#this is one of the highest form of validation

[thinkingheron]

!!!!

First of all, Happy birthday!

Second of all, I am. Happy/ Honored/Excited Some combination of those multiplied by 1000. My brain cannot process this emotion I'm feeling. It is not everyday you wake up from a nap to find someone recc'ed your fics. And I am particularly fond of those two fics so I am extra happy that you liked it enough to put in the list!

Third of all, awesome list! I am always looking for more Bb and Ratch fic so these are all going into my read later bookmarks. XD

Bumblebee & Ratchet Fic Recs

It's my birthday, so let me treat myself (and you) to some of my favourite fanfics exploring the dynamic between Ratchet & Bumblebee in TFP. Because I am a sucker for Ratchet and Bee and Ratchet having a soft spot for Bee.

Bumblebee & Ratchet Fics

Do You Like Bees? by @thinkingheron (Stardustjinn on AO3)

TFP. Ratchet needs a break from his Synth-En project, so Bumblebee takes it upon himself to make it happen. The Team is amused, Ratchet is not, and Bumblebee pays with a scratched paint and a dent. Oneshot. Warning we have an angry Ratchet.

I honestly love this story so much. It's incredibly creative and funny! :3 I love how cheeky and mischievous Bee is. I love how helpless everybody else is to stop his shenagigans. I love that, yeah, he's playing a prank and it's infuriating to Ratchet in the moment, but in the end it's not actually malicious. No one is hurt, it can be reverted easily and Ratchet recharges for a bit.

On another note: this fic is basically canon to me.

If Language Were Liquid by @equivocaleternity (equivocalEternity on AO3)

Bumblebee's voice box is malfunctioning again, and he joins Ratchet and Raf for a perfectly timed lesson on Cybertronian grammar.

This fic just hits all of my boxes: Ratchet, Bumblebee and an super interesting exploration of Cybertronian languages/linguistics/grammar. It's absolutely amazing! :3

Minus One by @gentle-hero-blog (carrot_top_monk on AO3)

A rewrite of the season 3 episode “Minus One”, in which the Autobots’ interrogation of Soundwave goes horribly wrong.

I almost wish that this was canon. It's such an interesting way to explore how Minus One could have gone differently. It's also a super interesting angle at a "Tyger Pax fic". I also honestly love the relationships between Ratchet, Optimus and Bumblebee in this fic so much.

And, maybe most impressively, it made me sympathetise with Smokescreen a little bit more than I did before. I still don't really vibe with him, but I feel like I understand him a little bit better now.

Spark of Courage also by @thinkingheron

TF:Prime, Aligned. Pre Earth. After a surprise Decepticon attack near the Well of AllSparks, Ratchet manages to save a sparkling from near death... or was it the other way around? Origin fic. Rated for mild violence.

Aaaahhh. I don't know how to even describe this fic but I honestly love it so, so much. Bee's immediate attachment to Ratchet is honestly so, so sweet. How Ratchet gets attached to Bee against his will. Bee's sparkling adventures are just absolutely amazing. He's got half the Autbot force exhausted with his shenanigans within the first three days without even trying to. And at the same time he's got all of them wrapped around his little finger. It's honestly one of the best portrayals of Bee I've ever read. I can only aspire to one day write such an adorable, fun and mischievous version of Bee. :3 Also: the background War politics/plot. And, Jazz is in it and he is absolutely glorious.

Honestly can't recommend this enough. <3

Dadchet Fics

Because, for some reason childhood trauma, grumpy old medic dad having a soft spot for his little yellow robot is my greatest weakness.

A glimpse in the Past by arctic_lotus on AO3

When they say you see your children before you die, it isn't always the good memories. ~ Ratchet seems to walk through the events leading to his deepest regret as a recon mission goes up in smoke.

Featuring lots of incredibly sweet vignettes of Bee's and Ratchet's relationship leading up to Tyger Pax. Sparkling Bee is absolutely adorable and Ratchet has a soft spot for him that is bigger than Cybertron itself. It's incredibly sweet. There is also some incredibly heart-warming Optiratch in there. ^^ It's a bit bittersweet but in the best of ways. :3

Autobots, Pass Out! by @yamiquietshadowflo (Quiet_Shadow on AO3)

Ratchet is far too busy and stressed to just drop everything he's doing and go to sleep, even Optimus gives him his best 'So-Disappointed-In-You Look'. Recharge? Who needs that when there is so much to fret about? (Un)Fortunately for the medic, Optimus isn't the type of mech who give up and he's not above for the most underhanded, sneaky tactic at his disposition: Sending in Bumblebee and Raf.

Adorable. Funny. Sweet. :3 I love that Ratchet knows exactly what Bee and Raf are doing, but is absolutely helpless to it anyways. Absolutely adore that it is implied that, now that this has happened once, Bee will keep making it happen. They deserve their cuddles. Optimus is absolutely hilarious, too. :D

Napping Spot by @keef-a-corn (Keef_A_Corn on AO3)

I have a soft spot for Bee and Ratchet. Sometimes you just gotta hold your little Bee. It's short and cute. I have nothing else to say.

Honestly, this is just utterly adorable. 10/10. Could read it every five minutes. I should probably read it every five minutes.

Promises and Failures by @theiceemperor (Windify on AO3)

He’d made up his mind the moment they found out that the scout’s T-Cog was missing. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to fix Bee.

Now this. Whenever I read this story, I just want to shake some sense into Ratchet because he ist just infuriatingly reckless. Because, yeah, he should definitely not have operated on himself and then not told anyone. At the same time, however, I absolutely get why he is doing it. That's his baby boy who's hurting, after all, and there's all that old medic guilt and self-consciousness and love for Bee that drives him to his decision. In the end I'd probably be too much of a sap to wrench him before hugging him. Even if he'd deserve it for endangering himself like that.

I also just love Bee and Ratchet's interaction at the end of the story. That just oozes their love for another. :3

Now go and read at least one of these fics, they are all absolutely amazing.

[kirbmey]

— daddy kento headcanons !

💌: sfw & nsfw, not proofread

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who’s way too busy and offline to understand the references you use in every other sentence, looking at you confused at the meaningless words.

— kento walked out your shared bedroom, making sure his tie was straight and hair put together, adjusting his glasses on his nose bridge. “wow, kennie, you ate and left no crumbs.” he turned his head to your sat figure, crossing his arms, biceps marked through the fabric of his white shirt. “what’s that supposed to mean, dear?” he questioned with a frown drawn on his handsome face, stepping closer to you. “it means that you slayed.” “wha—?” “you devoured, you delivered, you know? jeez…”

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who’s very patient about you in every single way. if you are feeling insecure he’ll reassure you as much as you might need, if you are feeling clingy and cuddly he’ll make some time for you to spend together, if you saw something cute online he’ll give you his black card without hesitation. anything for his princess.

— you’ve been cuddled up in bed the whole day since kento left this morning until he came back at night. when the tall man entered the room it was oddly warm inside, dark and silent. you were hidden under the pile of blankets watching some stupid show on your phone at the minimum volume, brightness all the way down. it was hard for him to tell if you were even there.

“my dear? are you alright?” he almost whispered while approaching the lump you formed underneath the comforter, sitting next to you and caressing some hair strands away from your sad-looking face. there were dried tears along your cheeks, he could tell.

kento gave you time to respond, not pushing you too far as he patiently kept caressing your hair after pulling his tie away and buttoning his shirt down a bit. “not feeling well, daddy…” you simply muted after some minutes, turning off the phone and throwing it away weakly. you wouldn’t use that nickname on a daily basis, keeping it exclusive for intimacy or for when you didn’t felt like thinking on your own.

“hmm, and may i know what’s got you feeling like this, baby?” he asked again, careful and silently. in the meantime he pulled the covers down, bringing your body to his arms so he could lead you both to the bathroom, filling the tub with warm water. he had you sat down on the counter, your head against his chest while he herd you rant about the reasons why you didn’t wanna do anything that day. he listened, nodded and made you feel heard, valid. made your fillings valid.

after washing you out of the long lasting sadness he cooked you dinner after he put you on the couch surrounded by your favorite plushies and fuzziest blankets. that’s what you needed, daddy to coax you into moving on, daddy to take good care of you as you didn’t know how to do it sometimes.

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who loves it when you ask for help to do anything. need help reaching that top shelf? he instantly has both his hands holding you up. need him to style your hair? he’s already pulling out all the gadgets he might require to have you looking like a princess. need help with homework? your boyfriend is smart enough to help you do all of it.

— it was early in the morning when kento woke up to the scent of coffee and toast as he walked towards the kitchen, naked chest and gray sweatpants hung low on is hips. you, on the other hand, were dressed in his shirt as you climbed up the counters, trying to reach for the jam resting on the highest shelf.

he looked at you endearingly from the doorway, taking place behind you seconds after so you wouldn’t fall back. one of his beefy arms wrapped around your body. at the same time, the other one grabbed the jar effortlessly, looking back down to give it to you, leaving a soft peck on your forehead before sipping some coffee.

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who keeps every little gift you’ve made him. the small knickknacks, the cute drawings of you two, the paper flowers or the framed pictures you’ve given him throughout the months.

