayfuzzball7050]

My favourite jjba character(s) from each part bc I know it will be more appreciated here than in a Reddit thread

I’ll use this header from now on to yap

Phantom Blood: Speedwagon. Regardless if it’s a whole meme in the community, o genuinely think it’s very brave of him to follow along in an adventure where everyone has powers but he doesn’t. He just raw dog’s every supernatural event and tries his best to be useful. It’s a noble thing.

Battle Tendency: Definitely Caesar Zeppeli. A much more complex and interesting character than his predecessor (William Zeppeli, I mean). I loved his design, personality and charisma regardless if I couldn’t resonate at all with his backstory. I also really enjoyed his rivalry/friendship with Joseph. I’ve always loved the smart/snarky guy x himbo dynamic!

Stardust Crusaders: I love kakyoin with all my heart and soul and I will never shut up about it. I resonated deeply with him since I know personally what it is like to be alone. I like how Araki portrayed his loneliness in a ‘im different than everyone I know’ way where he couldn’t relate to people the way others that. That childhood monologue— god! It hit so, so close to home. I couldn’t help but cry when the scene came up. That is when I realized how much the crusaders mattered to him. A bunch of people ‘like him’ and it’s such a sacred feeling when you’ve been feeling ‘off’ all your life. I also like that he’s always giving little fun facts he’s a bit like yapdollar

Diamond Is Unbreakable: Okuyasu. No question needed. Unlike his brother, Okuyasu is a very kind soul that has never killed anyone (at least on screen) even when he has endured so much abuse from his brother and father alike, something that would ‘justify it’ if he did became an evil character. He stopped looking for a way to kill his father because he can see the good in people and ‘accept them for who they are’. I can’t help but feel a deep sympathy for him. He had taken what his brother had told him about being better off dead so personally to the point where his first question after being healed by Josuke was (paraphrasing bc I don’t remember well) was something like “why did you save me when it would’ve been easier to let me die?”. Josuke came just in time to make him realize how much he actually mattered so he could evolve into the little goofball we all know and love.

Golden Wind: Giorno. I think most people who call him a ‘boring’ or ‘plain’ character often seem to forget that, of course, Giorno will not be a charismatic, sociable, talkative, — joseph — kind of guy. He was severely emotionally and physically neglected in his childhood to the point where showing emotions became useless since he knew he’d be left shaking in his craddle. From this emotional neglect, he started looking up at a gangster as some sort of parental figure. Someone who showed him basic human decency. Later, we get to see his ingenuity in battle. But I think one of the reasons he was so clever in life or death situations was because he has been in a ‘fight or flight’ mode since a very young age. He isn’t even ‘bottling up’ his emotions, he had repressed them deeply inside his brain to survive.

Stone Ocean: The main three. But mainly Foo Fighters bc they’re so silly >_< and I can’t begin to imagine how marvellous it has to be to, one day, become a sentient being

Steel Ball Run: I can’t quite decide between Gyro and Johnny tbh. Johnny is a character who had been always pampered with his ‘rich life’ and was then shocked with the fact that once you’re not useful, or worse, become inconvenient for people, they stop caring about you. I often think about how bad his father was with him, not only rubbing Nicholas’ death all over his face rather often, the whole “God, you took the wrong son” page or just how he never went by to visit him when he had just gotten crippled. It was just plain cruel. Also when they followed Hot Pants to a church and Johnny had to relive some of his most traumatic life experiences again and still try to win. It was one of the best arcs in sbr imo.

Gyro, on another note, wasn’t a son of a wealthy family but had to carry the weight of generations and generations of knowledge on top of the family profession on his shoulders, having to execute a child. He’s also a silly goofball with his jokes that make little to no sense and him trying to explain the spin to johnny in life or death situations always has me cackling up ngl.

Jojolion: I haven’t started to read JOJOLION, but from what I’ve seen, Gappy seems to be a silly goofball who lacks direction and I love that in a man. Also that he’s a 2 x 1 combo, literally.

