#feedback systems

[precallai]

How Smart Voice Bots Transform Feedback Gathering for Modern Businesses

Smart voice bots for feedback are emerging as game-changers, transforming how businesses interact with customers and gather valuable insights that drive strategic decisions.

The Evolution of Customer Feedback Collection

The journey from paper surveys to digital forms was just the beginning. Modern businesses recognize that static feedback forms often result in low response rates and limited engagement. Customers today expect interactive, personalized experiences that respect their time while providing value. This shift in expectations has paved the way for smart voice bots for feedback to revolutionize traditional data collection methods.

Voice-enabled feedback systems represent a natural evolution in human-computer interaction. Unlike traditional surveys that require customers to read, process, and manually input responses, voice bots create conversational experiences that feel intuitive and engaging. This technological advancement addresses the fundamental challenge of survey fatigue while capturing more nuanced customer sentiments.

Understanding Smart Voice Bots for Feedback Systems

Smart voice bots for feedback are sophisticated AI-powered systems that use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to conduct interactive conversations with customers. These systems can understand spoken language, interpret context, analyze sentiment, and provide real-time responses that guide the feedback collection process.

The technology behind these systems combines several advanced components:

Natural Language Understanding (NLU): Enables bots to comprehend spoken language, including colloquialisms, accents, and emotional undertones

Conversational AI: Facilitates natural, flowing conversations that adapt based on customer responses

Sentiment Analysis: Identifies emotional context and satisfaction levels in real-time

Machine Learning: Continuously improves response accuracy and conversation quality through data analysis

Key Advantages of Implementing Smart Voice Bots for Feedback

Enhanced Customer Engagement and Response Rates

Traditional feedback surveys often struggle with completion rates below 30%. Smart voice bots for feedback dramatically improve engagement by creating conversational experiences that feel natural and less burdensome. Customers can provide feedback while multitasking, during commutes, or in situations where typing would be inconvenient.

The interactive nature of voice conversations encourages more detailed responses. When customers feel heard and understood, they're more likely to share comprehensive feedback, including specific examples and emotional contexts that written surveys might miss.

Real-Time Data Processing and Analysis

Unlike traditional feedback methods that require manual analysis and interpretation, smart voice bots for feedback process information instantaneously. This real-time capability enables businesses to identify trends, address urgent issues, and capitalize on opportunities as they emerge.

The immediate analysis extends beyond simple sentiment scoring. Advanced systems can categorize feedback by topics, identify recurring themes, and flag critical issues that require immediate attention. This rapid processing transforms feedback from a reactive tool into a proactive business intelligence system.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Voice-based feedback systems naturally accommodate customers with visual impairments, learning disabilities, or limited literacy skills. Smart voice bots for feedback make participation accessible to broader demographic groups, ensuring that businesses capture diverse perspectives that might otherwise be excluded from traditional feedback processes.

The multilingual capabilities of modern voice bots further expand accessibility, allowing businesses to collect feedback from international customers in their preferred languages while maintaining consistency in data analysis and reporting.

Industry Applications and Use Cases

Retail and E-commerce

Smart voice bots for feedback in retail environments can capture immediate post-purchase sentiment, gather product-specific insights, and identify service improvement opportunities. These systems can integrate with point-of-sale systems to trigger timely feedback requests, ensuring high relevance and response rates.

E-commerce platforms utilize voice bots to understand customer experiences throughout the purchase journey, from browsing to delivery. This comprehensive feedback helps optimize user interfaces, improve product descriptions, and enhance customer service protocols.

Healthcare and Patient Experience

Healthcare organizations leverage smart voice bots for feedback to understand patient satisfaction, identify service gaps, and improve care quality. The private, conversational nature of voice interactions often encourages more honest feedback about sensitive healthcare experiences.

These systems can integrate with patient management systems to trigger feedback requests at optimal times, such as post-appointment or after discharge, ensuring timely and relevant data collection.

Hospitality and Travel

Hotels, restaurants, and travel companies use voice bots to capture guest experiences in real-time. Smart voice bots for feedback can be integrated into room phones, mobile apps, or dedicated devices to gather immediate impressions about service quality, amenities, and overall satisfaction.

The immediate nature of voice feedback allows hospitality businesses to address concerns during the customer's stay, potentially converting negative experiences into positive ones through rapid response and resolution.

Implementation Strategies for Smart Voice Bots for Feedback

Technical Integration Considerations

Successful implementation of smart voice bots for feedback requires careful consideration of existing technology infrastructure. Businesses must ensure compatibility with current customer relationship management (CRM) systems, data analytics platforms, and communication channels.

Cloud-based solutions often provide the most flexibility and scalability, allowing businesses to implement voice bot systems without significant infrastructure investments. Integration with existing customer databases enables personalized conversations and contextual feedback collection.

Designing Effective Voice Conversations

The conversational design of smart voice bots for feedback significantly impacts their effectiveness. Successful implementations focus on creating natural, flowing conversations that feel authentic rather than scripted. This involves careful attention to:

Conversation flow: Logical progression that adapts based on customer responses

Question design: Open-ended prompts that encourage detailed responses

Personality and tone: Consistent voice characteristics that align with brand values

Error handling: Graceful recovery from misunderstandings or technical issues

Privacy and Data Security

Implementing smart voice bots for feedback requires robust privacy protection and data security measures. Voice data is particularly sensitive, requiring encryption during transmission and storage, along with clear policies regarding data retention and usage.

Businesses must ensure compliance with relevant regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific requirements while maintaining transparency about data collection and usage practices.

Future Trends and Innovations

The evolution of smart voice bots for feedback continues to accelerate, with emerging technologies promising even more sophisticated capabilities. Emotional AI will enable deeper understanding of customer sentiment, while predictive analytics will help businesses anticipate customer needs and preferences.

Integration with Internet of Things (IoT) devices will create opportunities for contextual feedback collection, where voice bots can gather insights based on product usage patterns or environmental factors. This contextual awareness will provide richer, more actionable feedback data.

Conclusion

Smart voice bots for feedback represent a transformative approach to customer insight gathering that addresses the limitations of traditional survey methods while opening new possibilities for business intelligence and customer engagement. As these technologies continue to evolve, businesses that embrace voice-enabled feedback systems will gain significant competitive advantages through deeper customer understanding, improved response rates, and more actionable insights.https://precallai.com/

The implementation of smart voice bots for feedback requires thoughtful planning, technical expertise, and commitment to privacy and security. However, the potential benefits—including enhanced customer satisfaction, improved product development, and more effective business strategies—make this technology investment increasingly essential for modern businesses seeking to thrive in customer-centric markets.

By leveraging the power of conversational AI and voice technology, businesses can transform feedback collection from a necessary obligation into a strategic advantage that drives continuous improvement and sustainable growth.

[solshii]

playing arnd with his post-sonic boom design for an art break

[tango-but-everywhere]

Put Tango in that one Night of the museum Scene with Jimmy

The one where Jed said I ain't Quittin' you

It fits them

Perfectly

Like how a Triangle goes into a square Hole

sorry this took like 8 months i fell off. but! im back on ! for now…

*cheerful voice* “it goes in the square hole!” [horrified, quietly crying woman]

[starcurtain]

One thing I wish I'd see more of among Ratio fans is some thought about how he views himself as a teacher.