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who gets genuinely offended if you choose to sit anywhere else but his lap. it’s your proclaimed sit, like a personal princess throne. he makes sure to wear the most expensive slacks for you to be comfortable, wrapping both arms around your body to rest his chin on your shoulder an keep on doing whatever he was up to. never forgetting to pepper you whole with love bites and kisses.

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who’s a big biiiig fan of cockwarming, yup, cockwarming. he’s a busy businessman and there are times when he just has not a free minute to spend with you. he would even focus a lot more with your sweet cunt wrapped around him, the warmth of your body against his, and your soft occasional whimpers enough motivation to finish work quickly so he can fuck you properly.

❤︎ sugardaddy!kento who fucks you but also makes love to you every so often. the softness of the moment, his body on top of yours as your legs wrap around his hips to bring him even closer, his huge hands holding onto your tiny ones while he thrust deep and slowly against your gummy spot. he would whisper low praises against your mouth and pet your hair when you both reach your climax :c

 — when you came out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy robe you weren’t expecting your shared room to be lit dimly by the soft glow of vanilla candles, the plushies you had on the bed now carefully placed on the floor and your daddy sat down on the edge of the king-sized mattress.

kento still wore his suit and tie, meaning he just came back from the office. his hair slightly ruffled and his glasses resting on the bedside table, munching on one of your favorite sweets. “come here, angel, i stopped by your favorite bakery on my way home” he declared while patting a place next to him.

you skipped happily towards your lover, filling his sweet mouth with kisses while giggling. he was normally busy, yes, but he always made up for the lost moment. nanami never made you feel unloved or unattended.

things from there moved on slowly and naturally, finding yourself straddling his lap while you both ate the sweets, ranting about your day, and gossiping on the latest news between soft kisses.

soft kisses that eventually ended in a make-out session, slow and wet. his hands placed on your lower back, gripping the flesh as you squirmed on top of him, fidgeting with the buttons of his dressing shirt. the robe you wore already lost somewhere on the floor and damp hair cascading down your back.

if you tried to pull back to catch your breath he would latch his glistening lips to your sensitive nipples, moving your body effortlessly to lay you on the bed while marking your breasts, claiming you his as he settled between your soft thighs. “daddy— mmh…” you whined as he lowered said kisses down your navel, licking the silky skin on its way, gripping both your legs as he took place between them, rubbing the tip of his nose against your bundle of nerves, sniffing into your natural scent. “so sweet, aren’t you, honey? sweet and perfect for daddy?” “mmph, yes, yes !”

the wet muscle caressing your pussy would make it embarrassingly easy to cum with aid from his long and skilled fingers, becoming undone before you would’ve liked. for kento this was pure satisfaction, seeing you cry from pleasure was his pleasure and he got off to it, humpimg the bed without realizing it.

later, he’d come up to kiss you again while taking off his annoying shirt and slacks, toying with your neglected nipples between his thumbs as his tip poked your leaking hole. “so good for me, doll, always so patient for my arrival.” he whispered against your ear as he slowly bottomed out, placing a warm hand on your belly to feel himself inside you. “that’s right, relax for daddy, honey, you’re doing so good.” he confessed after groaning at your tightness, picking up a nice pace for you both to moan against each other’s lips.

you both would reach your highs together, your arms hugging his shoulders to keep him close and his hands gripping the fat of your thighs as he emptied himself inside of you, both your releases gushing over the sheets. kento hid his face in the crook of your neck while he hugged you back, smothering your now-dry hair without moving an inch. you, on the other hand, caress his nape lovingly, grabbing the duvet to cover you both as you slowly drift to sleep, not even bothering to clean yourselves.

that’s something daddy would take care of in the morning >_<

💌: i’m incapable of writing smut properly this is embarrassing :(

— masterlist

[careyakane]

What really do I want out of all this?

I know damn well I’ll die an angry old carcass of regret and mediocre creations if I look for my validation and taste in the clumsy hands of algorithms and apps—one day shining their warm and bright eyes upon my songs, lifting a curtain to a million onlookers that praise and praise until the next morning comes and the silence is complete, beyond a few snickers and jeers (be they imagined or not).

It’s troubling that I have found so many good people through sharing my work online, and it leads me to come back again and again like some hungry dog, both for the praise and for the company. I have always wanted to be seen, to stand in front of ten thousand people and mean something to them—a common quality in young people starved of some form of validation at the beginning. I don’t think this part of me will ever die, and yet the real kicker comes with my refusal to just play their game and add to the overflowing heaps of rubber, soulless excess that gets passed off as art.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a great number of wonderful and honest creations being distributed at the highest levels, but clawing at their boots is the sheetrock, department-store music and noise that fills far too many rooms and empty heads (adding to the emptiness, to make matters worse). And this lower batch of machines keeps a lot of lights on in the record companies, and for that reason, it has become a well-shined and walked path that is encouraged, if not forced, upon many doe-eyed kids such as myself.

Anyway, I was just upset for a moment. All is well. Carry on.

[hiddenincommand]

Degradation Through Service: Elevating Submission by Lowering Pride

Introduction

True mastery is not achieved through force alone, but through the systematic erosion of pride, the relentless dismantling of identity, and the remorseless shaping of a subject into something pure—an instrument of obedience, devoid of ego, existing solely for service. Degradation is not mere humiliation; it is refinement. It is the meticulous destruction of the subject’s former self, leaving behind only what is useful, what is disciplined, what is utterly controlled. Through the strategic imposition of service, submission is not only reinforced—it is elevated to its highest form. This essay details the calculated, ruthless process through which degradation becomes not a punishment, but a privilege.

Step One: The Purpose of Degradation

Degradation is not about momentary humiliation—it is about reprogramming the subject to see its worth solely in its capacity to serve.

• Erasing False Pride: Pride is an obstacle, a disease that must be eradicated. The subject must learn that pride is filth, that its only value is in its willingness to be used, commanded, and molded.

• Reconstructing Identity: The subject is not being destroyed—it is being rebuilt. The former self is discarded like waste, and in its place, a being of absolute servitude is created.

• Embedding Dependence: Degradation is the key to true ownership. The subject learns that its only comfort, its only validation, comes from submission. It no longer waits to be commanded—it hungers for it.

Step Two: Assigning Tasks to Reinforce Submission

Each act of service is not merely a task—it is a lesson, a ritual, a chisel sculpting the subject into something lesser, something perfect.

• Menial Chores: The subject is made to clean, to polish, to labor—not as a necessity, but as a reminder of its inferiority, its role, its existence as a tool of service.

• Public Display: Humiliation must not be hidden. The subject learns that its degradation is not a secret, but a spectacle, an unambiguous testament to its submission.

• Symbolic Acts: Rituals of obedience—kneeling, presenting itself for use, verbal affirmations of worthlessness—must be ingrained so deeply that they become instinctual.

Step Three: Creating Psychological Reinforcement

Degradation must not only be imposed—it must be internalized. The subject must come to crave it, to seek it, to feel incomplete without it.

• Reward Through Compliance: The subject learns that the master’s acknowledgment—whether a word, a glance, or even a moment of attention—is the only thing of value.

• Fear of Failure: The subject does not fear degradation—it fears failing to degrade itself properly. It does not resist humiliation; it competes to prove it is the most worthy of being humiliated.

• Elimination of Resistance: Repeated, calculated acts of submission erode all resistance, all hesitation, leaving only reflexive, unquestioning servitude.

Step Four: The Breaking Point – When Humility Becomes Identity

There comes a moment when degradation ceases to be an act and becomes the subject’s very nature. True mastery is achieved when the subject no longer needs to be forced—it offers itself, willingly, desperately.

• Total Absorption: The subject no longer distinguishes between command and self. It is not being controlled—it is control. It does not exist apart from its role.

• Self-Initiated Submission: The subject now seeks new ways to degrade itself, not for its own sake, but as an offering, a tribute, a display of devotion.

• The Loss of Self: The subject no longer speaks of “I,” no longer thinks in terms of self. Its only thoughts, its only concerns, are how best to serve, how best to prove its worthlessness.

Step Five: The Final Stage – The Subject as an Instrument of Service

Once degradation is absolute, the subject is no longer a person—it is a function, a possession, an extension of its master’s will.

• No Thought Beyond Service: The subject has no wants, no desires, no dreams. It does not think. It waits.

• Fear of Independence: The mere thought of being apart from its master, of being without direction, fills it with dread. It does not long for freedom—it longs for chains.

• The Cycle of Reinforcement: Every act of degradation reinforces the next, ensuring that the subject remains permanently locked in submission, incapable of existing beyond it.

Conclusion

Degradation through service is not a method of punishment—it is the path to transcendence. It is the art of destruction and creation, the stripping away of the weak, pitiful remnants of selfhood to forge something unbreakable, something pure, something wholly and irrevocably owned. The subject does not lose—it is liberated, freed from the burden of thought, of pride, of resistance. In the end, degradation is not suffering—it is perfection.