Jojolands: I haven’t read jojolands either, but good lord they sold me Dragona and Paco when I heard ‘transgender’ and ‘laburantes’. Plus everyone from the Jodio team also seems to be lacking direction and being a pinch silly

[vinnyvamppp]

i feel a little pathetic dragging myself here but do you have advice for writing mark smut 😟 i feel a little lost for him and i dunno

I'm surprised, considering your recent post was jaw-dropping, but I'll give the pointers I remind myself of. From the comics to the show, he's someone who feels everything hard, so let that bleed into the smut. Is he hesitant? Overwhelmed? A little too eager? There’s a lot of room to play, and it’s all about emotional push-pull dynamics.

Now, this also depends on the era the character is in. If we were following the show's current timeline, he's emotionally intense, sometimes awkward, and very in his own head—especially in intimate moments (usually beforehand). So when writing smut, don't be afraid to let him overthink, stumble over words, or act with that raw and youthful sincerity. He’s stubborn, but VERY WILLING most times and is a quick learner. He's had his confident moments too, so let those shine, usually through facial expressions or dialogue like, "I thought fighting Viltrumites was hard, but trying not to kiss you right now? Impossible.” He’s charming in a dorky way, overthinking, blushing, then blurting out something too honest. Flirty lines from Mark usually carry a “I can’t believe this is happening” energy with a charmingly corny edge, or even some humor. ... He also canonically uses, "Oh, God." as a form of expression in bed which can be pretty funny. (he likes calling out his partners names too. Source: trust me bro.) ~~~~~~~~~

That being said, if we're deciding to focus on his later arc—which I won't delve too much into for the sake of avoiding spoilers—he’s becoming a compelling mix and leaning into the median of his identity. He's still deeply human, though, and he doesn’t want to dominate; he wants to rebuild. He's also still Viltrumite. When pushed, and when threatened, he’s capable of terrifying things. He no longer flinches at morally gray ideologies, but he mourns every loss in its stride. He loves everything he has, but he's quieter now.

Emotionally, Mark is more closed off from a combination of traumatic experiences, but he's still desperate for connection. He is a character who uses his power to serve his partner rather than subjugate them. He's a character with a lot of strife, so make intimate moments feel heavy—like he's memorizing them because they may not last. Moments of softness or desire should be incredibly charged. Does he cry still? Now, just because he's an emperor doesn’t mean he no longer cries and is suddenly stoic. He does, and depending on the plot of your story, feel free to incorporate it. He's wiser now, more experienced; he knows what drives his partner wild, and I could see him putting his partner's pleasure here before his own. ~~~~~~~~~

During sex sequences, you can always include descriptors of feelings and paint the scene so the reader can visualize what's on paper—or, more importantly, his perception. How does he feel? How does the reader feel physically? What does this compare to? Sensory interpretations (touch, sight, taste, and sound)? What does it mean to him in that moment? Is he trembling from restraint or shaking from how overwhelmed he is? Is his heartbeat too loud in his ears to focus, or is he hypersensitive to every breath they take? Is this the first time he’s felt peace in weeks, or the only moment where he doesn’t have to be a leader or fighter? And go on to complete your usual writing from the reader's perspective as well. It’s truly up to you! (The variants are truly up to interpretation) I hope I'm making sense LMFAO.

This is getting really long (literally why my fics are always 2.5k+ the need to explain is REAL)... so I'll only continue if needed, but hopefully this helped some! I literally just started word vomiting, sorry. Please take this with a grain of salt and make any desired changes!! (I'm sure yours will be great) Now this doesn't include smut dialogue, but can give you a feel for his main attributes as a character. I've caught wind of a few creators reposting it, though I haven't finished the entire analysis myself at the time: https://www.tumblr.com/batsovergotham/782055318627729408/𝗛𝗼𝘄-𝘁𝗼-𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸-𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻-a-detailed-guide