Like yes, of course he refuses to compromise on the quality and rigor of the education he imparts, and he would find it unforgivably unethical to lower his standards in order to pass more students who had not genuinely learned the material. This is core to his character.

However, as someone who is a teacher IRL, I know the absolutely miserable feeling setting that kind of standard can cause. There's the obvious disheartening sense of disappointment ("Are students these days really not capable of doing the work correctly? Is our future in danger, if this is the highest level of understanding our current generation of students can achieve?"), but even worse than that is the self-doubt.

"Is this somehow my fault? Am I not teaching this material in the right ways for the students to learn? Is there something I could have done differently to get through to these students? Would a better teacher have a higher passing rate?"

We know that Ratio does (or at least did) struggle with feeling inferior to the Genius Society, so I think it is also likely, as much as he absolutely will not budge on his academic standards, that he has doubts about his teaching ability as well.

This is the man who wants to educate the entire world to cure the disease of ignorance, and yet only 3% of his actual students are able to get there. How can someone who gets so few of his direct students to a state of enlightenment hope to enlighten the whole universe? If so few students are successfully learning the material of a given class, doesn't that mean the teacher is doing something wrong?Would a better teacher--would a genius, maybe--not be able to impart their knowledge more efficiently and educate even the most challenging of students?

As someone constantly struggling with that balance between keeping academic standards high while also meeting the needs of today's students, I think the passing rates of his courses must affect Dr. Ratio much more deeply than I've seen fans discuss. I think he would question himself harshly over his class success rates, and I think he must be constantly trying to push himself to become the best teacher he possibly can be.

tl;dr: I hope one day the HSR fandom will stop sleeping on the fact that Ratio is an actual practicing professor who probably has astronomical levels of teacher angst. 😂

[sepsisthroughlungs]

So here is a little wip i had to get out. This was written with Sevika in mind, but i purposefully left the name out, so let your imagination run wild

She has your hair in a tight grip, pulling at your scalp, no choice but to look up at her. Your eyes flick between the strap infront of your face and the woman towering above you, dark intense eyes locked on yours, heavy with amusement and something cruel.

"Come on, what are the magic words?", she asks, her voice edged with sadistic pleasure. Her gaze focused entirely on you - bruised knees, tear streaked cheeks, breathing dangerously quick, as your cunt grinds against her boots.

"Please....please, let me suck it", you beg with a desperate tone in your voice, all prior shame long gone.

Her mocking laughter ringing in your ears, as she presses the tip of her boots harder against you, the grip on your hair tightening.

"Look at you. Begging like a desperate whore to suck my dick", a moan leaving your throat at her words and actions, mind clouding fast, and all you could think about was cumming.

Maby out of pity she loosens her grip just a little. That's all it takes. You already lunge forward, taking the strap deep in your mouth, sucking like your life depends on it, while your grinding on her boots becomes more frantic.

"There you gooo. Only needed to be put in your place, huh? Suddenly you're all obedient." Her deep voice soothes the ache in your pussy, and you feel your orgasm approaching faster. You're moving with with wild, desperate rolls of your hips, broken only by the sharp press of her boot tipping upward - adding pressure, making it worse. Or better.

You were tangling at the edge of release, feeling the heat coil tight at your core. You only need a little push to fall over the edge.

"You're making a mess on my boots. I should make you clean it up with your tongue.... but that'd hardly be a punishment for a greedy thing like you, huh?"

That cruel degrading question, was enough to send you over the edge. Choking out a moan that sounds vaguely like her name, thighs trembling as your wet and messy orgasm rips through you.

[sflow-er]

About the settlement in YR S3

A discussion with @scatteredpiecesofme a while back inspired me to look more closely into the settlement between August, Wilhelm and Simon. I already dabbled in criminal justice meta after S2, but I didn't account for a settlement back then, so it's time to update my info!

Posting this, I know it's a topic people have strong feelings about. If you choose to read below the cut, please keep in mind that it's not meant to be a moral judgment. It's an attempt to review the case as presented in the show and interpret it through what I've learned about law and procedure in real Sweden.

TL;DR: The offences being settled are defamation and unlawful breach of privacy. The settlement of 1.2 million kronor is dozens of times higher than what Simon could realistically expect from court.

Sources: Swedish Criminal Code (EN-SV), Code of Judicial Procedure (SV), preparatory documents for relevant laws (this and this), reference collection on kränkningsersättning, cases available online or in the media (e.g. this and this on dagensjuridik.se), legal blogs, articles and legal advice websites (e.g. lawline.se, Domarbloggen), discussion on treasonable offences (SvD column, expert exchange, motion to parliament, this and this tabloid article), guidelines/advice for prosecutors (e.g. on defamation, day-fines).

Disclaimer: I'm just a layperson and not even Swedish myself, so it's entirely possible I missed something! Respectful discussion and corrections are very welcome!

.

The facts of the case against August

Quick recap

August committed criminal offences by filming and posting the video.

Sara reported August to the police.

August, Wille, Simon and their legal counsels and parents negotiated a settlement at the royal palace with Jan-Olof presiding.

JO said they wanted to avoid a trial. Rickard claimed the evidence and testimonies would not be enough to secure a conviction, and the video was not likely to be considered explicit.

Simon's counsel said Wille's legal team had already decided not to pursue the matter in court.

They settled for 1.2 million kronor, presumably per plaintiff.

The offences on the table

“Spreading that kind of video could be considered gross defamation, gross unlawful breach of privacy, and possibly a CP offence. The penal value is prison, in any case.”

It's pretty clear August also committed intrusive photography, but that overlaps with unlawful breach of privacy, so that might be why it wasn't mentioned. Here's a complete list:

- intrusive photography (kränkande fotografering, covertly photographing or filming someone in a private space) - unlawful breach of privacy (olaga integritetsintrång, disseminating sensitive images in a way that's liable to result in serious harm) - defamation (förtal, disseminating information that identifies someone as a criminal or their way of life as reprehensible, or is otherwise liable to expose them to contempt) - treasonable offences (högmålsbrott, a clause that, among other things, makes some crimes more severe when committed against a member of the Royal House) -CP (I'm not writing this out so the post doesn't get caught in filters)

Unlawful breach of privacy was also mentioned by Rosh back in S2. It's a fairly new offence that entered into force in 2018, and very few cases lead to a conviction (only 27 out of the total 1,876 in 2021). Even when a perpetrator is identified, it's hard to prove it was them (and no one else) using the device. Proving an intent of serious harm isn't easy either, but the court usually considers whether the defendant should have known that was liable to occur.

The main angle in the show was defamation, which doesn't need to be untrue in Sweden. It's all about exposing someone to contempt - and if the defamatory statement is also liable to result in serious harm, it becomes gross defamation. This is why Rickard, who already called gross defamation in S2, argues in S3 that outing someone no longer counts as exposing them to contempt (he's refuting that it was defamation at all).

Another way off the hook would be to show that 1) the statement was true and 2) the defendant was “obliged to make it” or it was “otherwise justifiable to provide information about the matter.”

The treasonable offences clause is a bit of a legal minefield. It allows the public prosecutor to demand harsher punishments for some crimes when they are committed against members of the Royal House, but it also creates questions of whether the royals are even able to bring these types of charges the normal way. It clearly didn't come into play in YR, but I'll return to it in the conclusion.

