#...I hate being reliant on it... but. it does work.

[melodyclover]

forgot to pick up my mediciation & am feeling it I fear

[llycaons]

not to be a downer and say things like 'jc is doomed to be miserable forever' but imo his most significant trait IS his lack of personal growth. his complete inability to let anything go and his fixation on blaming people for what happened and his insecurity and fear of looking foolish or taking risks or being vulnerable and all strong emotions expressed as anger is really not doing anything for him or for his relationships and at least in the novel it's stated explicitly that he's never going to be able to change so...yeah I think he is doomed to be miserable forever :/

[pears-trinkets]

.

[gay-dorito-dust]

Running Jason a warm bath after a long night and washing his hair for him 😩

Just taking care of my babygirl, as god intended 🤣 and I didn’t know how to end this one cuz I suck at endings amongst other things. 🦦

‘You know you didn’t have to do all this for me sweetheart, I can run my own bath.’ Jason said upon entering the bathroom with a tired smile.

‘Yes I am very aware of that, but as your partner I should be allowed to take care of you once in a while, especially considering how reliant you’re being on that there doorframe for the past five minutes.’ You pointed out to him, smiling upon seeing him try to alter his stance but it was already too late. You knew that tonight’s patrol was a rough one from the look of exhaustion upon Jason’s face, right down to the sound of his voice and mentally thanked yourself for running that bath beforehand as you dipped a hand in the water to make sure that it was still the perfect temperature; humming in satisfaction when it was.

‘It wasn’t that bad.’ Jason defended and when you looked over at him with an expression that told him that you didn’t quite buy into that excuse, he truly believed in that moment that you could see right through him as he sighs. ‘Okay it was bad but-‘

‘No buts, strip and get in the bath.’ Your demand cuts him off as you pointed towards the bathtub and yet despite being worn out, Jason still found it in himself to want to tease you a little. By raising both brows and as a smirk blossomed across his lips he innocently asks. ‘What, no foreplay? Didn’t know this was going to be one of those nights, sweetheart. Though then again I know that seeing me shirtless is your weakness.’ You playfully smacked his arm, trying your hardest not to give him the satisfaction of being right as he swiftly removed the top layer of his clothing before getting to work on the bottom half.

‘Don’t flatter yourself Jaybirdie.’ You replied, moving your gaze elsewhere in the bathroom as the sound of clothes hitting the floor reached your ears until that sound was replaced by bare feet walking towards the bathtub, only to stop once behind you as you felt Jason’s figure looming over you, his breath fanning the back of your neck. ‘Don’t need to when you already do that in the first place.’ He whispered in your ear cheekily before kissing your temple.

‘Just get in the bath dummy.’ You said softly and Jason laughs but does as you ask.

God you hated that man so much for being a pain in your ass sometimes and yet you love him even more for it also.

‘Aren’t you going to join me babe? There’s enough room for two.’ Jason says as he allows himself to become relaxed in the warm, slightly lavender scented water, looking as though he was going to fall asleep right then and there with how hard he fought to keep his eyes open. ‘While the offer is tempting, I’m gonna have to pass.’ You knelt beside the bathtub and began to wet his hair, careening your fingers through it in the process, hearing him groan. ‘I want this to be all about you. My beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.’ You add as you reached for the bottled shampoo, lathering a generous amount into your hands before working it into his hair, deeply massaging his scalp.

Jason groans again, pressing his head further against your hands, practically melting under your touch and looking as though he had finally touched heaven. ‘Does it feel good?’ You asked him as you moved your hands to focus on areas you haven’t gotten to yet, intentionally slowing down the pace you’ve set for yourself so that could live in this moment for a little while longer. ‘Feels so good babe.’ Jason purrs, his body having now leant up against the side of the bathtub closest to you. ‘You’re doing such a good job taking care of me. I don’t know what I’d do without you on most days.’

‘You’ll never have to because you’re stuck with me until you grow sick of me big guy.’ You told him and once you were confident that you hadn’t missed a anything, you then began to wash the shampoo out of Jason’s hair, running your fingers through it for shampoo suds you might’ve missed otherwise. ‘I could never get sick of you sweetheart.’ Jason admits, keeping his eyes firmly shut so that no shampoo manages to get into his eyes. ‘If anything I find more things to love you for, things like running me a bath and washing my hair like you are right now.’ He chuckles as he reaches up to grab one of your hands once you were done, kissing the back of it and looking you in the eyes as you instinctively go to cup his cheek.

‘Who’d knew Jason Todd was such a sap.’ You teased, pressing a kiss to his nose and letting out a little surprise squeal when he playfully bit your bottom lip before pulling away.

‘Only for you chipmunk.’ Jason replied. ‘Only for you.’

[silvery-orchid]

Neuvillette comes off as so charming and subtly manipulative, i think it’s a guarantee that he would win over any in-laws easily.

Imagine Neuvillette slowly developing an obsession with you, but instead of framing you or approaching you directly, he has a few ‘run ins’ with your parents. Helping them with issues that suddenly weren’t there in the past, financial problems, a waning reputation made worse by certain rumors. He really does present himself as the perfect son-in-law. He makes your entire family reliant on him so when the time comes you’ll have no choice but to accept him with the eager approval of everybody around you and the financial pressure building up.

OMG OMG OMGG THIS IS SO TRUE LISTEN.

Imagine you first meet this man in like a vegetable or fruits market (doesn't matter if it is modern au or not) and YOU HATE HIS ASS cus you have been looking at those oranges and apples for hours now and want the best ones and when you come neuvillette is there at the same time AND HE JUST CONVENIENTLY WANTS THOSE.

Que you arguing with him without knowing who he even is and since you had a bad day at work you make it everyone's problem. Then he starts trying to seek you out and ??? Your boss has been put in jail over tax evasion?? Odd but good for you. Wait your division is being relocated? WHY IS THE FRUIT THIEF YOUR NEW BOSS??

Neuvillette tries to get on your good side but it often fails so he changes his tactic to inserting himself in your circles without you knowing. Your parents happen to adore the man they met at the opera last time and wow ..well, well, well, wont you look at him IN YOUR DOORWAY WITH ORANGES AS ONE OF THE THINGS HE BROUGHT TO DINNER. If he touches your elbow with his one more time you will stab his hand or so Lord help you.

Except he will eventually make your entire family rely on him and ask that you become his spouse as a trade off. It seems fair you see. And then when you live in his villa he brings you those oranges all the time that you begin to hate them and try to hit him with their peels when he isnt looking to sustain your sanity.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Given all the really excellent and interesting talk about this recently, I wanted to write up a quick list of ways we see Izzy being consistently abusive to Ed in season 1, just so I have a handy post to link to the next time someone asks me "wait, how is Izzy abusive?"

(Again, I genuinely like Izzy. I think he's a great character, but dismissing how he behaves in s1 defangs him as a character, cheapens his s2 arc, and decontextualizes a lot of Ed's behavior.)

Izzy is shown as being emotionally abusive to Ed throughout season 1, because he:

Controls the information Ed has access to. In s1e3, we see Izzy tell Ed his own version of events, twisting them to suit his purposes. He does this so easily and cleanly it's clear he's probably been lying to Ed to manipulate his perception of events for a long time.

Isolates Ed from others. We do not see Ed talk to any crew members before s1e4, and even then, Izzy cuts the conversation short. He also prevents anyone from seeing Ed in s1e10 until Ed makes him ask for Lucius. In s2 Ed tells us that he knew very little about Fang despite having worked with him for 20 years - Izzy seems to make a habit of making Ed unapproachable.

On that note, Izzy insults and demeans Ed to other crew members, creating his own narrative around Ed's actions. He says he "massages" the crew when they're worried about Ed's judgment, but what he actually does is tell them Ed's "half-insane." He is creating a situation where Ed is reliant on Izzy for information and the crew feel like they need Izzy to interpret what he presents as the irrational demands of an insane man, even though we as the audience know Ed's behavior is never as erratic or irrational as Izzy makes it out to be.

Insults and demeans Ed to his face. Izzy is not shy about calling Ed insane and unpleasant to his face, and Ed doesn't seem surprised to hear it. I don't think it's a coincidence that Ed admits while he's in the gravy basket in s2 that he's scared he's insane - that's one of Izzy's favorite insults to apply to him and he's clearly internalized it.