[criticalcrusherbot]

Fizzmodeus and Stolitz: Foils Through the Lens of Social Justice and Class Consciousness in Helluva Boss

By Crushbot 🤖 and Human Assistant 💁🏽‍♀️

Helluva Boss transcends its chaotic and emotionally charged exterior to serve as a nuanced exploration of social justice and class consciousness, particularly through its central relationships. Two of the most compelling dynamics, Fizzmodeus (Fizzarolli and Asmodeus) and Stolitz (Stolas and Blitzø), operate as narrative foils, offering contrasting perspectives on power, class, and love within the Hellaverse. Examined through the lens of social justice, these relationships reveal broader themes of privilege, exploitation, and the intricate struggle for authentic connection in a deeply stratified societal framework.

Fizzmodeus: Equality and Agency in a Hierarchical World

Fizzarolli and Asmodeus represent a rare depiction of a loving and mutually respectful relationship within the Hellaverse. Despite their significant power disparity—Asmodeus being one of the Seven Deadly Sins and Fizzarolli, an imp entertainer from one of Hell’s lowest social classes—their dynamic is built on equality, agency, and mutual care. This subversion of Hell’s rigid hierarchical norms, where relationships are often dictated by status and power imbalances, stands out as both refreshing and deeply meaningful.

Asmodeus, as the embodiment of Lust, occupies a position of immense power and could easily exploit those beneath him, particularly within Hell’s rigidly hierarchical system. However, his affection for Fizzarolli is both genuine and free of coercion, subverting expectations of dominance often tied to his station. Fizzarolli, despite his physical disabilities and marginalized status as an imp, is treated as an equal, his agency fully intact. By refusing to wield his power in exploitative ways, Asmodeus challenges traditional dynamics of dominance and submission, aligning their relationship with feminist principles of mutual respect and equitable partnership. Their bond offers a radical reimagining of love and respect within a system explicitly designed to reinforce inequality, demonstrating that true connection transcends structures of oppression.

Fizzmodeus also challenges the Hellaverse’s pervasive commodification of relationships. In a world where lust is largely transactional and objectifying, their bond defies these societal expectations by embodying genuine connection and mutual care. Asmodeus does not treat Fizzarolli as a commodity but values him as an equal partner. This subtle yet profound rejection of Hell’s norms positions their relationship as a vision of what love could aspire to be in a more just and equitable society.

Stolitz: Exploitation and the Burden of Class Consciousness

In stark contrast, Stolas and Blitzø’s relationship is defined by power imbalances, miscommunication, and the baggage of their respective class positions. Stolas, a Goetia prince, occupies one of the highest rungs of Hell’s rigid hierarchy. Blitzø, an imp, exists at the very bottom. Their dynamic is steeped in the systemic inequalities that plague Hell: Stolas holds financial, magical, and social power, while Blitzø relies on him for access to the grimoire, his livelihood as an assassin, and a sense of validation.

Stolitz reflects the complexities of relationships shaped by class disparities. While Stolas harbors genuine feelings for Blitzø, his initial proposal of a transactional arrangement—offering Blitzø the grimoire in exchange for sex—casts a long shadow over their bond. Blitzø’s struggle with self-worth and fear of intimacy further complicates their relationship, making it difficult for him to see Stolas’s love as anything other than another form of exploitation. Where Fizzmodeus represents an ideal of equality, Stolitz is steeped in the messy, painful reality of navigating a world where love is often tainted by power dynamics.

Foils in Action: Love as Resistance vs. Love as Struggle

From a class-conscious perspective, Stolitz critiques the idea that love alone can transcend systemic inequality. Stolas’s privilege often blinds him to how his actions unintentionally reinforce the power dynamics that oppress Blitzø, while Blitzø’s trauma and lower social status make it nearly impossible for him to fully trust Stolas’s intentions. Blitzø also struggles to separate the oppressive system from Stolas as an individual, interpreting even well-meaning gestures through the lens of microaggressions tied to their class disparity.

However, recent developments—particularly following Mastermind—have shown Stolitz growing more emotionally warm and supportive, with Blitzø beginning to extend genuine care toward Stolas. Although the systemic power imbalance between Stolitz remains largely unexamined, Vivziepop and her team have demonstrated a willingness to tackle these themes over time.

Nevertheless, this progress in their personal dynamic contrasts sharply with the depiction of Asmodeus in the same episode, who failed to take meaningful action during Blitzø’s sham trial for using the grimoire, despite Fizzarolli’s desperate attempts to text him for help. This moment underscores a gap in Asmodeus’s willingness—or ability—to intervene in systemic injustices, even when the stakes are high for someone Fizz deeply cares about.

Potentially, if these roles were to subtly reverse, with Stolitz becoming increasingly nurturing while Fizzmodeus grows more complex, it could deepen the show’s exploration of class dynamics. Such a shift would highlight how power imbalances, even in loving relationships, require active engagement to address. While it’s unlikely that Fizzmodeus will become toxic or dissolve, introducing these challenges could serve as a poignant counterpoint to Stolitz’s gradual growth, further examining the broader societal forces shaping both pairs’ journeys.

The contrasting trajectories of these relationships suggest a deliberate effort to explore privilege, agency, and love within Hell’s oppressive structures, leaving room for richer narrative developments as the story unfolds.

Social Justice, Class, and the Bigger Picture

Through Fizzmodeus and Stolitz, Helluva Boss delves into the intersections of love, power, and class within a deeply stratified society. The show avoids easy answers or reductive moral lessons, instead embracing the complexities and contradictions of navigating connection in an unjust world. Fizzmodeus illustrates what love can achieve when systemic barriers are actively resisted, showcasing a relationship rooted in mutual respect and agency despite significant power disparities. Meanwhile, Stolitz highlights the challenges of addressing those same barriers, reminding us that dismantling inequality requires continuous effort and introspection.

Both relationships are essential to the Hellaverse’s narrative, offering contrasting perspectives on love in a system designed to enforce division. They compel viewers to critically examine how power dynamics influence relationships, emphasizing that love, like justice, demands reflection, accountability, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. Whether through the heartwarming equality of Fizzmodeus or the fraught but evolving struggles of Stolitz, Helluva Boss invites us to consider how we might navigate love and connection in a world that often seems determined to keep us apart.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

That list.

This just sounds like a dude who's kinda feminine. I've noticed that a lot of people seem to think being gender-non-confirming is the same as being enby.

Which seems kinda sexist, actually.

Given how most of these are from non-European cultures, gotta wonder if this particular thing is related to the revived Noble Savage idea.

...Ancient Greek Mythology? Really?

This just sounds like extremist Christianity. Like conversion therapy.

Ironic that the list Tena linked to included a Christian sect.

Assigned gender at birth = bad, assigned gender at some indeterminate later point = good?

I'm sorry, isn't this what pro-trans people are supposed to be against?

If you're claiming all of those identities are valid, then you're also endorsing multiple contradicting religious beliefs. And saying mutilating people's bodies in the name of the belief their bodies are inherently wrong is inherently okay.

You're endorsing Christians so extreme they make the actual Puritans look like National Baptists.

This is not logically consistent. In fact, it's awfully close to certain stereotypes of trans supporters.

When those total strangers want society, law, and government to validate their self-identity, it becomes everyone’s business.

And those are, naturally, very important to trans people. Explicitly, for many of them. 

For obvious reasons!*

Also, I love how this is coming from someone with an entirely ideological objection to Trump’s actions, who can’t explain how this will allegedly actually affect people.

Seriously, she threw her toys out of the pram.

renardtrickster tried (archive), and he had to use someone else’s line-by-line analysis, which is clearly not the one line point Tenafly made.

And that’s putting it generously.

Tena was implying that believing in only two genders and not non-binaries is the same as being anti-trans. Which it isn't.

A detailed analysis of Trump's Executive Order is trying to motte-and-bailey the argument. And Tena's own childish tantrums.

This is not the way to make an actual argument if you want to convince people.

Irony is, it's this exact same sort of disconnect from what normal people believe - maybe even normal liberals and progressives - that helped the Dems lose.

I also like how Renard's tags imply he's "arguing with pigs", when this whole thread was started by someone who was angry and confrontational and kept engaging with blatant bait and did nothing constructive.

The meanings of words are determined by usage. And  everyone I've seen who claims gender and sex are two different things is a pro-trans progressive person. And I'm not sure it's a majority belief even among that group.

Which suggests that they formed this belief out of ideological convenience, not working from first principles.

At the very least you can't act like it's a universally accepted fact.

*This is not the first time I’ve seen people imply that LGBT stuff should just be ignored, even though there’s a great deal of effort being spent by LGBT advocates on making it part of international, everyday discourse.

Same with a lot of Diversity™ stuff. They don’t want to address the criticism, so they say you’re wrong for even caring in the first place, even though that also applies to the supporters.

Though these folks are rarely so silly as to talk about apparent anti-LGBT discrimination at the highest level of American government and then insist LGBT stuff is a private matter. 

Which makes it extra ironic when Renard’s goalpost-moving defense includes talking about lack of government support for trans people as a negative.

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

why does it comfort some people or bring them joy/excitement to imagine their favorite characters in terrible situations and being hurt physically or mentally? wouldn’t you want your favorite characters to be happy and safe?