A CP offence was also mentioned in S2 by Rosh and Rickard. Rosh reckoned it was a sure thing and could land August in prison, but Rickard only listed it as a possibility. He said the penal value was prison “in any case” because gross unlawful breach of privacy is always punishable by prison (more about the penal values in my now-obsolete post).

Still, this was dramatic exaggeration by the writers. August is 18, and persons under 21 could not be imprisoned unless there were very heavy grounds for it back in 2020/2021. Even the stricter law from 2022 mainly applies to violent and gang-related offences.

By the old law and practice, any sentence given to an 18-yo would be reduced to 50% of an adult's sentence, and August is also a first-time offender. If convicted, he'd be looking at some combination of fines, youth community service, and/or a suspended sentence.

That's another silly thing about the Alexander ploy in S2, although not as silly as Alexander forgetting he had already been caught with the drugs.

So that's the potential crimes listed. We'll get to the crimes that were actually being settled in a little bit.

Relevant facts about procedure

To understand how they got from Sara's police report to the settlement scene, it's useful to look at some intricacies of the Swedish justice system that may differ from other countries.

The right to press and pursue charges

By Swedish law, most crimes are subject to public prosecution by the state. The police are legally obligated to start what is known as a “preliminary” investigation when a crime is reported, and the prosecutor is legally obligated to consider charges and pursue them. Regardless of what the victim/plaintiff wants.

There are two notable exceptions. Charges for målsägandebrott (“plaintiff offences”) can only be brought by the plaintiff, and angivelsebrott (“offences subject to report”) must be reported for prosecution by the plaintiff. If an angivelsebrott is reported by someone else, the plaintiff decides if they want the case to go ahead.

These are also the only types of crimes where the plaintiff is able to withdraw the charges. If they do, neither they nor the public prosecutor can ever bring the same matter again.

In the YR case, defamation is målsägandebrott, the privacy offences are angivelsebrott, and CP is always subject to public prosecution.

It's also possible for angivelsebrott to be publicly prosecuted when public interest calls for it (e.g. gross unlawful breach of privacy is often considered serious enough to meet this bar). The same goes for målsägandebrott under certain circumstances, e.g. when the victim of defamation is under 18. Public prosecution also applies if there are multiple offences and one of the other offences is subject to it.

If charges are raised by public prosecution, the injured party becomes unable to withdraw them (the state becomes the plaintiff in their stead).

Concurrent offences and protective interests

When someone commits more than one offence by a single action, these are assessed for brottskonkurrens (concurrence of offences).

In some cases, the offence with the harshest punishments 'consumes' the others so they no longer count. For example, gross unlawful breach of privacy is always punishable by prison, so it often consumes defamation and even gross defamation.

In other cases, all the offences count 'in concurrence'. One example is when the laws that were broken had different skyddsinteressen (protective interests). In the YR case, intrusive photography and unlawful breach of privacy have the same protective interest: both crimes infringe on the right to privacy and personal integrity. Defamation infringes on a person's honour and reputation, which is a different interest. Hence, unlawful breach of privacy of normal severity is often pursued and punished in concurrence with defamation (normal or gross), but less often with intrusive photography.

As for CP, Swedish law classifies it as an offence against the public order (not as a sex crime, although it can overlap with sex crimes such as using minors for sexual posing). The protective interest is twofold: the individual child's right to personal integrity, and the right of children at large to be safe from CP. So there is some overlap with the privacy offences, but it's also an offence that falls within a completely different area of law.

Note that the sentence is not given as the sum total of the concurrent offences! It's the sentence for the most severe offence, with increases for the concurrent offences (as determined by the judge).

Settlement vs. mediation

JO tells us the parties are doing förlikning (settlement) to avoid the matter going to trial. This is different from medling (mediation).

Settlement primarily applies to disputes, but it can also be a private, out-of-court resolution for some offences. In my understanding, these would be målsägandebrott or angivelsebrott, as the plaintiff agrees not to pursue the matter in exchange for compensation. The settlement also prevents public prosecution even if it is determined later on that the conditions for that are met.

Mediation is a process where a neutral party authorised by the court (not JO) brings the victim and perpetrator of a crime together. It can also be used for family law disputes, but this is less relevant for us. The parties can agree on compensation, but the main objective is just to discuss and process the matter. The perpetrator must admit their guilt in order for mediation to go ahead.

Mediation is separate from the court process, but the defendant's willingness to enter it and a favourable outcome may be taken into account. The prosecutor may bring less severe charges or even offer åtalsunderlåtelse (no-prosecution deal), whereby the offence goes on the guilty person's criminal record but they avoid trial and punishment. If a trial does happen, the judge may be more lenient.

How this all relates to the settlement scene in YR

Based on the above, the settlement in 3.01 must be for defamation, and very likely also unlawful breach of privacy. Intrusive photography is also possible, although the characters never mention it.

Defamation is målsägandebrott and privacy offences are angivelsebrott. Hence, the matter can be settled out of court.

It's hard to say if any of the offences could be gross, despite what Rickard said back in S2. The breach of privacy probably isn't, since it hasn't consumed the defamation or been publicly prosecuted. The defamation could certainly be (this would align with legal precedent for spreading sex tapes), but I think this type of gross defamation of the Crown Prince and another minor should already meet the threshold for public interest.

We don't know exactly when the settlement scene is set, or how long has passed between seasons. Offences involving minor parties must be investigated without delay, but it is possible that the prosecutor is still considering whether to claim public interest. If the settlement is finalised before public charges can be brought for these particular offences, that will no longer be possible.

The opposite is true for the potential CP offence. In my understanding, being able to settle out of court means that must already be off the table.

The police will have been legally obligated to open a preliminary investigation when they received a report about a legal (young) adult having filmed two minors in a sexual situation. Simon and Wille will have been notified of the privacy offences and defamation, and asked if they wanted the investigation to go ahead (since they didn't make the report themselves). But a CP offence is different. It's the kind of crime that must have been investigated even if the victims said they didn't want to press charges or refused to cooperate.

Based on the preliminary investigation, the prosecutor will have considered charges. August's age and development gap to Wille and Simon and the explicitness of the video will have been assessed. His defamatory (not sexual) intent and the other offences could have factored in as well.

I'm not going to guess any further at the reasoning, but no charges were brought. CP is subject to public prosecution, and that also applies to any concurring offences. The settlement wouldn't be possible if it was still in the mix.

Instead, they could be having court-authorised mediation with a neutral party, but only if August already admitted his guilt. (This was actually the part that confused me the most when I first watched the show and wasn't aware of the difference between the processes.)

Anyway. Now that we know what was being settled, I also want to look at the level of compensation.

Compensation compared to court sanctions

The settlement was for 1.2 million kronor. Presumably per plaintiff, as that was the number Simon's counsel gave him. Both he and Rickard described it as generous.

So how does the sum actually compare to what the court might have awarded Simon or handed down as a punishment to August?

Fines

If convicted in court, August could be sentenced to dagsböter (day-fines). The sum ranges from 50 to 1,000 kronor per day, and the minimum number of fines is 30. The maximum is 150, or 200 for multiple offences.

In this case, there are indeed multiple offences (two or three depending on whether intrusive photography still counts), so the absolute maximum is 200,000.