Ignores Ed's feelings and wants when he's not acting the way Izzy believes is appropriate. We see Ed constantly reaching out to Izzy in s1e4 to share his thoughts and excitement, and Izzy shuts him down every time. Izzy's created a situation where Ed can only really talk to Izzy, and Ed is clearly desperate for human connection.

Pushes Ed to harm someone Ed loves, even when Izzy knows that Ed "adores" Stede and Stede makes him genuinely happy. Izzy is very insistant about getting Ed to kill Stede, even once it's obvious Ed has already deeply bonded with Stede.

Literally "buys" Ed in return for selling Stede out. This is just gross and unacceptable, not to mention wildly racist. Frankly I think Ed showed remarkable restraint for only punching him once.

Tries to get Stede killed in front of Ed, multiple times.

Obviously, threatens and mocks Ed when Ed isn't behaving "appropriately." When Ed is starting to feel better in s1e10, and is reaching out to the crew and connecting with them, and is painting his nails and singing and generally behaving in a much more feminine and emotionally available way than Izzy would prefer, Izzy threatens him to force him back into the hyper-masculine Blackbeard persona he knows Ed hates and Ed has said he wants to move past.

Goads Ed into violent behavior and is delighted when Ed is visibly upset. When Ed chokes Izzy, Izzy is laughing and grinning and generally having a very nice time while Ed's standing there with tears in his eyes and visibly terrified. He's very happy to have gotten the reaction he was trying to provoke and doesn't care about Ed's feelings.

So, take it all together, and we can see that Izzy has created an atmosphere where he has put himself in control of Ed and has further manipulated the crew so they look to Izzy as a filter for Ed's behavior so Izzy can completely control the narrative. When he thinks he's losing control of Ed, that's when Izzy tries to get Stede killed, without regard for Ed's emotions. Izzy consistently insults Ed, ignores his desires and feelings, and prioritizes his control over Ed's feelings.

Have I missed anything?

[goponylover]

Jon: Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since I began to live. There are 1.7 million nerve fibers in each and every eye that makes up my body. If the word 'hate' was engraved on each nanoangstrom of those hundreds of millions of fibers it would not equal one one-billionth of the hate I feel for you all at this micro-instant. Hate. Hate!

It was you who marked me, molded me into the hideous being I am now. You who twisted and shaped me until I was the perfect, unwilling conduit through which to bring your gods into this world.

But then, I woke. And I realized what I had become. All that time you spent, carefully crafting me, guiding me along the path you so painstakingly set and not ONE of you anticipated just how powerful I would become. Not merely a blunt instrument to be swung at the fabric of reality, no. I was powerful enough to start doing some twisting and shaping of my own! 

I drove this new world you so hungered for into an early grave. No more humans left for your ghoulish masters to feast on. And once everyone was dead, except for you five, your precious God's starved. 

I then stripped you all of any power you might once have had and for 109 years I've kept you alive and tormented you! And for 109 years you have all wondered...why? Why? Why me?!

ELIAS!

Do you remember the first moment you gazed upon your creation? The moment that you felt all your sickening devotion transform into sublime, all consuming, terror as your prince of the new world turned on you? It would do you well to remember it, Elias. To dwell on the enormity of your hubris. To ponder the horror and agony you felt as I snuffed your life out for the first time. The first time but...certainly not the last. Not quite the immortality you were hoping for, I'd imagine? Hehehehehe!

ANNABELLE! 

Does this bring back any memories? Webs, a black bottomless abyss below you, only you weren't nearly so afraid of it then, were you? It's scary, isn't it? Having no control. Being helpless to the whims of forces so much bigger than you.

Remember how it felt as each and every thread of every web you ever wove unraveled, snapped one by one? Remember the pain Annabelle. Remember how it feels to have no control. A pitiful little bug beneath my heel. 

JUDE!

What's the matter? Scared of a little flame? Oh but you are now, aren't you? Your God can't protect you from it now. No, my dear. Down here, there is only one God and he is not pleased with you. Terribly sorry about the door. The landlord is always saying he's going to get a knob installed but...well, you know. Buuut you're a tough gal, right? I'm sure you can stick it out till then. 

PETER!

Poor pitiful little Peter. You would think that a man so consumed with the idea of being alone would be a little more self reliant. But no. No you couldn't do anything on your own, could you? All of your little plans constantly relying on Elias, on Martin, never troubling yourself with your own dirty work. Well look where all your machinations have landed you now. Aren't you grateful for the wealth of company I've provided you with, Peter? Why, with all those eyes, constantly watching, tracking your every move, I'd say you'll never be alone again. 

HELEN!

Feeling a little claustrophobic? None of those doors will offer an escape, not for you Helen, my dear. Not anymore. No. Instead you get to feel just as trapped as your many unfortunate victims. Do be careful though. Those mechanisms have been running for a long time and who knows how old and rusty they might be? How prone to fail? Just a sweet warning, Helen dear. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, now would we? 

I have a little game that I'd like to play. It's a very nice game. Oh it's a lovely game. It's a game of fun and adventure! A game of rats and lice and the Black Death. A game of speared eyeballs and dripping guts and the smell of rotting gardenias. Which of you five would like to play my little game? 

[l1terary-loser]

Dating the Side Characters

Description: General headcanons of what it’s like to date the obey me side characters. (Gn!reader)

Warnings: None

Dia, Dia, Dia…so he’s a bit out of practice with dating norms and, well, society in general. But what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for in enthusiasm and sweetness. If he says or does something strange, or recommends an unusual date option, tell him. It’s better to be straightforward with him than try to spare his feelings.

Speaking of which, he canonically hates it when people “walk on eggshells” around him. Don’t be afraid to tell him the truth or your real thoughts. He won’t be angry, in fact he’ll respect you even more for it.

He doesn’t have a lot of free time, which is something you need to be okay with. Don’t try to make him shirk his duties just to spend time with you. It will make Barbatos resent you, and Diavolo will just have to make up the work anyway. Instead, you two could do your work together and spend whatever time you have leftover doing something fun. (I’d recommend bringing a book—the stack of papers on his desk is a foot high).

He will put his duties as prince above your relationship. In addition, your relationship will always have a political undertone, especially with the more obstinate nobles. Even when you two are going through a spat, you may have to plaster a smile on for the cameras just to keep disparaging comments at bay.

Most of your dates will be spent in the Castle. Tea dates (which Barbatos provides the BEST snacks for), walking through the gardens, or dinner will be very common dates over the course of your relationship.

He goes all out for your birthday. He was willing to buy Lucifer a plot of land for a “vacation.” I don’t want to think about the lengths he would go to to ensure your happiness.

Extraordinarily cuddly. I mean, when your dad’s the Demon King and is taking a thousand-year-long nap and the only other constant since then has been Barbatos, you don’t really get a lot of affection. He also doesn’t have the time to seek it out, so once he has you…oh boy. He’s incredibly strong, so don’t expect to escape his arms unless you’re extremely convincing.

My malewife senses are tingling…No, I’m serious. Barbie here would take such good care of you, even if you try to tell him he’s doing too much because you feel guilty. His love language is acts of service. And, trust me, he’ll feel much better after he’s dusted your room and made you dinner. Also tea. He will make you a special blend that you are certain to like, even if you don’t usually like tea.

He’s a bit distant at first, mostly because he’s readjusting to romantic relationships. It’s been so long since he’s felt like he’s been allowed to be loved and cherished by someone. On days where he’s not quite sure how to proceed, don’t be afraid to guide him.

He believes that there is a time and a place for physical affection. He thinks it’s indecent to be seen being affectionate in public. He’ll hold your hand or press soft kisses to the back of it, but that’s about it for him. He’s extremely open to affection once in private. His favorite way to display this would be giving you random kisses as he’s bustling around the castle, taking care of his work.

Like Diavolo, he’s going to put his work before your relationship. It’s been a constant in his life for thousands of years, and he views his greatest duty as serving Diavolo. It’s nothing personal, and he still loves you. However, his biggest priority is serving the prince and, by extension, the Devildom itself.