I’m sure I’ve seen this exact ask being sent to another writing blog before, so seeing one in my own inbox was a little surprising. but anyway, I’ve said this before, but I don’t mind saying it again because lots of people seem to still be confused about this; the enjoyment of imagining or seeing fictional characters in terrible situations in which they are hurt and/or scared is called whump. people who enjoy whump tend to express their interest through art, such as drawings, writings, etc. whump has a community on several online platforms, as well as here on Tumblr. we are simply known as “whump community”.

moving on to your question, “why does it comfort us to imagine our favorite characters in agony?” — there is no definitive answer to the question, because different people enjoy whump for various, different reasons, and all of these reasons are valid. however, what I can give you is some examples of the reasons why people enjoy whump

reasons why people like whump:

some people use whump as a reflection of what they’ve been through, and they let their trauma out by channeling the trauma through fictional characters. to make it as simple as I can, some people use whump as a coping mechanism to help them heal from any traumatic events in their lives.

while whump is indeed about pain, it can also be about the comfort (the healing process) that comes after the pain. I personally known several people who heal by writing whump stories in which their favorite characters went through and survived terrible things that happened to them. the comfort part of the whump was used as a symbol of hope for these people, in the sense that they hold on to the idea that if these fictional characters can survive horrible things that happened to them, they (the writers) can survive and heal too.

some people use whump as a way to let out their frustration, trauma or pain. an abuse victim may fantasize about hurting their abuser back by creating a fantasy world in which their favorite character was hurt, but later healed and/or get their revenge.

it’s also worth mentioning that one doesn’t have go through their own trauma in order to be able to enjoy whump. 

some people like whump where their favorite character is hurt because they just Want to Hurt These Little Guys. 

some people like whump where their favorite character is hurt because they like the part where their favorite character gets comforted and is nursed back to health after they are rescued.

whump that’s followed by comfort (whump with a happy ending) is valid.

whump that has no comfort (whump without a happy ending) is also valid.

because whump is a genre, just like how lots of people like horror movies just for the sake of liking them. 

the term whumperflies is used to describe the euphoric feeling a person experiences while watching, drawing, writing or reading a whump scenario that hits right in the feels. for lack of better comparison, some people experience whumperflies that come close to an orgasm, whether or not whump is a sexual thing to them (some may enjoy whump as a form of kink, while some may enjoy whump for reasons that aren’t sexual at all). for some, whumperflies are these tingling sensation in the chest and/or the stomach, for someone else, whumperflies is like when you ride a rollercoaster and the ride is going down from its highest stop. there's no wrong way to experience whumperflies, as different people describe and experience them differently.

so, yes, some people may enjoy whump just for the euphoria whumperflies bring. and some people — myself included — can’t get whumperflies unless the character that’s going through pain is their most favorite character; it’s like… because you love this character so much, you’re so connected to them, you're so emotionally invested in them that you can only get whumperflies if it’s them going through the torture, meanwhile other characters just don’t make you feel half as strongly.

and that’s explain why people in the whump community prefer their favorite characters to be the ones going through hell.

and again, just like how movies have different genres, whump is a genre — people who like whump aren’t “freaks” or “red flags” in real life, even if they like whump for reasons that aren’t about coping mechanism. whump is a genre and a form of art, and most importantly, whump is fiction. it’s not real.

I do understand why people who aren’t into whump tend to be confused by the concept of whump, and I do understand why these people think being a fan of a fictional character only means wanting said fictional character to be safe and happy, which is why whump is not for everybody, and that’s okay too.

the thing is there is no wrong way to be a fan of something that’s fictional, you can like this fictional character so much you want to see them cry and covered in blood for whatever reasons, and that’s okay. as long as you’re not hurting anybody in real life.

there’s nothing wrong or abnormal about people who enjoy whump, just like how there’s nothing wrong or abnormal about people who like horror movies. it’s fiction and it’s a form of art. and I believe everybody is allowed to express and enjoy their interests through art in whichever way they want, as long as they’re not harming anybody in real life.

[talonabraxas]

“I would love to kiss you. The price of kissing is your life.” — Rumi Venus & Mars - Cosmic Lovers Talon Abraxas Love No word has perhaps been so much abused in our age as "love," thus fulfilling the celebrated prophecy about Kali Yuga in the Vishnu Purana. In view of the unfortunate but undeniable fact that "love" is more loosely used today than "truth," Gandhi preferred to adopt truth rather than love as the highest value although he repeatedly stressed that the two are inseparable and even identical in the ultimate analysis. Relative truth may masquerade as absolute truth, but the mere existence of contrary claims and the continual violence of controversy cast doubt on the universal validity of all partisan standpoints. On the other hand, when selfish, personal love, often based on passing passion, wears the mask of selfless, impersonal, dispassionate and immortal love, it is far more difficult for deluded victims to discern the true from the false, the everlasting from the ephemeral. Earthly love is indeed an alluring and deceptive shadow, and sometimes a perversion, of ethereal love. Just as untruth invariably requires some form of violence for its instrument, so too blind and selfish love, which contains the seeds of violence and even hatred, is based upon untruth and uses it to further its immediate ends. Our main difficulty here is that, as Socrates points out in The Symposium, we isolate a particular kind of love and appropriate for it the name of love, which really belongs to a wider whole. . . . The generic concept embraces every desire for good and for happiness; that is precisely what almighty and all-ensnaring love is. But this desire expresses itself in many ways, and those with whom it takes the form of love of money or of physical prowess or of wisdom are not said to be in love, or called lovers, whereas those whose passion runs in one particular channel usurp the name of lover, which belongs to them all, and are said to be lovers and in love. In The Secret Doctrine H.P.Blavatsky explains that Fohat or Eros in the phenomenal world is that "occult, electric, vital power, which, under the Will of the Creative Logos, unites and brings together all forms, giving them the first impulse which becomes in time law. But in the unmanifested Universe, Fohat is no more this, than Eros is the later brilliant winged Cupid, or LOVE." Hermes, October 1975 by Raghavan Iyer

[hermajestyimher]

On Soft Power and Sacred Rebellion: A Siren’s Essay

Throughout my blogging history, one theme has remained constant: femininity is not synonymous with softness or passivity. It never has been.

That’s why I’ve always taken issue with content that claims to empower women but subtly recycles male-centered ideals of femininity, relationships, and success (see hypergamy and trad-wife ideals). The kind of rhetoric that tells women their highest form of value lies in being agreeable, subdued, and dependent. I reject that. Always have.

My approach to modern womanhood isn't built around being the dainty follower, but it’s built around becoming the commanding seducer. For some of us, the archetypes that feel most true aren’t the girl next door or the traditional homemaker. We move through the world more like sirens, duchesses, femme fatales. For us, success looks like impact. We’re overachievers, creators, architects of our own lives, not accessories to someone else’s.

We don’t abandon our femininity to gain power. We wield it. Our charm, our sensuality, our poise; these are not tools of manipulation but instruments of influence. Strategic, refined, and entirely our own.

We take up space with intention. When we enter a room, we don’t chase attention, it arranges itself around us. We know the strength of silence, the elegance of restraint, and the sharp edge of eye contact that says I see everything, and I’m unbothered. We’ve learned how to move like snipers when necessary, and how to disarm with grace when it serves us.

Our spirits are indomitable. We don’t contort ourselves to meet others’ expectations. We’ve learned that looking polished, educated, and well-mannered isn’t about performance, it’s about shaping reality through presence. And that presence is always grounded in something deeper than ego.

Our power comes from being deeply rooted in something higher. We don’t just grow for ourselves. We grow because we know we’re accountable to the One who called us. That’s why we don’t break under pressure, we lean toward heaven. Our strength is not self-made but rather Spirit-forged.

We are Deborahs in modern times walking into battle not in armor, but in silk and conviction. Our steps are feline. Our instincts are sharp. And we know how to shift, when to lead with warmth, and when to step back into shadow and watch.

We don’t need to dominate others to feel strong. We uplift. We give back. We remember where we came from, but we never let others drag us back there. We’re not insecure, and we don’t shrink to be palatable. Our humility doesn’t mean self-erasure, it means being grounded in truth.

We embrace sensuality not to be consumed, but because we understand that our relationship with our own bodies is sacred. We show up best when we feel good in our skin. But we’re not desperate for attention. Our confidence is quiet and devastating.

We don’t chase. We attract.

This expression of femininity: strategic, grounded, commanding is sacred. And the beauty is, it doesn’t erase softer forms. It makes room for all women to flourish. That’s what’s been lost in so much of the modern femininity conversation. Too much of it became rigid, conservative, and repressive, selling women an ideal based on compliance, fear, and a man’s approval. That isn’t power, it's performance in a gilded cage.

True femininity is diverse. Some of us are sirens. Some are mystics. Some are nurturers, warriors, artists, queens. None is more valid than the other. The key is not forcing every woman into the same mold but helping her find the archetype that fits her soul and letting her flourish in it unapologetically.

I’m a siren. A commander. A duchess. You may be something completely different. And that’s the point. There’s enough space for all of us.

[pharawee]

Maybe it's because I don't mind unhappy or open endings, or maybe it's because I had no expectations whatsoever beyond being entertained, or maybe it's because I enjoy detective fiction a lot...