Now for some speculation!

A day-fine is the person's annual income divided by a thousand, adjusted for net wealth and debt. August is a cash-poor student with no job. He must get a bit of income from the estate and possibly some other investments, but if he can't afford to pay Simon back for the drugs and alcohol, it can't be much.

So, the base sum will be low. It gets raised by 50 kronor for every 500,000 of net wealth over 1.5 million, but then there's also a reduction for significant debts. If August truly has to sell his estate to free up 2.4 million, it can't be valued very high and/or he must be in serious debt. His day-fine will land in the hundreds, but I doubt it reaches 1,000.

It's hard to say how many day-fines he would get, but I don't think it would be anywhere close to 200. In examples found online, 40 seems pretty common for each of these crimes at normal severity. In one case, a man convicted of unlawful breach of privacy and gross defamation got a suspended sentence + 80 day-fines, which changed to 100 day-fines for just gross defamation on appeal.

Although the parties in these cases are all adults, while August is in the young offenders bracket. For example, he might get those 80 day-fines but no suspended sentence, or he might get something else entirely. Compare with a case where an 18-yo boy (17 at the time of the crime) spread a film of his friend having sex with a woman: he was convicted of both intrusive photography and unlawful breach of privacy but only sentenced to 35 hours of youth community service.

However, the boy did have to pay compensation.

Compensation payable to the victim

An injured party is often entitled to apply for compensation. In these types of crimes, it's called kränkningsersättning (compensation for infringement/suffering), and there is no cap on it.

However, there are some relevant sample cases online.

The boy in our previous example had to pay 25,000 to the woman.

A person who spread a sexual film showing a 14-yo girl was convicted of gross defamation and had to pay 25,000.

A man who secretly filmed an 8 to 12-yo girl in the bathroom was convicted of a CP offence and had to pay 25,000. The reference collection of cases says it's worth noting this happened before intrusive photography was criminalised as its own offence.

A woman who filmed a 16-yo boy having sex with his girlfriend and posted the video online was convicted of unlawful breach of privacy and gross defamation and had to pay 30,000.

A man who spread sexual photos of his ex to her friends and employer was convicted of gross defamation and had to pay 50,000.

A man who uploaded films of his ex on an adult site was convicted of gross unlawful breach of privacy and had to pay 60,000. In a very similar case before the privacy offences were criminalised, a man was convicted of gross defamation and had to pay 70,000.

The settlement sum of 1.2 million is 17 to 20 times higher than the highest examples. It's also 40 times higher than the example of the 16-yo boy and his girlfriend, which I think is a remotely similar case (although the place of filming was less private and the dissemination was less broad and damaging than in YR). On August's side, the 2.4 million is many times higher than the day-fines plus compensation, even if we don't know the exact numbers.

So that gives us some idea of the level of compensation and monetary punishment that Simon and August could realistically expect, but those aren't the only factors Simon might consider.

Conclusion: a trial could get very complicated

As mentioned above, Wille's legal team had already decided they would not be going to court. It's unsure if that could have even been done in the normal way.

Some legal experts believe the treasonable offences clause prevents members of the Royal House from bringing normal charges at all if they are victims of målsägandebrott or angivelsebrott, because they are considered a stately institution. Others think it should be possible if they just waive their right to treasonable offences, but the royals have never tried.

Instead, the public prosecutor may ask the government to authorise a treasonable offences charge. In theory, the government could say yes even if the victim themself said no, but that's extremely unlikely (for example, when a teen threw a cake in the real king's face in 2001, it was considered the king's decision). The prosecutor who handled the matter in YR could have already asked and been denied, or they could have decided against it if they knew Wille would object.

If Wille had decided to try and bring normal charges, his legal standing would have become a hot topic. If treasonable offences had been charged, the charges would have been public. Either way, the case would have gained a lot of media attention.

Wille being one of the plaintiffs could have also lead to a more stringent punishment for August. Especially for treasonable offences; the real cake-thrower was sentenced to 100 day-fines for harassment, which is a big sentence for a 16-yo (an adult could've got up to four years in prison). Even if they were normal charges, Wille was the one August intended to harm, which would have made the crimes all the more severe.

The level of compensation could have been higher too...at least for Wille. It's frankly beyond my comprehension as a layperson whether his and Simon's cases could have even been tried together due to their wildly different circumstances.

Simon is like any other person in the legal system. If the case did go to trial and August was convicted, he would receive compensation in line with the above. August would also have to pay his legal fees, as well as the potential fines.

It's hard to say how good the chances of a conviction were. Rickard was just defending August when he said identifying someone as gay was no longer considered defamatory, but that is true for Swedish society at large. However, it can still be defamatory if you out someone to people who can be expected to react with contempt (e.g. a religious group). For both defamation and privacy offences, it should also matter how widely the information was disseminated and how bad the consequences were (although you won't be rewarded for causing less harm than expected/intended).

We never actually heard if Rickard had a defence in mind for Simon's particular circumstances. On the one hand, Simon was already out, and he wasn't the target of August's harmful intent. On the other hand, surely August should have known he was liable to suffer serious harm by association. Their lawyers could argue these and other standpoints, and it could get complicated, especially if Wille couldn't be involved after settling.

For argument's sake... Let's say Rickard was right about the evidence and testimony not being enough, and Simon lost the trial.

He would have to pay both his and August's legal feels. Those are probably covered by the Erikssons' home insurance, but there will be a deductible of about 20%, and a cap of two, three hundred thousand. I assume this would normally be enough, but going up against “one of Sweden's best criminal lawyers” could still be a daunting prospect. Rickard might be representing his stepson for free at this early stage, but if the case went to trial and he was very confident they could win, that might change.

And leaving the financial stuff aside, Simon says he just wants the whole thing to be over. He doesn't want to have to rehash it all in court against August and Rickard, and although it's Wille's side who complain about the media storm, that isn't fun for Simon either. On the contrary, he's the one who's been targeted for hate and scrutiny.

The proceedings would likely be held behind closed doors since Simon is a minor, but an anonymised version of the court decision would still be public. At any point, word could get out about the case, which would quickly be connected to Wille because they were on the video together, and the media would be all over Simon again.

All that considered... Settling out of court for a comfortable sum of money he can use to move on with his life might not be the path of “maximum justice” for Simon, but it is a very understandable choice.

[taldigi]

it sucks to say but the real way to fight AI slop is to use services and sites that disallow it and have functional report methods. as long as AI users and creators are rewarded for their usage of AI, AI will continue to be a pervasive presence.

unfortunately, there are no places online currently that disallow or at least flag AI content.

[genderqueerdykes]

so I am not a system, but I do have a dissociative disorder. I'm saying this because of the fact that I'm in trauma-focused/dissociative spaces, I only see people who are systems because of trauma so much of my perspective on systems has been one-sided.

I still don't really understand what an endo system is or how that happens because I don't understand what someone who doesn't dissociate for most of their waking hours is like lol. most of the time I've seen awareness or educational posts on endos has been saying that endos are mocking trauma-caused systems and even comparing endos to being 'transracial' or 'transdisabled'. I've don't even think I've seen someone that's an endo system until one of your asks came up on my dash.