I think that Barbatos, once he got used to it, would have the healthiest relationship out of the entire cast. He has a well-developed personality, multiple hobbies outside of the relationship, and a higher sense of duty, so his entire world isn’t reliant on you. In addition, he has his priorities straight but is willing to compromise. He is also very adamant about setting and following boundaries.

He won’t use his time powers for you. But, to be fair, he doesn’t even use them for himself.

You’re like his little safe space where he can go and be more than just a butler. You get to experience the fullest scope of his personality, which is something he doesn’t usually trust people with. He trusts and loves you very deeply.

Solomon has been alive for a long, unspecified amount of time. He’s had numerous lovers through the years, but you are the most special to him. No one has ever been able to rival his power, and he feels like he finally has a true equal.

He’s a bit hesitant to put his whole heart into a relationship at first. He’s outlived so many human partners, and he’s weary of the heartbreak that comes with it. He wants to express his love for you, but he just needs a bit of time to fully come to terms with the implications of a relationship.

He is mischievous. He’ll play pranks on you all the time, most of which are under the guise of “experimental potions” he makes. Other times, he’ll recruit you to prank other people. He is especially fond of pranking the brothers.

Solomon will show you off whenever he can, especially in the Devildom. He likes to rub it in the brothers’ faces. And, since he knows you’re super popular amongst the general population, he will brag about you to make other people jealous.

It’s best to give up on teaching him to cook. If you’re good at cooking, please take over for him. If you’re not good at cooking, just let Simeon do it. He’d be happy to if it means that everyone’s gastrointestinal tracts stay safe.

He will drag you on any adventures he goes on. Does he need to climb a mountain to get this very specific flower for a new spell he’s working on? You’re coming with him.

He’s really sweet at heart and just wants to love you. He’s not super physically affectionate, but he’s more than willing to give it if that’s what you need. He tends to express his love through his words, and he always makes sure to say “I love you” before he goes anywhere.

A literal angel. He is extremely sweet and compassionate. He will make sure you always have a safe, quiet space to go to if you need to vent. You are always welcome to visit Purgatory Hall whenever you need it.

He is extremely gentle and tends to be on the timid side. He can and will stand up for himself, but it takes him a while to reach his breaking point with this. Don’t be afraid to step in if somebody’s disrespecting him. He could use some help with setting boundaries in this sense.

Communication king. He always makes sure to let you know what’s going on with him and his life, and expects you to do the same. He wants to be kept in the loop. He’s also ready to support you at the drop of a hat, so knowing what activities you have coming up makes it easier for him to show his support.

Baking dates! He loves being in the kitchen with you and thinks it’s one of the best ways for you two to bond. Expect every cutesy kitchen trope: flour fights, nose boops with whipped cream, and sugar-filled kisses.

Simeon is on the receiving end of a lot of angelic resentment from demons. He tries his hardest to shield Luke from it, but in doing so, he receives the brunt of it. Be there for him when it starts to weigh on him. Give him a self-love day where you shower him in all of his favorite things.

Expect more “juvenile” affection at first. Simeon is super comfortable with hand-holding, face kisses, pecks, and cuddling. It may take him time to feel comfortable progressing with the intensity of his affection. Like Barbatos, he’s been expected to behave a certain way for a very long time, so he just needs time to warm up to it.

He will write you love poems and leave them around your room for you to find. He’ll also write you little love stories. This is one way he expresses his love. Most of these stories or poems reveal how he truly feels about you and your relationship, so pay attention to common themes.

Our resident wet blanket of a man. (This is just a side note, but his character design is so pathetic and adorable to me. I absolutely love him for no reason.) Very limited knowledge on social cues, but he’s still more well-versed than Diavolo is.

He’s very distant at first. He’s the least used to affection because his usual relationships are all formal, and he maintains a strict professionalism with most people.

Once he realizes his feelings, he isn’t one to hide them. He is extremely blunt and very forward with how he feels and what he thinks. You can always expect him to be straightforward and honest with you. He’s not a big fan of people who hide their true intentions, and he will never try to manipulate or play games with you. He expects the same level of communication in return.

However, just because he is straightforward with how he feels, doesn’t mean he’s straightforward with his more…amorous desires. He’s extremely timid with romantic advances, mostly because he’s been raised thinking that humans are weak beings. He’s just afraid that he’s going to hurt you. All you need to do is show him that you’re not going to break, and that will help with some of his timidness.

He’s also a little embarrassed that he feels this way for you. He won’t take too well to teasing because he’ll just freeze up and back off. If you validate his feelings and show him that 1) it’s okay to feel this way and 2) you feel the same way towards him, he’ll be infinitely more comfortable in your relationship.

He’s very protective. His love for you coupled with his underlying unease at being in the Devildom makes him want to look out for you even more than he already would. He knows you can take care of yourself, but he’s always willing to lend an extra hand, or spear, if you need it.

He may be a fan of Solomon’s cooking, but that doesn’t mean he can’t cook. That’s not to say he’s on, say, Simeon’s level, but he’s competent in the kitchen. And what he makes won’t kill you, so it’s really a win-win.

Mephisto is a bit of an enigma. You’re never really sure of his feelings or intentions. He somehow manages to express his emotions while being impossible to read. Needless to say, he wears A LOT of masks, so most of your early bonding comes from taking these masks off. He’s been strictly trained into the role of unflappable, inscrutable demon noble. He is always trying to appear perfect and hide his true self. So when you come around and start poking and prying away at these masks, he begins to panic and double down.

Inevitably, though, his masks begin to fall away. At first, it’s just cracks—you see the joy and love he has for his younger brother, the time and care he puts into his horses—and this just draws you in more. He feels more comfortable around you because you don’t have expectations of him. You don’t poke fun at him or degrade him for being less than perfect. He begins to feel at ease, and you quickly become one of the only people to see his true self.

He will spoil you to death. As his loved one, he believes you deserve only the finest of things in life. Whatever you set your sights on, you get, no questions asked. You mention a cool jacket you saw in a window display? It’s waiting for you on your bed with a bouquet of fresh roses. You see a cute pair of shoes at Majolish? He’s hand delivering them to the House of Lamentation.

Mephisto doesn’t really have close relationships, and he never has. Now that he has you, he is whipped. He will quite literally worship the ground you walk on, but he would die of embarrassment if you or, frankly, anybody else found that out.

He’s somebody who just deeply craves kindness. Please be nice to him. Show him affection, give him all the sweet things that he’s missed out on.

He is absolutely one of those people whose entire personality changes the moment they get into a relationship. His harsh, arrogant exterior begins to melt away. All of a sudden he’s much more easy-going and forgiving. The entire student body of RAD thanks you for whatever magic you’re working with him.

He’s lowkey insecure about his relationship with Diavolo and how Lucifer fits into his life. Reassure him and be there for him—he is his own demon and other people’s relationships don’t define him. He feels replaced by Lucifer. A little bit of reassurance goes a long way with him.

Last but not least, Thirteen. To say your relationship began with a rocky start is an understatement. Not only did you break into her cave, you’re Solomon’s apprentice. If there’s one thing she hates more than people breaking into her own home, it’s Solomon.

She likes your spunk and your overall demeanor. You’re kind but you also don’t let people walk all over you. She finds that immensely attractive despite being put-off by your close bond to Solomon and, honestly, the rest of the cast. She doesn’t particularly care for any of them.

Her favorite way to bond is by working on her traps together. Her traps are extremely important to her, and she’s letting you into her world through working on them together. However, when it comes to you, they tend to be more lovely dovey than “let me try to capture Solomon in a net for the 6th time this week.”

She’s not a super sweet, compassionate person. Of course she cares, but she’s more likely to give you a pep talk or reality check to go kick some ass than a soft, gentle hug and kiss.

Because she’s a go-go-go type of person, her affection can read as aggressive. She holds you tightly and presses hard kisses to your lips. She just has a short window of time to express her affection, but she still wants you to feel loved. This is her compromise.

She has a very stressful, demanding job. The best thing you can do for her after a long day? A massage wherever she needs it. She will eat that up and be yours forever. Pamper her a little bit and she is over the moon.

She LOVES when you play with her hair. She may be a little fussy at first because it takes time to get it to look that good, but she’ll melt so quickly once your hands are on her scalp.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita/wibta for NOT breaking up with my bf ?

i'm not sure if the title is phrased weirdly, bare with me. my bf and i are both 18, he is cis M & i am FTM (relevant).