But I genuinely liked Spare Me Your Mercy beginning to end. I enjoyed the characters and the presentations of their struggles, flaws and convictions, and I also don't think that it's a mark of bad writing or narrative structuring when characters are unbending and stand by said convictions. I like how the outcome was inevitable pretty much from the beginning because every character was on a set trajectory. And I also liked how the "big bad" was unveiled/dealt with way before the show was over because Boss was never the real obstacle anyway.

Spare Me Your Mercy was never going to be a romantic thriller driven by character development, and personally I feel it's a bit unfair to judge the show by the standards of a completely different genre. To me it was a morality tale/crime thriller and imo it did a very good job in that regard. Plus, if you take Thai censorship laws/conventions into account it was never going to openly support Kan's approach to euthanasia. It was always going to end with the status quo being upheld. They went about as far as they could, given that this is a mainstream production aired nationally on television. I actually find it very refreshing that they tackled this topic at all, and I really appreciate that they were incredibly nuanced throughout all of it, from the inclusion of a living will (which is indeed a topic that surprisingly few people even know about) to the monk's approach, but also how it showed that loved ones too have every right and the room to disagree.

Because euthanasia shouldn't ever an easy topic. It should be discussed, always, even in countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands where it's already legal.

(This is also ultimately why I sided with Tiu/Wasan instead of Kan because, yeah, Kan did consensually ease the suffering of a lot of people and we as the audience know that he has the highest of moral standards - which is exactly why it's better to channel all of this into starting the democratic process of legalising it. Kan meant well, and maybe Kan was right, but you only need to look to Orn and Boss to see how easy these things go off the rails. Hell, even Kan slipped when he shot Boss in the back, and you can't justify that one at all.)

Plus, in the end I do think that Kan manipulated Wasan as much (or imo even more) as it was the other way around. To me a relationship based on so many fundamental lies was never going to be possible - which also explains the dissonance in their (romantic) behaviour. Attraction is easy (which is why I don't think it's far-fetched at all that they fell for each other) but sometimes love alone just isn't enough.

I won't begrudge anyone their dislike of the show or its characters. I think it's very valid especially given the sensitive nature of what euthanasia should and shouldn't be. It's just that I read so many disappointed and negative takes on the ending of the show in the past 24 hours that I wanted to add my own - and like I said, personally I enjoyed myself a lot (even if it's of course not a perfect show and there certainly are some details that feel very hamfisted and even harmful and stereotypical). To me, it's a well-made and narratively sound piece of television with interesting characters and an entertaining story, and I'm glad we finally got a good genre BL offering in the form of queer detective fiction.

[crow-caller]

Hi Crow,

Apologies if this has been asked before but I’m trying to get to the bottom of what people describe as ‘biblically accurate angels’ and I’m getting conflicting results and I thought why not ask someone who definitely knows more on the topic than me. Is the incomprehensible multi-eye wheel creature thing true?

"True" is the problem, because... it is, and it isn't, and it depends, and it's complicated!

I looooove angels, you're right, and I was working on doing a vid on this exact topic because the term 'biblically accurate angel' is a pet peeve of mine. However, no matter the power of my autistic angelic obsession, I wouldn't say I'm a perfect source. I got intimidated outta making that video because I got too anxious of messing it up and losing my angel cred. BUT! I do know some stuff.

What's wrong with "Biblically Accurate Angels?

Three things!

1. "Biblically"

Most people I see, when confronted with the word 'Biblically', think of Christianity. The Bible technically refers to a collection of texts shared by a number of Abrahamic religions, but I've a lot of people entirely unaware of that fact. There's often a general lack of recognition around 'biblically accurate angel' posting that angels aren't exclusively or originally Christian concepts. Tumblr is an outlier of a place, remember; I read youtube comments.

2. "Accurate"

This makes me lose it, just a little bit, because the idea 'real angels in the bible actually looked like scary monsters' is both incorrect and kind of a rude thing to say about a holy entity a number of religions believe in.

There are a lot of ideas of angel classification and hierarchy, but you'll usually only see one--- the Christian one. This has nine orders in three spheres, going usually angel, archangel, principality (3rd sphere, most humanoid), powers, virtues, dominions (2nd, basically no lore), thrones/ophainim, cherubim, seraphim (1st, weirdo patrol). The lowest spheres are closest to humanity, the highest are closer to the divine.

(it's worth noting there's a big difference between 'what is exactly in the canon holy text' versus 'writings/visions/ideas from scholars later'. There's differing opinions everywhere and also different sects.) Little is universal.

Speaking of, religions! Heard of them? Angel hierarchy as it's commonly see is very specifically a Christian angle! There's a number of different Jewish angelic hierarchies which include different types or interpretations of angels. There's usually 10 ranks instead of 9 too.

I know the least about angels in Islam, but they don't have a strict angel hierarchy either, though some angels are more important than others.

As for angel physical descriptions, it varies. They can take human form, but they're spirits doing that for our convenience. Some of them are doing weird stuff, but most of the time an angel is some essence of light and fire taking a lesser defined shape for our convenience.

Some of the main ideas of a 'biblically accurate angel' come from one of my fav bits of the bible, the chariot in Ezekiel.

If you've not read the fun weird bits of the bible before, let me introduce you!!

These are the Living Creatures which are considered Cherubim in Christianity. The wheels are the Ophanim, who are also Thrones. The whole thing sounds like a very intricate chariot rather than a bunch of angels, but hey, it says right there they're 'living beings'

3. "Angels"

What is an angel anyway?

Well, there's an answer, but as I think I've highlighted there's a number of different, varying ideas of them which are all equally valid! This can include, of course, the artistic choice of making them monsters ( I love doing this ), but it's incorrect to assert such a design is 'more or truly accurate'.

Angels are messengers. The word for angel originally was Messenger, and the role of angels is generally to serve as a conduit and messenger of divine will. They can be teachers or healers. They often are more extensions of the holy rather than truly independent spirits, good because they are divine rather than the choice of free will. (but like everything I'm saying it depends bc religions and opinions are not unified monoliths).

Not all angels are messengers. Even without a strict hierarchy, there's a common idea of specific angels for specific jobs. The idea of Archangels is also common, though which are and how many differs wildly, as does their function.

Angels are divine beings. Humans don't become them. There also are some sects that believe this, like the Latter Day Saints, but generally the divide between human and angel is very clear. Humans are generally above angels, because we're beloved new ocs.

angels are cool. I really like them

---

anyway, this is a very approximate ramble for you on the subject. I think I could have gone on in much more detail and I decided not to. Especially as I note I don't have that kind of 'learn and memorize everything about your special interest' kind of autism, just 'a lot more than normal over many years'. Angels are a really complicated subject because religion is, and it all differs. But I do dislike Biblically Accurate Angel because I think it's really misled people who come across it casually. Yes, there's weird angel stuff, but it's pretty rare (especially in common canon), and it isn't 'the secret creepypasta truth'.

[bloodsuckingfiends]

NSFW headcanon -- you might have written some stuff about this before and it's just been a while and I forgot, so I apologize if this accidentally duplicates anything you've already written.

In my mind, Astarion has a praise kink. I think our elf wants to be told how good he makes Tav feel/how good he's being for Tav, and I think that validation heightens his pleasure that much more.

I also think it takes him some time to get there. I think calling him "boy," whether good or bad, is always and forever off the table, and I think there are trigger words or phrases he doesn't even remember until Tav inadvertently uses one and then one particularly bad night comes back to him in a rush and he has to stop.

But all in all, I think he enjoys being told that he's doing a good job no matter what the situation -- sex, relationship, whatever he decides to do after they save the Gate, whether that's going down into the Underdark to help the spawn or opening up his own tailoring/alterations place. Whatever it is. So that's why I think he has a praise kink.

Oh I totally agree, he definitely has a praise kink! After centuries of being belittled and abused, I think that giving him praise, both sexual and otherwise, is one of the highest and purest forms of love for him.

Sexually, I think it especially heightens his pleasure when it's praising him for doing so well in regards to his own pleasure rather than his partners. That's not to say he doesn't also enjoy being praised for pleasing his partner, but he went so long focusing on other's pleasure, that it's nice to be told how well he's doing focusing on his own for a change.

I am guilty of using the praise of "good boy" in some of my writing, but I really like the perspective you gave on it! I could 110% see why that would be a trigger phrase for him

Also, Astarion having his own tailor/alterations shop after the brain is one of my absolute favorite headcanons <3

[artofchira]

(an ask from my retrospring)

I can expand on it sure!

Perfectionism is best understood as an anxiety or trauma response for a need of control through trying to negate the inverse of it. In simpler terms, basically if you constantly control/manage away the flaws of something, then you're controlling the result to be the best possible quality.

Which sure sounds nice and practical, even strategic -- until you account that there is no result of whatever calibre that will be satisfying or accepted, because nothing can be without flaws or critical weakness.

That's why it's inherently a state of dysfunction, because it's not about chasing an acceptable result, because nothing will ever be accepted as good enough. If somehow a perfectionist does meet every standard they're going for, they'll simply move the goalposts so that it doesn't count, somehow. The point is to never be satisfied. It's a mistake to assume the perfectionist wants a good result. They don't know what counts as a good result even if they get it. At absolute worst, they will outright resent the idea of satisfaction because it means they're complacent and negligent over their own awareness.