I don't understand, but I'm not going to tell people their life experiences. I have no idea how that works or what it feels like, but they're still people and I don't think they deserve death threats

wow people really are making the wildest claims, huh. that is just out of control. honestly it disgusts me to see how people are treating one another over their mental health. why why why do people think they know what's going on in others' brains. i'm with you, i am also dissociating 24/7 so idk what it's like to not dissociate. idk what it's like to be plural but not have dissociative barriers or issues, but i don't really have any reason to judge someone who has a different experience than mine. it doesn't hurt me

people can be plural for a number of reasons and ways, our minds are very complex and do whatever they want in a lot of cases. there are a lot of different ways a human mind can develop and respond to stimuli. it's not always a this or that kind of thing and the sooner folks realize it the easier things will be

[neostellarjpg]

random classpects from stuff i like

media in order: 17776, princess tutu, everything everywhere all at once, sonny boy, outer wilds

[cvntroach5000]

filling out the 1.5 survey was more stressful than any exam ive ever written

pls listen to the players infold pls listen to the players omfg

[summer-oil]

??????????????????????

[starry-bi-sky]

you can't choose what stays and what fades away

No light, no light in your bright blue eyes I never knew daylight could be so violent A revelation in the light of day You can't choose what stays and what fades away

(and I'd do anything to make you stay)

------------

Shen Yuan wakes up in a woodshed.

He's in a body that's not quite his own.

(WIP also available on ao3!)

He wakes up in a woodshed.    

No, actually— let him correct himself. Shen Yuan does, indeed, wake up in a woodshed, but it’s not the first thing he realizes upon waking. No, in fact, consciousness comes quite slowly to him; sluggish, his mind attempting to slog through calf-high bogland without exhausting itself. It’s like he’s trying to drag himself to the surface of a river with a weight tied around his ankle, the weight trying desperately to drag him just as quickly down.    

His senses come to him just as slowly, his hearing and touch and smell and taste all trying to claw its way up back into existence till they’re thrumming beneath the thin skin of his body. Yes, it’s very much like trying to wake up from a long, deep sleep where he didn’t get quite enough rest, and he wonders, not for the first time, if he had collapsed again. His mouth is dry, his lips feel crusty, and his eyes are sealed shut by congealed-whatever-mixture of disgusting bodily fluids his eyes are capable of producing.    

Much like breaking free from sleep-paralysis, the moment he’s able to register that he’s actually sensing things again, the strange, spongy film that had been dampening them suddenly crumbles and collapses. Everything rushes forth like water spilling out of an open dam, or maybe like blood from an open scab, and Shen Yuan is abruptly accosted by the world and its sounds and sensations.   

The sun is hitting his eyes in just the right way that he can see the light burning behind his eyelids – which, that can’t be right, his curtains should be drawn, -- and there’s the distinct and gentle sound of wind rustling past, of birds singing softly, and the faint trill of music floating through. Shen Yuan is abruptly imposed with the mental image of a yellow autumn leaf falling delicately onto a still pond, that is how tranquil the world around him sounds.    

It is so, so, incredibly cliche, that he can’t help but open his eyes with a deep rooting incredulity planting itself firmly in the core of his chest. What he expects to see is the ceiling of his bedroom – the ground is hard enough that, for a moment, he thinks he may have fallen asleep on the floor again, or perhaps the hospital, because then that would at least explain better the tranquil sounds in his ears and the sunlight hitting his face.   

(Except he doesn’t smell the familiar sting of septic and cleaner, nor does he hear the beeping of the heart rate monitor beside him, the bustle and soft murmur of nurses outside that are always on the move. There’s no paper thin and slightly scratchy blanket laid over him. And never, not once, has he been subjected to the sounds of an eight-hour tranquil music ASMR while in the hospital.)  

(In fact, his nose feels rather stuffy. The same way it gets when he has a runny nose that just dried or a bloody nose that just finally stopped bleeding. He smells dirt and wood, and— and… is that blood?)    

There’s still crust clinging to his lashes and the corner of his eyes when he opens them, so his vision is immediately blurred in the way only recent consciousness can create. But even then, he can see the roof clearly enough to know that this is neither his bedroom nor the hospital. Shen Yuan sits up while his heart drops right out of his chest, regretting the action immediately as an ache shoots up his arms and staunchly reminds him of a terrible soreness spread throughout his body, one that he was not previously aware of.   

The hiss he makes is involuntary, and the sound rusted and weak, irritating his sore throat while his head pounds behind his eyes like a hammer against a nail. Get your bearings, Shen Yuan, he thinks, vision swimming, sucking in his dessert-dry bottom lip between his teeth and catching it on the incisors. The air does nothing for the inside of his mouth. Where the fuck am I?  

His eyes flick around the crust poking irritably at his corneas, as he tries to soak in where exactly he is. On instinct, his hands come up to flick away the crust obscuring his sight, and when he pulls his fingers away, there’s dark, brown-red buildup crumbling against his skin.   

Wh—? Shen Yuan rubs his eyes again, and realizes there’s a flaking trail coming from his eyes down his cheeks that, when he rubs at it, peels off into what can’t be anything but dried blood. It does nothing for his rapid-beating heart and the sinking shock and horror settling between his ribs. Why has he been bleeding from his eyes?    

He looks up from his hand. That shock and horror rising as he finally, finally takes in his surroundings, while also realizing, his dry tongue running against the back of his teeth and the corner of his mouth, that he was tasting blood too. Faint and stuck against his gums, but there.   

Shen Yuan is surrounded by cut wood, and beneath him he’s sitting on an old, tattered blanket. He’s wearing robes. Robes, worn and slightly dirty, made of a pleasant-to-the-eye green and white fabric, and straight out of every single Xanxia novel, drama, and poster he’s ever read and seen. There’s a simply, if slightly tattered, white fan tucked against his thigh.   

Oh, oh no. His hands fly up to his hair and— yep. Yeah, slightly tangled but undeniably soft and smooth, black hair slips against his fingers like silk and pours over his shoulders and down his back. It’s ten times longer than it should be, ten times longer than he’s used to, and he’s sitting on the ends of it. He releases his hair only so Shen Yuan can slap his hands against his face, automatically picking at the trail of dried blood on both corners of his mouth. His fingers are chilled against his skin, and he ignores it to trace his new (he thinks—the bow of his mouth and the curve of his cheekbones feels achingly familiar) facial features.   

Whose face am I wearing? What book have I entered? Because wasn’t this transmigration one-oh-one? The last thing he remembers was becoming incensed with the ending of Proud Immortal Demon Way and, in the middle of his scathing rant, dying of food poisoning. This was totally transmigration one-oh-one. Dying after reading a book, only to wake up in a place that was not the modern world, only to realize shortly after that they were now in the book they had just read?   

Wait— if he follows that trope, then... Shen Yuan’s heart decides it’s had enough time in his stomach, and leaps right into his throat. His eyes flitter around anxiously. There are bamboo stalks rising out the window, and the music he’s hearing, Shen Yuan realizes belatedly that it’s the sweet plucking of a guqin. Oh no. Don’t tell me--   

Like an activation phrase, a too-loud notification ‘ding!’ goes right off in his ear, resulting in Shen Yuan flinching violently as a too-bright and eye-stinging blue message box seals open into existence right before his eyes.   