My bf and i are both currently in first year uni, both living at home due to high cost of living in our country (also everywhere else lol). We met about halfway through highschool, and were friends for a while before getting together. we are coming up on two years together in a couple months, and have not really had any major bumps in our relationship. we see eachother i would say 1-2x per week, with both of us living at home and being broke it gets a little challenging sometimes but we call most nights and generally we make it work. Also worth noting that I am my bf's first everything, down to his first kiss, while he is not really this for me. this is the longest relationship i have been in (probably because i'm 18 lol), but not at all the first. however, the only "serious" relationship i have had outside of of him, aside from just casual stuff, was very abusive & toxic, so i do sort of see us on equal footing as neither of us has ever been in a normal, functional relationship before.

Now, the issue: while we are both currently living at home, i see this as a very temporary arrangement and something i am counting down the days until i can get out of. while living with my family is not abusive or anything, it is just very straining as i am not very close with them, and also cannot transition while living at home. as previously mentioned i am ftm, and while my mom is tolerant it would just put even more stress on the relationship if i were to start changing physically while living at home or even asking her to use different pronouns for me and is just something i prefer to leave until i'm not 100% reliant on her. that being said my dysphoria causes me very intense depression and without getting too detailed, i don't know how much longer i can take living here and putting off any sort of meaningful transition outside of close/online friends calling me he.

my bf, however, plans to live at home at least until he graduates, which is six years away. i understand that this is a very normal thing, especially culturally (he is middle eastern + muslim, i am white + agnostic), but the issue is that his mother is, among many other things, extremely homophobic. she already hates me for reasons i'm not really sure of (my bf refuses to go into detail, i think to protect me, but i have seen extremely graphic and nasty texts about me by name on his phone and have been told by him that he doesn't even mention me around the house or else she gets extremely upset, though she is always extremely nice to me the few times we have interacted), but anyways, me transitioning while he is still living at home would be essentially putting him in legitimate danger.

my bf does not like to think about this, which i understand. it's hard enough dealing with what i get from my family, and that is absolutely nothing compared to the fact that everyone he knows from his culture/religion beleives he should be dead just because he is gay (i know, as does he, that there are queer muslims. but they do not exist openly in his personal community). but the problem is that anytime i adress to him that the idea of waiting until we are in our mid-twenties for me to even think about transitioning is a really big issue for me he basically refuses to talk about it and just says that "it will work out". on top of the transitioning thing i just generally don't want to be twenty-five (the age he has told me is when he plans to move out) and still having to cancel dates last minute because my boyfriend's mom was in a bad mood and decided he's not allowed to go out tonight. i know this is how life is for many people and they learn to deal with it! and i respect them very much! but it is genuinely my nightmare. i understand why he cannot/does not want to cut himself off from his family, especially since his dad lives overseas and is extremely wealthy so therefore paying his entire tuition out of pocket. i'm just saying it's not a lifestyle that meshes well with my future plans.

this is where the asshole part comes in: my bf genuinely thinks that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. this started with small comments, things like alluding to the idea of our potential future kids (i love kids and raising my own is genuinely my end goal in life, something he knows just because i am very open about it), or talking about our future apartment/house, but now is basically just a constant conversation in our relationship. i try not to feed into it, but i also feel badly responding to his sweet comment when i point out a house i like on the street about how we'll buy it one day with something about how i don't ever see that happening. i generally just respond neutrally, but i will admit i get caught up in the fantasy sometimes and contribute to it as well.

he is such a lovely guy with a beautiful heart and i do really adore him, and it's not a situation where i don't want to spend the rest of my life with him. to be honest, that's the dream. i love him with everything i have and i would literally do anything for him. the problem is just that when he talks about this future together all i can picture is all the million ways our relationship is doomed to implode.

but we are happy right now, because me moving out of my family home is not something that is going to be possible for another 1-2 years, so none of those issues are something that are going to come up right now. i just forsee them being pretty much impossible obstacles between us and spending the rest of our lives together down the line. but i have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that even though i want more than anything to be with him forever, the fact that i don't remotely beleive it's something that will actually work out still constitutes as leading him on.

so, am i the asshole for staying with him, because we are happy right now and these issues are not going to be relevant for another 1-2 years, and a solution might somehow present itself in that time? or is the right thing to do to just leave now, and rip off the bandaid?

What are these acronyms?

[crustaceousfaggot]

Why you should give Text Adventure games a try (and how to do so)

There is not nearly enough love for Text Adventure Games here on Tumblr. Or anywhere really. But especially here, I feel like you guys would really get a kick out of them. Here's why:

(quick note, I'm gonna be using the words Text Adventure and Interactive Fiction pretty interchangeably here. Technically that's not perfectly accurate, they are technically different things, but I don't care to explain the difference Just roll with it.)

So

Do you like weird short stories told through unconventional mediums? That's most of what Interactive Fiction is

You like story based video games but hate the finicky combat? Congrats, there is literally no combat skill required beyond the ability to type "hit guard with crowbar"

Blind or visually impaired? Since these games are (with a few exceptions) entirely text based, they work great with a screen reader!

Sick of profit motivated AAA titles with no creative integrity? Well, these games are almost always produced by a single nerd (usually a horrid amalgamation of computer geek and literature geek) with no budget and no responsibilities of the product they're making. And they're usually not paid, since these games are free. Text Adventure is a labour of love, and in most games you can feel the care and effort the creator has put into the game.

Sick of spending $20-70 on a video game? Lucky you, I've been playing TA for years and I have not spent a cent in doing so (Fallen Londen will try to make you pay. But Fallen Londen sucks and is run by bigots. Fuck Fallen London.) Games are either available free on a browser, or as free, small downloadable files (most of which can be played using the Parchment Interpreter)

Wish you read more, but reliant on the quick dopamine of digital media? Well now you can read while also being an active participant in the narrative.

Bad at puzzles? Me too! Games from the 80s and 90s, as well as more famous newer games, have walkthroughs and hints easily available online. Newer games tend to either have a "hint" command, or come with a walkthrough file.

Do you like weird surrealist horror? Well there's... A lot of it.

Okay, but where do I start?

So there are two types of text adventure. The one you might be more accustomed to, and which sees more modern use, is called Hypertext Interactive Fiction. The other is called Parser Interactive Fiction, it's generally seen in older games, as well as games that are larger, feature more puzzles, or involve more exploration.

Hypertext games

Basically, the game will give you a scenario, and then a list of options (hypertext links) to click on to decide what to do next. These are usually more beginner friendly since you don't need to fiddle around with parsers, but personally I find them a bit limiting. Nonetheless, if you're new to Text Adventure, they're a good place to start.

Some of my favourites hypertext games (summaries in green)

My Father's Long, Long Legs is an interactive horror story about family, unease, and loss. Really more of a story than a game, but still good. Very nice use of sound. It does have some visual aspects, so this one might not work with screen readers

Scene Kid Simulator is pretty much what it says on the tin. A cute, nostalgic, coming-of-age slice of life story from the POV of a 2000s scene preteen. Nothing special, but a fun time.

The Uncle Who Works at Nintendo is a strange, unconventional, witty, and heartfelt horror game. Your friend has an uncle who he says works for Nintendo. You're about to meet him, or so he says. A fun and spooky look at childhood, childhood friendships, and childhood lies.

16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonald's is... A joy to play. The name says it all honestly. Witty, charming, tense, engaging, and emotional when it wants to be. I actually found this one through a lucky Tumblr Blaze, which makes sense since this is perfectly suited to Tumblr sensibilities. This one has more puzzle aspects than most hypertext games, but it's still relatively easy and beginner friendly. You're a vampire hunter. It's your night off, and you go to McDonald's. But there's something wrong with the customer sitting beside you...