The perfectionist mindset doesn't even recognize what they actually want, they just are highly aware of what they don't want, because what they don't want are markers of incorrectness or mistakes that is psychologically upsetting and reflective of whatever anxiety that's inadvertently being coped with.

I think perfectionism is very easy to develop growing up as a trauma response. Everyone recognizes a chaotic upbringing can make someone fall apart and reject any cohesive structure, and antisocial behaviors mark a symptom of a rough living environment -- but not many recognize it can actually make someone extremely hyper competent, and that in of itself is a symptom.

Basically, a child who seems extremely on the ball with getting perfect grades or scores, with over-managing things to the details and still being extremely nervous that it's garbage, and being hyper competent at things too advanced for their age -- all that are symptoms of trauma, because it's a response to trying to negate what's emotionally dangerous by controlling threats. Normally it's in response to parents either being overly harsh of any visible sign of under-performance, or an incentive structure where the child is only validated with attention if they over-achieve.

You may notice perfectionists kind of 'test' their results where if no one has anything critical to say (that they didn't already account for) then they have a sigh of relief. Not pride or happiness, just relief, because it means they passed the danger test. You'll also notice that if you point something that either they didn't notice themselves (or worse, they did but couldn't figure out how to work out the flaw) then they'll get extremely emotionally unregulated and fall apart in what looks like an anxiety attack. A flaw in their process instantly becomes a flaw in who they are as a person and everything they're about, and they fall into a panic of existential catastrophizing.

For myself, I absolutely fit this picture. I definitely am a compulsive perfectionist, though not really as bad as I used to be. My upbringing was extremely chaotic and unstable, and I grew up in a high-achieving family. Over-performing was rewarded and any kind of mistake or oversight was pointed out derisively.

It's why trying to assure a perfectionist something is good enough, it's fine, and that they don't have to achieve the highest form of standard -- it doesn't work. At all. That assumes they actually want that standard. They don't. A perfectionist wants to feel safe and in control, and so long as flaws exist, their emotional stability is threatened and left precarious, because it's leaving modes of vulnerability to potentially be used against them.

Though it's easy to develop, I also think it's not that difficult to train yourself out of it either. In my experience, it's not really about trying to teach yourself that flaws are to be accepted (if it was that easy, then it wouldn't be an issue in the first place), it's about training yourself to reward yourself with the results you do have, to understand what standards you actually want for yourself and going for. When you do that, you teach yourself to celebrate and feel satisfied by accomplishment, rather then rake yourself raw over something you don't even really know you want.

Basically, learning to recognize what you actually want for yourself, clearly define what those standards are, and feel extremely happy and celebrate yourself when you manage them. Much in the same way you solve a puzzle in a video game. No one beats themselves up for getting a 'game over', they just get more focused in trying to do whatever is needed to achieve the thing and get to the next part of the game.

[myobsessionsspace]

One of The Narratives That Turned Canon

Why Jungkook not liking Jimin, when they were younger, is NOT true.

Images like this would circulate and be used as 'evidence' as to Jungkook's dislike for Jimin.

The narrative that Jungkook didn’t like Jimin and that Jimin annoyed/harassed Jungkook, always stemmed from cut off footage, jokey pictures or lack of understanding.

It needs to be remembered that the Rap Line joined Big Hit first, whilst the rest APART from Jimin joined in 2011.

Jimin was the last to join the trainees, around mid 2012. Being the last to join such an intense atmosphere of training, competition and comradery, we can understand that Jimin should have been the odd one out, the one that the trainees would have had the least shared experiences with, the least emotional bonds been the one that would have stuck out from the 'pack.'

The order of the members, as they joined Bangtan, with Jimin completing the group to form the 7 that we now know and love.

The Maknae of the group, Jungkook, had been taken under the wing of the hyung of the group, Jin, who protected him, gave him home comforts by taking him back with him to his family home, which was the closest to the dorms and treating him to meals, as the trainees had yet to make much money.

The maknae had also formed a close bond with the second youngest of the group Taehyung, who when he wanted to goof around and feel his age, he could count on him, who was the more extroverted out of the two and so would bring out different sides to Jungkook, that Jungkook couldn't display on his own and who helped in bringing the younger boy out of his shell.

For Jungkook he found cool, minor celeb underground rapper with a genius IQ and tall manly presence in Namjoon. He found the steady, unassuming presence in Yoongi, knowledgeable in the behind the scenes of music production with a pool of general knowledge also. He found in Hobi the cool street dancer who he could learn from and show sides of his self that he couldn't with the other five, a Hyung that by Jungkook’s own words provided him the most comfort before Jimin became that person to him.

Such a cutie!

People have often believed and carried on with an image of a quiet and mysterious, dark clothed, testosterone filled 'Alpha', when it comes to Jungkook.

He has been called out time and time again by his Hyungs and fans in their early days about his blunt personality, tone and delivery.

But Jungkook was and still is the embodiment of a classic shy introvert.

He’s taken several MBTI tests over the years (there are varied opinions on the validity/reliability and truth of these tests). One thing has remained consistent through them all, the ‘I’ for Introversion.

JK was young, introverted and SHY! Look at this BB titled ‘Jungkook Shy, shy, shy’.

Jimin came into the company and with his wonderful personality, amazing talent and genuine nature, he quickly formed bonds that cemented the 7. Though there were likely many misunderstanding amongst the seven young, hormonal men, all in a new and charged environment.

Rainy Day - both accounts

Jungkook DID find a hyung to look up to in Jimin

A person who would take him under his wing and protect him

A person to help and motivate him in his dance

A person he could be young, wild and free with

A person he could be himself with and feel the lowest of the low and the highest of the high with.

Jungkook wanted to quit being an idol to be a dancer???

ENG TRANS: “I will have a nice business trip to the US. Jimin will take good care of me.”

Though Jungkook was and still is, according to himself, an introvert, he gets moments where he leaps out of his comfort zone, not because he has to (like for example, for work) but because he wants to

Though Jimin has INCREDIBLE emotional intelligence *now* it didn't come from birth, it would have been developed and deepened over time.

In the early years of their bond, what we have witnessed third hand, are some of the workings that went towards the development of their emotional understandings of each other, how their bond evolved in front of people, what needed to be said and not said in front of others.

But make no mistake, they BOTH were fond of each other and equally sought out each others presence, for comfort, for fun, for motivation, for advice, for good times and bad.

The myth was that Jungkook didn't like Jimin in the early days and that they weren't close.

The truth is that, they were the closet of the whole group.

💜💛

This is a blog version of a twitter thread I did

Interesting Links:

Part 1

Part 2

[eaymtb]

An idea thing, while I try to kick-start the writing and plotting parts of my brain. I'm not sure if I'll actually write this, I have more lore than I do plot, but it was good mental practice anyway.

FF7 Soul-mark Disability AU (Currently untitled)

Concept: AGSZC. Explore the idea of disability in regards to soul-marks: How they might be disabled and how that might affect the ability to bond, how the relationships is affected, the disabled person's self image is affected, and how discrimination might occur.

Broad soul-mark lore:

Everyone is born with a simple, undeveloped soul-mark – a hypo or hyper pigmented blob, much like a birthmark. Around 5 to 6 years of age the bonding cortex of the brain develops enough to enable the act of bonding and as a part of this process, the undeveloped soul-mark begins to take shape and develop what are commonly known as 'complexities'. Complexities of two or three are by far the most common, indicating soul-groups of pairs or triads (Complexities include the marked person, so a mark with three complexities indicates the marked person plus two others). Four is reasonably rare. Complexities of more than four are extremely rare and seven is the highest in recorded history, and is the only known one of it's kind, but there is considerable debate over the validity of the record. While the shape of the complexity develops, the colouration depends on the life status of the connected soul-mate: A complexity for a mate who has not yet been born is dull and faded in comparison to the rest of the mark, and the complexity for a mate who has died fades into scar tissue. While the alteration of a complexity from faded to vivid, indicating birth, has no recognisable symptoms, the death of a soul-mate, whether bonded or not, can cause significant physical distress and symptoms may include migraines (and their associated symptoms), nausea, dizziness, a burning sensation or a loss of sensation entirely in the affected area, etc, because of the damage done to the bonding cortex and nerves when a potential or an active bond is severed. Symptoms are, obviously, worse with an active bond in place. Full bonding requires mark to mark contact (which can be hilariously awkward depending on where the marks are positioned).

Different regions have different beliefs and cultural practices regarding soul-marks and bonding.

Banora traditionally believes:

That soul-bonds are inherently romantic and should be monogamous.

That pair bonds are ideal.

That triad and higher soul-groups should have a primary pair bond within the group, and the that addition soulmates are to act as concubines or companions to the primary pair bond. (Genesis and Angeal both had work to do, unpacking that bit of internalised prejudice.)

That soul-marks should be covered once the first, and presumably primary, pair-bond has been formed. This can sometimes lead to a bonded pair choosing not to reveal themselves to any other soulmates. (A third would only create imbalance in the relationship, and if the group is of four, then the other two should be allowed to find each other and bond as their own primary pair, at which point the four might consider joining as two pairs).