[ SYSTEM Successfully Activated! Welcome to the world of Pride Immortal Demon Way! You are ‘Shen Jiu’ -- otherwise known as Shen Qingqiu, thirteen-year-old Disciple of Qing Jing Peak. Currently your actions are restricted due to a frozen OOC function that will eventually be unlocked after you familiarize yourself with the world. ]  

No! Of all the people he could have been transmigrated into, did it have to be the villain? Scum Disciple Shen Qingqiu? No— no, of course it was the villain; wasn’t that also transmigration one-oh-one as well? That the transmigrator was either the hero, the villain, or an NPC related to either one?   

Was this karma? Was the world enacting karmic justice on him for all those late nights spent arguing with internet randos online when he should have been doing something productive with his life? Of all those hours spent countlessly researching mythical beasts and animals and folklore all so he could tear the author a new one for his terrible plot and even worse papapa? Did Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky inflict some kind of curse on him that resulted in him being dragged into his shitty, shitty, stallion novel to act as the same guy who later gets his limbs torn off and pickled by the main protagonist?   

It had to be. That’s exactly what this was. This was karma.   

(Oh god, he’s never going to see his family again, is he? He’d died. He’d died in his world, he knows it. That’s how this always goes. At least he hadn’t been hit by a truck, at least he’d died somewhat originally. But he died. He’d been choking and everything went dark. The fluid filling his lungs, the lack of air, the steady crawl of blackening fuzz slowly encircling his vision--)  

(Who will find his body? How long will it take? It’d only been a week prior that he’d gotten into a fight with da-ge and the others, and they usually give him space for a while when they do. It’s not like Shen Yuan had any close friends left either--)  

(Will they find him rotting? Will they blame themselves? What will they think?)   

--(...Oh god, who was going to tell Hai-ge--?)--  

Shen Yuan drops his face into his hands, ignoring the throbbing of his skull and the influx of nausea that sloshes from his chest to his stomach as he does. He groans, low and painful, ignoring the sharp sting of his throat it causes. Does it have to be Shen Qingqiu? He asks, and wonders if the SYSTEM needs an audial vocal command or if it would just--   

[ You have been chosen to play Shen Qingqiu, the Scum Villain Disciple! ]   

Annoyance burrows into his throat. That’s... not what he asked. His teeth grind against each other, the stupid message box burning into his eyes. That at least answers that question, though. He won’t have to talk aloud to communicate with the SYSTEM, so at least he won’t look insane for talking to himself in public. Why does it have to be Shen Qingqiu?   

[ Shen Qingqiu plays a vital role in Pride Immortal Demon Way! You have been chosen to take on his role as the Scum Villain Disciple. ]   

What vital role!? Shen Qingqiu, sure, had a role in the beginning of the book as the disciple who did nothing but cause a ruckus and trouble on Qing Jing Peak when the protagonist’s back was turned; trying to drag Peak Lord Luo Binghe’s precious name through the mud while inciting what was basically tyranny by clawing his way up to a Head Disciple position through being a green tea bitch. He then went and used that power to abuse and bully the younger disciples when the adults weren’t looking.  

He only got away with it for so long because Luo Binghe was so busy with important missions and night hunts and the sweeping-of-peerless-beauties off their feet off the peak, that when he was on Qing Jing, it wasn’t long enough to realize just who was behind the disruption. And Shen Qingqiu was sneaky about it, so it took even longer. 

Only coming to a head at the Immortal Cultivation Conference when demons attacked and it all came to light like a hellish volcano, resulting in Shen Qingqiu not only finding out about Luo Binghe’s status as a half-heavenly demon, but also him being pushed into the Endless Abyss. He re-emerges half a decade later, brimming with demonic cultivation and a half-crazed lust for power and vengeance — revenge that ends up failing because he’s going up against the powerful protagonist.  

He causes a handful of actual problems before Luo Binghe finally has enough, and in the end, Shen Qingqiu ends up with his non-vital limbs cut off and stuffed inside a jar like a human pickle. A horrifying and befitting ending for any villain and antagonist of the main character.  

That is to say, nothing about him is actually vital. He was, for all intents and purposes, pretty much a low-tier cannon fodder villain meant to boost up and accentuate the protagonist’s abilities in the beginning of the book. A way to introduce the audience to the might and intelligence of the main character and their problem-solving skills when there is a ‘mysterious figure’ going around besmirching his name.  

Which... may just work in his favor, actually. Shen Qingqiu ended up with the fate he got because he went against the protagonist, a big no-no in practically every trashy novel. So, solution so Shen Yuan doesn’t end up a human stick? Don’t get in the protagonist’s way.  

That annoying ‘ding!’ rings in his ear, causing yet another flinch out of Shen Yuan as a notification unapologetically forms in front of him.  

[ WARNING: OOC! Host’s refusal to stay in character will result in automatic point deductions. If Host’s point score gets too low, SYSTEM will automatically mete out punishment. ] 

Of course it wasn’t that easy. Of course not, because why would it be easy? Of course there was a point system, this was a SYSTEM after all. Of course he couldn’t just avoid the villain’s fate, because that’d be too easy. His annoyance simmers out across the plane of his chest, and he decidedly ignores the faint tremor in his arms and the pulsing beat of his heart as he picks himself up off the ground and stands.  

His legs, much like his arms, tremble, and his head swims. He pushes through it, ignoring the ill-feeling of fear making itself home in the pit of his stomach. He should ask what those punishments are; what they’ll look like. He should ask about the point system, about how to increase his point score, about all the functions in the SYSTEM and what he has available, and what he does not.  

He should ask how old he is – because he’s much smaller than his old adult self had been; probably child-sized? -- and where he is in the book. What year is it, how long until the Immortal Cultivators Conference. Just when is he? 

Shen Yuan reaches out to grip onto a particularly towering stack of firewood, careful not to knock it or himself over. It feels like physical therapy all over again. Granted, a primitive, unsupervised, cobbled-together version of physical therapy, but physical therapy, nonetheless.  

His foot kicks against the fan, he’d frankly forgotten about that, and it slides off the blanket and across the dirt. His fingers twitch to grab it, something possessive and uncomfortably vulnerable rearing in his lungs – ah, an instinctive emotion from the original goods then? He’s heard of that in other transmigration stories he’s read, the novels failed to mention the full extent of how strange it felt.  

(It felt so eerily natural to want to pick it up. Of course he’d be upset about kicking it, and the unhappiness of dirtying it slots itself against him like second nature. How strange. How creepy.)  

Instead of asking any of that though, Shen Yuan turns his bitter mind inwards to the SYSTEM and asks, perhaps, the most important question of them all; Why did you bring me here if you were just going to kill me again?   

Isn’t that unnecessarily cruel?  

[ Host has been brought to Pride Immortal Demon Way because it is our sincere hope that Host can transform this stupid work into a magnificent, high-quality, first-rate classic! As part of the welcoming package, and to help ease the transition, a few things have been left in Host’s inventory! We hope you enjoy your time in Pride Immortal Demon Way! ]  

To change-- 

To change--?  

To CHANGE--?  

Indignancy surges itself from the tips of Shen Yuan’s fingers to the crown of his head, anger not unlike every single time Airplane threw away an interesting plot point for sex fuzzes out his vision and turns his pounding headache into a full-fledged migraine. His grip on the firewood tightens, and he can feel the rough and textured bark digging into his skin. 