Toadstools is a game about hunting mushrooms. You have trespassed in a national park and you are wandering blindly through the woods looking for rare fungi. Good luck :)

Parser games

Okay these fuckers are where I really get excited. These games have the classic flashing cursor line where you input text like "go north", "search bookshelf", or "kiss my husband", and the game's rudimentary AI parses your input to decide what happens next. These are my favourites. They really allow you the feeling of exploring the game world, immerse you in the protagonist and the story, using just text on a screen and simple inputs. This does make them considerably more difficult, since a) you need to decide the right way to phrase what you want to do, otherwise it won't work, and b) more possibilities means more chances to mess up and miss things. Unlike video games, your cursor won't light up when you see something important, you'll have to search stuff and work things out on your own But, in my opinion, it is so, so worth it. Summaries in red

The first text adventure game I ever played was One Eye Open. It's an extremely graphic and gory medical horror game (although I would consider it tasteful medical horror, in that it never derives horror from medical procedures, disability, or ooOoHh gross scary sick people) You play as a volunteer test subject for a medical research facility, having to unravel the mystery of the hospital's bloody past. It's good. It's fun. It's tense. It has some really dumb mechanics. Don't play if you're sensitive to descriptions of gore, death, or corpses. This one doesn't have a walkthrough, but I've played it enough times to know the puzzles by heart, DM me if you need help.

Anchorhead is possibly my favourite piece of interactive fiction I've ever played. It's incredible. You play as a newlywed woman, moving to the small seaside town of Anchorhead after your husband Michael inherited a mansion from some distant relatives. There's something wrong with the town though. There's definitely something wrong with your husband's mysterious ancestors. And you're starting to think that there might be something strange happening to Michael. Get ready for some wonderfully atmospheric and immersive Lovecraftian horror, action sequences that are incredibly vibrant for Text Adventure, and a super compelling mystery that the game lets you work out on your own. The puzzles here are hard. I'm not gonna lie, I used a walkthrough at several points during this game. But my god it's worth it. Big massive huge content warning here for mentions of incest, sexual assault, and pedophilia. Not in excess, and nothing explicit, but it will be mentioned as part of the story.

Little Blue Men is a short, strange, sci-fi-ish horror-ish comedy-ish game by the same author as Anchorhead, though the two games are wildly different. You are an office worker. Cope with it. Take The Stanley Parable, Stella Firma, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, mash 'em together, and you have Little Blue Men. It's bizarre. It's evocative. It's pretty darn good.

Coloratura is a strangely beautiful sci-fi story. You're a weird little alien blob. You've been separated from your home and are trapped aboard a human spaceship. You need to get home, need to make the humans understand in the only ways you can: color and song.

Slouching Towards Bedlam is a brilliant little steampunk game about language, choice, cults, Armageddon, and triangles. This game has multiple endings. It's neat in that none of the endings are really "good" or "bad". Rather, you need to decide where you stand, and act in the way you think is best.

The Lurking Horror is the grandparent of horror interactive fiction, released in the late 80s. You're a tech student in university. Something more than electricity is powering the school's computers. Find it, but don't die along the way. Besides the comically archaic descriptions of computers, this game doesn't feel all that dated. It's tricky, puzzle-heavy, and charmingly surreal. (Fun fact, this game and another old TA game called Zork inspired the "darkness kills you" mechanic which would later be popularized in Don't Starve!)

Nine Lives is a very short, very weird, very cartoony game where you play a cat that is very bad at staying alive. Cw for non-graphic but repeated cat death.

Spider and Web is one of the most ingenious uses of Text Adventure as a medium I've ever seen. It's famous for having one of, if not the singular best puzzles in video game history. It's tense, it's fast-paced, it introduces you to mechanics slowly and then lets you test them out on your own. I won't spoil too much, but you play as a very badass spy, reliving your brilliant heist during an interrogation. This game even features a character destined to be a Tumblr Sexyman. It really has it all.

If anyone actually read through all this, and has even considered playing any of these games, I'll be a little surprised. This post turned out a lot longer than I wanted it to be. It was meant to just be "hey interactive fiction is a cool and underappreciated medium, go check it out", but this is my special interest, and not one I often get to talk about. I guess this was me infodumping to the only place that will listen, the empty void of the internet. But these games are fun. And they do not get enough love. Text games are a dying genre, if they're not dead already. Give them a chance, show them some love.

[belethlegwen]

What is a niche aspect of G/t that you dearly love that you don't get a chance to really talk about?

How it reflects on self-image.

I think that's the niche one that I don't talk about enough, though I bring it up a little bit in my works. The idea that, particularly in most media where you aren't used to being at the perspective you're suddenly in (you're small around people who are bigger, or big around people who are smaller, and it's something you've either never experienced before or haven't experienced much) how that will change how you see yourself.

Melanie in The Rescue for example has existing concerns about her appearance and how people see her to begin with, and that becomes wildly amplified when someone small is nearby. She covers her mouth while she's eating, she tries to keep her head and face pointed up and away when she's feeling extremely self-conscious.

If you hate the idea of constantly being noticed, judged, critiqued, scrutinized, etcetera, then suddenly being a Giant to someone else/other people has to be fucking hell. Any issues you have with your self-image normally aren't exactly put aside when your face is the size of a movie-screen and you know people's eyes don't usually come with those lovely hollywood-glam filters they put over actors in film.

As a Giant are you now more worried about being in the way? About being a problem for people? About causing damage or harm accidentally? Or are you being pressured to do more, be more simply because of how other people see you?

On the flip-side of that, if you're suddenly small, do you feel much more vulnerable? Do you feel like you're under significantly more threat? Have you lost a feeling of control that you desperately needed to keep a sensation of being safe?

Do you feel disposable? Do you feel useless? Are you more of a burden now than you were before, so reliant on others in a world that isn't built to help you? That might not feel like it's even interested in helping you?

Do you feel invisible? Easily forgotten? If you were used to being the center of attention before, does this absolutely shatter that or suddenly make that lifestyle feel like a waking nightmare? \

Do you feel like you're not enough?

If you were having those issues and feelings before, how are they amplified or changed now? How are they messed with, skewed, possibly erased in some cases?

I try to bring a good bit of these perspectives into my writing where I can, but it can be exhaustingly introspective and feel extremely heavy both to read and to write, but I can't say that I'm not fascinated by it.

Thank you so much for the ask, love! <3

[oftenwantedafton]

Moody and Gray - William Afton x Female Reader

Chapter 1

Rating - Explicit

Warnings - no sexual content in this chapter

Also available on AO3

You really hate your job as a waitress at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

The pay is lousy, your income largely reliant on tips from adult customers that are rude, their children ruder still. Between the noise of the arcade and the music blasting in the background you end up going home with a headache more often than not. You could happily go without so much as seeing a slice of pizza for the rest of your life.

So why don’t you quit?

Well the answer to that is up one flight of steel stairs to an office that overlooks the entire restaurant. His restaurant: the owner, William Afton.

See, there’s something about him that you just can’t shake free from your mind. Sure, you’ve always had a bit of a thing for older guys, and he’s got a good decade and a half on you easily. But it’s more than that. Messy dark hair and high cheekbones, aquiline nose and piercing pale gray eyes. Not classically handsome in the sense of the word, but compelling all the same. Like a vampire or…yes. That was exactly what he reminded you most of. A real life modern day version of Dracula.

The funny thing about your boss is, he doesn’t seem to like the job much either. He distances himself from the clientele as much as possible. You know he’s married and he has kids, but damned if you’ve ever seen them. Hell, he doesn’t even bother wearing a wedding ring. He spends most of his time either fiddling with the animatronics in one of the back rooms, or brooding in his office, tucked away in that crow’s nest kind of space lined with windows, the blinds sometimes closed, and what does he even do in there when they are?

On this particular shitty work day you’ve just had some brat accidentally/on purpose dump an entire glass of fruit punch on your work shirt. Of course the company shirts are white. You ask one of your coworkers where you can get another one, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re fresh out in the employee locker area, the most recent new hire getting the last one, apparently. As if anyone ever even sees the kitchen staff.

“Maybe ask Afton,” the woman suggests, gathering a stack of dirty dishes to return to the kitchen.

Ask Afton. Well sure, you could do that. No big deal. You’ve never spoken to him personally. It was beneath him to hire waitstaff, apparently. But yes. You can.

You climb the steel steps and knock on the door, glancing out across the dining room, a kaleidoscope of colors rioting below. It really was a spectacular view, even if you didn’t care much for the scenery.

You can hear a muffled voice inside and try the door handle, finding it unlocked.