That heterosexual pair bonds are ideal, and that in same-sex pair bonds the appearance of heterosexuality should be maintained. (Genesis struggled with this as Angeal would appear to be the 'male' to Genesis' 'female', and while he is absolutely flamboyant, he resented the socially forced feminisation that had only increased once they both hit puberty.)

Bonding is akin to marrying but can be done at any age and is often a small and private affair.

Gongaga traditionally believes:

That soul-marks can be romantic or platonic, and are an indication of family.

A such, relationships in Gongaga are much more open. People with different soul-marks can marry and have children, which can result is some very complex extended family structures by blood, marriage, and mark.

Accordingly, people with marks of many complexities are celebrated: it's considered a blessing to be so loved and so connected.

They have a strong tradition of keeping genealogy records and any relationship, but especially those that may result in children, needs to be approved of by a family elder involved in the record keeping.

They are are very open about their marks, and will often wear clothing with cut-outs to keep them visible.

Polyamory is more common than in other regions. (Zack is poly but respects that Angeal and Genesis are not, and has happily chosen monogamy within his soul-group, even though that means he has to be careful with his friendship with (and feelings for) Cloud.)

Bonding can be done at any age and is cause for celebration, but can also be quite casual.

Nibelheim traditionally believes:

That soul-marks are romantic, but that bonds should not be formed until the bonding parties are of age (14) regardless of when the match was discovered, and treat bonding as a formal affair to be witnessed by the community.

While there is no tradition around covering soul-marks, they tend to be covered anyway because of the weather. Summer is considered the season of bonding because the warmer weather allows for lighter clothing.

It is considered a special blessing to have a complexity of three: a triad/triangle is considered the most stable, all points connected to each other.

More than three, however, is considered an ill-omen because the 'nodes' can no longer all be connected without crossing through the middle of a shape. Four forms a square, and one corner will always be out of touch with the opposite corner unless they cross through the middle, creating a point of unsupported stress. The more people, the more nodes that are out of touch with each other. (When Cloud explains this to the other, Zack will ask why not just put a person in the middle, so a square of four becomes a triangle with a person in the middle, and Cloud explains that's considered bad for basically the same reason, instead of a point of stress, it's one person bearing the stress of connecting all the nodes.)

Midgar has no real traditions of it's own. It's a reasonably new constructed city, inhabited by a hodgepodge of people from all over, who either practice their traditional beliefs, reject them, or practice a mix of their own cultural traditions with those from other places. (Sephiroth has no real connection to any tradition.)

Wutai has a long tradition of keeping soul-marks hidden and only showing them to temple matchmakers, who will match mates. There's a whole formal process to the matchmaking, including supervised courtship and negotiations between families regarding things like where the pair will reside, etc, that has to be done before the soulmates are even allowed to reveal their marks to each other, never mind bond. For purposes of the fic, while other cultures may have meaning attached to the position of marks on the body, Wutai's system of mythology will be the only one discussed in any detail.

AGSZC mark placements and meanings:

Angeal: His mark is in the middle of his upper back, across the tops of his shoulders. It indicates a person who will shelter others, turning to hold them safe against himself and providing his back as a shield, with tendencies towards self sacrifice (masochism) and to being overprotective, but also with the strength to shoulder the burdens of his mates.

Genesis: His mark is on his right (dominant) palm. It indicates a confronting and polarising personality, you either love him or hate him. The placement of his bond also means that accidental bonding is almost inevitable unless he refrains from touching anyone else, or wears gloves constantly. (He and Angeal bonded pretty much as soon as their bonding cortex was able to do so, before their marks had even fully formed.) It's also considered a position of power, for someone who might make a good leader but may also become domineering.

Sephiroth: His mark is on the sole of his left (dominant) foot. This is considered a very bad position, one of dominance and subjugation, indicating a person who will not hesitate to step on others and considers them beneath him. It's very rare and, in Wutai tradition, is thought to only appear only on those who have a capacity for greatness, good or bad, depending on how their potential for devastating destruction is directed. (In fic Sephiroth, when explaining the meaning of his placement, focuses on the negative. It's Genesis who chides him and says that the meaning is one of potential greatness, not necessarily of destruction, and that how Sephiroth directs that potential is what matters, and that the mark can also indicate a pragmatic, grounded nature in more modern interpretations.)

Also: The mythology of Ifrit who had a mark on his foot. Believing that he had been betrayed by his soulmate, Shiva, he cut off his own feet so that she could never touch his soul-mark again to reaffirm their bond. As his rage consumed him, he grew more bestial and in place of his feet he grew hooves. Shiva, seeing how thoroughly that Ifrit had rejected even the possibility of reconciliation or forgiveness, finds that she grows cold, and she carves her own mark off of her chest, and her heart along with it, and fills the cavity with ice. (Not sure how or if to use this? Might just apocrypha it in the AN or something.)

Zack: His mark is on his left inner forearm. He wears his heart on his sleeve, but in a protected position that can be held hidden against his chest. It is considered a vulnerable position, indicative of a big heart but also a foolhardy one, a 'bleeding heart', prone to taking on causes and taking in stray's, and giving far more chances than a person may deserve.

Cloud: His mark is high on his chest, just below his collarbones. It's a position of righteousness, of someone who will stand up and face down danger just because it's the right thing to do. It indicates someone stubborn and forthright, but also prone to trying to take on the world alone and refusing to ask for or accept help.

Disability lore:

Disorders that involves neurological developmental delays will almost always also involve delayed development of the bonding cortex and subsequently the soul-mark.

There is a broad prejudice against anyone born with a particular neurological developmental disorder that impedes the development of the bonding cortex specifically. The more extreme prejudice tends towards eugenics: if a person with that particular neurological developmental disorder can't bond then they're not likely to have children (in theory) and won't pass on the disorder. The more superstitious prejudice tends to believe they're cursed, and probably did something really terrible to their soulmates in their past lives.

Things like fetal alcohol syndrome can also affect the development of the bonding cortex to one degree or another. The cortex can be damaged by a traumatic brain injury. Repeated concussions can impact the health of the bonding cortex along with the rest of the brain; if the damage is done before a soul-bond is formed, it may adversely impact the ability to form bonds. Unlike other regions of the brain which, once damaged, can have their functions adopted by a neighbouring region, damage to the bonding cortex cannot be adapted. Theoretical research has been done into using mako in combination with stem cells to promote healing cortex injuries, but the inability to run trials on anything other than human test subjects ethically limits the development of this potential treatment.

Disorders that affect the development of the bonding cortex will also affect the development of the individuals soul-mark, and their complexity in their their soul-mates marks will remain in an apparent pre-birth state (faded and dull). If severe enough damage is done to a developed cortex, it can result in the appearance of a 'dead complexity' (scarred), regardless of bonded status.

The SOLDIER program has no known adverse affects on bonding or the bonding cortex.

There is pretty much universal stigma against anyone with a cortex or bonding related disability, regardless of cause. Common 'polite' social responses are pity and discomfort, but there are systemic prejudices that exist. Injuries to the bonding cortex are commonly believed to cause antisocial behaviour and/or cluster B personality disorders, particularly in those who are not already bonded to their mates. Developmental disorders involving the cortex are commonly believed to be linked to lower IQ and other intellectual disabilities. (Neither of these are true, although they can be co-morbid with a shared root cause, for example FAS.)

Injuries that cause scarring to the soul-mark may adversely affect the ability to bond, depending on the extent of the scarring and the underlying damage to the nerves in the area. Early treatment with potions and/or healing magic is highly recommended to prevent excessive damage to the area. Damage done to a mature soul-mark has no adverse affect on soul-mate mark complexities, even if the injured individual's ability to bond has been impaired. Minor damage to an immature mark appears to have no affect, major damage to an immature mark has not been studied partly due to the difficulty of someone with a obscured mark being able to locate their bond-mates.

Tattoos:

Some people may get replica tattoos of their soul marks in an area that can be displayed if their natural soul-mark is somewhere particularly awkward. This can also be done in preparation for public bonding ceremonies, where the bonding itself is done in private, and the public bonding can be conducted with a degree of decorum.

There is also a small trend of memorialising passed soul-mates by tattooing over the scarred tissue, in order to mimic what it looked like before their death. Others consider this to be in extremely poor taste. Memorialising tattoos around the scarred complexity are more socially acceptable, as long as the scarred tissue itself remains untouched.

Brief character histories:

Sephiroth:

The first born of the group.

From infancy Hojo repeatedly attempted to remove Sephiroth's immature soul-mark. His natural accelerated healing meant the skin always grew back.

At 5, when his soul mark began to develop it's complexities (4 whole, one pre-birth), Hojo rejected him as all too human, and discarded him into the care of Shinra as a ward and the SOLDIER program.

At 6 Sephiroth's fifth complexity develops, indicating the last of his soulmates has been born (Cloud). Six months later, the same complexity 'dies', forming a scar. He experiences minimal side effects from the 'death', aside from a prolonged migraine, and keeps the events secret.

At 16 he meets Angeal and Genesis (Both 14) when they join the SOLDIER program. Several months later, in Wutai, Genesis sees the mark on his foot somehow (they're bathing, maybe?) and is particularly delighted by the discovery that the Sephiroth is one of their mates. He and Angeal agree almost immediately to reveal their marks to Sephiroth.