His mouth curls inward, the cracked skin splitting down the middle of his bottom lip as Shen Yuan threatens to snarl at the SYSTEM. How the fuck am I supposed to change the plot if I can’t even change the way my character acts!  

[ Reminder to Host: The OOC Function is frozen, but not permanent. Once Host has become properly settled in and completed the tutorial will he be able to unlock it. ]  

Fine, fine! He has half a mind to unload a string of curses at the SYSTEM, because apparently its rules were as stupid as the author who made this world. Shen Yuan refrains; he doesn’t know how sentient the thing is, and upsetting it right now when he has no idea when he is – nor does he know a thing about the point system -- would only be detrimental for him in the long run. 

Instead, he lets loose a groan from his throat that could be more accurately compared to as a growl. With his one free hand, Shen Yuan drags his palm down his face, and then loops it back up to comb it through his hair. ...His hair that is much longer than it used to be, and which is snaggled with little knots and tangles that he’ll have to get out.  

He hits the first knot and immediately withdraws his fingers, freeing up a few strands of ink black hair while he’s at it. With a quick wrist shake, the strands fall to the floor and Shen Yuan leans the rest of his weight against the log pile. Some of his anger cools down until it’s nothing more than boiled water gone cold, and he sighs out through a clogged-up nose until there’s nothing more than a quiet pressure of unease curled around his shoulders.  

There’s really not much he does know about how Shen Qingqiu acts – after all, he put up a responsible and dutiful disciple front when he was in the presence of Luo Binghe, and was only then revealed to be a scumbag later down the line. Which only got backed up with secondhand accounts of the other Qing Jing Peak disciples.  

He didn’t show up often either, since most of the time Luo Binghe was off the peak. Nobody wants to read about a powerful peak lord being a teacher after all. Many more interesting things in the world around him than his students.  

SYSTEM, how old am I? He must be pretty young if he bases it off how small he is – although, Shen Qingqiu didn’t have much of a description in the first place. He was only described as having skin as white as jade, with glossy black hair and a noble air surrounding him. Height, eyes, and finer details like that were left unmentioned. Why did I wake up in a woodshed? What time is it? 

[ Host is currently thirteen years old! Last night Shen Qingqiu experienced a severe Qi Deviation after having an altercation with the Head Disciple. It is early morning; the other disciples will be getting breakfast. ] 

That doesn’t explain why he was in a woodshed. But at this point, Shen Yuan was starting to believe that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer out of every question he asks. That does explain the blood in his mouth and crusted on his face – and the soreness and exhaustion currently wrought through his body, though.  

In a rapid set of blinks and a little bit of mental fiddling, the message notifications disappear out of his sight and the rest of his senses begin to filter back in, the SYSTEM seeming content to disappear into the back of his mind – which, wow, feels just as weird as the original goods’ instincts from earlier. 

More of his own strength had returned, enough that Shen Yuan feels comfortable with pushing himself off the firewood stack and standing on his own. Making sure that his legs won’t collapse under the weight of his own body, he takes a tentative step forward and drops his gaze down to the little white fan sitting on the ground.  

...The idea of leaving without it returns that discomforting, vulnerable feeling from earlier, as if he had walked out without a shirt on. The hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand up on its own with unease. Shen Qingqiu was mentioned to hide his face behind a fan in every appearance he made, it must be the original goods’ emotions he’s feeling then. Again.  

He leans down, his core trembling just a little, and plucks it right off the ground. The grooves of the wood fit against his fingers perfectly, hinting at weeks, if not years, of use and the oils of his hands wearing it down. He beats the side of the fan against his leg lightly, ignoring the bruising-aches it shoots up his thigh, and brushes off the dirt clinging to it.  

Without thinking, Shen Qingqiu flicks it open and flutters it about for a few quick beats. The unnerving, skin-crawling sensation marking across his spine settles down, and he snaps the fan shut before reaching for the door.  

[ OOC: Host should make himself look presentable before being seen in public. Failure to do so will result in immediate point deduction. ] 

Shen Qingqiu grits his teeth again, there’s nothing in here but dirt and wood, how am I supposed to do that? It’s not like he had the whole layout of Qing Jing Peak memorized; Luo Binghe was barely on so where everything was, wasn’t important. Is there some kind of bathhouse somewhere?  

Which, if there was, he wasn’t planning on using until it was entirely empty – the mere thought of it returned that gross, uncomfortable skin-crawling discomfort. He’ll shower at night, thank you, repressing a shudder at the horrifying idea of someone potentially walking in on him.  

[ OOC: Shen Qingqiu would never bathe with the threat of other disciples around. There is a nearby creek that Host can clean himself up at. ]  

That’s really not much better.  But, so long as he isn’t undressing in public, he can probably just... wash the dirt off and get his hair damp enough to detangle it. If Shen Qingqiu was sleeping in here, then he probably has a change of clothes somewhere around here, right? He should look around for any hidden bags before leaving.  

He finds a small qiankun pouch tucked safely between a set of wood logs near the blanket, and inside it is a clean set of robes for him to change into, which, perfect! The robes he was wearing right now weren’t terribly dirty, but there were a few dirt spots visible enough that Shen Qingqiu was sure that he’d probably get a point deduction out of it, or a scolding from senior disciples.  

(Does Shen Qingqiu sleep in the woodshed often? Shouldn’t he be in the dormitories?)  

He plucks the bag out of its little hidey-hole, giving it a place on his belt, along with his newly acquired fan, and turns towards the door. Shen Qingqiu crosses the room in the span of a few large steps, and just as he’s about to curl his hand around the handle, he... pauses.  

It’s only for a split second, a moment of hesitation, of personal confirmation that, once he opens this door, there will be no going back. Not that there was since he opened his eyes, but, it would cement it.  

Shen Qingqiu breathes in a shaky breath, and then opens the door to the rising sun.

[countrymusiclover]

2 - Someone Who Listens

Part 3

The Hybrids Bright Star

Tags - @melvia-ito @lover-of-books-and-tea @kmc1989 @tallrock35 @elenavampire21 @frost-queen

The stale scent of disinfectant and wet dog hung heavy in the air, a perfume I'd grown accustomed to at the Mystic Falls Animal Shelter. Honestly, it was a small price to pay to be surrounded by these furry, four-legged souls. Sighing I scrubbed down another kennel, humming a tune I was trying to piece together for a new song. Country music, my escape, my dream, felt a million miles away when I was elbow-deep in kibble and... well, you get the picture.

"Hallie! You got a visitor," Brenda, my boss, called from the front desk. "Says his name is... Klaus?"

Klaus? My brain sputtered, trying to reconcile the name with any logical reason for him to be at the shelter. I hadn't seen him since last night at the Mystic Grill. He had an accent I couldn't quite place and an intense stare that had made my heart flutter in a way it hadn't done in ages. He seemed way too rich and sophisticated to be interested in adopting a rescue mutt.

I wiped my hands on my jeans and walked towards the reception area, my heart doing a weird little two-step. There he was, leaning against the counter, looking impossibly out of place amidst the posters of adoptable kittens. He was even more striking in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the shelter. The way his eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail, made me feel like I was the one being analyzed.