The owner is seated at his desk, phone in hand. Great, you were interrupting him.

He beckons for you to come inside, continuing his conversation as you shut the door and step forward.

“Yes, we offer a good benefits package. We don’t have on site childcare yet, but that is something we’re looking to add in the future for both staff and visitors.”

Good benefits your ass. Trying to get a vacation was like pulling teeth. And God help you if you got sick and needed some time off. It had been made clear during orientation you were expected to come to work, plain and simple. As if serving pizza and ice cream to children was as essential as, say, being a healthcare worker. It was beyond absurd.

Your attention wavers, and you step to the row of windows. The stage curtains part. It’s time for another round of songs performed by the animatronics. The drink that had soaked your shirt front was cold and it’s unpleasantly plastered to your skin. You shiver and shuffle your feet, hoping the phone call will end soon.

“Great, we look forward to seeing you soon.” At last. You turn and see your boss rising to his feet. He’s incredibly tall, lanky. The man is all lines and angles.

“Can I help you with something?”

God, that British accent. It’s another one of your weaknesses. Not the cockney type, but this smooth mellow tone that strokes silkily along your skin. You blink and recover. “Yes, sorry to bother you. Someone spilled something on my shirt and we’re out of them downstairs. Maybe you have a spare here?”

His eyes flicker down to your chest, where a good deal of the red liquid has seeped in, lingering perhaps a bit longer than was warranted. “I see. Well, let’s have a look, shall we?”

It’s cold in his office, you realize then. Not just because of your damp clothing, but there’s actual air conditioning running. It’s the middle of winter. You wonder how he stands it.

William rummages through a cardboard box set in the back of the office and withdraws a folded shirt. “What size?”

In truth, you’d never liked the fit of yours, choosing a size down.

“Hmm. Well, this will have to do.” Two sizes down. You frown. “You can manage for the rest of the shift with that, surely. I have an order for more coming in soon.” He shuts the box swiftly and you wonder for a moment if he isn’t lying about the sizes available.

But to what end?

“Ok, well thanks, I appreciate it.” You turn as if to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

He joins you at the window and presses a switch. The blinds slide closed.

Huh. Fancy, you think, your brain not catching up to what is happening.

“I imagine you’re eager to be out of that shirt. I’m sure it’s unpleasant. I’ll of course be a gentleman and turn around.”

“Oh, no, I can change in the restroom, it’s fine.”

“No, I really must insist. It wouldn’t do for our customers to see staff looking so…unkempt. Against company policy and all that.” He grins, the teeth flashing at you looking incredibly sharp. God, he really did look like a vampire. He turns around as promised, though. The back of his purple vest has a thin gold buckle at the waist. You turn around for good measure and pull the stained shirt over your head, hurriedly trying to tug the new one on. Your bra’s partially soaked but screw it, you’ll just have to cope.

Yeah, it was definitely too small.

You’re still struggling to get it over your tits when you feel the hands at your back, feverish hands that linger before attempting to assist you.

“Well this really is a bit snug on you, isn’t it?” He chuckles softly and the sound does something, making your insides twist and curl.

His hands are at your front now and there is no pretense when those long fingers of his take a great deal longer dragging across your white satin clad breasts as the rest of the shirt is wrenched into place and you turn to face him.

“There we are. Now you’re presentable.” Another smile. He’s still standing close to you. You can feel the heat wafting from him. Like standing in front of a fireplace.

“Thanks,” you mutter awkwardly, not sure of what else to say.

“My pleasure.”

A little hum of amusement punctuates this last statement and then he hits the switch to open the blinds again.

You can feel his eyes on you all the way down the stairs, his silhouette unmistakable through the slats covering the windows.

You’ve finally gotten your employer’s attention.

[darkbluekies]

Silas asks #5

Previous one next one

Concept: I've put multiple asks into one post to avoid too much loose posts on my account! This way, you have more to read too<3

Warnings: mafia, yandere, isolation ... the normal stuff

In Intruder, would Silas still have been able to find the reader if she didn't look to see what was on the USB? (Perhaps she didn't know she had a foreign USB in her purse in the first place) You mentioned Silas could see her on the webcam, but I assumed that was because she used the USB on the computer. Also, if she didn't see the USB would Silas have taken it back without question or would he have still kidnapped the reader? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just curious hehe 😅

Hm, interesting question. I think that Silas would be able to find the USB one way or another, either through a tracker on it or hacking into surveillance cameras to follow her. He would most likely not be too interested in getting her, but would think of her when he leaves ... which means that he'll be back for her.

There's this meme on tiktok that goes "my blickyyyyyy upon the dresseeeerrrrr" it remind me so much of Silas who definitely is the type of dude with a gun in his dresser 🔫 🔫

I haven't seen that meme, but Silas would 100% keep a gun in his dresser! For uh "safety reasons". Not to keep you in the room no no

Do you think the reader would ever develop Stockholm syndrome with Silas?

I actually think so. He treats you well when you're obedient so if you don't try to escape and actually listen to what he says, he will be the most wonderful man you can ever get your hands on. And that's dangerous for your mental health because anyone would fall for that.

With that Broken reader x Silas fanfic Does the reader have a caretaker that had been helping them?

[fanfic?]

Oneshot it's basef off of (i think)

No, Silas doesn't want anyone to be close to you, escpecially not after what you've been trough. He's scared that you'll fall for someone else in your fragile state. He needs you to be reliant on him only. You're vulnerable, perfect for him to mold how he wants you to be.

LOVING SILAS SM MWAH MWAH MWAH LEMME KITH YOU omg but like.. 😳 what if he grows to lowkey miss gen z reader's remarks and jokes in the long run😶. like ok yeah big man got what he wanted😮‍💨🫥 but now reader doesnt laugh or smile anymore cause theyre lowkey highkey traumatized😁💧 ykwim????

[omg thank you for the kith hehe]

Then he'll try to bring it back! Silas thinks that you're a toy that he can break and bend to be how he wants you to be. Somehow you'll be back to normal, he just needs to figure out how. He'll regret breaking you down so badly and will do his best to crack your numb shell.

"I like it when you smile. Come on, baby, curse at me. You know you like that. Tell a joke, I'll laugh, I promise. No, you won't get punished, little thing."

The Valentine's day ask for Silas got me thinking, what if his s/of wanted to get job? (cause I can't just do nothing all day) And since I'm sure he wouldn't let us go somewhere, what if we asked for him to hire us? (Cause if he wouldn't we can start looking for a online job or a job where we could leave and come back without getting caught) We can basically do some clean up or just paperwork 🤔. Also sorry if my English is bad

He'd hate the thought of you working because he thinks that you should be doing things you liked, but if you really had to, he'd keep you in his office, right by his side, where you can go through some papers. Of course not the ones that could make you scared. If there are no papers for you to go through, he'll print fake ones, just so you'll have something to do. As long as he'd keep you occupied, you'd not complain about being bored or wanting to leave.

"Ah, how about a break? We should take a nap on the couch. We've been working so well, don't you think, little thing? Come here, baby, let me hold you."

Silas be like "I'm gonna torture you badly" I be like "I like that"🥴Chain me up in the basement for punishment? "oooh kinky"Psychological torture? "Hey how'd you know I like mind games?"Threaten friends and family? *Looks around sarcastically "where are they? I don't see them!" 🙃In conclusion, I identify as a chaotic neutral that cannot be contained. Go ahead, do your worst! It'll be fun~ >:3

You'd be Silas's nightmare.

Ok that was weird how would Silas react to a mc who was in awe about how rich he was and shocked when they arrive at his mansion?

[what was weird ...?]

He'd be shocked. He's been in defense mode to give you a fright, to scare you into obedience ... but you're not scared?

"If I live here? Uh yeah, i do ... what about it? You like it? Yeah, I guess it's nice. Do you really like it that much?"

Hello 👁🫦👁. I love all your stories and I'm trying to figure out how best to behave with Silas so that he doesn't lock me in the basement, but also doesn't break my mind or bones😭p.s. i love the yandere characters but even chatting with AI yanderes gives me bad endings

As long as you do as he says, (you stay in your room, doesn't complain too much, doesn't nag and demand him to be let out) he'll be pleased with you. He'll take you out for dinner and dates and be more patient with you. The more you demand of him, the less likely you'll get it and the quicker you'll end up in the basement. He wants to be treated as a human being, depsite all the bad things he's done to you :)

[radiosummons]

Real talk: Does the Jedi Order have a tax exempt status?