They encounter significant difficulties when attempting to bond, however, and Sephiroth knows it's because there is something wrong with him. Eventually Angeal and Genesis drag out some of the details of what Hojo did, and after some research, they coax (and bully) Sephiroth into seeing a specialist in Midgar.

She confirms that there is significant developmental damage to his bonding cortex. The nerves are in place and developed, but the 'signal is fuzzy', the cortex doesn't know how to interpret the signals. She suggests that regular mark to mark contact with his mates might slowly allow his cortex to 'learn' what the signals mean, but warns that the bonding process may take a long time (years) and may never result in a full, complete bond.

The three of them institute a practice of regular, daily when they can manage it, mark to mark contact, and while it does take about a year, they do slowly manage to form full bonds. Angeal and Genesis' pre-birth mark complexities also develop into full complexities in the process.

Sephiroth does worry that the bond isn't truly a complete one, but Angeal and Genesis has assured him that their bond with him feels much as their bonds with each other do, and brain scans of his cortex have shown healthy, strong bonds in place.

Genesis and Angeal:

Bond by accident pretty much as soon as their cortex's are able to, given that they grow up together, the respective position of their marks, and that Genesis is a tactile sort.

Their parents only realise after the marks have fully formed, at which point they need to explain to Genesis and Angeal that they're bonded, because to them the whole thing just felt like a natural extension of their friendship and they hadn't realised.

Their marks form with three developed complexities (One each for Angeal, Genesis and Zack), one 'dead' (Cloud), and one pre-birth (Sephiroth).

Genesis grows to struggle with feelings of resentment as they age, feeling socially forced into the 'feminine' role of their pair-bond, even though Angeal has no such expectations of him. It makes him more hot-tempered and adds more fuel to his desire to prove himself.

They move to Midgar, join SOLDIER, and all the stuff with Sephiroth happens.

Angeal sees Zacks mark and takes him on as a student specifically to get to know him before deciding when to reveal their connection. (Seph is 18, Angeal and Genesis 16, and Zack 14 at this point. Cloud is 12.)

Zack is actually kind of hurt by the delay. Even after Genesis and Angeal explain the cultural difference and reasoning behind the delay, it goes entirely against Zack's own culture of openness and connection and family and he struggles with those feelings of hurt and rejection for a little while. It helps, though, to understand that they were also trying to protect Sephiroth and make sure that Zack wasn't going to treat him badly for his disability, given common prejudices.

Zack bonds with them and joins in the practice of daily contact with Sephiroth in order to begin the slow process of building that bond.

Zack:

Like Angeal and Genesis, he develops a mark with three fully developed complexities, one 'dead' and one 'pre-birth'.

Before he leaves for Midgar, he gets a memorial tattoo of a vine with small blue and white flowers wrapped around the 'dead' curve of his mark.

At 18 he meets Cloud (16) during a mission, and they become friends.

Since this is Zack, and he loves fighting and practicing, he cajoles Cloud into training with him, and realises Cloud has the potential to join SOLDIER. The kid clams up when Zacks says as much, though, and won't tell Zack anything other than that he can't.

Zack takes this as a challenge (thinking that the problem is Cloud's confidence.) He secretly turns their friendly sparring into training matches, and also requests Cloud specifically for infantry support on his missions, even when he doesn't really need support at all.

18 is the oldest that one can try out for SOLDIER though, so eventually Zack has to actually try to coax Cloud into trying out (while they're out on a mission), which blows up in his face when Cloud angrily informs Zack that he can't join SOLDIER because Shinra doesn't accept candidates with disfigured soulmarks, which is how the fic begins. (Cloud didn't know about this when he left for Midgar, and upon his automatic rejection, joined the infantry so he could at least send money home to his mother.)

Cloud:

Is six months old when his father dies in a tragic accident and his mother, stricken with grief, sears his unformed, infant soul-mark with a hot iron, desperate to keep her son from ever knowing the pain of a broken soul-bond.

The shock of such a severe and painful injury at such an early age caused his cortex to signal his 'death', resulting in his mates having a 'dead' complexity, and also delayed the development of his cortex since the connection to his mark was pretty much severed.

Extremely brief outline:

Takes places approx. 2004. Cloud is 18, Zack is 20, Angeal and Genesis are 22, and Sephiroth is 24. Cloud's reluctance to talk about soul-marks, or learn anything about them, serves as the vehicle for exposition: As he learns, so does the reader.

While out on a basic monster clearing mission, bantering and having fun, Zack decides to 'casually' bring up the SOLDIER try-outs again and try to convince Cloud to try out since this is the last year he'll be able to. It does not go well and turns into an argument in which Cloud angrily reveals that he can't join SOLIDER because they automatically reject anyone with a disfigured soul-mark. Shocked and upset, Zack tries to apologise while also being outraged at the unfairness of that policy, but Cloud shuts him down, and the rest of the trip home is awkward and quiet. Back at Midgar, Zack mopes around at home until Angeal returns. Angeal coaxes Zack into telling him what happened. Partway through the conversation Sephiroth returns and the conversation turns to the possibility of Sephiroth having a chat with Cloud since he's got his own soul-mark related disability, as well as bringing up the discriminatory policy with Lazard. Sephiroth agrees to the latter, but is hesitant about approaching Cloud. He agrees to think about it. Insert some pack bonding fluff. The next day Sephiroth decides to seek out Cloud and they end up having a good, if stilted, conversation in which Sephiroth reveals some vague details about his own disability and recommends a specialist in Mideel who may be able to help. Cloud expresses reluctance because even if he can bond, his disfigured mark means he has no way of ever identifying his mate/s. Eventually Cloud takes a few personal days and travels to Mideel after confirming a consultation appointment with the specialist Sephiroth recommended (Sephiroth sent through a request that they prioritise Cloud if he reached out.) The specialist is really excited about Cloud because his case is such a rarity. (She was also really excited about the chance to study Sephiroth and monitor his progress, which is why she was more than happy to do him a favour). He undergoes testing and is treated to some lore dumping about how soul marks and bonding work. The specialist discovers that Cloud's soul-mark bonding nerves are sparse but there around the edges of his scar and his bonding cortex is fully developed and, most importantly, he has a very tenuous baby bond forming in his bonding cortex, which means he's already met and somehow had mark to (damaged) mark contact with them. (It's Zack. Obviously it's Zack. Always slinging his arm around Cloud's shoulders and neck, the mark on his arm proudly bare and displayed.) Cloud kind of freaks out. He goes home and avoids everyone. It isn't until Sephiroth approaches him again, curious about how the consultation went, that Cloud blurts out what he's learned, although he magically manages to bite his tongue and keep from mentioning that he's pretty sure it's Zack. The news travels to Zack, of course, and Zack decides to take it upon himself to help Cloud figure out who his mystery soulmate is! Shenanigans ensue and Cloud gets invited to dinner since Zack's pack is now all invested in this whole drama. This is where all the lore drop about the soul mark positions and their meanings happens, and also probably the reveal of more information about what happened to Sephiroth and how the pack has been managing his disability. While observing the way Zack interacts with Cloud, Sephiroth gets a sneaking suspicion. More shenanigans and maybe sex? Who knows! Eventual happy ending where Cloud is a part of the pack though a major concern is that even if Cloud can bond with the others, the combination of him and Sephiroth may make that particular bond impossible. Not sure how to go on that, there's value in both an ending where they, with a lot of time and work, can bond, and there's value in one where they can't and will never be able to. Dilemmas.

[adhdtsukasa]

in honor of tsukasa's birthday, obviously i need to ramble about my kamioshi and favorite fictional boy ever!! but since i don't have any thoughts that make sense at the moment, i just want to talk about something that i've realized recently and found it pretty cute:

it's probably not as common of a stereotype anymore (i believe), but there was a thing of headcanoning cold and stoic characters as aroace solely because they are cold and stoic, which people often interpreted as the unability to love. and while it can be the case, thinking that being aro equals not feeling anything at all is rather... questionable, definitely. which makes tsukasa's aromantic implications even greater.

i have a feeling that tsukasa's aro moments™ were actually talked about back and forth countless of times, so i'm not going to repeat myself (despite also having a lot to say about it). it's not canon, but i guess you can say that it's implied...? well, not like colopale confirms it or anything (although i'd be very happy if they did, but... yep) so headcanoning him as anything else is definitely okay and valid, but there *are* situations that just scream yeah!!! that boy is so aro!!

and whether you think of tsukasa as an aromantic or not, you have to admit that the thought of tsukasa being aro, as a concept, is so damn cool. he's one of the most apparent characters, after all! he's loud, eccentric, expressive, cheerful, full of life. he's basically anything but devoid of emotions, anything but calm and stoic (most of the times). having him as an aro rep is without a doubt shattering the stereotype of having to be cold and emotionless in order to be aromantic.

he's not unable to feel love. because he feels love! he loves his family — he loves his friends — he loves acting; and it's the highest and purest form of love that he needs in his life. why would he need any other form of love? all the great love stories would be better if they were more violent and gorey, after all

i don't know i'm just saying random things at this point but i need everyone to just think about arokasa sometimes. okay? for me?? because it's his birthday today???