"Klaus," I greeted, trying for casual but probably failing miserably. "What brings you here? Looking for a new furry companion?"

A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his features. "Hardly. Though I do admire your dedication, Hallie. I merely thought you might be in need of a... reprieve from the aroma." He gestured delicately with his hand.

I chuckled, relieved he wasn't here to judge my career choices. "Yeah, well, the aroma is part of the charm, I guess. What did you have in mind?"

"Perhaps a walk? It's a rather pleasant day, and I find myself... intrigued by the prospect of learning more about you."

A walk? With Klaus? During my precious lunch break? It sounded insane, but the thought of spending even a little more time with him was ridiculously appealing. "I get half an hour. And I have to be back to feed the kittens."

"Half an hour will suffice," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "Lead the way, Miss Cassidy."

We fell into step as we left the shelter, the crisp autumn air a welcome change from the animal smells. Mystic Falls was beautiful this time of year, the trees ablaze with color. I found myself pointing out landmarks, babbling about the town, trying to fill the silence that suddenly felt heavy.

"So," Klaus said finally, his eyes fixed on me. "Tell me about yourself, Hallie. What does a woman with such a captivating voice dream of?"

Captivating voice? Was he flirting? Or was I just projecting? "Well," I started, feeling my cheeks flush. "I dream of singing on a stage bigger than the Mystic Grill. Writing songs that people actually want to hear. Becoming a country music star, I guess."

"A lofty ambition," he said, but there was no mockery in his tone. "And what's stopping you?"

"Life, mostly," I said with a sigh. "Paying bills, cleaning kennels... foster care didn't exactly set me up for success, you know? I'm trying to save up for a demo, but... it's slow going."

His expression softened, and for a moment, I thought I saw genuine empathy in his eyes. "Foster care, you say? That must have been difficult."

I shrugged. "It was what it was. I bounced around a lot. Never really felt like I belonged anywhere." It was a chapter of my life I didn't often talk about, but something about Klaus made me want to open up, just a little.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the crunch of leaves under our feet. Then, Klaus spoke again, his voice low. "And what about... relationships? Is there anyone special in your life, Hallie?"

My stomach twisted. This was it. The part where I had to explain Damon. Damon, who was gorgeous and charming and... complicated. "There's Damon," I said carefully. "We're... seeing each other."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Seeing each other? Is that all?"

"It's... hard to explain," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "Damon's... intense. He can be really amazing, but sometimes... sometimes he's different. Like he's not himself."

I tried to find the words to describe the strange, unsettling feeling I got around Damon. The way he could make me forget things. The way my head felt fuzzy when I tried to question him. But the words wouldn't come. He controlled that.

"Different how?" Klaus pressed, his gaze intense.

"I don't know," I said, frustrated. "Like he's... hiding something. Like he's not who he says he is. But then he looks at me, and I forget all the bad stuff, and everything's okay again."

I hated how pathetic that sounded. I hated admitting it out loud.

Klaus stopped walking, turning to face me fully. "Hallie," he said, his voice soft but firm. "Listen to me. Sometimes, what we think we see isn't the truth. Sometimes, people can manipulate us, make us believe things that aren't real. You need to trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is."

His words resonated with me, striking a chord deep inside. But then, like a switch being flipped, Damon's face flashed in my mind, his smile dazzling, his eyes mesmerizing.

"No," I said shaking my head, feeling a little dizzy and frustrated "I am right. It's not like that. Damon is... good to me even if sometimes he's not himself. He takes care of me." My voice was defensive, even to my own ears.

Klaus looked at me, his expression unreadable. "If you say so," he said finally, but I could tell he wasn't convinced.

We walked the rest of the way back to the shelter in silence, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife. When we reached the door, I turned to him, feeling a sudden urge to apologize.

"Thanks for the walk, Klaus," I said awkwardly. "I... I appreciate you listening."

"My pleasure, Hallie," he said, his eyes searching mine. "Perhaps we can do it again sometime. And Hallie?" He paused, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Try not to let the dogs have all the fun while you're cleaning up, alright?"

I laughed, the sound feeling lighter than it had in days. "I'll try my best."

He gave me a nod, then turned and strode away, disappearing around the corner. I watched him go, a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me – confusion, attraction, and a nagging sense that something was very, very wrong. The rest of the day was a blur of cleaning, feeding, and trying to ignore the lingering scent of Klaus's cologne. I couldn't shake the feeling that he knew something I didn't, that he saw something in Damon that I was blind to.

As I was preparing to leave, Brenda called me over. "Hallie, that Klaus guy came by again, just wanted me to give you something." She handed me a small, rectangular package. I opened it carefully, my heart pounding. Inside was a CD, a handwritten note attached.

"Hallie," it read, in Klaus's elegant script. "I took the liberty of arranging a small recording session for you. A good producer can make all the difference. Consider it a... kindness. Call the number on the CD. -K."

I stared at the CD, my mind reeling. A recording session? Just like that? It was an unbelievable opportunity, a chance to finally chase my dream. But something about it felt... off. Too easy.

I tucked the CD into my bag, a knot of apprehension tightening in my stomach. Klaus was a mystery, a whirlwind of charm and intensity. And I had a feeling that getting involved with him would be a lot more complicated than cleaning up after a kennel full of puppies.

Later that night, Damon showed up at my house, a bottle of wine in hand and that familiar, dazzling smile on his face. I immediately forgot about my suspicions, the nagging doubts fading away like smoke.

"Hey, baby," he said, pulling me into a kiss. "Missed you."

"Missed you too," I murmured, burying my face in his neck.

As we sat on the couch, sipping wine and watching a movie, I decided not to mention Klaus, or the walk, or the recording session. It was better to keep things simple, to bask in Damon's attention and forget about the confusing questions swirling in my head.

But even as I laughed at his jokes and leaned into his embrace, a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind. Something isn't right. And for the first time in a long time, I couldn't quite silence it.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[companionwolf]

It's 5am. I'm drunk. I don't think this conveys what I'm trying to say exactly.

[genderqueerdykes]

In regards to Endo systems, I just wanna say it makes me really happy that you stick up for them. I've always been pro-endo as a trauma system, but never more pro-endo as when I got my own Fictive. Before Edgin appeared, I genuinely didn't believe Fictives existed. I believed Endo systems existed, but Fictives were just eyeroll centric to me. When Edgin showed up, my other alters bullied him to such an extreme that he almost disappeared as soon as he appeared and honestly I wouldn't have been the same if that happened. A few friends of mine stuck up for him tho and the rest of my alters figured out they were being dicks and calmed down about him. Eventually he did get reabsorbed or w/e happens to alters when they have served their purpose, but I have come to respect endo systems far more since he showed up. I wish that other systems would chill out about endo systems, bc who else is going to be in each others' corners but endo and trauma systems? Like, people already treat us like freak shows enough. I can't understand how people can just leave their own out in the cold.

Anyways thanks for listening, you're doing the divine's work on this blog and I love you.

hey thank you! i just don't get why people think they have the right to literally police how a stranger's brain works. like idk how anyone else's brain works but my own that's not for me to judge. if someone feels like multiple people, then i can't say they're not. it doesn't matter to me in the sense that whether or not you identify that way isn't up to me to decide and i don't want to.

agreed, i don't get the behavior at all. thank you so much, appreciate you!