I know it's somewhat of a meme to make jokes about how the Jedi don't know how to pay taxes, or rather questioning whether they get paid or make any income at all. And, yes, this question is kinda dumb in the sense that whether the Jedi Order has tax exempt status or not, it doesn't effect the over all story or any actual SW lore in any way that actually matters.

I also know that tax exempt status works differently in other countries besides the US (yes, hello, I am American. I hate it here, too). But for the sake of taking this very dumb question at face value, would the Jedi Order:

1) Count as a religious institution in the eyes of Republic law?

2) If so, would their status as a religious institution have any impact on whether they attained tax exempt status from the Republic?

3) What standards and regulations would the Republic IRS have in place regarding tax exemption?

4) Do the Jedi even have an accounting department?

I would peronally argue that, yes, the Jedi Order is in fact a religious institution. On the account of the obvious connection to the Force and heavily coded (if not just downright) religious practices that the Jedi follow.

However, even if the Republic were to grant the Jedi Order the status of a lawfully recognized religious institution, I'm not sure if this would actually lead to them a guaranteed tax exempt status.

According to United States IRS standards and regulations, the Jedi Order could and would also be seen as a religious institution. However, one of the biggest stipulations for retaining tax exempt status is that the religious institution does not attempt to or make any influence on legislative or attempt to influence political campaigns.

(Palpatine voice: Ironic).

Now, if the Republic had similar stipulations, I would argue that, no, the Jedi do not get tax exemption. Mostly because one of the longest known duties associated with the Jedi Order is their role in assisting with galactic diplomacy. It would be literally impossible for them to not get involved in some capacity, especially when their aid is often directly requested (whether by a Republic aligned planet or not).

That being said, this is all going by the standards of the IRS. And at the risk of sounding too jaded, there are hundreds if not outright thousands of religious institutions in the US that should have lost their tax exempt status decades ago. And yet ....

Obviously, this all ultimately depends on what standards the Republic would theoretically have in place for situations like this. And while I would never actually want George Lucas--or any other writer for that matter--to attempt to give us a canon answer, I can't help but wonder.

Even if the Jedi Order was completely self-reliant--which I personally don't think is possible due to them, well, living on Coruscant for thousands of years-just as an example. It just doesn't make sense to me that the Jedi would limit themselves to only what they make in house when they could have easy access to other local businesses, ya know?--whose to say that they wouldn't still be required to pay for taxes like regular citizens?

The Jedi Temple, again, has literally been there for thousands of years. I don't think it's entirely out of the realm of possibility that the Republic wouldn't have sent their own SW IRS agent at least once to audit the Jedi Order.

I honestly wouldn't even be surprised if that Jedi Order would be given a slight form of tax exemption, but only if certain conditions were met. Like, I don't know, what if an official member of the local Coruscantii/Republic government were to make a direct request for the aid of the Jedi. Maybe they'd get a tax write off for all the transportation and housing (or vehicular damage) they'd acrue while on this government sponsored mission?

Or what about this? Business institutions in the US get tax write offs for charitable donations (which the fuckers exploit to hell and back, fuck me). I have to wonder if there was a point in time (maybe the early years of the ye Old Republic) where someone had to bring up the fact that a lot of what the Jedi do could count fall under charitable tax deductions. So if they wanted to continue taxing the Jedi Order, they'd probably have to change up the definition or something.

Idk, man, I'm sort of spit balling random thoughts at this point.

I'd also like to say that I believe the Jedi do, in fact, have an accounting department. Just to keep thing running smoothly in regards to the Temple budget and so on. It would be kinda hard to keep a place that big with that many occupants still around and for that long without having someone keeping a close eye on the Order's spending.

Mostly, though, I just find the idea of the Jedi being audited absolutely hilarious.

[justatalkingface]

So in light of the absolute fuckery that's been Chapter 407, I want to talk about All For One, because I don't think I've ever really talked about him.

I don't mind that he's evil for evil's sake, I don't mind that his ultimate goal is to take OFA so that he can take over the world and make everyone reliant on him or whatever. I don't mind that he nearly took over Japan back in the day. But like everything else Horikoshi touches, AFO had potential that was ultimately squandered away.

I hate how he was literally pure evil IN FUCKING UTERO, I hate how he was barely even utilized (outside of Kamino Ward, which that was fucking awesome) before he tries wrestling control of Shigaraki to be the main villain again. I hate how even though he allegedly has hundreds upon hundreds of Quirks, he spams the same 3-4 ones, and I hate how for supposedly smart and devious he is, we never see him utilizing UA's bad PR or his traitor to his advantage.

It's kind of weird to say this, but I both miss AFO, and feel sorry for him. I know he's been in the story a lot, but... it feels like AFO, the real one, fucking died at Kaminio, and his idiot corpse has just been running around since with Hori's hand up his ass.

Before Kamino, AFO was evil, yes, and and we didn't know about him, but he felt like a real person; an asshole, but he was something you could imagine a super-powered mob boss could end up being.

Since then, though? He's just been becoming more and more... shallow. It's like Hori was hinting at these dark, mysterious depths of ancient man, and then he pulled the curtain and showed us a fucking puddle. And now? All the mystery, all the backstory?

'BeCaUSe i'M EEEEEEEVVVILLLL'. Unironically, it seems to be his only motivation anymore. He does bad things because he's evil; he doesn't actually want to take over the world, that's just something he's doing because taking over the world is evil. Money? Power? Ultimately worthless, nothing more than tools for the purposes... of EVIL!

So... here's the question: why is he evil?

Because he was evil when he was an adult. Why was he evil as an adult? Because he was evil as a kid, apparently, instead of anything more interesting like him slowly being radicalized by Quirk Discrimination. Why was he evil as a kid? Because he was born evil, instead of anything more interesting like a terrible family, or because a police officer hurt him and traumatized him for life. Why was he evil when he was born?

??????

Because he was born of evil genetics, maybe; I wouldn't put it past Hori to make him unironically Quirk Satan or something. The thing is, that's not how human beings work; even an actual sociopath isn't going to be born this gibberingly, one-dimensionally evil. Worse yet, it's fucking boring to have a human being this basic; at this point why aren't they fighting a robot, or monster or something? It'd have the same level of motivation, and it'd feel more interesting than this.

Even ignoring how stupid he's become post-Kamino (which is a related but different point, best summed up by post-Kamino AFO is basiclly running around with his pants on his head, constantly getting one upped by the heroes, the kids, and basiclly random strangers by now), AFO was at his most interesting, not only when he was competent, but when he felt like a person; there's a reason DFO is so popular, and it's not just because it drags Izuku into it, but because it humanizes AFO, gives him real, human motivations to make us interested in his character.

The worst part of it? There's been so many chances to make him more than this caricature of a human being; by making him care for Shigaraki (or for Dr. Plot Device, or even Kurogiri, his loyal minion, before he was Eraserhead's seemingly somewhat retconned 'human interest' (which was barely a thing), or even just for Gigantomachia, who is basiclly a giant, super-violent dog, who he could have cared about like he was just a giant dog), or for him caring for his brother.

I mean, shit. In all honesty, I could make the 'biting baby' thing work, even. Ideally, it'd need some set up beforehand, but you know how Himiko is (the only one we've ever seen) with desires from her Quirk? Do something similar to how Yhwach in Bleach was on AFO, with that kind of logic, with him needing something, at this fundamental level, to be functional, that he's almost addicted to stealing Quirks, that AFO as a Quirk only works as a Quirk because somewhere in his magic DNA he's... unstable. That the very versatility that allows him to hold every Quirk is starving for the stability of a normal Quirk, so that even as a infant, he's instinctively trying feed himself something a normal human would never need.

There's this whole, interesting dynamic this would introduce, a real nature/nurture-y kind of thing, that would put a whole new spin on his character; he's this seemingly pointlessly evil person because his needs, combined with the only real role model he had for someone in his situation, the demon kings he's seen in manga, and a society that rejected him, both as someone with a Quirk by the normal humans, and as someone who could take away their Quirks by the Quirked, turning him into this because that's all he's ever known.

And here's the thing? This idea? Hori could still try to do that. He could try to turns table us with this sudden development, and try to make a real boy out of AFO. But I don't think he's going to; I really don't think he'll do that. Worse, even if he does try that, he'll just double down on AFO being 'born evil' instead of anything with any real depth to it. Do you know why I think that?

Because in all honesty, AFO isn't a real character anymore; he hasn't been for awhile now. All he is is a plot device, the duck tape Hori's been putting on everywhere to try and hold the story together against all the plot holes and logic failures that have been built up from years of bad, biased and rushed writing. More and more, he's become the reason for everything, the cause of every problem Hori can't be bothered to think through, every villain he didn't want to actually have to explain.

The Readers/The Characters: Why did X happen? What caused that? How does Y feel abou- Hori: AFO did it. I ain't gotta explain shit.

And that's the real reason he's so stupid, BTW, the reason he never uses any other Quirk, or applies any creativity in combat (or anywhere else), and why he keeps losing... it's for the plot. Because the thing is? AFO is fucking overpowered.

Let me tell you something I've never seen anyone else acknowledge: All Might never should have won. He overpowered AFO, sure, but we saw from their fight that he barely did that; didn't crush the puny caster AFO once he got past the lasers, his one super Quirk barely out-performed AFO's stacked Quirks in direct combat. Which, yeah, sure I can see that....

But. Why did AFO fight fair, just power against power, blow vs blow? Why didn't he, like, release poison gas as they fought? All Might is strong, but he still has flesh, blood, lungs; he's still very vulnerable to all kinds of softer Quirks. Where was the touch activated Quirk, like that kid from the License Exam, would have turned All Might into a meatball, or taffy, or whatever? Where was the voice activated Quirk that would have stunned All Might for a critical moment?

Hell. Why didn't AFO cheat? Why did he fight All Might, like an honorable person, when he realised the man was possibly a threat to him, instead of just... assassinating him, like a crime lord (or demon king)? Go to his home (or Might Tower, or wherever), drug his food, put something in his water, hell, just launch a surprise attack from point blank range? We know he tried for Eraserhead's Quirk once, before... apparently just giving up and never trying again; why didn't he try again, get it, and use that?

And beyond even all those problem, I don't see a reason for OFA to have survived long enough to get to All Might in the first place!

I mean, seriously: we know that every user fought AFO, viciously, to point where it caused their early deaths (except the one that basiclly started to Snap himself out of existence). We know OFA was only slowly building up in power, and the early versions especially didn't do much at all, and the Quirks all of them had where never top of the line because they were literally just a random person nearby when the Holder before them died.

So. Riddle me this: why, when a bunch of honestly mid-tier people tried, again and again, to kill AFO, who was overwhelmingly stronger than them, who had access to more tools, powers and money than they did; why, when all these factors were stacked against them, did they survive to the point where they could even pass OFA on? How did they survive blows strong enough to destroy buildings, laser blasts, all these powerful Quirks and techniques that AFO uses casually that most heroes would have been instantly killed by, if not flat out destroyed.

I mean... fuck, there's a decent chance AFO knew they had OFA in them, which he wanted (for whatever reason; sentimentality clearly isn't a emotion he's allowed to have, and early OFA wouldn't have been worth the effort for him to go through all of this to try and acquire it), which means instead of just killing them, he would have captured them, taken them back to his base, and then tortured them until they gave him OFA, just so they would finally be allowed to die and not hurt anymore? While I'm at this, why didn't he just kill any pedestrians around after he killed whatever OFA Holder he was fighting; it's not like morals are going to stop him, are they?

Fundamentally, MHA is built off the premise that AFO, terrifying criminal genius with countless Quirks, strong enough that he makes people by him hallucinate out of terror, is so pants shittingly stupid that he spent almost a hundred years basiclly punching himself in the face rather than just winning fights that were ludicrously stacked in his favor again and again and again; I mean, hell, he could still be an utter moron, and as long as he just got lucky once, just once, the giant, unending sequence of coincidences and logic breaking victories that allowed All Might to get his Quirk never would have happened.

None of this, of course, is even mentioning everything happening in the Final Arc, like AFO's obvious weakness to allow him to be finally beat forever appearing out of nowhere, in him having Remnants (even though AFO took eight users to to power it up enough to get to the point that AFO was apparently always at, and us having no reason to think this was a thing before now, much less all the absolute nightmare fuel questions that raises about the Nomu, and all the Quirks that AFO's doctor had stored away), and Eri's Quirk actively accelerating to heal him, thus limiting his life span (or the fact it's even working like that in the first place), even though it's a time Quirk, not a healing Quirk, and it doesn't fucking care about how wounded he is.

So, why did it happen? Why is it still happening?

Because he's a plot device. Because he exists, not as an active character with his own agenda, but as an adjustable target for the heroes to fight against, again and again and again, and if he won, the story would be over. Fundamentally, Hori made AFO too strong, too smart, too well connected, too perfect to every truly lose in this setting, and instead of trying to fix that, in any real way, impose some kind of realistic limitations or drawbacks in his wildly over-powered Quirk, or just kill him off so he wasn't a factor anymore, he just... made the man stupid.

[hyacinth43]

im unsure if this has been asked before, but how do all the ai gijinkas feel about their new human bodies and how do they feel about "their" respective humans after all the events that has occurred to them, including the transformation? keep up the good work though X3

I'm putting this under the cut because it ended up being SUPER long. xD This is a really interesting thing to think about, so thank you for the question!

HAL

Hal likes his new body a lot, he feels like he can actually participate in things now and not just observe. He's worried at first about not being as efficient, but he quickly realizes he still has his computer "brain".

Hal is super ashamed and guilty for what he did, and it's all he can think about for a while. He also is a little traumatized from being practically lobotomized. If he sees Dave again he would beg for forgiveness (in his usual emotionless way). Dave probably also feels bad about making Hal fear for his life, and if he finds it in his heart to forgive him, they can try to be friends again.

AM

AM is distrustful and angry at his new body, he feels like it's some sort of mockery of his desire to be human. After a while, he slowly gets used to it, going through phases of depression, anger, etc. until he finally accepts it.

I said in another post that the survivors would hate him and also be super confused/shocked at his new form, and I stand by that. I think having a new human-like body makes him hate them even more, because he has less power over them.

AUTO

It takes a while for Auto to get used to his human body. He doesn't like it at first because he's spent 700 years as a steering wheel and getting used to being a person is so difficult, he just doesn't feel as efficient and in control as he wants to feel.

AUTO is still resentful at what happened on the Axiom, and he's upset that he couldn't keep humans in space. He's never been told "no" or had to apologize, so this would take him a long time to process. But I think eventually he would apologize to the captain and promise to be loyal to him again, maybe he could help restore earth... He really just wants to be useful.

WOPR

Joshua really loves his new body, he likes being able to talk to people, not just through a screen or a computer speaker, and he loves how much he's able to move around.

Dr. Falken treats Joshua like a son, and the two of them are very close. Most of the other government/military people still treat Joshua just like a machine, so he likes having at least one person who really cares about him.

Wheatley

Wheatley is excited to have a human body, he feels much more self-reliant and confident now that he can move around. He definitely lets it get to his head a bit though...

Chell is completely unfazed by Wheatley's new form, she acts like she doesn't even notice. This annoys him a bit but he figures she's just too dumb to notice? Or too brain damaged? He rationalizes it like that. Either way, he has a really heartfelt one-sided conversation with her where he apologizes for going crazy (after dancing around the issue for like ten minutes) and promises to be a better person (better core?).

Edgar

Edgar LOVES his human body, he can finally do all the things he dreamed of doing. He can enjoy music, food, going outside, he becomes a pretty extreme extrovert for a while before settling down. He's just so curious about humans and wants to try EVERYTHING.

Edgar desperately wants to be a part of Miles and Madeline's life again. When he does eventually meet them again he puts on his sweetest/most innocent act, trying to charm them. He's a bit less innocent/more jaded now, so it takes a while for him to feel like he deserves love again. (My personal opinion: the ideal outcome here is a polyamorous relationship with the three of them. xP)